Circadian rhythms in diet and habitat use in red ruffed lemurs (Varecia rubra) and white-fronted brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus albifrons)

American Journal of Physical Anthropology
Natalie Vasey

Abstract

Daily variation in niche use among vertebrates is attributed to a variety of factors, including thermoregulatory, reproductive, and nutritional requirements. Lemuriform primates exhibit many behavioral and physiological adaptations related to thermoregulation and sharp, seasonal reproduction, yet they have rarely been subjects of a quantitative analysis of circadian (or daily) rhythms in niche use. In this study, I document daily rhythms in diet and microhabitat use over an annual cycle in two sympatric, frugivorous lemurs, Varecia rubra and Eulemur fulvus albifrons. Data on diet, forest site, and forest height were recorded at 5-min time points on focal animals and divided into three time blocks for analysis (06:00-10:00 hr, 10:00-14:00 hr, and 14:00-18:00 hr). I employed multivariate tests of independence to examine daily rhythms in diet and microhabitat use according to sex, season, and reproductive stage. Throughout the day, V. rubra is frugivorous and dwells in the upper canopy, with notable departures (especially for females) during the hot seasons, gestation, and lactation. E. f. albifrons has heterogeneous daily rhythms of food choice and microhabitat use, particularly across seasons, and both sexes are equally variable...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 25, 2008·Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine : Official Publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians·Christopher J DuttonEdward E Louis
Apr 2, 2014·Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM·Henrik EnghoffMaurizio G Paoletti
Jan 18, 2006·Folia primatologica; international journal of primatology·D J Curtis, M A Rasmussen
Feb 19, 2016·American Journal of Primatology·Elizabeth A KelleyJason M Kamilar
May 18, 2005·American Journal of Primatology·Natalie Vasey
Feb 13, 2007·American Journal of Primatology·Goro HanyaShuhei Hayaishi
Jul 18, 2021·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Margaret CorleyEduardo Fernandez-Duque
Sep 7, 2021·American Journal of Primatology·Dominique L RaboinJessica M Rothman

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