Niche separation of seven lemur species in the eastern rainforest of Madagascar

This study examines segregation of seven lemur species in an eastern rainforest of Madagascar by a numerical analysis of microhabitats using structural and phenological data. These data are combined with the results of a previous study on food selection by these species in relation to plant chemistry. Description of some 441 10×10 m² microhabitats yields clear separation of the frugivorous from the more folivorous guild of lemurs. Within each guild there are subgroups of two species each, which use similar microhabitats. The two species of the subgroups are separated by their different reactions towards food chemicals. Thus food chemistry and microhabitat structure are two complementary axes sufficient to separate lemur species in the Malagasy rainforest. Species using the same microhabitats choose food items with different chemical properties and species eating the same food differ in their utilization of microhabitats. Only Cheirogaleus major can not be separated from the other lemur species based on habitat utilization and the chemical composition of their food. This species, however, is active only at times of food abundance and reduces its activity at times of scarcity thus avoiding potential competition. The folivorous species Avahi laniger and Indri indri use similar micro habitats for feeding and for resting, reflecting the strategy of low energy cost and fow energy return. A more folivorous species, Lemur fulvus, discriminates between feeding and resting sites based on phenological and structural variables, representing an example for behavior shaped by high cost and high energy return. Feeding sites of this species are linked to fruit abundance but the need to see but not to be seen seems to determine their choice of resting sites. This discrimination is similar to habitat choices of frugivorous primates in other tropical rainforests which have been linked to anti-predator behavior and suggests convergent evolution due to similar evolutionary selection pressure.