Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fragment-Adaptive Behavioural Strategies and Intersite Variation in the Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) in South-Central Madagascar

  • Chapter
Primates in Fragments

Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR))

Abstract

Behaviour, diet and population demography were sampled and compared between two forest fragment-living populations of wild ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) in south-central Madagascar. Both sites—a fragment in the Tsaranoro Valley near Andringitra National Park, and a more densely populated fragment at Anja, much closer to human habitation—are sacred forests (sites of human burial) surrounded by anthropogenically produced savannah, and are subject to traditional protective prohibitions (fady). Both sites attract tourists, but are operated differently, with Anja receiving considerably more tourists; the resources available to the L. catta also differ at each site, affecting their behaviour. L. catta at Tsaranoro spent more time feeding, and less time resting and engaging in social behaviour than those at Anja, where abundant fruit from introduced trees, as well as plentiful drinking water, are available and resource abundance is relatively higher. Although the fragments are of similar size and were expected to differ little, many significant behavioural and population differences were observed, suggesting the importance of the refinement of rapid assessment techniques for judging the habitat suitability and conservation value of small forest fragments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bicca-Marques JC (2003) How do howler monkeys cope with habitat fragmentation? In: Marsh LK (ed) Primates in fragments: ecology and conservation. Springer, New York, pp 283–304

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Blumenfeld-Jones K, Randriamboavonjy TM, Williams G, Mertl-Millhollen AS, Pinkus S, Rasamimanana H (2006) Tamarind recruitment and long-term stability in the Gallery Forest at Berenty, Madagascar. In: Jolly A, Sussman RW, Koyama N, Rasamimanana H (eds) Ringtailed lemur biology: Lemur catta in Madagascar. Springer, New York, pp 69–85

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Burney DA, Burney LP, Godfrey LR, Jungers WL, Goodman SM, Wright HT, Jull AJT (2004) A chronology for late prehistoric Madagascar. J Human Evol 47(1–2):25–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cameron A (2010) Behavioural surveys and edge-sensitivity estimates of two populations of free-ranging ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) in rocky outcrop/savannah mosaic habitat at Anja Special Reserve and the Tsaranoro Valley, Southcentral Madagascar. [MA Thesis] University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellwanger NW (2007) Behavioural strategies of the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) in a sub-desert spiny forest habitat at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar. [MA Thesis] University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellwanger N, Gould L (2011) Variations in behavioural patterns between Lemur catta groups living in different forest types: implications for conservation. Endangered Species Res 14:259–270

    Google Scholar 

  • Estrada A, Coates-Estrada R (1996) Tropical rain forest fragmentation and wild populations of primates at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. Int J Prim 17:759–778

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gabriel DN (2013a) Habitat use and activity patterns as an indication of fragment quality in a strepsirrhine primate. Int J Primatol 34:388–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Gabriel DN (2013b) Ecological flexibility in a disturbed landscape: an assessment of the behavioural and health ecology of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) in relation to forest fragmentation. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Victoria

    Google Scholar 

  • Gemmill AL (2007). Adult female feeding competition within two groups of free-ranging ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) in different habitats at the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Southwestern Madagascar. [MA Thesis] University of Victoria, Victoria, BC

    Google Scholar 

  • Gemmill A, Gould L (2008) Microhabitat variation and its effects on dietary composition and intragroup feeding interactions between adult female Lemur catta during the dry season at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, southwestern Madagascar. Int J Primatol 29:1511–1533

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ganzhorn JU, Lowry PP, Schatz GE, Sommer S (2001) The biodiversity of Madagascar: one of the world’s hottest hotspots on its way out. Oryx 35(4):346–348

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman S, Benstead J (eds) (2003). The natural history of Madagascar. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman SM, Rakotoarisoa SV, Wilme L (2006) The distribution and biogeography of the ringtailed lemur (Lemur catta) in Madagascar. In: Jolly A, Sussman RW, Koyama N, Rasamimanana H (eds) Ringtailed lemur biology: Lemur catta in Madagascar. Springer, New York, pp 3–15

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Google Inc. (2012) Google earth version 6.0.2.2074 Available at: http://www.google.com/earth/index.html

  • Gould L, Sussman RW, Sauther ML (1999) Natural disasters and primate populations: the effects of a two-year drought on a naturally occurring population of ringtailed lemurs in southwestern Madagascar. Int J Primatol 20:69–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gould L, Overdorff DJ (2002) Adult male scent-marking in Lemur catta and Eulemur fulvus rufus. Int J Primatol 23(3):575–586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gould L, Sussman RW, Sauther ML (2003) Demographic and life-history patterns in a population of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) at Beza Mahafaly Reserve, Madagascar: A 15-year perspective. Am J Phys Anthropol 120(2):182–194

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gould L (2006) Lemur catta ecology: what we know and what we need to know. In: Gould L, Sauther ML (eds) Lemurs: ecology and adaptation. Springer, New York, pp 255–274

