Abstract
The goal of this study was to describe energy expenses of free ranging Lepilemur ruficaudatus during the dry season in the deciduous forest of western Madagascar. Since all lemur species measured so far have had very low resting metabolic rates (RMR) and some lemur species can go into daily or prolonged torpor, the question was, whether or not resting metabolic rates can be used to predict field metabolic rates (FMR) in lemurs. Doubly-labeled water measurements of FMR in 11 free-ranging L. ruficaudatus showed that these animals had FMR of about 65.6% of the values expected for FMR of eutherian herbivores of similar body mass (mean mass = 723 g). FMR was on average 2.6-3.1 times higher than RMR that had been measured previously as 63.6% of the expected value for RMR of eutherian mammals of similar body mass. The ratio of FMR/RMR matches the ratio found in other eutherian mammals and is consistent with the idea that FMR is a constant multiple of RMR for eutherian mammals over a wide range of body mass. FMR augmented with increasing range size. The present data do not provide evidence that the costs of locomotion were energetically limiting for L.ruficaudatus.
Keywords
- Home Range
- Home Range Size
- Rest Metabolic Rate
- Eutherian Mammal
- Mouse Lemur
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Brown, J.H., P. A. Marquet, and M. L. Taper. 1993. Evolution of body size: consequences of an energetic definition of fitness. American Naturalist, 142: 573–584.
Charles-Dominique, E, and C. M. Hladik. 1971. Le Lepilemur du sud de Madagascar: écologie, alimentation et vie sociale. La Terre et la Vie, 25: 3–66.
Chown, S.-L., and K.-J. Gaston. 1997. The species-body size distribution: energy, fitness, and optimality. Functional Ecology, 11: 365–375.
Degen, A.A., and M. Kam. 1995. Scaling of field metabolic rate to basal metabolic rate in homeotherms. Ecoscience, 2: 48–54.
Drack, S. 1997. Messung des Energieumsatzes mittels der D2180-Methode am freilebenden “KleinenWieselmaki” (Lepilemur ruficaudatus) an der Westküste Madagaskars. Diplom Thesis, Marburg University, Marburg.
Ganzhorn, J. U. 1993. Flexibility and constraints of Lepilemur ecology, pp. 153–165. In Kappeler, R M., andJ. U. Ganzhorn, eds., Lemur Social Systems and their Ecological Basis. Plenum Press, New York.
Ganzhorn, J. U. submitted. Implications of seasonal variation in food selection by folivorous lemurs for habitat carry-ing capacities
Ganzhorn, J. U., and J. Schmid. 1998. Different population dynamics of Microcebus murinus in primary and secondary deciduous dry forests of Madagascar. International Journal of Primatology, 19.
Ganzxorn, J. U., and J.-R Sorg (eds.). 1996. Ecology and Economy of a Tropical Dry Forest. Primate Report, 46–1: 1–382.
Genoud, M., R. D. Martin, and D. Glaser. 1997. Rate of metabolism in the smallest Simian primate, the Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea). American Journal of Primatology, 41: 229–245.
Hladik, C. M. 1979. Diet and ecology of prosimians, pp. 307–357. In Doyle, G. A., and R. D. Martin, eds., The Study of Prosimian Behavior. Academic Press, London
Jolly, A. 1966. Lemur Behaviour. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Kappeler, P. M. 1996. Causes and consequences of life-history variation among Strepsirhine primates. American Naturalist, 148: 868–891.
Karasov, W. H. 1992. Daily energy expenditure and cost of activity in mammals. American Zoologist, 32: 238–248.
Kleiber, M. 1961. The Fire of Life. John Wiley, New York.
Koteja, P. 1991. On the relation between basal and field metabolic rates in birds and mammals. Functional Ecology, 5: 56–64.
Lifson, N., and Mcclintock, R. 1966. Theory of use of the turnover rates of body water for measuring energy and material balance. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 12: 46–74.
