Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Proposal:Introduced Cacti and Villages: A Study on Lemur catta (ring-tailed lemurs) in its Primary Remaining Habitat Type

博士论文研究改进建议：引入仙人掌和村庄：狐猴卡塔（环尾狐猴）主要剩余栖息地类型的研究

• 批准号: 0752334
• 负责人: Robert Sussman
• 金额: $ 0.71万
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-05-15 至 2009-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0752334&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Improvement; Proposal

It has recently been discovered that a population of Lemur catta lives almost exclusively within the hedges of the introduced cactus species, Opuntia ficus indica. This finding is significant as the habitat of this region, xerophytic Didiereaceae-Euphorbiaceae forest, represents over 90% of this species' potential range. Moreover, the use of cacti as a primary ecotone for a primate species has never before been documented.Through a 16 month study in Androy, Madagascar, this population of L. catta will be investigated via four primary research questions: (a) How does the behavioral ecology of the cactus adapted L. catta compare with gallery forest L. catta? (b) Are there any indications that these cactus dwellers suffer in health, nutrition, and reproduction? (c) How important is Opuntia as a dietary resource for these individuals? (d) Given that the Androy population of L. catta inhabit hedges that border crop fields, what is the daily interaction between these lemurs and the local villagers? Behavioral observations, health assessments, nutritional analyses, and ethnographic surveys will be used to address these questions. The intellectual merit will begin with a completely new perspective of L. catta ecology, behavior, and adaptability. Additionally, the documentation of this population as cactus dwellers will necessitate reexamination of the theory on the evolutionary origins of behavioral flexibility in Primates. Interactions of the lemurs with the local human inhabitants will be examined and conservation measures will be explored. Last, the long-standing ecological premise that invasive species are harmful to native wildlife populations will have to be reevaluated in the context of human-modified landscapes under chronic drought conditions. This project will have a profound impact on a community that has previously had little to no exposure to the science of primate ecology and conservation biology. Data from this project will be shared through collaborations with anthropologists and biologists in Madagascar and abroad, and through collaborations with institutions that are renowned for their conservation efforts in Madagascar.

最近发现，一群狐猴几乎完全生活在引入的仙人掌物种仙人掌仙人掌的树篱内。这一发现意义重大，因为该地区的旱生双叶藻科-大戟科森林的栖息地占该物种潜在范围的 90% 以上。此外，使用仙人掌作为灵长类物种的主要生态交错带的情况以前从未有过记录。通过在马达加斯加安德罗伊进行的为期 16 个月的研究，将通过四个主要研究问题对 L. catta 种群进行调查：(a) 如何适应仙人掌的 L. catta 的行为生态学与画廊森林 L. catta 相比？ (b) 是否有任何迹象表明这些仙人掌居民的健康、营养和繁殖受到影响？ (c) 仙人掌作为这些人的膳食资源有多重要？ (d) 鉴于 L. catta 的安德罗种群栖息在农作物田边的树篱中，这些狐猴与当地村民之间的日常互动是什么？行为观察、健康评估、营养分析和人种学调查将用于解决这些问题。 智力价值将从对 L. catta 生态、行为和适应性的全新视角开始。此外，记录这一种群作为仙人掌居民将需要重新审视灵长类动物行为灵活性的进化起源理论。将检查狐猴与当地人类居民的互动，并探讨保护措施。 最后，必须在长期干旱条件下人类改变景观的背景下，重新评估入侵物种对本地野生动物种群有害的长期生态前提。 该项目将对以前很少或根本没有接触过灵长类动物生态学和保护生物学科学的社区产生深远的影响。该项目的数据将通过与马达加斯加和国外的人类学家和生物学家的合作，以及通过与马达加斯加以保护工作而闻名的机构的合作来共享。