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gould L, Power ML, Ellwanger N, Rambeloarivony H (2011) Feeding behavior and nutrient intake in spiny forest-dwelling ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) during early gestation and early to mid-lacttation periods: compensating in a harsh environment. Am J Phys Anth 145:469–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Innes JL (2010) Madagascar rosewood, illegal logging and the tropical timber trade. Madagascar Conservat Dev 5(1):6–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Jolly A (1966) Lemur behavior. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Jolly A (1984) The puzzle of female feeding priority. In: Small MF (ed) Female primates: studies by women primatologists. Alan R. Liss, Inc., New York, pp 197–215

    Google Scholar 

  • Jolly A (2003) Lemur catta, ring-tailed lemur, maky. In: Goodman SM, Benstead JP (eds) The natural history of Madagascar. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 1329–1331

    Google Scholar 

  • Jolly A (2012) Berenty reserve, Madagascar: a long time in a small space. In: Kappeler PM, Watts DP (eds) Long-term field studies of primates. Springer, New York, pp 21–44

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jolly A, Rasamimanana HR, Kinnaird MF, O’Brien TG, Crowley HM, Harcourt CS, Gardner S, Davidson J (1993) Territoriality in Lemur catta groups during the birth season at Berenty, Madagascar. In: Kappeler PM, Ganzhorn JU (eds) Lemur social systems and their ecological basis. Plenum Press, New York, pp 85–109

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jolly A, Dobson A, Rasamimanana HM, Walker J, O’Connor S, Solberg M, Perel V (2002) Demography of Lemur catta at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar: effects of troop size, habitat and rainfall. Int J Primatol 23(2):327–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jolly A, Koyama N, Rasamimanana HM, Crowley H, Williams G (2006) Berenty Reserve: a research site in southern Madagascar. In: Jolly A, Sussman RW, Koyama N, Rasamimanana H (eds) Ringtailed lemur biology: Lemur catta in Madagascar. Springer, New York, pp 32–42

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jones JPG, Andriamarovololona MM, Hockley N (2008) The importance of taboos and social norms to conservation in Madagascar. Cons Bio 22(4):976–986

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jury M (2003) The climate of Madagascar. In: Goodman S, Benstead J (eds) The natural history of Madagascar. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 75–87

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelley EA (2011) Lemur catta in the Region of Cap Sainte-Marie, Madagascar: introduced cacti, xerophytic Didiereaceae-Euphorbia bush, and tombs. PhD dissertation, Washington University, St. Louis

    Google Scholar 

  • Koyama N, Nakamichi M, Ichino S, Takahata Y (2002) Population and social dynamics changes in ring-tailed lemur troops at Berenty, Madagascar between 1989 and 1999. Primates 43(4):291–314

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF (1991) Edge effects in tropical forest fragments: application of a model for the design of nature reserves. Biolog Cons 57(2):205–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaFleur M (2012) Ecology of ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) at the Tsimanampetsotsa National Park, Madagascar: implications for female dominance and the evolution of lemur traits. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Colorado

    Google Scholar 

  • Lourenço WR (1996) BiogĂ©ographie de Madagascar. Paris:ORSTOM

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovejoy TE, Bierregaard RO Jr, Rylands AB, Malcolm JR, Quintela CE, Harper LH, Brown K Jr, Powell AH, Powell GVN, Powell, Schubart HO, Hays MB (1986) Edge and other effects of isolation on Amazon forest fragments. In: SoulĂ© ME (ed) Conservation biology: the science of scarcity and diversity. Sinauer, Sunderland, MA, pp 257–285

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin P, Bateson P (1993) Measuring behaviour: an introductory guide. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh LK (2003) The nature of fragmentation. In: Marsh LK (ed) Primates in fragments: ecology and conservation. Springer, New York, pp 1–10

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Mertl-Millhollen AS, Moret ES, Felantsoa D, Rasamimanana H, Blumenfeld-Jones KC, Jolly A (2003) Ring-tailed lemur home ranges correlate with food abundance and nutritional content at a time of environmental stress. Int J Prim 24(5):969–985

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mittermeier R, Ganzhorn J, Konstant W, Glander K, Tattersall I, Groves C, Rylands A, Hapke A, Ratsimbazafy J, Mayor M, Louis E, Rumpler Y, Schwitzer C, Rasoloarison R (2008) Lemur diversity in Madagascar. Int J Primatol 29:1607–1656

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Onderdonk DA, Chapman CA (2000) Coping with forest fragmentation: the primates of Kibale National Park, Uganda. Int J Prim 21:587–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pride ER (2005) Optimal group size and seasonal stress in ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta). Behav Ecol 16:550–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raharovalahy VS (2012) Anja-Miray, Madagascar. Presentation given to the UN Equator Initiative ICCA Panel Discussion, June, 2012. http://www.equatorinitiative.org/

  • Rasamimanana H, Andrianome V, Ramibeloarivony H, Pasquet P (2006) Male and female ringtailed lemur’s energetic strategy does not explain female dominance. In: Jolly A, Sussman R, Koyama N, Rasimimanana H (eds) Ringtailed lemur biology: Lemur catta in Madagascar. Stringer, New York, pp 271–295

