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

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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.