Intergroup relations and home range use in Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi).
نویسندگان
چکیده
Relationships between neighboring groups feature prominently in socioecological theory, but few empirical studies have focused on the effects of neighbors on the behavior of primates. Interactions between neighboring groups are most conspicuous during intergroup encounters, but the likelihood of encounters with neighbors can also affect ranging and activity patterns indirectly, and, as a result, behavioral patterns in areas of exclusive use may differ from those in overlap areas of adjacent home ranges. The aim of this study was to examine intergroup relations and spatial variation in home range use in Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) during the annual mating season. Based on 230 hr of focal animal data collected from ten members of five adjacent groups, we found that behavioral patterns and patterns of resource utilization were not markedly different between areas of exclusive use and overlap areas of adjacent home ranges. Group cohesion tended to be higher in overlap than in core areas, but the proportion of time spent resting and foraging did not differ between these two areas. However, dominant males exhibited a higher scent-marking rate in overlap areas. Observations during intergroup encounters revealed that chases between males occurred frequently, whereas fights involving physical contact were not observed. We also found that the intergroup dominance hierarchy depended on the relative group size or the number of males in each group, with groups of lower dominance rank exhibiting a tendency to sleep proportionally more often in their core areas. The results of this study suggest that in primate species with a moderate level of intergroup aggression, such as Verreaux's sifaka, the possibility of encountering neighbors in areas of home range overlap does not exert strong influence on their behavior and resource utilization.
منابع مشابه
Morphological integration and natural selection in the postcranium of wild verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi).
Morphological integration manifests as strong phenotypic covariation among interacting traits. In this study, a graph-theory approach is used to analyze patterns of morphological integration in a wild population of Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi). The motivation for this study is to determine the relative roles of development versus function in shaping patterns of morphologi...
متن کاملOne reserve, three primates: applying a holistic approach to understand the interconnections among ring-tailed lemurs (<i>Lemur catta</i>), Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi), and humans (<i>Homo sapiens</i>) at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madag
متن کامل
Fitness and extra-group reproduction in male Verreaux's sifaka: An analysis of reproductive success from 1989-1999.
Adult males in social groups often compete with other male group members for access to adult females. In some primate species, males also seek mating opportunities in neighboring social groups. Such extra-group fertilizations (EGFs) provide an additional source of variation in male fitness. This additional component of fitness provided by EGFs must be incorporated into analyses that investigate...
متن کاملOne reserve, three primates: applying a holistic approach to understand the interconnections among ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi), and humans (Homo sapiens) at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar
One reserve, three primates: applying a holistic approach to understand the interconnections among ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), Verreaux' s sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi), and humans (Homo sapiens) at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, MadagascarOne reserve, three primates: applying a holistic approach to understand the interconnections among ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), Verreaux's sifaka...
متن کاملTesting for a historical population bottleneck in wild Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi) using microsatellite data.
The degree to which historical human activities negatively impacted past and present lemur species is a long-standing question in primatology. At present, most evidence addressing this issue comes from archaeology, paleontology, and behavioral studies. Genetic data provide another source of evidence. In this study, six microsatellite loci, genotyped on more than 360 wild Verreaux's sifaka, are ...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- American journal of primatology
دوره 70 10 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2008