Patterns and dynamics of sex-biased dispersal in a nocturnal primate, the grey mouse lemur, Microcebus murinus

Radespiel, Ute; Lutermann, Heike; Schmelting, Barthel; Bruford, Michael William; Zimmermann, Elke

doi:10.1006/anbe.2003.2121

Cited by 74 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Parus major [41], Microtus oeconomicus [42], Gambusia affinis [43]). Male-biased dispersal is the general mammalian pattern and has been described for mouse lemurs [44], with most males dispersing before entering their first reproductive season. Sex differences in personality traits would be expected particularly for yearlings, but are evident only at older ages, long after dispersal has occurred.…”

Section: Results (A) Open-field Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are personality differences in a small iteroparous mammal maintained by a life-history trade-off?

2012

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Despite increasing interest, animal personality is still a puzzling phenomenon. Several theoretical models have been proposed to explain intraindividual consistency and interindividual variation in behaviour, which have been primarily supported by qualitative data and simulations. Using an empirical approach, I tested predictions of one main life-history hypothesis, which posits that consistent individual differences in behaviour are favoured by a trade-off between current and future reproduction. Data on life-history were collected for individuals of a natural population of grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus). Using open-field and novel-object tests, I quantified variation in activity, exploration and boldness for 117 individuals over 3 years. I found systematic variation in boldness between individuals of different residual reproductive value. Young males with low current but high expected future fitness were less bold than older males with high current fecundity, and males might increase in boldness with age. Females have low variation in assets and in boldness with age. Body condition was not related to boldness and only explained marginal variation in exploration. Overall, these data indicate that a trade-off between current and future reproduction might maintain personality variation in mouse lemurs, and thus provide empirical support of this life-history trade-off hypothesis.

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Section: Results (A) Open-field Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are personality differences in a small iteroparous mammal maintained by a life-history trade-off?

2012

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“…In addition to estimating dispersal from ranging and behavioral data, genetic methods can now be used to investigate dispersal (Banks et al 2002;Coltman et al 2003;Hammond et al 2006;Möller and Beheregaray 2004;Mossman and Waser 1999;Radespiel et al 2003). Genetic data for Sumatran orang-utans suggest dispersal of both sexes (Utami et al 2002), as mean relatedness calculated for each sex independently was slightly negative.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dispersal Patterns of Orang-utans (Pongo spp.) in a Bornean Peat-swamp Forest

et al. 2010

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Knowledge regarding dispersal patterns in great apes may help in understanding the evolution of dispersal patterns and social grouping in early hominoids, as well as in our own species. However, the social structure and dispersal system of orang-utans (Pongo spp.) remains little understood despite past research. We addressed this question by conducting genetic analyses on a wild orang-utan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) population from the Sabangau peat-swamp in Borneo. We estimated pairwise relatedness among 16 adult individuals using 19 polymorphic microsatellite markers. Mean relatedness among females was significantly higher than in males, irrespective of the relatedness estimator used, following the pattern predicted for male dispersal. Our results support field observations that average dispersal distance for females is less than for males, suggesting that female orangutans are philopatric, whereas males disperse. This contrasts with previous findings from other sites where anthropogenic influences were present. Based on qualitative mitochondrial DNA analyses, it appears that unflanged adult males show some degree of site fidelity compared to flanged males. Thus, male orang-utans may disperse permanently from their natal range once they are fully flanged. Male-biased dispersal and female philopatry in orang-utans differ from those of extant African apes and are more similar to many Old World monkey species. Hence we hypothesize that this system may represent the ancestral state of early hominoids.

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“…Specifically, we hypothesised that (1) M. berthae experience high levels of scramble competition and little potential for female-female association because they use small and quickly depleting resources (Dammhahn Wimmer et al 2002;Radespiel et al 2003;Fredsted et al 2005 d Sleeping associations (Radespiel et al 2001;Wimmer et al 2002) and communal breeding units (Eberle and Kappeler 2006) e In captivity : Perret 1992 and Kappeler 2008b). In contrast, because M. murinus use a wider variety of food sources, also including larger and higher quality resources (Dammhahn and Kappeler 2008b), we hypothesised that (2) they will experience high levels of contest competition as well as an increased potential for female-female association.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Females go where the food is: does the socio-ecological model explain variation in social organisation of solitary foragers?

Dammhahn

Kappeler

2009

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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The socio-ecological model (SEM) links ecological factors with characteristics of social systems and allows predictions about the relationships between resource distribution, type of competition and social organisation. It has been mainly applied to group-living species but ought to explain variation in social organisation of solitary species as well. The aim of this study was to test basic predictions of the SEM in two solitary primates, which differ in two characteristics of female association patterns: (1) spatial ranging and (2) sleeping associations. Beginning in August 2002, we regularly (re-)captured and marked individuals of sympatric populations of Madame Berthe's and grey mouse lemurs (Microcebus berthae, Microcebus murinus) in Kirindy Forest (Madagascar). We recorded data on spatial patterns, feeding and social behaviour by means of direct observation of radio-collared females. The major food sources of M. berthae occurred in small dispersed patches leading to strong within-group scramble competition and over-dispersed females with a low potential for female associations. In contrast, M. murinus additionally used patchily distributed, high-quality (large) resources facilitating within-group contest competition. The combined influence of less strong within-group scramble and contest as well as between-group contest over non-food resources allowed females of this species to cluster in space. Additionally, we experimentally manipulated the spatial distribution of food sources and found that females adjusted their spatial patterns to food resource distribution. Thus, our results support basic predictions of the SEM and demonstrated that it can also explain variation in social organisation of solitary foragers.

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Patterns and dynamics of sex-biased dispersal in a nocturnal primate, the grey mouse lemur, Microcebus murinus

Cited by 74 publications

References 49 publications

Are personality differences in a small iteroparous mammal maintained by a life-history trade-off?

Are personality differences in a small iteroparous mammal maintained by a life-history trade-off?

Dispersal Patterns of Orang-utans (Pongo spp.) in a Bornean Peat-swamp Forest

Females go where the food is: does the socio-ecological model explain variation in social organisation of solitary foragers?

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