Weathering the storm: Long-term implications on the feeding ecology and habitat use of a frugivorous lemur following a tropical cyclone

Abstract

Tropical cyclones are stochastic—sometimes catastrophic—weather events that can shape the ecology of impacted regions and have long-lasting effects on ecosystems. These destructive events are concerning for species persistence in areas with high endemism. Madagascar is among the world's most biodiverse hotspots and given the island's location within the southwest Indian Ocean, it is frequently impacted by cyclones. In March 2018, Cyclone Eliakim made landfall in northeast Madagascar, passing the species range of the predominantly frugivorous red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra), allowing us to document their response. In addition to characterizing the forest damage, we conducted behavioral and feeding ecology data collection over 57 months from March 2018 to November 2022. We evaluated temporal adjustments in lemur behavioral and dietary strategies over a nearly five-year period, during which there were no recorded tropical storms or cyclones over the Masoala Peninsula despite landfall elsewhere. Cyclone destruction was concentrated on large trees, which subsequently reduced fruit availability. Our results showed lemurs consumed a greater proportion of leaves and utilized more canopy strata following the cyclone, representing an immediate ecological response. Red ruffed lemurs' broad dietary and microhabitat diversity gradually returned to their more typical ecological niche as their habitat recovered. Our research highlights the ecological flexibility of a dietary specialist in response to a destructive cyclone, a behavioral adjustment that is likely to have evolved under Madagascar's highly variable weather and aids this species' persistence following stochastic weather events.

Abstract in Malagasy is available with online material.