Data from: Structure of microhabitats used by Microcebus rufus across a heterogeneous landscape

Microhabitat preference among primates, which provides them with the niche
they need to survive, often conditions primate diversity, abundance, and
coexistence. Vegetation alteration and recovery have built heterogeneous
forest landscapes that may influence primates’ microhabitat preference. We
compared the diversity and size of trees/shrubs and the presence of lianas
in 132 sites where we captured the rufous mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus),
with that of 240 sites where we did not capture this species, to
investigate the aspects of microhabitat structure they prefer. We then
examined how this structural preference varies across a heterogeneous
landscape of forests with different disturbance levels. Overall,
microhabitats used by M. rufus differed significantly from unused ones in
densities of small size, understory, and midstory plants. Microcebus rufus
frequented microhabitats with significantly denser small- and medium-size
(DBH 2.5-10 cm) trees/shrubs without lianas in the primary forest and
small-size plants (DBH 2.5-4.9 cm) with one liana in other forest types.
Compared to the microhabitats they used in the primary forest, the
microhabitats in other forest types had lower densities of trees/shrubs
with lianas. Additionally, the secondary forests and forest fragments also
had significantly lower DBH. Although this variation in microhabitat use
may represent an opportunity for M. rufus to live in disturbed habitats,
it may expose them to additional threats, affecting their long-term
survival. These findings emphasize the need to examine potential changes
in microhabitat use among primates living in anthropogenic landscapes,
which could help optimize long-term conservation and management of
threatened primate species in heterogeneous landscapes.