DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2280gb5rs
title: Data from: Structure of microhabitats used by Microcebus rufus across a heterogeneous landscape

description: 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.
description: This
 dataset was collected from vegetation survey.
 We
 established a 5 m x 5 m quadrat around each trap (540 quadrats in total)
 to survey vegetation structure across sampling sites. In each quadrat, we
 measured the diameter at breast height (DBH, ~1.30 m above ground) of all
 tree/shrub individuals with a height ≥ 0.5 m and visually estimated their
 height. We identified each individual using its vernacular name and
 referred to a local plant database and the literature for their
 corresponding scientific names. We recorded the number of lianas on each
 tree/shrub, if present, without identifying them. In each quadrat, we also
 visually estimated the percentage of the forest ground covered by all
 plants of &lt; 0.5 m high to determine the cover of the herbaceous
 layer. Using these data, we describe the structure of microhabitats used
 and unused by<i> M.
 rufus</i> by calculating 13 metrics
 of diversity and vertical structures for each quadrat. “Used
 microhabitats” refer to locations where we captured
 <i>M.
 rufus</i> individuals,
 while “unused
 microhabitats” refer to locations where we did not capture
 <i>M. rufus
 </i>individuals. In addition to size classes and herbaceous layer, we included the densities of trees with lianas as structural variables because mouse lemurs may use them as an alternative to small-branched trees/shrubs.