Abstract

Nocturnal Malagasy Primates: Ecology, Physiology, and Behavior is composed of different studies investigating the “strategies” adopted by lesser known nocturnal species of Marosalaza forest to cope with the contrasted seasonal conditions. In general, it defines the relationship between ecology and physiology of these species.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part is comprised of five chapters detailing field studies conducted during the seven successive and overlapping field trips, from November 1973 to July 1974. This part is focused on dietary adaptations,growth and reproductive cycles, activity rhythms, social structures, and interspecific competition in five sympatric prosimian species. The second part is also comprised of five chapters, but describes the laboratory studies conducted at Brunoy in simulated climatic conditions. It centerson the relationshipsand comparisons between species of annual variations in feeding,body weight, activity, and reproduction, with supplementary investigations of social interactions, marking,and learning abilities.
Altogether, the field and laboratory studies presented in this book constitute a comprehensive approach to elucidate the problem of ecophysiology.