Dietary flexibility of the greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus), a specialized feeder, in eastern Madagascar.

Autor: Mihaminekena TH; The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar Programme, Antananarivo, Madagascar.; Zoologie et Anthropologie Biologique, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar., Rakotonanahary AN; Mention Science de la Vie et de l'Environnement, Faculté des Sciences de Technologie et de l'Environnement (FSTE), Université de Mahajanga, Mahajanga, Madagascar.; Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership NGO (MBP), Antananarivo, Madagascar., Frasier CL; Conservation Genetics Department, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska, USA., Randriahaingo HNT; The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar Programme, Antananarivo, Madagascar., Sefczek TM; Conservation Genetics Department, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.; School of Global Integrative Studies, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA., Tinsman J; Conservation Genetics Department, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska, USA., Randrianarimanana HL; The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar Programme, Antananarivo, Madagascar., Ravaloharimanitra M; The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar Programme, Antananarivo, Madagascar., Rakotoarinivo TH; Groupe d'Etude et de Recherche sur les Primates (GERP), Antananarivo, Madagascar., Ratsimbazafy J; Groupe d'Etude et de Recherche sur les Primates (GERP), Antananarivo, Madagascar., King T; The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar Programme, Antananarivo, Madagascar.; The Aspinall Foundation, Port Lympne Reserve, Kent, UK.; School of Anthropology and Conservation, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Kent, UK., Louis EE; Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership NGO (MBP), Antananarivo, Madagascar.; Conservation Genetics Department, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: American journal of primatology [Am J Primatol] 2024 May; Vol. 86 (5), pp. e23609. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Feb 26.
DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23609
Abstrakt: The degree of dietary flexibility in primates is species specific; some incorporate a wider array of resources than others. Extreme interannual weather variability in Madagascar results in seasonal resource scarcity which has been linked to specialized behaviors in lemurs. Prolemur simus, for example, has been considered an obligate specialist on large culm bamboo with >60% of its diet composed of woody bamboos requiring morphological and physiological adaptations to process. Recent studies reported an ever-expanding list of dietary items, suggesting that this species may not be an obligate specialist. However, long-term quantitative feeding data are unavailable across this species' range. To explore the dietary flexibility of P. simus, we collected data at two northern sites, Ambalafary and Sahavola, and one southern site, Vatovavy, from September 2010 to January 2016 and May 2017 to September 2018, respectively. In total, we recorded 4022 h of behavioral data using instantaneous sampling of adult males and females from one group in Ambalafary, and two groups each in Sahavola and Vatovavy. We recorded 45 plant species eaten by P. simus over 7 years. We also observed significant differences in seasonal dietary composition between study sites. In Ambalafary, bamboo was the most frequently observed resource consumed (92.2%); however, non-bamboo resources comprised nearly one-third of the diet of P. simus in Sahavola and over 60% in Vatovavy. Consumption of all bamboo resources increased during the dry season at Ambalafary and during the wet season at Vatovavy, but never exceeded non-bamboo feeding at the latter. Culm pith feeding was only observed at Ambalafary, where it was more common during the dry season. We identify P. simus as a bamboo facultative specialist capable of adjusting its feeding behavior to its environment, indicating greater dietary flexibility than previously documented, which may enable the species to survive in increasingly degraded habitats.
(© 2024 The Authors. American Journal of Primatology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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