Varying patterns of coexistence of two mouse lemur species (Microcebus ravelobensisandM. murinus) in a heterogeneous landscape

2009 ◽  
Vol 71 (11) ◽  
pp. 928-938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romule Rakotondravony ◽  
Ute Radespiel
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Lemur ◽  
Heterogeneous Landscape ◽  
Lemur Species

scholarly journals RADseq data reveal a lack of admixture in a mouse lemur contact zone contrary to previous microsatellite results

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelmer Wijtze Poelstra ◽  
B. Karina Montero ◽  
Jan Lüdemann ◽  
Ziheng Yang ◽  
S. Jacques Rakotondranary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Contact Zone ◽  
Mouse Lemur ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Microsatellite Data ◽  
Ancestral Gene ◽  
Mouse Lemurs ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Lemur Species

Despite being one of the most fundamental biological processes, the process of speciation remains poorly understood in many groups of organisms. Mouse lemurs are a species-rich genus of small primates endemic to Madagascar, whose diversity has only recently been uncovered using genetic data and is primarily found among morphologically cryptic, allopatric populations. To assess to what extent described species represent reproductively isolated entities, studies are needed in areas where mouse lemur taxa come into contact. Hybridization has previously been reported in a contact zone between two closely related mouse lemur species (Microcebus murinus and M. griseorufus) based on microsatellite data. Here, we revisit this system using RADseq data for populations in, near, and far from the contact zone, including many of the individuals that had previously been identified as hybrids. Surprisingly, we find no evidence for admixed nuclear ancestry in any of the individuals. Re-analyses of microsatellite data and simulations suggest that previously inferred hybrids were false positives and that the program NewHybrids can be particularly sensitive to erroneously inferring hybrid ancestry. Using coalescent-bases analyses, we also show an overall lack of recent gene flow between the two species, and low levels of ancestral gene flow. Combined with evidence for local syntopic occurrence, these data indicate that M. murinus and M. griseorufus are reproductively isolated. Finally, we estimate that they diverged less than a million years ago, suggesting that completion of speciation is relatively rapid in mouse lemurs. Future work should focus on the underpinnings of reproductive isolation in this cryptic primate radiation, which are mostly unknown. Our study also provides a cautionary tale for the inference of hybridization with microsatellite data.

scholarly journals A 24-Year Record of Female Reproductive Dynamics in Two Sympatric Mouse Lemur Species in Northwestern Madagascar

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ute Radespiel ◽  
Romule Rakotondravony ◽  
Solofonirina Rasoloharijaona ◽  
Blanchard Randrianambinina
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Species Differences ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
Mouse Lemur ◽  
Reproductive Seasonality ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Reproductive Synchrony ◽  
Favorable Conditions ◽  
Lemur Species

AbstractSeasonal reproduction is widespread among primates but the degree of reproductive synchrony and plasticity can vary, even between closely related species. This study compares the dynamics of female reproductive seasonality in two mouse lemur species, Microcebus murinus and M. ravelobensis, in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar, across 24 years. We collected 4321 records of female reproductive state from 1033 individual females (319 M. murinus, 714 M. ravelobensis). The analyses revealed disparate reproductive schedules: While female M. murinus showed high degrees of reproductive synchrony throughout all years, leading to the production of two successive litters, the seasonal onset of estrus (= reproductive activation) in female M. ravelobensis was more flexible than in M. murinus, starting 2-4 weeks earlier, varying by up to 4 weeks between years, and being less synchronized. M. ravelobensis females became reproductively active later in years with more rainfall, in particular rain in February, but the timing of reproductive activation was not related to differences in temperatures. The likelihood of early conception was significantly lower in M. ravelobensis than in M. murinus. This was partly due to delayed reproductive activation in young animals, and a lower likelihood of early conception for females with low body mass in M. ravelobensis. Our results suggest high, adaptive reproductive plasticity in M. ravelobensis that may enable individuals to respond flexibly to yearly environmental changes and expand the reproductive period under favorable conditions. These species differences in reproductive schedules may be the result of the divergent evolutionary histories of the two mouse lemur species in different parts of Madagascar.

Different competitive potential in two coexisting mouse lemur species in northwestern Madagascar

2011 ◽  
Vol 145 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Thorén ◽  
Miriam Linnenbrink ◽  
Ute Radespiel
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Lemur ◽  
Lemur Species

Variations in the excretion patterns of helminth eggs in two sympatric mouse lemur species (Microcebus murinus and M. ravelobensis) in northwestern Madagascar

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 941-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ute Radespiel ◽  
K. Schaber ◽  
S. E. Kessler ◽  
F. Schaarschmidt ◽  
C. Strube
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Lemur ◽  
Microcebus Murinus ◽  
Helminth Eggs ◽  
Lemur Species

scholarly journals Sympatric Mouse Lemurs in Nort-West Madagascar: A New Rufous Mouse Lemur Species (Microcebus ravelobensis)

1998 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleke Zimmermann ◽  
Sabine Cepok ◽  
Nasolo Rakotoarison ◽  
Vera Zietemann ◽  
Ute Radespiel
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Lemur ◽  
Mouse Lemurs ◽  
Lemur Species

scholarly journals Linking cognition to ecology in wild sympatric mouse lemur species

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1963) ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Henke-von der Malsburg ◽  
Peter M. Kappeler ◽  
Claudia Fichtel
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Mouse Lemur ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Ecological Adaptations ◽  
Mouse Lemurs ◽  
Lemur Species

Cognitive abilities covary with both social and ecological factors across animal taxa. Ecological generalists have been attributed with enhanced cognitive abilities, but which specific ecological factors may have shaped the evolution of which specific cognitive abilities remains poorly known. To explore these links, we applied a cognitive test battery (two personality, ten cognitive tests; n = 1104 tests) to wild individuals of two sympatric mouse lemur species ( n = 120 Microcebus murinus, n = 34 M. berthae ) varying in ecological adaptations but sharing key features of their social systems. The habitat and dietary generalist grey mouse lemurs were more innovative and exhibited better spatial learning abilities; a cognitive advantage in responding adaptively to dynamic environmental conditions. The more specialized Madame Berthe's mouse lemurs were faster in learning associative reward contingencies, providing relative advantages in stable environmental conditions. Hence, our study revealed key cognitive correlates of ecological adaptations and indicates potential cognitive constraints of specialists that may help explain why they face a greater extinction risk in the context of current environmental changes.

Manual lateralization in early primates: A comparison of two mouse lemur species

2008 ◽  
Vol 137 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisette M.C. Leliveld ◽  
Marina Scheumann ◽  
Elke Zimmermann
Keyword(s):  
Mouse Lemur ◽  
Lemur Species
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