Lemurs: key to the health of Madagascar's forests
Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com
June 12, 2008
Lemurs play a key role in the health of Madagascar 's tropical rainforests said a renowned primatologist speaking at a meeting of conservation biologists in Paramaribo , Suriname
Analyzing 20 years of data on lemur feeding habits in the forests ofRanomafana National Park
"The loss of one lemur species could threaten the persistence of a fruit family," she told biologists at the annual meeting for the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC). "Forest composition depends on the entire community of lemurs. Therefore conservation must be at the community level."
Analyzing 20 years of data on lemur feeding habits in the forests of
"The loss of one lemur species could threaten the persistence of a fruit family," she told biologists at the annual meeting for the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC). "
Worryingly Wright noted that the "tastiest" lemur as revealed by surveys of more than 2000 individuals in local villages was also one of the most important dispersers: the black-and-white ruffed lemur.
Unlike other parts of the world where most seed dispersal is done by birds, rodents, ungulates, and bats, lemurs appear to be the most important seed dispersers in Madagascar. More than two-thirds of birds on the island are insectivores, as are most species of bats. No ungulates, possums, or squirrels are native to the forests of Madagascar
Wright said future research in this area would focus on genetic tagging of fruits, tracking of seedlings, comparing feeding patterns across different sites inMadagascar
"Lemurs are very important inMadagascar
Wright said future research in this area would focus on genetic tagging of fruits, tracking of seedlings, comparing feeding patterns across different sites in
"Lemurs are very important in
0 comments:
Post a Comment