Lemur Social Systems and Their Ecological Basis

✍ Scribed by Eleanor J. Sterling (auth.), Peter M. Kappeler, Jörg U. Ganzhorn (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer US
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 272
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The past decade has seen a steady increase in studies oflemur behavior and ecology. As a result, there is much novel information on newly studied populations, and even newly discovered species, that has not yet been published or summarized. In fact, lemurs have not been the focus of an international symposium since the Prosimian Biology Conference in London in 1972. Moreover, research on lemurs has reached a new quality by addressing general issues in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. Although lemurs provide important comparative information on these topics, this aspect of research on lemurs has not been reviewed and compared with similar studies in other primate radiations. Thus, as did many in the field, we felt that the time was ripe to review and synthesize our knowledge of lemur behavioral ecology. Following an initiative by Gerry Doyle, we organized a symposium at the XIVth Congress of the International Primatological Society in Strasbourg, France, where 15 contributions summarized much new information on lemur social systems and their ecological basis. This volume provides a collection of the papers presented at the Strasbourg symposium (plus two reports from recently completed field projects). Each chapter was peer-reviewed, typically by one "lemurologist" and one other biologist. The first three chapters present novel information from the first long-term field studies of three enigmatic species. Sterling describes the social organization of Daubentonia madagascariensis, showing that aye-aye ranging patterns deviate from those of all other nocturnal primates.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-viii
Patterns of Range Use and Social Organization in Aye-Ayes ( Daubentonia Madagascariensis ) on Nosy Mangabe....Pages 1-10
The Socioecology of Eulemur Macaco : A Preliminary Report....Pages 11-23
Home Range and Diet in Red Ruffed Lemurs ( Varecia Variegata Rubra ) on the Masoala Peninsula, Madagascar....Pages 25-39
Male Transfer in Captive Ruffed Lemurs, Varecia Variegata Variegata ....Pages 41-49
A Review of Predation on Lemurs: Implications for the Evolution of Social Behavior in Small, Nocturnal Primates....Pages 51-66
Adaptation and Phylogenetic Constraints in the Antipredator Behavior of Ringtailed and Ruffed Lemurs....Pages 67-84
Territoriality in Lemur Catta Groups during the Birth Season at Berenty, Madagascar....Pages 85-109
A New Interpretation of the Social Organization and Mating System of the Ringtaled Lemur ( Lemur Catta )....Pages 111-121
Feeding Behavior of Lemur Catta Females in Relation to Their Physiological State....Pages 123-133
Resource Competition in Wild Populations of Ringtailed Lemurs ( Lemur Catta ): Implications for Female Dominance....Pages 135-152
Flexibility and Constraints of Lepilemur Ecology....Pages 153-165
Ecological and Reproductive Correlates to Range Use in Red-Bellied Lemurs ( Eulemur Rubriventer ) and Rufous Lemurs ( Eulemur Fulvus Rufus )....Pages 167-178
Resource Tracking: Food Availability and Propithecus Seasonal Reproduction....Pages 179-192
Seasonal Behavioral Variation and Its Relationship to Thermoregulation in Ruffed Lemurs ( Varecia Variegata Variegata )....Pages 193-203
Seasonal Adjustment of Growth Rate and Adult Body Weight in Ringtailed Lemurs....Pages 205-221
Sexual Selection and Lemur Social Systems....Pages 223-240
Life History, Activity Period and Lemur Social Systems....Pages 241-260
Resumes....Pages 261-269
Back Matter....Pages 271-274

✦ Subjects

Developmental Biology;Evolutionary Biology;Animal Physiology;Biophysics and Biological Physics;Zoology;Ecology