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Kemp AD. Effect of binocular visual cue availability on fruit and insect grasping performance in two cheirogaleids: Implications for primate origins hypotheses. J Hum Evol 2024; 188:103456. [PMID: 38325119 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Forward-facing eyes with parallel optic axes, which provide a wide field of binocular vision and precise depth perception, are among the diagnostic features of crown primates; however, the adaptive significance of this feature remains contentious. Two of the most prominent primate-origins hypotheses propose that either foraging for fruit or nocturnal predation on insects created selective pressures that led to the evolution of diagnostic primate traits, including a wide binocular field. To determine whether either of these hypotheses provides a viable explanation for the evolution of primates' derived eye orientation, the importance of binocular depth cues for the two tasks invoked by these hypotheses was evaluated experimentally in Microcebus murinus and Cheirogaleus medius, cheirogaleids' considered reasonable living analogs of the earliest euprimates. Performance in grasping insects and fruit was evaluated when the animals made use of their full binocular visual field and when their binocular visual field was restricted using a helmet-mounted blinder. Restriction of the binocular field had no effect on fruit grasping performance; however, restriction of the binocular field resulted in a significant deficit in insect predation performance. Differences in behavioral variables also suggest that insect predation is a more visually demanding task than fruit foraging. These results support the role of insect predation, but not fruit foraging, in contributing to the selective pressures that led to the evolution of parallel optic axes and a wide binocular field in crown primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Addison D Kemp
- Department of Integrative Anatomical Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 403 Bishop Memorial Teaching Building, 133 San Pablo St, Los Angeles, CA, 90033-9112, USA.
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Stieger B, Wesseler Y, Kaiser S, Sachser N, Richter SH. Behavioral lateralization of mice varying in serotonin transporter genotype. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 16:1095567. [PMID: 36710954 PMCID: PMC9875089 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1095567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
In humans, non-right-handedness is associated with a higher incidence of psychiatric disorders. Since serotonin seems to be involved in both, the development of psychiatric disorders and lateralization, the present study focuses on the effect of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene on behavioral lateralization. For this, we used the 5-HTT knockout mouse model, a well-established animal model for the study of human depression and anxiety disorders. For female mice from all three 5-HTT genotypes (wild type, heterozygous, and homozygous knockout), we repeatedly observed the direction and strength of lateralization of the following four behaviors: grid climbing (GC), food-reaching in an artificial test situation (FRT), self-grooming (SG), and barrier crossing (BC), with the FRT being the standard test for assessing behavioral lateralization in mice. We found no association between behavioral lateralization and 5-HTT genotype. However, in accordance with previous findings, the strength and temporal consistency of lateralization differed between the four behaviors observed. In conclusion, since the 5-HTT genotype did not affect behavioral lateralization in mice, more research on other factors connected with behavioral lateralization and the development of symptoms of psychiatric disorders, such as environmental influences, is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binia Stieger
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany,DFG Research Training Group EvoPAD, University of Münster, Münster, Germany,*Correspondence: Binia Stieger,
| | - Yvonne Wesseler
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany,DFG Research Training Group EvoPAD, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany,DFG Research Training Group EvoPAD, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - S. Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany,DFG Research Training Group EvoPAD, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Zonato A, Gagliardo A, Bandoli F, Palagi E. Reaching versus catching: flexible hand preference in ring-tailed lemurs. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2022.2098382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Zonato
- Unit of Ethology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Anna Gagliardo
- Unit of Ethology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Elisabetta Palagi
- Unit of Ethology, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Stieger B, Palme R, Kaiser S, Sachser N, Helene Richter S. When left is right: The effects of paw preference training on behaviour in mice. Behav Brain Res 2022; 430:113929. [PMID: 35595059 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Spontaneous limb preferences exist in numerous species. To investigate the underlying mechanisms of these preferences, different methods, such as training, have been developed to shift preferences artificially. However, studies that systematically examine the effects of shifting preferences on behaviour and physiology are largely missing. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of shifting paw preferences via training on spontaneous home cage behaviour, as well as anxiety-like behaviour and exploratory locomotion (Elevated plus maze test, Dark light test, Open field test, Free exploration test), learning performance (Labyrinth-maze) and stress hormones (fecal corticosterone metabolites) in laboratory mice (Mus musculus f. domestica). For this, we assessed spontaneous paw preferences of C57BL/6J females (Nambilateral = 23, Nleft = 23, Nright = 25). Subsequently, half of the individuals from each category were trained once a week for four weeks in a food-reaching task to use either their left or right paw, respectively, resulting in six groups: AL, AR, LL, LR, RL, RR. After training, a battery of behavioural tests was performed and spontaneous preferences were assessed again. Our results indicate that most mice were successfully trained and the effect of training was present days after training. However, a significant difference of preferences between RL and LL mice during training suggests a rather low training success of RL mice. Additionally, preferences of L mice differed from those of A and R mice after training, indicating differential long-term effects of training in these groups. Furthermore, left paw training led to higher levels of self-grooming, possibly as a displacement behaviour, and more time spent in the light compartment of the Dark light test. However, overall, there was no systematic influence of training on behavioural measures and stress hormones. Different explanations for this lack of influence, such as the link between training and hemispheric functioning or the intensity and ecological relevance of the training, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binia Stieger
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany; DFG Research Training Group EvoPAD, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Rupert Palme
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Sylvia Kaiser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany; DFG Research Training Group EvoPAD, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - Norbert Sachser
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany; DFG Research Training Group EvoPAD, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149 Münster, Germany.
