University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL Theses UMSL Graduate Works 4-22-2016 Aggression Dynamics and Hormone Fluctuations in Black and White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata) Alicia N. Marty University of Missouri-St. Louis,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://irl.umsl.edu/thesis Recommended Citation Marty, Alicia N., "Aggression Dynamics and Hormone Fluctuations in Black and White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata)" (2016). Theses. 8. https://irl.umsl.edu/thesis/8 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the UMSL Graduate Works at IRL @ UMSL. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of IRL @ UMSL. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. 1 Aggression Dynamics and Hormone Fluctuations in Black and White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata) Alicia N. Marty A Thesis Submitted to The Graduate School at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics May 2016 Advisory Committee Patricia Parker, Ph.D. Aimee Dunlap, Ph.D. Cheryl Asa, Ph.D. Corinne Kozlowski, Ph.D. 2 Abstract: Black and white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata) are critically endangered primates from the Northeastern rainforests of Madagascar. This species shows clear female dominance in both feeding and social contexts. In captivity, this dominance hierarchy can lead to heightened aggression between females during the breeding season, which can result in animal separation or group reconfiguration. The objectives of this study are to determine the scope of this species- specific management strategy throughout AZA-accredited zoos, determine the influence of two types of feeding enrichment on aggression levels, and determine the effect of aggression on stress levels by measuring fecal glucocorticoids (fGC).