University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2017 Functional Diversity and Abundances of the Lemur Community at Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar Houston, Brianna Elyse Houston, B. E. (2017). Functional Diversity and Abundances of the Lemur Community at Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26242 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/4165 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Functional Diversity and Abundances of the Lemur Community at Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar by Brianna Elyse Houston A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ANTHROPOLOGY CALGARY, ALBERTA SEPTEMBER 2017 © Brianna Elyse Houston 2017 ABSTRACT Lemurs in Madagascar have been facing losses to population and diversity across the country, potentially resulting in a loss of functional and ecosystem diversity. While species diversity has long been studied, functional diversity allows us to more closely examine how abundances and traits of species are distributed in the community. I use lemur surveys conducted in 2004 at eight sites within Ranomafana National Park (RNP) to test the effects of habitat characteristics and anthropogenic disturbance on lemur functional diversity. In addition, I examine whether functional redundancy is present in the lemur community of RNP - that is, do multiple species fill similar functional roles. Niche separation should affect the traits present in the lemur community such that I expected functional redundancy to be low in most locations. Disturbance, elevation, and vegetation characteristics were all important factors in explaining functional diversity metrics. I found that most communities have low functional redundancy across all measures. I also resampled the site Valohoaka in 2015 to examine lemur abundances over time. The results suggest abundances have remained generally stable, however, Microcebus rufus abundances appear to be rising. Used in conjunction with individual species studies, the information presented here can be useful in understanding what is shaping lemur community composition and the sensitivity of these communities to environmental change. It is important to continue monitoring for long-term population trends and responses to both natural and anthropogenic change. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Drs. Steig Johnson, Pascale Sicotte, and Peter Dawson for sitting on my thesis defense committee and Dr. Diane Lyons for acting as neutral chair. I would especially like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Steig Johnson, for his guidance and support in pursuing this degree. I would also like to extend my thanks to Madagascar National Parks for allowing me to conduct research at Ranomafana National Park. As well, I would like to thank Centre ValBio (CVB) and MICET for logistical support. At CVB, I am especially grateful to Julia Rasoarimamonjy, Pascal Rabeson, and Prisca Andriambinintsoa, who answered numerous inquiries on logistics. Funding for this project was provided by the University of Calgary, Government of Alberta, Conservation International, and Steig Johnson’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grant. A special thanks goes to Drs. Patricia Wright and Steig Johnson, who allowed me to analyse both lemur and botanical data collected from 2004 in both chapters two and three of this thesis. Thanks also to Drs. Onja Razafindratsima and Kerry Brown who contributed their expertise on functional diversity and data analysis to the second chapter of this thesis. I would also like to thank Tracy Wyman for providing the maps for this thesis. I am also grateful to my fellow University of Calgary graduate students for advice and editing of this thesis as well as grant applications and my research proposal. I am grateful to my Canadian research assistant, Rebecca Ollenberger, for her hard work during field research. My field season would not have been the same without her dedication to iii research and her friendship, she was always able to find the humour in any situation. I was lucky to have skilled field technicians, including Justin Solo who identified lemurs, and occasionally bird and amphibians to satisfy my personal curiosity, as well as Pela Auguste who identified trees. I am also indebted to my Malagasy assistants, especially Chantal Hanitriniaina and Modeste, as well as to the porters who helped move all the equipment and food to Valohoaka. Finally, my family and friends, I am so grateful for their love and support. My friends, who have provided encouragement and been there to bounce ideas off of. To Nicolas Rasolonjatovo and Alain Rasolo, for the advice on all things Madagascar, misaotra betsaka. Karolis Jakaitis, thank you for all of your support right from the beginning, your guidance in data analysis, and hearing more about lemurs than you ever imagined you wanted to. To my brothers, who continue to inspire me, thank you. To my parents, thank you for always being my biggest supporters and encouraging me to dream big. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS ......................................................................... ix Chapter 1 : GENERAL INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Functional Diversity .............................................................................................................. 3 1.2.1 Overview ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.2.2 Functional Diversity in the Literature ............................................................................ 4 1.3 Study Site .............................................................................................................................. 7 1.3.1 Ranomafana National Park ............................................................................................ 7 1.3.2 Anthropogenic Use ......................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Study Species ...................................................................................................................... 10 1.4.1 Species Present ............................................................................................................. 10 1.4.2 Cheirogaleidae ............................................................................................................. 11 1.4.3 Daubentoniidae ............................................................................................................ 12 1.4.4 Indriidae ....................................................................................................................... 13 1.4.5 Lemuridae ..................................................................................................................... 13 1.4.6 Lepilemuridae ............................................................................................................... 15 1.5 Data Collection .................................................................................................................... 15 1.6 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 17 Chapter 2 : TOPOGRAPHY AND VEGETATION CHARACTERISTICS AFFECT FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY OF A LEMUR COMMUNITY IN SOUTHEAST MADAGASCAR ......................................................................................................................... 18 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 18 2.1.1 Functional Diversity ..................................................................................................... 18 2.1.2 Functional Redundancy ................................................................................................ 19 2.1.3 Niche Space .................................................................................................................. 20 2.1.4 Anthropogenic Disturbance .......................................................................................... 20 v 2.1.5 Vegetation and Topographical Features .....................................................................