Titre |
Ecological differentiation of two sympatric mouse lemur species (Microcebus murinus and M. ravelobensis) in a dry deciduous forest of Northwestern Madagascar.. |
Descripteur matière |
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Résumé |
The coexistence of closely related species can generally by explained by an ecological differentiation that leads to decreased interspecific competition. Two sympatric mouselemur species (Microcebus murinus and M. ravelobensis) occurring in a dry deciduous forest in northwestern Madagascar (near Ampijoroa) were studied and comparedwith regard to their population ecology, their home range size and overlaps and their sleeping sites usage pattern in order to illuminate the mechanisms of their coexistence.The study was conducted over a period of three months (August to October 1996) and another of eight months (April to November 1997) within a study site of about 30ha. The first year covered the reproductive season, whereas in the second year data were collected from inside and outside the reproductive season. In order to investigatethe population ecology, capture-recapture techniques were employed. Home ranges and sleeping sites were investigated with radiotelemetry. Both species showed stable population size and the main areas of capture differed for M. murinus and M. ravelobensis. |