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sauther ML (1992) The effect of reproductive state, social rank and group size on resource use among free-ranging ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) of Madagascar. Ph.D. dissertation. Washington University, St. Louis

    Google Scholar 

  • Sauther ML (1993) Resource competition in wild populations of ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta): implications for female dominance. In: Kappeler PM, Ganzhorn JU (eds) Lemur social systems and their ecological basis. Plenum Press, New York, pp 135–152

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sauther ML, Sussman RW, Gould L (1999) The socioecology of the ringtailed lemur: thirty-five years of research. Evol Anthropol 8:120–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sauther M (2002) Group size effects on predation sensitive foraging in wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta). In: Miller L (ed) Eat or be Eaten: predator sensitive foraging among primates. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 107–125

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sauther ML, Cuozzo FP (2008) Somatic and dental variation in living, wild ring-tailed lemurs. Folia Primatologica 79:58–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Sauther ML, Fish KD, Cuozzo FP, Miller DS, Hunter-Ishikawa M, Culbertson H (2006) Patterns of health, disease, and behaviour among wild ringtailed lemurs, Lemur catta: effects of habitat and sex. In: Jolly A, Sussman RW, Koyama N, Rasamimanana H (eds) Ringtailed lemur biology: Lemur catta in Madagascar. Springer, New York, pp 313–331

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Silver SC, Marsh LK (2003) Dietary flexibility, behavioural plasticity, and survival in fragments: lessons from translocated howlers. In: Marsh LK (ed) Primates in fragments: ecology and conservation. Springer, New York, pp 251–266

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Soma T (2006) Tradition and novelty: Lemur catta feeding strategy on introduced tree species at Berenty Reserve. In: Jolly A, Sussman RW, Koyama N, Rasamimanana H (eds) Ringtailed lemur biology: Lemur catta in Madagascar. Springer, New York, pp 141–159

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sussman RW (1974) Ecological distinctions in sympatric species of Lemur. In: Martin RD, Doyle GA, Walker AC (eds) Prosimian biology. Duckworth, London, pp 75–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Sussman RW (1977) Socialization, social structure and ecology of two sympatric species of lemur. In: Chevalier-Skolnikoff S, Poirier FE (eds) Primate bio-social development: biological, social, and ecological determinants. Garland, New York, pp 515–528

    Google Scholar 

  • Sussman RW (1991) Demography and social organization of free-ranging Lemur catta in the Beza Mahafaly Reserve, Madgascar. Am J Phys Anthropol 84:43–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sussman RW, Green GM, Porton I, Andrianasolondaibe OL, Ratsirarson JA (2003) Survey of the habitat of Lemur catta in southwestern and southern Madagascar. Primate Conserv 19:32–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Sussman RW, Ratsirarson JA (2006) Beza Mahafaly special reserve: a research site in southwestern Madagascar. In: Jolly A, Sussman RW, Koyama N, Rasamimanana H (eds) Ringtailed lemur biology: Lemur catta in Madagascar. Springer, New York, pp 43–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Sussman RW, Richard AF, Ratsirarson J, Sauther ML, Brockman DK, Gould L, Lawler R, Cuozzo FP (2012) Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve: long-term research on lemurs in Southwestern Madagascar. In: Kappeler PM, Watts DP (eds) Long-term field studies of primates. Springer, New York, pp 45–66

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tutin CG (1999) Fragmented living: behavioural ecology of primates in a forest fragment in the LopĂ© Reserve, Gabon. Primates 40(1):249–265

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tutin CG, White L (1999) The recent evolutionary past of primate communitiesL likely environmental impacts during the past three millennia. In: Fleagle JG, Janson CH, Reed KE (eds) Primate communities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 220–236

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the DĂ©partement des Eaux et ForĂŞts, Madagascar for granting us research permission, and to MICET (2009) and GERP (2010) for logistical assistance. We also thank the guides at both sites: Jean-Paul (Tsaranoro) and Clovis (Anja) in 2009, Patrick Andrianomejanahary (Tsaranoro) and Alexandre Bruno (Anja) in 2010, and the Anja-Miray Village Association and Association Tantely which manage the Anja and Tsaranoro Valley forests, respectively. We are grateful to Tara Clarke for her excellent research assistance in 2010. Funding was provided by a grant to LG from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, 3050, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8W-3P5

    Alex Cameron & Lisa Gould

Authors
  1. Alex Cameron
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lisa Gould
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alex Cameron .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Global Conservation Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

    Laura K. Marsh

  2. Department of Anthropology, McGill School of Environment, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Colin A. Chapman

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Cameron, A., Gould, L. (2013). Fragment-Adaptive Behavioural Strategies and Intersite Variation in the Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur catta) in South-Central Madagascar. In: Marsh, L., Chapman, C. (eds) Primates in Fragments. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8839-2_16

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation