Use of space and home range characteristics of Lepilemur mittermeieri, an endangered sportive lemur endemic to the Ampasindava peninsula, north-west Madagascar.

Autor: Wilmet L; TERRA Research Center, Forest is Life, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech - University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium.; Conservation Biology Unit, OD Nature, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Bruxelles, Belgium., Beudels-Jamar RC; Conservation Biology Unit, OD Nature, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Bruxelles, Belgium., Schwitzer C; Bristol Zoological Society, c/o Bristol Zoo Gardens. Clifton, Bristol, UK., Rakotondrainibe H; Malagasy Veterinary Consultant, Antananarivo, Madagascar., Devillers P; Conservation Biology Unit, OD Nature, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Bruxelles, Belgium., Vermeulen C; TERRA Research Center, Forest is Life, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech - University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: American journal of primatology [Am J Primatol] 2019 Aug; Vol. 81 (8), pp. e23017. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Jun 27.
DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23017
Abstrakt: Lepilemur mittermeieri, a little-studied sportive lemur of north-west Madagascar, endemic to the Ampasindava Peninsula, faces habitat loss through forest degradation and rapid fragmentation. Understanding its habitat requirement is the first step toward preservation of this threatened forest-dependent species. In this study, we gathered data on the use of space and home range characteristics of L. mittermeieri. We studied individuals from early March to the end of June 2015 and 2016, in three sites of the Ampasindava peninsula. We radio-tracked 15 individuals to obtain detailed information on the size and location of home ranges (around 450 hr of tracking). Direct observation and morphometric measurements provided additional data sets. Both kernel density estimation (KDE) and minimum convex polygon (MCP) methods yielded similar home range sizes (an average of 2.01 ha with KDE method and 1.96 ha with MCP method). We did not find differences in home range size between males and females, with respect to forest type or proximity to the forest edge. Home ranges overlapped and individuals showed low levels of territoriality. We highlighted a sexually-dimorphic trait: males have longer upper canine than females. Our results constitute the first set of ecological information on Lepilemur mittermeieri and could be the basis for a conservation strategy for this endangered species with a very small distribution area.
(© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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