Female Coexistence and Competition in Ringtailed Lemurs: A Review of a Long-Term Study at Berenty, Madagascar
Ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) form female-bonded/matrilineal social groups. In this review, we summarize our long-term field study carried out at Berenty, Madagascar to discuss the balance between female coexistence and competition in this prosimian pri
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Female Coexistence and Competition in Ringtailed Lemurs: A Review of a Long-Term Study at Berenty, Madagascar Yukio Takahata, Naoki Koyama, Shin’ichiro Ichino, Naomi Miyamoto, Takayo Soma, and Masayuki Nakamichi
Y. Takahata (*) School of Policy Studies, Kwansei Gakuin University, Gakuen 2-1, Sanda 669-1337, Japan e-mail: [email protected]
J. Yamagiwa and L. Karczmarski (eds.), Primates and Cetaceans: Field Research and Conservation of Complex Mammalian Societies, Primatology Monographs, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54523-1_7, © Springer Japan 2014
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Abstract Ringtailed lemurs (Lemur catta) form female-bonded/matrilineal social groups. In this review, we summarize our long-term field study carried out at Berenty, Madagascar to discuss the balance between female coexistence and competition in this prosimian primate. In our study population, females cooperatively competed against the females of neighboring groups; however, they also displayed persistent aggression toward females within their own group, which occasionally resulted in group fission. The correlation between female fecundity and group size generally agreed with the intergroup feeding competition (IGFC) model. No significant differences in reproductive success were seen among rank categories of females in the medium- and small-sized groups. In contrast, low-ranked females of large-sized groups exhibited lower reproductive success, which may have been the result of within-group competition. Males appeared to be “parasites” on the female groups. Keywords Berenty • Female coexistence • Female competition • Ringtailed lemur
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Introduction
Life histories and reproductive features of female primates have been studied by numerous primatologists to (1) evaluate sexual selection hypotheses (e.g., Small 1989), (2) assess socioecological hypotheses (Sterck et al. 1997), and (3) analyze the balance between within-group competition and between-group competition (Wrangham 1980; van Schaik 1983). However, relatively few long-term data are available for wild prosimians. The ringtailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a diurnal group-living prosimian that inhabits the dryland of southern Madagascar (Sussman et al. 2006). Current studies include ongoing observations of two wild ringtailed lemur populations at the Berenty and Beza Mahafaly Reserves, Madagascar (Jolly et al. 2006a). Ringtailed lemur populations generally form discrete female-bonded/matrilineal social groups, although some cases of female transfers between groups have occurred (Sauther et al. 1999). Group size usually ranges from 3 to more than 20 lemurs (Mittermeier et al. 1994). A linear dominance rank order exists among adult members within a group; however, occasionally the rank can become convoluted and change abruptly (Sauther et al. 1999; Ichino 2004). Adult females are socially dominant over adult males (Jolly
N. Koyama • N. Miyamoto • T. Soma Center for African Area Studies, Kyoto University, Yoshida Shimoadachicho 46, Sakyo-Ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan S. Ichino Primate Research
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