Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Impacts Of Environment And Host Evolutionary Relationships On Lemur Microbiota, Rachel B. Burten

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent studies have shown that the mammal microbiome is modified by environmental conditions, and that reduced microbiome functionality is associated with host health issues. Microbiome data in wild and captive primate populations can therefore be used to assess their health as they encounter a variety of environments. Comparative studies of the microbiome can also inform disease ecology, conservation, and captive management strategies tailored to different primate species. Therefore, this study examines how the hair, oral, and gut microbiota of nine wild and captive lemur species are determined by host phylogenetic relationships and host environment. I found that host species identity …

Reintroducing Hemp (Rongony) In The Material Palette Of Madagascar: A Study On The Potential Of Hemp Clay Components And Its Impact On Social And Ecological Communities., Henintsoa Thierry Andrianambinina

Masters Theses

When mentioning the word hemp, especially in the local language of Madagascar, the literal translation does not set it apart from marijuana, as they are both called “rongony” - creating the stigma around hemp as the negative stereotype of marijuana. However, the material has been used by the ancestors of Madagascar, as well as across cultures, in its fibrous form to produce fabrication like textile goods and packaging. During colonization, the prohibition of hemp intensified, and since then, any activity related to either of these plants is prohibited and will end in severe punitive measures. This thesis explores the strengths …

Assessment Of Ring-Tailed Lemur Lemur Catta Populations In South-Western Madagascar, Sylvain Randrianjaka, Samantha Calkins, Timothy M. Sefczek, Cynthia L. Frasier, Richard Randriamampionona, Jean Claude Rakotoniaina, Lily-Arison R. De Roland, Andrea L. Baden, Edward E. Louis Jr.

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Anthropogenic activities are negatively affecting the flora and fauna of Madagascar, including its Endangered flagship lemur species, the ring-tailed lemur Lemur catta. Population numbers at some sites are rapidly declining, yet much of the species’ habitat is insufficiently surveyed. Because widespread population assessments are critical to guiding conservation management strategies, additional data are needed to monitor L. catta population trends and to identify the limits of their geographical range. Here we report survey results confirming the presence of this species at 65 of 83 sites in southern and south-western Madagascar, including three subpopulations that were previously considered likely to …

Environmental Drivers Of Dispersal In Black-And-White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia Variegata), Amanda Mancini

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dispersal is a fundamental aspect of primates’ lives, influencing population connectivity through gene flow, driving community structure and assembly, and having important consequences for adaptation and speciation. Primates disperse within an environmental context, with both intervening and local environmental factors affecting the motivation, capacity, timing, and success of dispersal at all phases. Direct evaluations of primate dispersal are challenging given the rarity of dispersal events and the large distances that animals often settle from their departure site, therefore indirect measures– such as the use of population genetic data– are more common.

The field of landscape genetics enables researchers to combine …

Diet And Nutrition Of Lemurs In The Lean Season, Santiago Cassalett

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Animals must navigate complex food and nutrient environments that are constantly in flux to obtain the macro and micronutrients necessary for their growth, reproduction, and survival. The nutritional needs of animals also vary over the life course, further complicating the search for adequate foods and the nutrients within them. The hypervariable and unpredictable environment of Madagascar creates a complex nutrient landscape for lemurs in particular because they are subject to large fluctuations in food availability. These fluctuations are thought to create extreme periods of nutritional stress during the dry season (known as the lean season) for lemurs. In response, lemurs …

Genetic Impacts Of Deforestation On Mouse Lemurs, Darice Westphal

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The impact of deforestation on the genetic structure of mouse lemurs is poorly understood. In this project, I assess deforestation of Madagascar’s terrestrial protected regions, quantify genomic wide genetic variation in two sympatric mouse lemurs, and evaluate the role of landscape structure in genetic relatedness patterns within two sympatric mouse lemur species. Overall deforestation rates across the 98 terrestrial protected areas in Madagascar are increasing, resulting in an average annual deforestation rate of 0.68% per year, with approximately 10,600 km² lost between 2000 and 2019. In a comparison of relatedness patterns between the sympatric gray mouse lemur (Microcebus …

