Home Range Size and Seasonal Variation in Habitat Use of Aye-Ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis) in Torotorofotsy, Madagascar
In: Folia Primatologicanull
Search for other papers by Timothy M. Sefczek in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Ryan A. Hagenson in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Doménico Roger Randimbiharinirina in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Jeannin Nicolas Rakotondrazandry in
Current site
Google Scholar
null
Search for other papers by Edward E. Louis in
Current site
Google Scholar
Madagascar’s dramatic climatic fluctuations mean most lemurs adjust behaviors seasonally as resource availability fluctuates. Many lemurs will adopt one of two strategies, a resource maximizer or an area minimizer, when adjusting to seasonal shifts in resource availability. However, it is unknown if and how aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) ranging behavior is influenced by seasonality. We explored whether habitat use changed seasonally. We followed two aye-ayes, an adult male and an adult female, in the undisturbed forest of Torotorofotsy, Madagascar, from April 2012 to December 2017. We used instantaneous focal-animal sampling to collect behavioral data every 5 min and GPS locations every 20 min. We used the minimum convex polygon (MCP) to determine overall home range, and the Brownian bridge movement model (BBMM) to estimate overall and seasonal home range of the female aye-aye from November 2014 to October 2017. We used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to determine whether there were significant differences in home range sizes between seasons across years and to examine whether there were seasonal differences in height of invertebrate foraging, generalized linear models to assess seasonal differences in travel rates and nesting locations, and χ2 tests to determine whether there were differences in forest strata use when foraging on invertebrates. The male’s MCP home range was 2,586 ha, and the female’s MCP home range was 765 ha. The seasonal BBMM for the female varied between 443.6 and 1,010.0 ha, though infant rearing appears to have influenced these values. There were no significant differences in seasonal home range, travel rates, nesting locations, or height of invertebrate feeding. However, canopy level invertebrate foraging occurred more often than understory or ground levels. It appears aye-ayes in this undisturbed forest were not influenced by seasonal shifts and had larger home ranges than any previously reported. These findings may indicate that aye-ayes in an undisturbed forest are resource maximizers, closely linked to invertebrate assemblages.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 604 | 236 | 45 |
| Full Text Views | 51 | 28 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 94 | 51 | 3 |
Home Range Size and Seasonal Variation in Habitat Use of Aye-Ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis) in Torotorofotsy, Madagascar
In: Folia Primatologicanull
Search for other papers by Timothy M. Sefczek in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Ryan A. Hagenson in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Doménico Roger Randimbiharinirina in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Jeannin Nicolas Rakotondrazandry in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
null
Search for other papers by Edward E. Louis in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Madagascar’s dramatic climatic fluctuations mean most lemurs adjust behaviors seasonally as resource availability fluctuates. Many lemurs will adopt one of two strategies, a resource maximizer or an area minimizer, when adjusting to seasonal shifts in resource availability. However, it is unknown if and how aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) ranging behavior is influenced by seasonality. We explored whether habitat use changed seasonally. We followed two aye-ayes, an adult male and an adult female, in the undisturbed forest of Torotorofotsy, Madagascar, from April 2012 to December 2017. We used instantaneous focal-animal sampling to collect behavioral data every 5 min and GPS locations every 20 min. We used the minimum convex polygon (MCP) to determine overall home range, and the Brownian bridge movement model (BBMM) to estimate overall and seasonal home range of the female aye-aye from November 2014 to October 2017. We used Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to determine whether there were significant differences in home range sizes between seasons across years and to examine whether there were seasonal differences in height of invertebrate foraging, generalized linear models to assess seasonal differences in travel rates and nesting locations, and χ2 tests to determine whether there were differences in forest strata use when foraging on invertebrates. The male’s MCP home range was 2,586 ha, and the female’s MCP home range was 765 ha. The seasonal BBMM for the female varied between 443.6 and 1,010.0 ha, though infant rearing appears to have influenced these values. There were no significant differences in seasonal home range, travel rates, nesting locations, or height of invertebrate feeding. However, canopy level invertebrate foraging occurred more often than understory or ground levels. It appears aye-ayes in this undisturbed forest were not influenced by seasonal shifts and had larger home ranges than any previously reported. These findings may indicate that aye-ayes in an undisturbed forest are resource maximizers, closely linked to invertebrate assemblages.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 604 | 236 | 45 |
| Full Text Views | 51 | 28 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 94 | 51 | 3 |