Plant Species Fed on by Lemur catta in Gallery Forests of the Southern Domain of Madagascar

Simmen, Bruno; Sauther, Michelle L.; Soma, Takayo; Rasamimanana, Hantanirina; Sussman, Robert W.; Jolly, Alison; Tarnaud, Laurent; Hladik, Annette

doi:10.1007/978-0-387-34126-2_5

Cited by 94 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Tamarind leaves and seed pods are heavily utilized by L. catta, one of the more important food sources in their diet (Blumenfeld-Jones et al 2006). At least 109 species of plants have been found in the diet of L. catta at Berenty (Simmen et al 2006b). L. catta has high taste sensitivity to secondary metabolites, which should minimize consumption of potentially noxious substances (Simmen et al 2006a).…”

Section: Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Lemur catta (Primates: Lemuridae)

Wilson

Hanlon

2010

Mammalian Species

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Section: Ecologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Lemur catta (Primates: Lemuridae)

Wilson

Hanlon

2010

Mammalian Species

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“…This is already a difficult time of year as gestation and early lactation correspond with the dry season in southern Madagascar [Jolly, 1984;Sauther, 1992Sauther, , 1998Wright, 1999]. Additionally, Tamarindus indica fruit, considered to be the most important food resource for gallery forest-dwelling L. catta [Budnitz and Dainis, 1975;Sauther, 1992;Rasamimanana and Rafidinarivo, 1993;Sauther, 1998;Jolly et al, 2002;Yamashita, 2002;MertlMillhollen et al, 2003;Gould, 2006;Koyama et al, 2006;Simmen et al, 2006], was absent due to the effects of the cyclone. In this paper, we describe the response by two groups of ring-tailed lemurs inhabiting BMSR to the resource shortage caused by Cyclone Ernest.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeding outside the Forest: The Importance of Crop Raiding and an Invasive Weed in the Diet of Gallery Forest Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta) following a Cyclone at the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar

LaFleur

Gould²

2009

IJFP

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In January 2005, a cyclone hit southern Madagascar, including the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, disrupting the flowering/fruiting cycle of Tamarindus indica, leaving Lemur catta without its major food resource during reproductive periods. We studied two adjacent groups of L. catta during the late gestation period, and both groups ventured outside the reserve to feed. The Red group (RG) fed daily on cultivated sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) leaves in a nearby field, and both groups consumed leaves and stems of the invasive terrestrial flowering herb Mexican prickly poppy (Argemone mexicana), growing outside the reserve. The Green group (GG) spent significantly more time feeding than did RG, and more time feeding inside the forest compared to outside. The members of RG spent half of their time feeding in the crops, and nearly half of their diet consisted of easy-to-process sweet potato leaves. Additionally, RG defended and restricted GG’s access to the crop territory. Of the two non-forest foods, A. mexicana leaves were higher in protein and most minerals (P, Mg, K and Na, but not Ca) and lower in fiber than sweet potato leaves, but sweet potato leaves were preferred by RG. L. catta is a markedly flexible primate with respect to diet, and switches to fallback foods from outside the forest during periods of low food availability. In the highly seasonal and unpredictable climate of southern Madagascar, such behavioral adaptations are important to the survival of this species.

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“…Gould /Constabel /Mellway /Rambeloarivony Degreef et al, 2001] and Enterospermum sp. [Simmen et al, 2006b]) at a mean consumption of 7.6/h, and female mean consumption was just 1.5/h. Coptosperma was one of the few food sources during this period that contained high CT levels ( table 2 ).…”

Section: Ct Intake Of Males and Reproductive Femalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because this item made up such a large part of the diet, the mean CT intake during this time is higher than that found during the early/mid-lactation period, when a much greater variety of plant parts with more variable CT content were being consumed. L. catta is described as an opportunistic frugivore/folivore [Sauther, 1998;Sauther et al, 1999;Simmen et al, 2006a], and this species exploits a large variety of plant (and some non-plant) resources in both gallery forest and, as this study indicates, spiny forest as such resources become available [Rasamimanana and Rafidinarivo, 1993;Sauther, 1994, Sauther et al, 1999Simmen et al, 2006b]. During our study, food resources were highly periodic, at times lasting only a few days to a few weeks, and the lemurs took full advantage of their opportunistic nature by feeding on what was plentiful at a given time.…”

Section: Ct and Plant Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely in a study at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Yamashita [2008] found only negligible amounts of tannins (1/135 assays) in gallery and deciduous forest plant foods consumed by ring-tailed lemurs at this site over a 13-month period. However, the fruit and leaves of Tamarindus indica, an extremely important food resource and fallback food for L. catta in gallery forests [Sauther, 1993[Sauther, , 1998Yamashita, 2002;Simmen et al, 2006b;Sauther and Cuozzo, in press] contain relatively high tannin concentrations [Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962;Simmen et al, 2003], and Cuozzo et al [2008] suggest that dietary tannins from tamarind fruit might be a contributing factor to a high frequency of severe tooth wear and tooth loss found in a large sample of L. catta examined at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Condensed Tannin Intake in Spiny-Forest-Dwelling Lemur catta at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar, during Reproductive Periods

Gould¹,

Constabel²,

Mellway³

et al. 2009

IJFP

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Primates vary in their choice or avoidance of plant foods high in condensed tannins (CT). Our study focused on CT intake in two groups of Lemur catta residing in spiny forest habitat during two reproductive periods. We examined whether L. catta in this habitat avoided plant foods high in CT, and whether reproductive females ingested lower concentrations of CT compared with males, since CT consumption compromises protein absorption. Feeding data and plant food samples were collected during reproductive periods in 2006 (early/mid-lactation) and 2007 (early gestation). Food samples were assayed for CT content, and average CT intake was determined for all focal animals. No significant difference was found in CT content of the most commonly consumed foods compared with other foods in each season or between seasons. No sex differences occurred in CT consumption in either reproductive period. These L. catta did not avoid plant foods high in CT, and three strategies – ingesting small amounts of CT regularly, high amounts only over short periods, and geophagy – may assist these lemurs in coping with CT content in their highly seasonal diet. L. catta may also be somewhat physiologically adapted to cope with CT concentrations in their plant foods.

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Plant Species Fed on by Lemur catta in Gallery Forests of the Southern Domain of Madagascar

Cited by 94 publications

References 15 publications

Lemur catta (Primates: Lemuridae)

Lemur catta (Primates: Lemuridae)

Feeding outside the Forest: The Importance of Crop Raiding and an Invasive Weed in the Diet of Gallery Forest Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta) following a Cyclone at the Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar

Condensed Tannin Intake in Spiny-Forest-Dwelling Lemur catta at Berenty Reserve, Madagascar, during Reproductive Periods

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