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Ecological Flexibility as Measured by the Use of Pioneer and Exotic Plants by Two Lemurids: Eulemur collaris and Hapalemur meridionalis

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Abstract

Primate responses to habitat alteration vary depending on the species’ dietary guild and forest type. Leaves from secondary vegetation can provide nutritious resources to folivorous primates, whereas frugivores, burdened with a scattered spatial and temporal distribution of fruiting resources, require larger home ranges, potentially limiting their ability to cope with altered landscapes. Within coastal southeastern Madagascar, we sought to determine whether two lemur species occupying contrasting ecological niches respond differently to the changing features of their degraded and fragmented habitat. We conducted behavioral observations between 2011 and 2013 on frugivorous collared brown lemurs (Eulemur collaris) and folivorous southern bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur meridionalis). To estimate the ability of lemurs to use pioneer species, we categorized all plants used for feeding and resting as fast growing, mid-growing, or slow growing. We fitted general linear mixed-effects models, one for each plant growth category with monthly proportional use rates as the dependent variable, and included species (E. collaris and H. meridionalis), activity (feeding and resting), and season (dry and wet) as fixed effects. Our results show that E. collaris used both slow- and mid-growing plant species most often, while H. meridionalis were more likely to use fast-growing plants, which indicated an ability to use secondary/disturbed vegetation. Frugivorous E. collaris appear more limited by climax plants, while folivorous H. meridionalis appear to be slightly more adaptable, a finding that is consistent with that for other primate folivores.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Direction du Système des Aires Protégées, the Ministère de l’Environnement et Forêts of Madagascar, and the Mandena Management Committee (COGEMA) for permission to conduct research. We also thank the QMM Rio Tinto Environmental Team for their assistance and provision of logistical support on site and acknowledge their helpful staff, especially Manon Vincelette, Laza Andriamandimbiarisoa, David Rabehevitra, Christophe Rambolamanana, and Claude Soanary. Thanks to Shauna Mora for assistance with the GIS analysis. T. M. Eppley is grateful to Jacques Rakotondranary and Tolona Andrianasolo for obtaining research permits, and to Robertin Ravelomanantsoa, Katie Hall, and Natalie Breden for assistance in the field. T. M. Eppley also thanks the following organizations for their generous financial and in-kind support: American Society of Primatologists, Conservation International Primate Action Fund, Idea Wild, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (Project Number: 11253008), Primate Conservation Inc., and the Primate Society of Great Britain/Knowsley Safari Park. M. Campera and M. Balestri thank Aristide Andrianarimisa, Germain, and Crescent for their assistance in the field. M. Campera and M. Balestri were supported by the Rufford Small Grant Foundation, and thank the Madagascar Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments (MICET). Many thanks to the guest editors, Matt McLennan, Noemi Spagnoletti, and Kim Hockings for the invitation to contribute to this special issue, and to Joanna Setchell and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Timothy M. Eppley

  2. Biozentrum Grindel, Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation, University of Hamburg, 20146, Hamburg, Germany

    Timothy M. Eppley & Jörg U. Ganzhorn

  3. Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK

    Timothy M. Eppley, Michela Balestri, Marco Campera & Giuseppe Donati

  4. QIT Madagascar Minerals, Rio Tinto, Tolagnaro, Madagascar

    Johny Rabenantoandro, Jean-Baptiste Ramanamanjato & Faly Randriatafika

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  1. Timothy M. Eppley
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Correspondence to Timothy M. Eppley.

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Handling Editor: Noemi Spagnoletti

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Eppley, T.M., Balestri, M., Campera, M. et al. Ecological Flexibility as Measured by the Use of Pioneer and Exotic Plants by Two Lemurids: Eulemur collaris and Hapalemur meridionalis . Int J Primatol 38, 338–357 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-016-9943-8

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