With the predicted increase in extreme weather events as a result of global climate change, animals living in dry or seasonally dry habitats are likely to experience dramatic fluctuations in water availability from season to season and year to year. Understanding how animals respond to short-term changes in water availability is paramount for future conservation and management of water-dependent wild populations. We investigated how short-term changes to the availability of water influenced habitat use of four groups of red-fronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) in a dry deciduous forest in western Madagascar using detailed spatial data collected from GPS collars over 15 weeks. We experimentally manipulated water availability in the habitat and compared ranging patterns of the lemurs during the experiments to those before and after the experiments. Lemur groups shifted the intensity of their habitat use relative to changes in natural and experimental water availability. Specifically, lemurs were more likely to spend time in areas near experimental water sources during the experiment than in the same areas without water. Lemurs were less likely to spend time near previous habitual water sources when experimental water sources were available. We observed shifts in ranging intensity in response to natural changes to water availability when waterholes disappeared across the dry season. Our findings support the importance of water for shaping wild animal ranging patterns. We propose that water should be a primary consideration in future studies of habitat use, especially given the potential for climate change and human land use to further alter water availability for wild animals.

中文翻译：

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水资源可用性影响红额狐猴 (Eulemur rufifrons) 的栖息地使用：一项实验和观察性研究

随着全球气候变化导致极端天气事件的预​​测增加，生活在干燥或季节性干燥栖息地的动物可能会经历不同季节和每年的水资源供应量的剧烈波动。了解动物如何应对水资源可用性的短期变化对于未来保护和管理依赖水的野生种群至关重要。我们使用从 GPS 项圈收集的 15 周内收集的详细空间数据，研究了水供应的短期变化如何影响马达加斯加西部干燥落叶林中四组红额狐猴 (Eulemur rufifrons) 的栖息地使用。我们通过实验操纵了栖息地的可用水量，并将实验期间狐猴的测距模式与实验前后的模式进行了比较。狐猴群体相对于自然和实验用水量的变化改变了栖息地使用的强度。具体而言，与在没有水的相同区域相比，狐猴在实验期间更有可能在实验水源附近的区域逗留。当实验水源可用时，狐猴不太可能在以前的习惯性水源附近度过。当水坑在整个旱季消失时，我们观察到测距强度随着可用水量的自然变化而变化。我们的研究结果支持水对塑造野生动物分布模式的重要性。我们建议水应该是未来栖息地利用研究的主要考虑因素，特别是考虑到气候变化和人类土地利用有可能进一步改变野生动物的可用水量。