Expressions Of Power In Health Care Providers’ Experiences And Behavior, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This brief describes a secondary cross-country qualitative analysis that investigated how power manifests and can be shifted to optimize provider behavior change (PBC) approaches across health areas and geographical contexts. Breakthrough RESEARCH explored how four interrelated domains of power are differentially experienced by health care providers (HCPs) based on one’s position and function within the health system in Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, and Togo. The results are intended to help promote quality reproductive, maternal, and newborn care by offering insights for PBC programming. Key findings showed that HCPs’ power was often constrained by limited access to resources, opportunities for advancement, and …

Advancements In Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Overview Of Portfolio Development And Research Studies In Madagascar, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

Advancements in Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (APPHC) is a catalytic investment by USAID in Malawi and Madagascar to accelerate reductions in maternal deaths. This program brief presents APPHC’s portfolio of research activities in Madagascar.

Barriers Inhibiting Detection And Management Of Postpartum Hemorrhage By Providers In Madagascar, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

Breakthrough RESEARCH partner ideas42 conducted research in June 2019 in peri-urban and rural areas of Vohipeno and Manakara districts of Madagascar's Vatovavy-Fitovinany region to identify health care providers' challenges for detecting and managing complications during childbirth including postpartum hemorrhage and identify optimal solutions. This brief summarizes the results of a behavioral diagnosis that reveals “Facility-based providers do not consistently follow best practices for the detection and management of complications during childbirth.” Low perception of risk of postpartum hemorrhage, limited review of compliance with best practices, consequences of current practices, and resource scarcity can negatively affect provider decision-making and clinical practice.

Obstacles Limitant La Détection Et La Prise En Charge De L’Hpp Par Les Prestataires De Soins De Santé À Madagascar, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

Breakthrough RESEARCH partner ideas42 conducted research in June 2019 in peri-urban and rural areas of Vohipeno and Manakara districts of Madagascar's Vatovavy-Fitovinany region to identify health care providers' challenges for detecting and managing complications during childbirth including postpartum hemorrhage and identify optimal solutions. This brief summarizes the results of a behavioral diagnosis that reveals “Facility-based providers do not consistently follow best practices for the detection and management of complications during childbirth.” Low perception of risk of postpartum hemorrhage, limited review of compliance with best practices, consequences of current practices, and resource scarcity can negatively affect provider decision-making and clinical practice.

Morphometric Analysis Of Subfossil Macronycteris Spp. (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) From Madagascar, Jamie Lynn Alumbaugh

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Macronycteris bats are morphologically conservative between species but demonstrate intraspecific morphological variation between geographic locations and sexes. Two of the four living species of Macronycteris are found on Madagascar, where they are broadly distributed and demonstrate a trend in body size correlated with the latitudinal precipitation cline on the western side of the island. The presence of an extinct species, M. besaoaka, from Anhjohibe Cave in northern Madagascar suggests that Macronycteris was once more diverse, at least with respect to morphology. Since its description, taxonomic and phylogenetic revisions have reshaped our understanding of this genus. On Madagascar, these include the …

Effects Of Habitat Disturbance On The Teeth Of Propithecus Diadema In The Forests Of Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar: Implications For Species Viability And Conservation, Katie Susann Heffernan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The accelerated transformation of Madagascar’s ecosystems is a direct result of habitat destruction which has devastating consequences for the viability of the island’s animals. This dissertation focuses on the critically endangered diademed sifaka, Propithecus diadema, living in the rainforests of Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar. Tsinjoarivo has been heavily impacted by slash and burn agriculture and transformed into isolated forest fragments. Previous research by Irwin and colleagues has demonstrated that the diet and group dynamics of Propithecus diadema differ between continuous and degraded forests, but whether fragmented landscapes provide tougher foods and lead to behavioral changes through increased tooth wear has not been …

