Living in riverine and xeric forests:<i>Microcebus griseorufus</i>at Beza Mahafaly, southwestern Madagascar

Rasoazanabary, Emilienne; Godfrey, Laurie R.; Lehman, Shawn M.; Radespiel, Ute; Zimmermann, Elke

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139871822.014

Cited by 7 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Extant primate mean body masses were collected from published sources (Smith and Jungers, ; Rasoazanabary, ), and non‐primate mean body masses were collected from the AnAge Animal Longevity Database (Tacutu et al, ) or from Smith et al (). Whenever possible, body mass values from the largest sample of non‐captive populations were used.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting euarchontan body mass: A comparison of tarsal and dental variables

Yapuncich

Gladman

Boyer

2015

American J Phys Anthropol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting euarchontan body mass: A comparison of tarsal and dental variables

Yapuncich

Gladman

Boyer

2015

American J Phys Anthropol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is forest‐limited, however; it does not occur in habitats that lack forest or that are comprised only of low vegetation, such as heathlands. M. griseorufus prefers xeric forest habitats; it is widespread in southern Madagascar, and is abundant in the spiny forests of reserves such as Berenty and Bezà Mahafaly (Blanco, Rasoazanabary, & Godfrey, ; Génin, ; Rasoazanabary & Godfrey, ). M. griseorufus is rarely found in mesic forests, although in several places, including Bezà Mahafaly, it appears to have invaded mesic forests from contiguous xerophytic habitats (Rasoazanabary & Godfrey, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…M. griseorufus prefers xeric forest habitats; it is widespread in southern Madagascar, and is abundant in the spiny forests of reserves such as Berenty and Bezà Mahafaly (Blanco, Rasoazanabary, & Godfrey, ; Génin, ; Rasoazanabary & Godfrey, ). M. griseorufus is rarely found in mesic forests, although in several places, including Bezà Mahafaly, it appears to have invaded mesic forests from contiguous xerophytic habitats (Rasoazanabary & Godfrey, ). Members of this species usually possess a gray coat with roan‐colored markings on the back and head, a white interorbital stripe, and the ectaxonic hand and foot seen in most strepsirrhines (Cuozzo et al, ; Heckman, Rasoazanabary, Machlin, Godfrey, & Yoder, ; Lemelin & Schmitt, ; Yoder et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Members of this species usually possess a gray coat with roan‐colored markings on the back and head, a white interorbital stripe, and the ectaxonic hand and foot seen in most strepsirrhines (Cuozzo et al, ; Heckman, Rasoazanabary, Machlin, Godfrey, & Yoder, ; Lemelin & Schmitt, ; Yoder et al, ). However, phenotypic variants in pelage color and dental morphology are common (Cuozzo et al, ; Rasoazanabary, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Special Reserve at Bezà Mahafaly is situated in southwest Madagascar, a region with marked seasonal changes (Génin, ; Kamilar & Muldoon, ). The dry season is characterized by cool temperatures and very little rainfall, and the wet season is very hot and with periods of intense rain (Rasoazanabary, ). Bezà Mahafaly receives most of its annual rainfall between December and March, and it is during this time that flowering and fruiting of trees occurs (Rasoazanabary, ; Sussman & Ratsirarson, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The befuddling nature of mouse lemur hands and feet at Bezà Mahafaly, SW Madagascar

Agostini

Rasoazanabary

Godfrey

2017

American J Primatol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The reddish-gray mouse lemur (Microcebus griseorufus) possesses striking phenotypic and behavioral variation. This project investigates differences in autopod proportions in neighboring populations of M. griseorufus from the Special Reserve at Bezà Mahafaly in southwest Madagascar. One population resides in an environment generally preferred by M. griseorufus-a spiny forest with large-trunked trees, vertically-oriented supports, and more open ground, while the other resides in a gallery forest with abundant small, often horizontal peripheral branches in high canopy. We demonstrate significant interpopulation differences in autopod morphophology despite no evidence of divergence in mitochondrial cytochrome b. We test two hypotheses regarding ultimate causation. The first, based on the Fine Branch Arborealism Hypothesis (FBAH), holds that autopod differences are related to different locomotor practices in the two environments, and the second, based on the Narrow Niche Hypothesis (NNH), holds that the observed differences reflect a relaxation (from ancestral to descendant conditions) of selective pressure for terrestrial locomotion and/or use of large, vertical supports combined with positive selection for locomoting in peripheral branch settings. Our data conform well to FBAH expectations and show some support for the NNH. Individuals from the gallery forest possess disproportionally long posterior digits that facilitate locomotion on small, flexible canopy supports while individuals from the spiny forest possess shorter posterior digits and a longer pollex/hallux that increase functional grasping diameter for large vertical supports and facilitate efficient ground locomotion. Focal individual data confirm differences in how often individuals descend to the ground and use vertical supports. We further show that predispersal juveniles, like adults, possess autopod morphologies suited to their natal forest. We explore two proximate mechanisms that could generate these cheiridial differences. The first posits an in vivo plastic response to different locomotor behaviors, the second posits differences that manifest in early development.

show abstract