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

最近发现，有一群狐猴几乎完全生活在引进的仙人掌树篱内。这一发现具有重要意义，因为该地区的栖息地--旱生Diereaceae-Evelorbiaceae森林，占该物种潜在范围的90%以上。此外，仙人掌作为灵长类物种的主要交错带的用途以前从未被记录过。通过在马达加斯加安卓伊进行的16个月的研究，将通过四个主要研究问题来调查这个种群：(A)适应仙人掌的L.Catta的行为生态与画廊森林的L.Catta相比如何？(B)是否有任何迹象表明这些仙人掌居民在健康、营养和生殖方面受到影响？(C)仙人掌作为这些人的饮食资源有多重要？(D)鉴于美洲狐猴的安德烈种群生活在与庄稼田接壤的树篱中，这些狐猴与当地村民之间的日常互动是什么？将使用行为观察、健康评估、营养分析和人种学调查来解决这些问题。智力上的价值将从一个全新的角度来看待卡塔的生态、行为和适应性。此外，将这一种群记录为仙人掌居住者，将有必要重新审视关于灵长类动物行为灵活性的进化起源的理论。将研究狐猴与当地人类居民的互动，并探索保护措施。最后，入侵物种对当地野生动物种群有害这一长期存在的生态前提将不得不在长期干旱条件下人类改良景观的背景下进行重新评估。这个项目将对一个以前几乎没有接触过灵长类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以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.