Employing Persons With Disabilities In Madagascar, Lila Hanitra Ratsifandrihamanana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Madagascar, the barriers to persons with disabilities' employability are multifaceted and relate to accessibility, funding, attitudes, and policies. Managers lack knowledge on disability and still perceive disabled persons as incompetent and associate them with costly accommodation needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the management strategies and leadership styles that managers could use to enhance the employability chances of persons with disabilities. The conceptual framework featured the concepts of empowerment, employability, disability identity, and relevant transformational leadership theories. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 28 managers in private companies, institutions, cooperatives, and organizations in 3 regions …

"Being Chinese" In Madagascar, Mingyuan Zhang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This PhD dissertation explores how the meaning of “being Chinese” is culturally and socially constructed in northern Madagascar, focusing on identity-shaping encounters between Mandarin-speaking Chinese and Malagasy people in three particular contexts: 1) a sugar plantation managed by a Chinese stated-owned corporation; 2) networks of Chinese and Malagasy private businessmen who enable the movement of cheap Chinese commodities from Guangzhou, China to northern Madagascar; and 3) the classrooms of the Confucius Institute - a worldwide educational project sponsored by the Chinese government aiming to promote Chinese language and culture. The dissertation provides an ethnographic account of Chinese-Malagasy encounters by discussing …

“Beyond Sisterhood There Is Still Racism, Colonialism And Imperialism!” Negotiating Gender, Ethnicity And Power In Madagascar Mangrove Conservation, Manon Lefèvre

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Understanding women’s experiences of mangrove forest conservation in the Global South is important because mangrove forests are a crucial defense against climate change, and are also increasingly the targets of global climate change policies. The intervention of postcolonial feminist theory combined with feminist political ecology has the potential to bring forward women’s seldom-heard experiences of climate change in these valuable ecosystems. This work supports previous feminist political ecology scholarship focused on understanding women’s complicated relationships to the environment and the gendered effects of climate change policies, while challenging dominant conservation discourse around women as a monolithic group. This thesis focuses …

Coexistence Of Confamilial, Folivorous Indriids, Propithecus Diadema And Indri Indri, At Betampona Strict Nature Reserve, Madagascar, Lana Kerker Oliver

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine how two confamilial and ecologically similar indriids, indri (Indri indri), and diademed sifakas (Propithecus diadema) maintain coexistence in Betampona Nature Reserve (BNR), an eastern lowland rainforest in Madagascar. These two species occur sympatrically throughout much of their species ranges and are similarly-sized folivorous primates. As anatomic folivores, they present an opportunity to investigate how niche differentiation and resource partitioning allow two sympatric primate species with similar feeding patterns to coexist. I examined coexistence strategies and the general behavioral ecology of each species by examining their activity patterns, dietary profiles, home range use, and daily path …

Fabulations Ou Imaginaires Vacillants : L’Écriture De Rakotoson Et Raharimanana Entre Histoire, Mémoire Et Urgence Du Social, Ute Fendler

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

The two writers from Madagascar, Michèle Rakotoson and Jean-Luc Raharimanana, fill empty memorial spaces by writing texts that vary from autobiographical mode, via the historical one, up to some elements of oral tradition with the objective to create anticipatory texts. The article analyzes the entanglement of references to reality and to fiction drawing on the notion of “fabulation” by Deleuze and of “half-knowledge” by Flahaut.

Optimizing Conservation Policy: The Importance Of Seasonal Variation In Hunting And Meat Consumption On The Masoala Peninsula Of Madagascar, Cortni Borgerson

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Studying seasonal hunting patterns can be critical for developing sound actions for conservation and public health. As availability of funds to implement conservation policy is limited, it is essential to focus efforts during the most critical times of year. During July 2011-June 2012 I recorded direct observations of hunting of forest mammals, and conducted daily 24-hour recall surveys (2 weeks per month over 11 months: August 2011-June 2012), and interviews of all households in a focal village on the Masoala Peninsula of Madagascar to investigate (1) what drives seasonal hunting patterns and (2) how seasonal variation in consumption of wildlife …

Population Genetic Analysis Of The Critically Endangered Black-And-White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia Variegata) In Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, Amanda Mancini

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine the efficacy of Ranomafana National Park (RNP) in preserving genetic diversity and gene flow in black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata). Results indicate that RNP successfully promotes gene flow between V. variegata groups, although genetic diversity at this site is low compared to other lemur taxa.

