Projekte

1. Habitat fragmentation in the ecosystem tropical rain forest: a case study on the genetic diversity of tropical small mammal communities in the Kinabatangan floodplain in Borneo (Sabah, Malaysia)

Habitatfragmentation im Ökosystem tropischer Regenwald: Arten- und Naturschutzgenetik am Modell von Kleinsäugergemeinschaften des Tieflandregenwaldes entlang des Kinabatangan in Borneo (Sabah, Malaysia)

Executives: Prof. Dr. Ute Radespiel,  Prof. Dr. Elke Zimmermann, Jennifer Brunke, MSc

The increasing fragmentation of tropical rain forests, due to anthropogenic landscape changes, poses increasing problems for their biodiversity. Changes of natural habitats affect individuals of different species in a variety of ways. Therefore, the knowledge on the ecological plasticity and sensitivity of a wide range of species is essential for empirically supported conservation efforts and management. In contrast to large mammals, our knowledge about how small mammals can cope with habitat fragmentation is in its infancy. The short-term aim of this study is to assess by current methods in conservation genetics to what extent forest fragmentation influences the diversity and the gene flow of populations of small mammals compared to large mammal models. Various measures of species diversity and abundance as well as the genetic diversity and differentiation of small mammal communities will be studied in defined forest fragments. The long-term aim will be to get a better understanding on the impacts of forest fragmentation on mammalian biodiversity in tropical forests, an urgent requirement for conservation biology and the management of tropical landscapes.

Status: since 2011

External funding: own resources, DAAD, applied for further external funding

Keywords: habitat fragmentation, small mammals, tree shrews, distribution, abundance, conservation genetics, Malaysia

2. Evolution of sexually dimorphic traits in primates: An integrative bioacoustic, behavioural, parasitological, hormonal and genetical approach of a conspicuous male trait in a primate model, the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus, von Wurmb 1787)

Evolution sexuell dimorpher Merkmale bei Primaten: ein integrativer Ansatz am Modell des Nasenaffen

Executives: Prof. Dr. Elke Zimmermann, Prof. Dr. Ute Radespiel, Dipl.-Biol. Kathrin Röper

One of the major puzzles in evolutionary biology is the evolution of conspicuous male traits. To date this topic has been studied in various animal groups in attempt to explain the respective causes and functions, e.g. the facial coloration of male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), the large cheek flanges of mature adult male orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus), the enlarged claw of male sand fiddler crabs (Uca pugilator) or the male peacocks colourful tail (Pavo sp.). Facial red coloration (secondary sexual trait) was also significantly related to both faecal testosterone level and rank. Moreover, these features resulted in higher reproductive success. Loud calls are also suggested to be sexually selected as they are generally used for both male-male competition and mate choice. Moreover, multimodal signals are able to provide more honest information towards the receiver and are also more effective in attracting attention and receiving response.

To date, an integrative project in which the function of a conspicuous male trait in multimodal signalling is analyzed in combination with proximate causes is lacking for mammals. We will focus in this study on a conspicuous male trait in a primate model, the proboscis monkey, the male’s long nose, known to be used in multimodal signalling. Free-living groups of proboscis monkeys at the Kinabatangan river, Sabah, Malaysia will be examined. The variation in multimodal signalling (loud calling and nose wagging) in males, their testosterone level and parasitological load will be determined to explore potential proximate mechanisms of nose development and their role in multimodal signalling. Genetic affinities will be analysed to assess reproductive success and to link it to male signalling behaviour.

Status: since  2011

External funding: Eigenmittel, DAAD, andere Drittmittel beantragt

External cooperation: Prof. Dr. Michael Owren, Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, USA; Dr. Benoit Gossens, Danau Girang Field Center and Cardiff University, GB 

Keywords: sexual selection, sexually dimorphic traits, communication, bioacoustics, ethometry, physiology, parasitology, genetics, proboscis monkey, evolution, Malaysia

3. Social organisation of the Goodman's mouse lemur (Microcebus lehilahytsara) in the Masoala Hall of the Zoo Zurich

Executives: Prof. Dr. Ute Radespiel, Vivian Jürges, MSc

Goodman’s mouse lemurs are very difficult to observe under natural conditions, since they only occur in the montanous rain forests of central-eastern Madagascar. Mouse lemurs are a very species genus of lemurs and also possess highly variable social systems, despite all of them being so-called solitary foragers. This investigation aims to study in more detail this variability under an accessible setup, the Masoala rainforest hall of the Zoo of Zurich. Goodman’s mouse lemurs are kept in this hall under semi-free conditions and can form social units of their own choice. Patterns and consequences of these social processes are studied in close collaboration with the zoo management.

Status: since 2010

External cooperation: Zoo Zurich (Dr. R. Zingg)

Keywords: sociality, lemurs, spatial structure, husbandry, semi-free condition, sleeping groups

4. Biodiversity and phylogenetics of nocturnal lemurs

5. Regional Biogeography and ecology of mouse lemurs in the Ankarafantsika National

6. Evolutionary genetics of pheromonal communication in mouse lemurs

7. Handedness, laterality and fine-grained motoric control of actions in lemurs – patterns, origins and mechanisms. (Radespiel, Zimmermann)

Executives: Prof. Dr. Elke Zimmermann, Prof. Dr. Ute Radespiel, Dr. Marina Scheumann, Dr. Marine Joly

Handedness is the preferred usage of one hand for a certain motorfunction. This functional asymmetry is well known from humans and, on the individual level, from some other primate species. Our studies have shown that handedness exists already in a very basal primate model, the mouse lemur. The extent of laterality and its variability and stability under various specific tasks is investigated under experimental conditions as well as in the natural behavioural repertoire of the animals.

