Population Dynamics in Wild Verreaux's Sifaka (Lemuriformes, Primates)

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The goal of this project is to elucidate the ecological and demographic determinants of population growth rate using diverse data collected from a wild lemur population. At present, little is known with respect to how individual variation in phenotype, as well as environmental variation, actually influences primate population dynamics. Wild primates are long-lived, slowly maturing creatures that are often unmanipulable. Because of this, collecting demographic data on wild primate populations requires considerable long-term effort. Most studies of primate population dynamics use captive and/or imperfect demographic data. This greatly impedes our ability to understand the myriad factors that influence the fate of wild primate populations.The investigator will examine primate population dynamics in an effort to account for imperfect census data and provide a means to incorporate phenotypic and environmental variation into population dynamic models. This will involve two major types of demographic analyses: multi-state mark-resighting analysis and matrix population models. Both of these approaches have a proven track record in elucidating the mechanisms underlying population dynamics. However, these approaches are rarely applied to wild primate populations.The data for this project come from an on-going, collaborative research program focusing on the biology of a wild lemur population, Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) in southwest Madagascar. Over the past 20 years, the investigator and his colleagues have collected genetic, behavioral, demographic, and phenotypic information on individually marked animals. In addition, climate data are available for the field site going back over 50 years.In continuing to study this lemur population, the investigator's research program focuses on three major areas: evolutionary demography, population genetics, and behavioral ecology. The work proposed outlines methods that unite these different areas in order to gain a better understanding of how genetic, phenotypic, and environmental factors influence population dynamics. To this end, this research has implications for both lemur conservation biology and evolutionary ecology in general. Funds are requested to supplement each aspect of this research program in the laboratory and field.