Rasoloharijaona Solofonirina, Rakotosamimanana Berthe, Randrianambinina Blanchard, Zimmermann Elke
Institut für Zoologie, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2003 Nov;122(3):251-8. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.10281.
Safe sleeping sites may be a limited resource crucial for survival. In order to investigate their potential significance for social organization in nocturnal primates, we analyzed the spatial distribution of daily sleeping sites, their characteristics, their usage, and sleeping group compositions in the nocturnal Milne Edwards' sportive lemur during a 6-month field study in the dry deciduous forest of northwestern Madagascar. Sexes did not differ either in body size or in body mass. Sleeping sites were used almost exclusively by adult male-female pairs. Individuals showed a high sleeping-site fidelity limited to 2-3 different sleeping sites in close vicinity during the whole study period. Most females showed a higher fidelity to one distinct sleeping site than their male partners. Sleeping groups consisted of one adult male and one adult female and remained stable in composition over the whole study period. Exclusive pair-specific usage of sleeping sites suggests sleeping site related territoriality of male-female pairs, perhaps influenced by inter- and intrasexual resource competition. Results give first insights into the distribution patterns and social organization of this species. They imply dispersed monogamy for the Milne Edwards' sportive lemur, with sleeping sites as a potentially restricted and defendable resource.
安全的睡眠场所可能是对生存至关重要的有限资源。为了研究它们对夜行性灵长类动物社会组织的潜在重要性，我们在马达加斯加西北部干燥落叶林进行了为期6个月的野外研究，分析了夜行性米尔恩-爱德华氏嬉猴每日睡眠场所的空间分布、其特征、使用情况以及睡眠群体的组成。该物种的雌雄在体型和体重上没有差异。睡眠场所几乎完全由成年雌雄配对使用。在整个研究期间，个体对睡眠场所表现出高度的忠诚度，仅限于附近2 - 3个不同的睡眠场所。大多数雌性比其雄性伴侣对一个特定的睡眠场所表现出更高的忠诚度。睡眠群体由一只成年雄性和一只成年雌性组成，在整个研究期间组成保持稳定。睡眠场所的专属配对特定使用表明雌雄配对与睡眠场所有关的领地性，这可能受到种内和种间资源竞争的影响。研究结果首次揭示了该物种的分布模式和社会组织。这意味着米尔恩-爱德华氏嬉猴实行分散的一夫一妻制，睡眠场所是一种潜在有限且可防御的资源。
