My next big adventure: MADAGASCAR PT. 2 (plus some other stuff)

With graduation just five short months away, I have decided to update my blog for the new year! I will graduate in May (2015) with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and plan to take a gap year before attending graduate school to continue my studies and pursue my enthusiasm for conservation biology.

I have been passionate about nature, wildlife, and the sciences for my entire life. After the four months I spent studying conservation and ecology in South Africa with the Organization for Tropical Studies, I realized what those passions really meant and how I could pursue these passions through ecology based research. When I began at Duke, I had been on track to go to veterinary school after finishing my undergraduate degree. However, my semester in South Africa opened my eyes to ecology based research and applications for conservation management. Specifically, I was very interested in community based conservation projects that involve maintaining the health and biodiversity of an ecosystem as a whole. You can read about my experiences and adventures in South Africa throughout this blog, or in this article: http://sites.duke.edu/dukeresearch/2014/02/05/student-melissa-chieffe-budding-conservation- biologist/

After such an incredible, life changing semester, I wanted to spend the summer of 2014 conducting scientific research and improving upon the field work skills and project design experience. I designed an independent project at the Duke Lemur Center (Durham, NC) where I was a field research intern (see: http://lemur.duke.edu/summer-intern-collects-poop-and-experience/). My history with the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) has gone back to freshman year when I started there as a technician assistant. I've loved learning about the incredible diversity of lemurs, as well as conservation actions taken to protect them over the past three years and decided it was time to take that interest further. Who knew that this project would end up with my first grant and my second trip to Madagascar?!

I designed my study based on several up and coming studies regarded the seed dispersal potential of lemurs (Manjaribe et al., 2013; Moses & Semple, 2011; Razafindratsima et al., 2012; Razafindratsima et al., 2014). Birds and mammals are essential seed dispersers in the tropical forest ecosystems in Madagascar, and of the latter, lemurs are the most common. As the human population increases however, lemur populations are decreasing. This could have a negative impact on the remaining forest habitat by decreasing seed dispersal and altering forest community dynamics. I conducted a study at the Duke Lemur Center to begin to understand and quantify the role of lemurs in reforestation by comparing germination rates and survivability of ingested seeds with non-ingested seeds. My study focused on Varecia rubra (red ruffed lemurs) and Varecia variegata variegata (black-and-white ruffed lemurs). The four treatments I used are described in Table 1 (below).

Table 1. Summary of four treatments. Field trials, treatment 1, were left under natural weather conditions at the Duke Lemur Center (Durham, NC). Treatments 2-4 were conducted under constant temperature and humidity levels and were watered daily in the Duke Greenhouse. Treatment 4 was considered the control.

Treatment Number	Description
1	Fecal sample placed under Suet cage in natural habitat with brush cleared away
2	Fecal sample with ingested seeds placed in pot with soil in Duke Greenhouse
3	Fecal sample + seed (muscadine, strawberry, black raspberry, apple, cantaloupe) in pot with soil in Duke Greenhouse
4	Seed (muscadine, strawberry, black raspberry, apple, cantaloupe) in pot with soil in Duke Greenhouse

 My results do not support that observation that gut passage (ingestion) enhances germination rates, though it does appear to benefit seedling growth and survival, independently of the fertilizing effect of the feces. All three treatments had successful growth in over 50% of the trials. The ingested seeds observed with treatment 2 had the highest success rate of growth at 71.4%. These results can support the implementation of community based conservation projects in Madagascar to increase successful growth. The implementation of community managed plant nurseries to germinate seeds ingested by lemurs, which could then be replanted in areas that have been clear-cut or slashed and burned, could be highly beneficial to the conservation of the unique Malagasy ecosystem.

See this community based conservation project promoting local involvement in reforestation using lemurs as seed dispersal agents, Education Promoting Reforestation Project (Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership): http://www.madagascarpartnership.org/home/reforestation

  

Black-and-white ruffed lemur eating a hickory nut in a natural habitat at the Duke Lemur Center (Durham, NC).

With the support of a grant from the Trent Foundation, I will be continuing my study in June-July 2015 in Madagascar (hopefully in Parc Ivoloina) to further develop an understanding of the effect lemurs have on forest dynamics and regeneration through seed dispersal.

Afterwards, I'll still have an entire year before I hope to start a Ph.D. program! So, I've committed to continuing work on the Elephants and Bees Project that we started during my semester in South Africa. I have a co-investigator who went back to South Africa last summer (2014) to continue the project and build connections and methodology for a a project utilizing beehives to protect larger tree species and also farmlands. We are currently applying for funding (as well as seeking donations to supplement any grants we may receive- http://www.gofundme.com/er0tw8) to continue this project and I hope to be there for another big chunk of my gap year.

I'm so excited that I will be returning to Madagascar to work on conservation based scientific research and also with the prospects of returning to South Africa to continue to work with elephants! When I was younger I learned about Jane Goodall, Charles Darwin, Dian Fossey, and other great conservationists and I never thought any of this would be possible! I can't wait to continue following my dreams and living with a sense of adventure!