Status: since 2000

Keywords: evolution, food grasping, primates

8. Phylogeography and conservation genetics of lemurs in northwestern Madagascar

9. Niche differentiation of mouse lemurs in northwestern Madagascar

10. Female dominance and mate choice in mouse lemurs (Radespiel, Zimmermann)

Weibchen-Dominanz bei Lemuren: Muster, Mechanismen und Evolution 

Executives: Prof. Dr. Elke Zimmermann, Prof. Dr. Ute Radespiel, Sarah Hohenbrink, Rindrahatsarana Ramanankirahina, Dr. Marine Joly

Female dominance over males is generally defined as the ability of adult females to consistently evoke submissive behaviour in adult males on an individual level. The direction of aggressive or submissive behaviors in agonistic encounters is a frequent measure of dominance. Often a correlation between dominance rank and the direction of social grooming was found in primates, where the dominant was groomed more often by the submissive than vice versa. Grooming is thereby suggested to act as a mechanism to establish, maintain or improve social bonds among group members.

Female dominance is a rare trait in social systems of mammals and within primates, but seems to be widespread among the lemurs of Madagascar (Dunham 2008). How and why female dominance evolved within the lemurs is discussed controversially.  By focussing on natural and experimentally induced social interactions in nocturnal lemur taxa, we will explore current hypotheses and analyze proximate factors and ultimate consequences governing female dominance in this primate group. The link between female dominance and mate choice will also be considered along with influences of age, hormones, genetic affinities and acoustic and chemical signals.

Status: since 1996

External funding: Eigenmittel, DAAD, Bayer

External cooperation: Dr. Toni Ziegler, Wisconsin Regional Primate Centre, WI, USA

Keywords:  Dominance, physiology, lemur, evolution, Madagascar

11. Mouse lemurs - colony management and conservation

Management und Erhaltung von Mausmakis

Executives: Prof. Dr. Elke Zimmermann, Prof. Dr. Ute Radespiel, Dr. Marine Joly, Dr. Marina Scheumann, Elisabeth Engelke, Elisabeth J. Engelke, Hans-Joachim Sauer, Wolfgang Mehl

Mouse lemurs are the smallest primates on earth. They are endemic to Madagascar, where they are increasingly endangered by anthropogenically caused habitat degradation. Mouse lemurs are unique primate models for evolutionary, aging and genomic research. They exhibit extraordinary species diversity with limited vs. broad ranges in the Malagasy tropical forests.  They have a long longevity related to body size (up to 15 years in the laboratory, about 7 years in the field) which is, however, much shorter than for common anthropoid primate models. Furthermore, some, but not all, aging individuals develop an AD-like pathology as found in Alzheimer patients or show human-like aging-related diseases such as cancer or ocular pathologies (e.g. cataracts). Likewise mouse lemurs are one of the primate models, for which the genome is about to be sequenced.
In 1985, Elke Zimmermann founded the colony of gray mouse lemurs of the Institute of Zoology (IfZ), by two founder pairs coming from the University of Tübingen (Jörg Ganzhorn). Founder pairs stem from the Rotterdam Zoo and were tracked back to their origin in south-eastern Madagascar (Mandena). To increase the genetic diversity of the colony, the offspring of these founders (originally based at the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, moving later on to the University of Constance, the German Primate Centre and finally completely to the Institute of Zoology at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover) were cross-bred with mouse lemurs coming from the Rotterdam Zoo, the Netherlands, in 1993 and the Parc Zoologique de Vincennes, France, in 1996. The colony is a self-sustaining breeding colony for which the life history of each individual mouse lemur (marked individually) is documented from birth to death in a mouse lemur data bank. Tissues from these individually known mouse lemurs are collected according to veterinary purposes, or after the natural death of an animal. In 1995, Elke Zimmermann founded the colony of Goodman’s mouse lemurs of the IfZ by a licensed import from Madagascar (three pairs, originating from the area of Andasibe, northeastern Madagascar). This colony was firstly established at the German Primate Centre, but then moved completely to the IfZ. We succeeded in the world’s first breeding of this species. Nowadays they breed in multiple generations. To increase the genetic diversity, offspring of this colony were cross- bred with licensed imports from the Zoo Zürich, Switzerland, also originating from Andasibe, Madagascar.  Both colonies of mouse lemurs are registered in the European and International Studbooks of endangered animals. Currently these colonies consist of more than 100 animals used for non-invasive integrative and comparative approaches in the field of behaviour, physiology, reproduction, sensory biology, communication, cognition, genetics/genomics, aging, conservation biology and veterinary medicine. Furthermore, the colonies are used for comparative purposes between different institutions studying the effect of different factors (e.g. general maintenance conditions, different photoperiod regimes, enrichment, group composition, genetic lineages) on the physiology, behaviour, communication, cognition, reproduction, longevity and health status of the colonies.

Status: since middle of 1996

External cooperation:

Prof. Ingo Nolte, Klinik für kleine Haustiere  
Prof. Dr. K. Hodges, DPZ, Göttingen
Prof. Dr. A. Mac Larnon, Univ. Roehampten, GB
Zoo Zürich, Schweiz; Zoo Frankfurt, Zoo Landau, Zoo Vincennes, F; Zoo Pilsen, CZ
Prof. Verdier, INSERM, Université de Montpellier, F

Keywords: captive care, reproduction, seasonality, housing, well-being

12. Socio-ecology of nocturnal mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.) in northwestern Madagascar (Radespiel, Zimmermann)