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| Cognition as a mechanism of niche differentiation between closely related lemur species |
| Tristan J Franzetti1,2, Erin Ehmke2, Steve Nowicki1. 1Duke University Biology Department, Durham, NC, United States; 2Duke Lemur Center, Durham, NC, United States |
In the face of climate change and habitat destruction, understanding the mechanisms by which species differentiate their niches has become increasingly important. The opportunistic intelligence hypothesis suggests that ecological specialization covaries with cognitive abilities—with generalist species presenting higher cognitive function—and could explain how species coexist. The cheirogaleid lemurs offer a unique system in which to study niche differentiation given that this group includes a large number of closely related species that often live in sympatry. I examined how cognitive abilities differ between two sympatric cheirogaleids that vary in their degrees of dietary specialization. I tested captive populations of mouse lemurs and dwarf lemurs in two tasks that examine innovative propensity and persistence. Preliminary results suggest that the more generalist mouse lemurs exhibit more persistence, as predicted. Contrary to predictions, however, I found that dwarf lemurs exhibited higher levels of innovative propensity. These results indicate that differences in cognitive abilities may play a role in niche differentiation, but it is likely not the sole mechanism. |