边缘生活:维氏冕狐猴对森林边缘的行为和生理反应
Life on the edge: behavioural and physiological responses of Verreaux's sifakas () to forest edges.
作者信息
Dinter Klara, Heistermann Michael, Kappeler Peter M, Fichtel Claudia
机构信息
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
出版信息
Primate Biol. 2021 Feb 9;8(1):1-13. doi: 10.5194/pb-8-1-2021. eCollection 2021.
Forest edges change micro-environmental conditions, thereby affecting the ecology of many forest-dwelling species. Understanding such edge effects is particularly important for Malagasy primates because many of them live in highly fragmented forests today. The aim of our study was to assess the influence of forest edge effects on activity budgets, feeding ecology, and stress hormone output (measured as faecal glucocorticoid metabolite - fGCM - levels) in wild Verreaux's sifakas (), a group living, arboreal lemur. We observed five habituated groups: three living in the forest interior and two at an established forest edge. There was no difference in average daily temperatures between edge and interior habitats; however, within the edge site, the average daily temperature incrementally increased over 450 m from the forest edge towards the interior forest of the edge habitat, and the population density was lower at the edge site. Activity budgets differed between groups living in the two microhabitats, with individuals living near the edge spending more time travelling and less time feeding. Groups living near the edge also tended to have smaller home ranges and core areas than groups in the forest interior. In addition, edge groups had elevated average fGCM concentrations, and birth rates were lower for females living in the edge habitat. Combined with lower levels of fruit consumption at the edge, these results suggest that nutritional stress might be a limiting factor for Verreaux's sifakas when living near a forest edge. Hence, Verreaux's sifakas appear to be sensitive to microhabitat characteristics linked to forest edges; a result with implications for the conservation of this critically endangered lemurid species.
森林边缘会改变微环境条件,从而影响许多栖息于森林的物种的生态。对于马达加斯加的灵长类动物而言,了解此类边缘效应尤为重要,因为如今它们中的许多都生活在高度碎片化的森林中。我们研究的目的是评估森林边缘效应对野生维氏冕狐猴(一种树栖狐猴)的活动预算、觅食生态和应激激素输出(以粪便糖皮质激素代谢物——fGCM——水平衡量)的影响。我们观察了五个习惯化的群体:三个生活在森林内部,两个生活在既定的森林边缘。边缘栖息地和内部栖息地的日均温度没有差异;然而,在边缘区域内,从森林边缘向边缘栖息地的内部森林方向,450米范围内日均温度逐渐升高,且边缘区域的种群密度较低。生活在这两种微栖息地的群体的活动预算有所不同,生活在边缘附近的个体花费更多时间移动,进食时间更少。生活在边缘附近的群体的活动范围和核心区域也往往比森林内部的群体小。此外,边缘群体的平均fGCM浓度升高,生活在边缘栖息地的雌性出生率较低。再加上边缘区域较低的水果消耗量,这些结果表明,营养压力可能是维氏冕狐猴生活在森林边缘附近时的一个限制因素。因此,维氏冕狐猴似乎对与森林边缘相关的微栖息地特征敏感;这一结果对保护这种极度濒危的狐猴物种具有重要意义。