Distribution of a folivorous lemur in relation to seasonally varying food resources: integrating quantitative and qualitative aspects of food characteristics

Abstract

The goal of this study was to assess the relative importance of food availability and its quality for the spatial distribution of a folivorous lemur species, Lepilemur ruficaudatus, from the highly seasonal dry deciduous forest of Madagascar. Males and females of this species showed opposite changes of body mass and body condition during the dry and the wet season. Male body mass declined during the dry season that coincides with mating, while female body mass remained constant. During the wet season that coincides with lactation, female body mass declined but male body mass increased. This indicates that changes in body mass are not linked as much to environmental seasonality as to mating and reproduction. The distribution of L. ruficaudatus was most significantly related to the spatial distribution of leaf protein during the wet season. Neither the availability nor the chemical composition of leaves eaten during the dry season affected the spatial distribution of L. ruficaudatus. These findings are consistent with hypotheses that constraints are most severe during the times of lactation and weaning and that distributions of primates reflect their food requirements in order to optimize their reproductive success. They are inconsistent with the idea that the lean dry season is the most stressful time of year for lemurs in energetic or nutritive terms.

Linking feeding ecology and population abundance: a review of food resource limitation on primates

“…They survive the lean season by keeping an extremely low metabolic rate and low levels of activity (Schmid and Ganzhorn 1996). Their abundance correlates with the product of quantity (number of food trees) and quality (protein to fiber ratio) of young leaves during the food-abundant wet season (Ganzhorn 2002). This index would likely correlate with the quantity of young leaves that is above a certain level of nutritional quality, thus the findings of this species support our hypothesis.…”

“…Milton (1979) proposed that the protein-to-fiber ratio of leaves was an important criterion for leaf selection by primates, whereby leaves with higher protein and low fiber ratios were selected. This preference has been demonstrated for a large number of primates Ganzhorn 2002;Hanya and Bernard 2012). Fiber is often considered an antifeedant because it requires fermentation by symbiotic microbes and the cellulose and hemicellulose components of the fiber is typically only partially digestible by folivores (McNab 2002).…”

“…For example, Waterman et al (1988) proposed that the weighted contributions of the protein-to-fiber ratios of the mature leaves of the most abundant trees in a particular area could predict the biomass of folivorous colobines. This index of dietary quality has been applied successfully to predict the biomass of folivorous monkeys at local Ganzhorn 2002) and regional (Waterman et al 1988;Oates et al 1990;Ganzhorn 1995;Chapman et al 2004;Fashing et al 2007) scales. Davies (1994) suggested that the year-round availability of digestible mature leaves with high protein-to-fiber ratios, which are used by colobus species when other, more preferred foods are unavailable, serves to limit the size of colobine populations (i.e., high protein-to-fiber mature leaves are important fallback foods).…”

Sex and seasonal differences in diet and nutrient intake in Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi)

“…In addition, the capacity for storing nutrients and the synchronization of reproductive stages, including the period weaning infants, to the seasonal fluctuations of food, also contribute to the improvement of their diet after scarce periods and thereby to their reproductive success. The storage capacity has been also described for red‐tailed sportive lemurs ( Lepilemur ruficaudatus) , another folivorous lemur species inhabiting the same forest (Ganzhorn, 2002; but see also Dröscher, Rothman, Ganzhorn, & Kappeler, 2016 for Lepilemur leucopus ). Likewise, storage capacity is one prerequisite for hibernation in gray mouse lemurs ( Microcebus murinus) and fat‐tailed dwarf lemurs ( Cheirogaleus medius , Dausmann, 2014; Schmid, 2000).…”

Ecological and Phylogenetic Correlates to Body Size in the Indriidae

“…Many researchers have cited geographic variation in rainfall as the proximate factor influencing lemur evolutionary ecology (Albrecht and Miller, 1993;Albrecht et al, 1990;Ganzhorn, 2002;Godfrey et al, 1990Godfrey et al, , 2004Lehman et al, 2005;Ravosa et al, 1993Ravosa et al, , 1995Wright, 1999). Ultimately, rainfall is taken as an indirect measure of forest productivity (Kay et al, 1997).…”