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Predator–Primate Distribution, Activity, and Co-occurrence in Relation to Habitat and Human Activity Across Fragmented and Contiguous Forests in Northeastern Madagascar

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Abstract

Predator–primate interactions are understudied, yet predators have been shown to influence primate behavior, population dynamics, and spatial distribution. An understanding of these interactions is important for the successful management and conservation of these species. Novel approaches are needed to understand better the spatial relationships between predators and primates across changing landscapes. We combined photographic surveys of predators and humans with line-transect sampling of lemurs across contiguous and fragmented forests in Madagascar to 1) compare relative activity; 2) estimate probability of occupancy and detection; 3) estimate predator–primate and local people–primate co-occurrence; and 4) assess variables influencing these parameters across contiguous and fragmented forests. In fragmented (compared to contiguous) forest sites endemic predator and lemur activity were lower whereas introduced predator and local people activity were higher. Our two-species interaction occupancy models revealed a higher number of interactions among species across contiguous forest where predator and lemur occupancy were highest. Mouse lemurs show evidence of “avoidance” (SIF < 1.0) with all predator species (endemic and introduced) in contiguous forest whereas white-fronted brown lemurs show “attraction” (SIF > 1.0) with feral cats and local people in contiguous forest. Feral cats demonstrated the highest number of interactions with lemurs, despite their distribution being limited to only contiguous forest. Distance to forest edge and distance to nearby villages were important in predicting predator occupancy and detection. These results highlight the growing threat to endemic predators and lemurs as habitat loss and fragmentation increase throughout Madagascar. We demonstrate the effectiveness of a novel combination of techniques to investigate how predator species impact primate species across a gradient of forest fragmentation.

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Acknowledgments

This research project was funded by the National Geographic Society-Waitts Grant, Virginia Tech Chapter of Sigma Xi, Idea Wild, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, European Association for Zoos and Aquariums, the Virginia Tech McGinnes Graduate Fellowship, and by logistical and financial support from the Wildlife Conservation Society Madagascar Program. We thank our Malagasy field assistants (B. L. Donah, Marka’Helin, and R. Wilson) and Malagasy collaborators (C. B. Beandraina, B. A. Salofo, R. C. Christian, Didice, B. Papin, Rabeson, Tobey, Cressent, J. Fernando, and Sassid), our field volunteers (A. Evans, T. Nowlan, K. Miles, H. Doughty, K. Galbreath, J. Larson, C. Miller, and H. Davis), and data entry volunteers (S. Webster, C. Stachowiak, C. Carbaugh, T. Dandridge, S. McCarter, J. Cantor, R. Landry, E. Lower, S. Schneider, M. Martin, D. Kessler, A. Dicocco, C. Maynard, S. Lynn, T. Pangle, H. Boone, E. Ronis, K. Miller, S. Folkerts, J. Majors, M. Brown, S. Sawyer). We thank the Antananarivo and Maroantsetra staff of the Wildlife Conservation Society for their logistical support during all aspects of this work, the Antongil Conservation staff for logistical aid at the Farankarina reserve, as well as the Madagascar Ministry of Environment, Water, Forest, and Tourism for permitting this project. This manuscript benefited from reviews by Brian Gerber and Asia Murphy. Finally, we acknowledge Marni LaFleur and Chia Tan for organizing this special issue and providing improvements to the manuscript, as well as the anonymous reviewers who provided valuable input and corrections.

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  1. Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Zach J. Farris, Sarah M. Karpanty & Marcella J. Kelly

  2. Wildlife Conservation Society, Madagascar Program, BP 106, Andavanio, Maroantsetra, Madagascar

    Felix Ratelolahy

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  1. Zach J. Farris
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Appendix I

Appendix I

Table V Best model results for single-season, two-species interaction occupancy models for each predator (A)–lemur (B) species comparison, including the occupancy (Ψ), detection (p), and predator–lemur species interaction factor (SIF)
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Farris, Z.J., Karpanty, S.M., Ratelolahy, F. et al. Predator–Primate Distribution, Activity, and Co-occurrence in Relation to Habitat and Human Activity Across Fragmented and Contiguous Forests in Northeastern Madagascar. Int J Primatol 35, 859–880 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-014-9786-0

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