Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Bonadonna, G.
• Ramilijaona, O. M.
• Raharivololona, B. M.
• Andrianarimisa, A.
• Razafindraibe, H.
• Freeman, K.
• Rasambainarivo, F.
• Wroblewski, E. E.
• Milich, K. M.

Titel

Response of diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema) to fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox) predation in the Betampona Strict Nature Reserve, Madagascar

Ist Teil von

• Ecology and evolution, 2024-04, Vol.14 (4), p.e11248-n/a

Ort / Verlag

England: John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Wiley-Blackwell Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Large‐bodied mammals living in fragmented habitats are at higher risk of extinction, and such risk can be influenced by ecological factors such as predator–prey system dynamics. These dynamics can be particularly complex for conservation management when one endangered species preys on another endangered species in an isolated or poor‐quality habitat. Here we describe predation events observed over 19 months that involved two threatened species: the largest carnivore in Madagascar, the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox), and three groups of diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema) in the Betampona Strict Nature Reserve. This site is a 22 km2 low‐altitude rainforest that is surrounded by agricultural land and isolated from larger forest corridors. We aim to (1) assess the behavioral changes of P. diadema in response to fosa attacks and identify any antipredator strategies that they adopted, and (2) quantify the frequency of fosa attacks and the predation impact on the sifaka population. We report five direct observations of fosa predation attempts (one successful), the discovery of a dead sifaka with evidence of fosa predation, and the disappearance of three individuals. We describe the observed attacks and compare the sifaka activity budgets and movement patterns before and after the events. To escape the predator, sifakas fled short distances, hid, and remained vigilant. The impact of predation, combined with low reproductive rates and potentially high inbreeding of this isolated diademed sifaka population, could affect the survival of this species in Betampona. Given the compounding effects of habitat isolation and high hunting pressure, community‐specific conservation strategies should incorporate predator–prey dynamics via longitudinal monitoring of predator and prey population densities and quantifying the predation pressure between them. Our study explores predator‐prey dynamics in a fragmented habitat, focusing on the consequences of fosa predation for three groups of diademed sifakas over 19 months of observation in the Betampona Strict Nature Reserve, Madagascar. We report five direct observations of fosa predation attempts, of which one was successful, the discovery of the body of a sifaka with evidence of fosa predation, and the disappearance of three individuals. The sifakas' strategy to escape fosa predation was to flee short distances, hide, and remain vigilant. This research offers insights into how predator‐prey ecology affects the conservation of threatened species and their habitat.