Mcnab, B. K. 1980. Food habits, energetics, and the population biology of mammals. American Naturalist, 116: 106–124.
Mcnab, B. K. 1986. The influence of food habits on the energetics of eutherian mammals. Ecological Monographs,56: 1–19.
Miller, E. F. 1985. Basal metabolic rates in primates-the possible role of phylogenetic and ecological factors. Comparative Biochemical Physiology, 81A: 707–711.
Nagy, K. A. 1987. Field metabolic rate and food requirement scaling in mammals and birds. Ecological Monographs, 57: 111–128.
Nagy, K. A., C. Meienberger, S. D. Bradshaw, and R. D. Wooller. 1995. Field metabolic rate of a small marsupial mammal, the honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus). Journal of Mammalogy, 76: 862–866.
Nasx, L. T. 1998. Vertical clingers and sleepers: seasonal influence on the activities and substrate use of Lepilemur leucopus at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar. Folia Primatologica, 69, Supplement 1: 204–217.
Ortmann, S., G. Heldmaier, J. Schmid, and J. U. Ganzhorn. 1997. Spontaneous daily torpor in Malagasy mouse lemurs. Naturwissenschaften, 84: 28–32.
Pereira, M. E. 1993. Seasonal adjustment of growth rate and adult body weight in ringtailed lemurs, pp. 205–221. In Kappeler, P. M., and J U. Ganzhorn, eds., Lemur Social Systems and their Ecological Basis. Plenum Press, New York.
Peterson, C. C., K. A. Nacy, and J. Diamond. 1990. Sustained metabolic scope. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, 87: 2324–2328.
Petter, J.-J. 1978. Ecological and physiological adaptations of five sympatric nocturnal lemurs to seasonal variations in food production, pp. 211–223. In Chivers, D. J., and J. Herbert, eds., Recent Advances in Primatology. Academic Press, New York.
Petter-Rousseaux, A., and C.M. Hladjk. 1980. A comparative study of food intake in five nocturnal prosimians in simulated climatic conditions, pp. 169–179. In Charles-Dominique, P., H. M. Cooper, A. Hladik, C. M. Hladik, G. F. Pariente, A. Petter-Rousseaux, and A. Schilling, eds., Nocturnal Malagasy Primates. Academic Press, New York.
Pietsch, T. 1998. Geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede in der räumlichen Verteilung und Nahrungswahl von Lepilemur ruficaudatus im Trockenwald von Madagaskar. Diplom Thesis, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg.
Richard, A. E 1987. Malagasy prosimians: female dominance, pp. 25–33. In Smuts, B. B., D. L. Cheney, R. M. Seyfarth, R. W. Wrangham, and T. T. Struhsaker, eds., Primate Societies. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Schmid, J. 1996. Oxygen consumption and torpor in mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus and M. myoxinus): Preliminary results of a study in western Madagascar, pp. 47–54. In Geiser, E, A. J. Hulbert, and S. C. Nicol, eds., Adaptations to the Cold: the Tenth International Hibernation Symposium. University of New England Press, Armidale.
Schmid, J. and J. U. Ganzhorn. 1996. Resting metabolic rates of Lepilemur ruficaudatus. American Journal of Primatology, 38: 169–174.
Schmidt-Nielsen, K. Animal Physiology. 4th ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Siegel, S., and N. J. Castellan. 1988. Nonparametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Warren, R. D., and R. H. Cromrron. 1998. Diet, body size, and the energy costs of locomotion in saltatory primates. Folia Primatologica, 69, Supplement 1: 86–100.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Drack, S. et al. (1999). Field Metabolic Rate and the Cost of Ranging of the Red-Tailed Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur Ruficaudatus). In: Rakotosamimanana, B., Rasamimanana, H., Ganzhorn, J.U., Goodman, S.M. (eds) New Directions in Lemur Studies. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4705-1_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4705-1_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7131-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4705-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive