Water Availability Impacts Habitat Use by Red-Fronted Lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons): An Experimental and Observational Study

Abstract

With the predicted increase in extreme weather events as a result of global climate change, animals living in dry or seasonally dry habitats are likely to experience dramatic fluctuations in water availability from season to season and year to year. Understanding how animals respond to short-term changes in water availability is paramount for future conservation and management of water-dependent wild populations. We investigated how short-term changes to the availability of water influenced habitat use of four groups of red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) in a dry deciduous forest in western Madagascar using detailed spatial data collected from GPS collars over 15 weeks. We experimentally manipulated water availability in the habitat and compared ranging patterns of the lemurs during the experiments to those before and after the experiments. Lemur groups shifted the intensity of their habitat use relative to changes in natural and experimental water availability. Specifically, lemurs were more likely to spend time in areas near experimental water sources during the experiment than in the same areas without water. Lemurs were less likely to spend time near previous habitual water sources when experimental water sources were available. We observed shifts in ranging intensity in response to natural changes to water availability when waterholes disappeared across the dry season. Our findings support the importance of water for shaping wild animal ranging patterns. We propose that water should be a primary consideration in future studies of habitat use, especially given the potential for climate change and human land use to further alter water availability for wild animals.