Date:
July 2, 2018
Source:
Rice University
Summary:
Widespread
logging and hunting have endangered virtually all of Madagascar's 100-plus
species of iconic lemurs, and a new study by Rice University ecologists
illustrates how saving the animals may also be key to saving the island's
largest trees.
"Forest
loss is a huge problem in Madagascar right now, but our study suggests that
just saving the trees is not enough," said Amy Dunham, associate professor
of biosciences at Rice and co-author of a paper appearing online today in a
special issue of the International Journal of Primatology. "Not only are
we facing the loss of these unique, charismatic animals, we're also losing
their role in the ecosystem. Without lemurs, the rainforests themselves will
change because the lemurs alone disperse the seeds of many of the forests'
largest hardwoods."
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