Who Hunts Lemurs And Why They Hunt Them, Cortni Borgerson, Margaret A. Mckean, Michael R. Sutherland, Laurie R. Godfrey

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The main threats to lemurs are habitat loss and hunting. Conservation policies often assume that people will decrease lemur hunting if they understand government prohibitions on hunting, are educated and/or involved in ecotourism, have access to affordable meat, and/or are healthy and financially secure. Yet these assumptions are often not well tested where conservation policies are implemented. We interviewed every member of a focal village in one of the most biodiverse places on earth, the Masoala peninsula of Madagascar. The factors that best predicted the decision to hunt lemurs were poverty, poor health, and child malnutrition. Knowledge of laws, level …

Illegal Hunting On The Masoala Peninsula Of Madagascar: Its Extent, Causes, And Impact On Lemurs And Humans, Cortni Borgerson

Doctoral Dissertations

Two of the greatest challenges we face in the world today are: (1) reducing human poverty and malnutrition; and (2) slowing the loss of global biodiversity. Madagascar ranks nearly last in global food security, and is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. Within Madagascar, the Masoala Peninsula is one of our greatest conservation priorities. I use one year (July 2011 – June 2012) of lemur surveys, habitat sampling, direct observations of forest mammal hunting, eleven months of daily 24-hour recall surveys, and interviews of all households in one focal village on the Masoala peninsula of Madagascar to …

Averting Lemur Extinctions Amid Madagascar's Political Crisis, Christoph Schwitzer, Russell Mittermeier, Steig Johnson, Giuseppe Donati, Mitchell Irwin, Heather Peacock, Jonah Ratsimbazafy, Josia Razafindramanana, Edward E. Louis, Lounes Chikhi, Ian C. Colquhoun, Jennifer Tinsman, Ranier Dolch, Marni Lafleur, Stephen Nash, Erik Patel, Blanchard Randrianambinina, Tove Rasolofoharivelo, Patricia C. Wright

Anthropology Publications

The most threatened mammal group on Earth, Madagascar’s five endemic lemur families (lemurs are found nowhere else), represent more than 20% of the world’s primate species and 30% of family-level diversity. This combination of diversity and uniqueness is unmatched by any other country—remarkable considering that Madagascar is only 1.3 to 2.9% the size of the Neotropics, Africa, or Asia, the other three landmasses where nonhuman primates occur. But lemurs face extinction risks driven by human disturbance of forest habitats. We discuss these challenges and reasons for hope in light of site-specific, local actions proposed in an emergency conservation action plan.

Social Entrepreneurship: The Ideal Business For Humanity And The Economy, Maya D. Horgan

Pomona Senior Theses

This essay argues that social entrepreneurship is the most efficient means to generate lasting social change and permanently reduce poverty. Using the support of scholarly research, interviews with experts in the field, and my own qualitative observations, I conclude that traditional aid models that are economically dependent on outside funding, as well as those that simply provide monetary and product contributions in order to sustain the poor or marginalized communities they serve are inherently structured in a way that prevents them from resolving social ills. Despite the influx of aid organizations over past decades, chronic poverty and other serious social …

Social Norms, Discrete Choices, And False Dichotomies, Eric Schniter, Nathaniel Wilcox

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Eric Schniter and Nathaniel Wilcox comment on Bram Tucker's article, "Do Risk and Time Experimental Choices Represent Individual Strategies for Coping with Poverty or Conformity to Social Norms? Evidence from Rural Southwestern Madagascar", which "revisits a debate played out in Current Anthropology as to whether subsistence decisions are the result of individual strategy to cope with poverty and increase wealth... or conformity to social norms."

