The primary objective of this Dissertation Improvement award is to analyze reproductive strategies in a species of Malagasy prosimians, Propithecus diadema. The student will investigate the relationship between sex differences in feeding behavior, reproductive condition and environmental seasonality and female access to food. Sex differences in these behaviors are particularly interesting as the Malagasy lemurs, unlike most other primates evidence female feeding priority and female dominance over males. This research will provide the first tests of hypotheses concerning sex differences in feeding behavior in a forest dwelling lemur.
