Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Behavioral and Ecological Interactions of Lemurs and Raptors in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar

狐猴给试图了解其社会行为的科学家们带来了一个难题，因为它们不符合大多数猴子和猿的一般社会模式。对这种差异的一种可能解释是，与灵长类动物生活的其他地区相比，马达加斯加（现代狐猴物种的家园）的食肉动物更少，危险程度也更低。坊间研究对这一假设提出了质疑，但很少有关于狐猴捕食的系统数据。本文研究了马达加斯加Ranomafana国家公园内狐猴与猛禽的行为和生态相互作用，旨在了解狐猴与昼夜活动的猛禽之间特定的生态相互作用，以及狐猴对不同捕食者的反捕食行为。第一个问题将通过测量马达加斯加四种最大的白天活动的猛禽（短翅Buteo brachypterus， Accipiter henstii, Polyboroides radiatus, Eutriorchis astur）对狐猴造成的实际死亡率来解决。这些猛禽中的每一种都将成为巢穴观察、猎物残骸收集和无线电跟踪研究的重点，这些研究旨在测量每种猛禽杀死的狐猴数量、发生死亡的区域以及猎物数量。此外，两个实验将解决狐猴对现有捕食者协会的行为反应。第一个实验涉及捕食者的声音回放三种不同体型的狐猴：戴冠狐猴（prodecus diadema edwardsi），红狐猴（Eulemur fulvus rufus）和温和狐猴（Hapalemur griseus）。第二个实验包括将三组独立的冠狐猴暴露给鸟类和陆地捕食者。通过对猛禽和狐猴数据的分析，可以清楚地了解猛禽捕食对狐猴的生态影响，以及狐猴对捕食风险的行为反应。

Lemurs have presented a puzzle to scientists trying to understand their social behavior, because they do not conform to the general social patterns found in most monkeys and apes. One of the possible explanations for this difference assumes that Madagascar (the home of modern lemur species) has fewer and less dangerous predators than other areas where primates live. Anecdotal studies have questioned this assumption, but there are few systematic data concerning predation on lemurs. This study of the behavioral and ecological interactions of lemurs and raptors in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar is designed to provide information on 1) the specific ecological interactions between lemurs and diurnal birds of prey, and 2) anti-predator behaviors of lemurs in response to distinct predator species. The first question will be addressed by measuring the actual rate of mortality on lemurs imposed by the four largest diurnal birds of prey in Madagascar (Buteo brachypterus, Accipiter henstii, Polyboroides radiatus, Eutriorchis astur). Each of these raptors will be the focus of nest observations, prey remain collections, and radio-tracking studies designed to measure the number of lemurs killed by each raptor species, the area over which this mortality occurs, and the prey population size. In addition, two experiments will address the behavioral responses of lemurs to the existing predator guild. The first experiment involves predator vocalization play backs to three species of lemurs with varying body sizes: the diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema edwardsi), the rufous lemur (Eulemur fulvus rufus), and the gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus). The second experiment consists of exposing three independent groups of diademed sifakas to model avian and terrestrial predators. The analysis of both raptor and lemur data will provide a clear understanding of the ecological influence of raptor predation on lemurs as well as the behavioral responses of lemurs to predation risk.