A Review And Interspecific Comparison Of Nocturnal And Cathemeral Strepsirhine Primate Olfactory Behavioural Ecology, Ian C. Colquhoun

Anthropology Publications

This paper provides a comparative review of the known patterns of olfactory behavioural ecology among the nocturnal strepsirhine primates and the cathemeral lemurid genus Eulemur. Endemic to Madagascar, all Eulemur species exhibit both diurnality and nocturnality (i.e., cathemerality), and are gregarious, making them an interesting group of taxa to compare with the nocturnal strepsirhines. This paper represents the first comparative review of patterns of olfactory communication among the nocturnal strepsirhines and the cathemeral Eulemur species. Inductive assessment of these comparative data indicates that olfactory communication serves multiple functions in both groups, including individual recognition, sex recognition, indication of social …

Structural Differences In Rural Food Poverty Between Female And Male-Headed Households, Ceren Gürkan, Issa Sanogo

Zambia Social Science Journal

This article explores differences among female-headed households (FHHs) and male-headed households (MHHs) in terms of food poverty in Cameroon, Laos, Madagascar, Mauritania, and Tanzania. Stochastic dominance analysis shows that FHHs are more likely to be food poor related to MHHs, though this trend is less clear when looking only at food poor households. This ambiguity was clarified using discriminant function analysis. The results show that both female and male food poor households face the same obstacles to rural employment across the countries; barriers to access to land, productive assets, education, remittances and over-dependence on subsistence agriculture. Although further research is …

The Climatic Niche Diversity Of Malagasy Primates: A Phylogenetic Perspective, Jason M. Kamilar, Kathleen M. Muldoon

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Numerous researchers have posited that there should be a strong negative relationship between the evolutionary distance among species and their ecological similarity. Alternative evidence suggests that members of adaptive radiations should display no relationship between divergence time and ecological similarity because rapid evolution results in near-simultaneous speciation early in the clade's history. In this paper, we performed the first investigation of ecological diversity in a phylogenetic context using a mammalian adaptive radiation, the Malagasy primates.

Methodology/Principal Findings:

We collected data for 43 extant species including: 1) 1064 species by locality samples, 2) GIS climate data for each sampling locality, …

Reproductive Biology Of Mouse And Dwarf Lemurs Of Eastern Madagascar, With An Emphasis On Brown Mouse Lemurs (Microcebus Rufus) At Ranomafana National Park, A Southeastern Rainforest, Marina Beatriz Blanco

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation investigates reproductive schedules of brown mouse lemurs at Ranomafana, using intensive trapping techniques. The reproductive condition of female mouse lemurs was recorded on the basis of vaginal morphology, vaginal smears, body mass gain profiles and nipple development. Testis size was measured in males throughout the reproductive season. The timing of the first seasonal estrus was determined in frequently captured females over multiple years and it showed individual periodicities close to 365 days, consistent with endogenous regulation and entrainment by photoperiod. The timing of estrus did not correlate with female age or body mass. Males showed testicular regression during …

Mapping The Mahajanga Basin: Using Gis To Explore Spatial Relationships In Madagascar's Geology And Paleontology, Anne Brown

Geography Honors Projects

Tha Mahajanga Basin, located in northwestern Madagascar, is a region of intense geological and paleontological study, but has never before been subject to spatial analysis. Since 1993, expeditions conducted by Stony Brook University, Macalester College, and the University of Antananarivo have uncovered a rich sampling of more than six thousand specimens and observations including fossils of non-avian dinosaurs, crocodiles, and turtles. This paper analyzes the spatial relationships between paired groups within the fossil record as well as wider regional trends to address paleoenvironment. A combination of spatial analysis and statistics are used to determine the patterns existing between fossils or …

The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data To Identify And Reach The Most Vulnerable Young People—Madagascar 2003/04, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

“The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data to Identify and Reach the Most Vulnerable Young People: Madagascar 2003/04” is part of a series of Population Council guides that draw principally on data from the Demographic and Health Surveys to provide decisionmakers at all levels—from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and advocacy groups—with evidence on the situation of adolescent girls and boys and young women aged 10–24 years. The data are presented in graphs, tables, and maps (wherever possible), providing multiple formats to make the information accessible to a range of audiences. Section I is the Foreword. Section II offers brief technical notes specific …