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

博士论文改进：测试野生环尾狐猴雌性优势的能量守恒假说及其对狐猴性状进化的影响

• 批准号: 1028708
• 负责人: Michelle Sauther
• 金额: $ 1.76万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-08-15 至 2012-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1028708&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Testing; Energy

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.

已经提出了节能假设，以说明马达加斯加隐私中发现的许多异常特征，包括：女性优势，男性/女性体大小的经济状况和严格的同步育种。节能被认为是一种自适应络合物，以帮助狐猴，尤其是女性狐猴，提取和节省马达加斯加的季节性和随机资源贫乏的环境。该项目使用生态，行为，营养和内分泌数据在马达加斯加的Tsimammetsotsa国家公园（TNP）的刺森林栖息地中收集的生态，行为，营养和内分泌数据。这些数据有助于理解男性和女性环尾狐猴的限制，这些狐猴可能受到资源丰度的季节性波动的限制，确保和提取营养和卡路里的差异能力以及对季节性的压力反应的变化。 TNP是这项研究的理想位置，因为它是一个大型不受干扰的棘森林，类似于栖息地类型，可能会适应环尾狐猴。这是研究此栖息地中的第一个长期项目，研究环尾狐猴，因此将提供一个框架，以更好地了解所有其他栖息地类型中的环尾狐猴生态学。此外，这项工作广泛适用于对哺乳动物复制成本的研究，性别内的细分分区以及环境对资源分配的种间动态的影响。这项长期项目旨在了解男性和女性狐猴如何在食品抽象和其他引起压力的因素和其他因素中与季节性差异相关的能量。这项研究的更广泛的影响包括通过针对青春期的女孩和美洲原住民学生促进科学教育并扩大代表性不足的群体的参与，通过在TNP建立新的研究营和一个新的研究营和一个生物学科学实验室，并通过在数字化的基团中促进社会来促进众多的远处，并通过促进社会来促进众多的远处，并通过促进众多的小象远离环境元素的利益，来促进基础架构和协作。具有魅力的旗舰环尾狐猴及其栖息地。