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

最近人们发现，狐猴的一个种群几乎只生活在引进的仙人掌品种——印度仙人掌的树篱内。这一发现具有重要意义，因为该地区旱生双Didiereaceae-Euphorbiaceae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原始过渡带从未有过记录。通过在马达加斯加的Androy进行为期16个月的研究，将通过四个主要研究问题来调查这一种群：(a)与廊道林的仙人掌相比，适应仙人掌的L. catta的行为生态学如何？(b)是否有任何迹象表明这些仙人掌居民在健康、营养和繁殖方面受到损害？(c) Opuntia作为这些人的饮食资源有多重要？(d)鉴于猕猴栖息在农田边缘的树篱上，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。知识价值将开始与L. catta生态学，行为和适应性的全新视角。此外，这一群体作为仙人掌居民的记录将有必要重新审视灵长类动物行为灵活性的进化起源理论。将研究狐猴与当地居民的互动，并探讨保护措施。最后，长期存在的生态前提——入侵物种对本地野生动物种群有害——必须在长期干旱条件下人类改造景观的背景下重新评估。这个项目将对一个以前几乎没有接触过灵长类动物生态学和保护生物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国内外的人类学家和生物学家的合作，以及与在马达加斯加因其保护工作而闻名的机构的合作来共享。

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.