Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Testing the Energy Conservation Hypothesis for Female Dominance in Wild Ring-tailed Lemurs with Implications for the Evolution of Lemur Traits

能量守恒假说已经被提出来解释马达加斯加灵长类动物中发现的一些不寻常的特征，包括：雌性优势，雄性/雌性体型单态性和严格的同步繁殖。能量保存被认为是一种适应性的复杂选择，以帮助狐猴，特别是雌性狐猴，在马达加斯加的季节性和随机资源贫乏的环境中提取和保存能量。该项目测试能量守恒假说使用的生态，行为，营养和内分泌数据收集的野生环尾狐猴（狐猴卡塔）在多刺的森林栖息地在Tsimanampetsotsa国家公园（TNP），马达加斯加。这些数据有助于了解雄性和雌性环尾狐猴可能受到资源丰度季节性波动、获取和提取营养物质和热量的能力差异以及对季节性压力反应变化的限制。TNP是这项研究的理想地点，因为它是一个大型的未受干扰的多刺森林，并且与环尾狐猴可能适应的栖息地类型相似。这是第一个长期项目，研究环尾狐猴在这个栖息地，因此，将提供框架，以更好地了解环尾狐猴生态在所有其他栖息地类型。此外，这项工作是广泛适用于哺乳动物的生殖成本，生态位划分内的性别，和环境的影响，种间动态的资源分配的研究。这个长期项目旨在了解如何保存能源的男性和女性狐猴在有关的食物丰富度和其他因素，导致压力的季节性差异。 这项研究的更广泛的影响包括促进科学教育和扩大代表性不足的群体的参与，通过针对少女和美洲原住民学生，通过在TNP建立一个新的研究营地和在Université de Toliara建立一个生物科学实验室来推进基础设施和合作，通过环尾狐猴植物食物的数字植物标本馆广泛传播知识，并通过促进对有魅力的旗舰环尾狐猴及其栖息地的保护，为社会带来更大的利益。

The Energy Conservation Hypothesis has been proposed to account for a number of the unusual traits found in the Malagasy primates including: female dominance, male/female body size-monomorphism, and strict synchronized breeding. Energy conservation is thought to be an adaptive complex selected to help lemurs, particularly female lemurs, extract and conserve energy in their seasonally and stochastically resource-poor environments of Madagascar. This project tests the Energy Conservation Hypothesis using ecological, behavioral, nutritional, and endocrinological data collected on wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) in the spiny forest habitat at Tsimanampetsotsa National Park (TNP), Madagascar. These data help understand the ways in which male and female ring-tailed lemurs may be constrained by seasonal fluctuations in resource abundance, differential abilities to secure and extract nutrients and calories, and variation in stress responses to seasonality. TNP is an ideal location for this research as it is a large undisturbed spiny forest, and is similar to habitat types to which ring-tailed lemurs are likely adapted. This is the first long-term project examining ring-tailed lemurs in this habitat, and as such, will provide the framework to better understand ring-tailed lemur ecology in all other habitat types. Additionally, this work is broadly applicable to studies of mammalian reproductive costs, niche partitioning within the sexes, and the effect of environment on the interspecific dynamics of resource allocation.This long-term project seeks to understand how male and female lemurs conserve energy in relation to seasonal differences in food abundances and other factors that cause stress. The broader impacts of this research include promoting science education and broadening participation of underrepresented groups through targeting adolescent girls and Native Americans students, advancement of infrastructure and collaboration through setting up a new research camp at TNP and a biological science laboratory at the Université de Toliara, broad dissemination of knowledge through a digital herbarium of ring-tailed lemur plant foods, and larger benefits to society through promoting conservation of the charismatic flagship ring-tailed lemur and its habitat.