Modeling the origins of primate sociality: Social flexibility and kinship in mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.)

Citation

Kessler S, Radespiel U, Nash LT & Zimmermann E (2016) Modeling the origins of primate sociality: Social flexibility and kinship in mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.). In: Lehman S, Radespiel U & Zimmermann E (eds.) Dwarf and Mouse Lemurs of Madagascar: Biology, Behavior and Conservation Biogeography of the Cheirogaleidae. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge University Press (CUP), pp. 422-446.

Abstract
The dwarf and mouse lemurs of Madagascar are two very species-rich lemur genera, yet there is a relative paucity of information on this primate family in published literature. In this first ever treatment of the Cheirogaleidae, international experts are brought together to review and integrate our current knowledge of the behaviour, physiology, ecology, genetics and biogeography of these species. A wide range of direct and indirect research methods that are currently used to study these cryptic nocturnal solitary foragers are described. By uniting often disparate research on captive and free-ranging taxa and synthesising recent methodological advances, this book provides new insights that will encourage further studies of this fascinating primate family. This synthesis will provide an incentive for more integrative studies of the Cheirogaleidae in captivity and in the wild, enabling the impacts of deforestation and other factors to be identified and directions for future conservation efforts to be established.