Abstract
The gallery forest of Berenty Reserve contains two native diurnal lemurs, the ring-tailed lemur, Lemur catta and Verreaux’s sifaka, Propithecus verreauxi, as well as introduced hybrid brown lemurs Eulemur rufifrons ´ E. collaris. Feeding data indicate that competitive mutualism, an indirect interaction, may be occurring among these three species: L. catta and P. verreauxi apparently prevent Eulemur from accessing certain foods, although brown lemurs are dominant and compete directly with the ring-tailed lemurs for tamarind fruits. Indeed, brown lemurs eat the fruits while still green and deplete the abundance of ripe fruit later available to the ring-tailed lemurs. This behavior may reduce recruitment of tamarind seedlings. In contrast, ring-tailed lemurs benefit the gallery forest by dispersing the few ripe tamarind seeds available.
Resume
La forêt-galerie de la Réserve de Berenty abrite deux lémuriens indigènes, le Maki, Lemur catta, et le sifaka, Propithecus verreauxi. Une troisième espèce a été introduite, le lémur brun hybride Eulemur rufifrons x E. collaris. Les données de régime alimentaire indiquent qu’un mutualisme compétitif, une interaction indirecte, pourrait se produire entre ces trois espèces: Lemur catta et Propithecus verreauxi empêchent apparemment Eulemur d’accéder à certaines ressources, bien que les lémurs bruns soient dominants et soient en compétition directe avec les makis pour les fruits de tamarins. En effet, les lémurs bruns consomment ces fruits encore verts, réduisant d’autant la disponibilité de fruits mûrs aux lémurs à la queue annelée. Ce comportement pourrait aussi avoir un impact négatif sur la régénération des tamariniers. Les makis sont des disperseurs efficaces des graines qui restent disponibles et ont un impact positif sur la forêt galerie.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the de Heaulme family for preserving Berenty and permitting us to do the research. The studies were funded in part by the Wildlife Preservation Trust International, the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, the Fyssen Foundation, and the Committee for Research and Exploration, National Geographic Society.
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Rasamimanana, H. et al. (2012). Berenty Reserve: Interactions Among the Diurnal Lemur Species and the Gallery Forest. In: Masters, J., Gamba, M., Génin, F. (eds) Leaping Ahead. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4511-1_40
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