Feeding ecology in Propithecus edwardsi: how the social hierarchy and the environment influence the food composition

Abstract

This study was performed by Florian EMO at Centre ValBio in 2022, under the direction of P. Wright and F. Brotcorne. The Milne-Edwards’ sifaka is a lemur species who live in the Southeastern of Madagascar. This species is the mainly seeds disperser in the submountain rainforest but is threatened by change climate and habitat disturbance. Many studies are interested in this species, to optimize the conservative approach and reduce damage to habitats and therefore the food resources, whose threats about it is constantly expanding. In this study, we focused on the feeding ecology, especially how the social hierarchy and the environment influence the food composition. In this behavioral study, 4 groups of sifakas were followed for five-consecutive-day by using continuous sampling. The influence of the dominance rank, the sex, the age, the pregnancy, and the site were observed. We also observed the influence of the change climate and the habitat disturbance. An influence of the sex, the pregnancy and the site on the food composition were observed. Moreover, we constate that the change climate disturbs the food abundance then the food composition. We also note that the activity budget differs between sites. These results argue that the feeding ecology is defined by the sex and influenced by the pregnancy status. The age and dominance rank has no influence. The time spent in feeding behavior differs between sites. Moreover, the species richness differs between both sites, therefore the food composition too. The food composition is also influenced by the habitat disturbance and the change climate over several years. Habitat disturbance plays a significant role in the feeding ecology of sifaka. It is therefore essential to minimize this destruction to try to halt the decline of populations of this species.