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestr. 13, 48149 Münster, Germany; DFG Research Training Group EvoPAD, University of Münster, Hüfferstr. 1a, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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Limb Preference in Animals: New Insights into the Evolution of Manual Laterality in Hominids. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14010096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Until the 1990s, the notion of brain lateralization—the division of labor between the two hemispheres—and its more visible behavioral manifestation, handedness, remained fiercely defined as a human specific trait. Since then, many studies have evidenced lateralized functions in a wide range of species, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In this review, we highlight the great contribution of comparative research to the understanding of human handedness’ evolutionary and developmental pathways, by distinguishing animal forelimb asymmetries for functionally different actions—i.e., potentially depending on different hemispheric specializations. Firstly, lateralization for the manipulation of inanimate objects has been associated with genetic and ontogenetic factors, with specific brain regions’ activity, and with morphological limb specializations. These could have emerged under selective pressures notably related to the animal locomotion and social styles. Secondly, lateralization for actions directed to living targets (to self or conspecifics) seems to be in relationship with the brain lateralization for emotion processing. Thirdly, findings on primates’ hand preferences for communicative gestures accounts for a link between gestural laterality and a left-hemispheric specialization for intentional communication and language. Throughout this review, we highlight the value of functional neuroimaging and developmental approaches to shed light on the mechanisms underlying human handedness.
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Stieger B, Melotti L, Quante SM, Kaiser S, Sachser N, Richter SH. A step in the right direction: the effect of context, strain and sex on paw preference in mice. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Batist CH, Mayhew JA. Lateralization in seven lemur species when presented with a novel cognitive task. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:270-279. [PMID: 32129499 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Asymmetrical behavior patterns are observed in many animal species, but the potential adaptive significance of lateralization and the evolutionary forces driving it remain unclear. Most laterality studies have focused on a single species, which makes interspecies comparisons difficult. The aim of this study was to examine differences in the strength and direction of lateralization in multiple lemur species when engaged in a standardized, novel cognitive task. MATERIALS AND METHODS We assessed laterality in seven lemur species at the Duke Lemur Center when using a novel puzzle-box. We recorded which hand opened the apparatus door and which hand picked up the food reward. We also recorded whether the mouth was used for either action instead of the hands. We then calculated handedness indices (HI), z-scores, and mouth-use rates. RESULTS Overall, 62% of individuals were more lateralized than chance. However, within-genera, there were relatively equal numbers of individuals with a left- or right-hand bias, which resulted in ambipreference at the genus level. The hand a lemur used on its first success in the task predicted its overall HI value, and the strength of lateralization increased as the number of successes increased. Varecia had significantly higher mouth-use rates than all other genera. DISCUSSION We found evidence of an individual learning trajectory in which the hand used on a lemur's first success was canalized as the preferred (and lateralized) hand, in support of the "cognitive simplicity" hypothesis. Individual variability in hand preference was high, which is consistent with previous research. Between-genera differences in mouth use appear to reflect species-specific feeding postures and differences in manual dexterity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly H Batist
- Primate Behavior and Ecology Program, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington, USA
| | - Jessica A Mayhew
- Primate Behavior and Ecology Program, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington, USA.,Department of Anthropology and Museum Studies, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington, USA
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Peckre LR, Fabre AC, Hambuckers J, Wall CE, Socias-Martínez L, Pouydebat E. Food properties influence grasping strategies in strepsirrhines. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Louise R Peckre
- UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHN, 57 rue Cuvier, Case postale, Paris Cedex 5, France
- Behavioural Ecology & Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Centre, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHN, 57 rue Cuvier, Case postale, Paris Cedex 5, France
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Julien Hambuckers
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Chair of Statistics, Humboldtallee, Göttingen, Germany
- HEC Liège, University of Liège, 14 rue Louvrex, Liège, Belgium
| | - Christine E Wall
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - lluís Socias-Martínez
- Behavioural Ecology & Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Centre, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg, Göttingen, Germany
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9
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Prieur J, Lemasson A, Barbu S, Blois‐Heulin C. History, development and current advances concerning the evolutionary roots of human right‐handedness and language: Brain lateralisation and manual laterality in non‐human primates. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacques Prieur
- CNRS, EthoS (Ethologie animale et humaine) – UMR 6552 Universite de Rennes, Normandie Universite Paimpont France
| | - Alban Lemasson
- CNRS, EthoS (Ethologie animale et humaine) – UMR 6552 Universite de Rennes, Normandie Universite Paimpont France
| | - Stéphanie Barbu
- CNRS, EthoS (Ethologie animale et humaine) – UMR 6552 Universite de Rennes, Normandie Universite Paimpont France
| | - Catherine Blois‐Heulin
- CNRS, EthoS (Ethologie animale et humaine) – UMR 6552 Universite de Rennes, Normandie Universite Paimpont France
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10
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Poindexter SA, Reinhardt KD, Nijman V, Nekaris KAI. Slow lorises (Nycticebus spp.) display evidence of handedness in the wild and in captivity. Laterality 2018; 23:705-721. [PMID: 29607706 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2018.1457046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
It has been suggested that strepsirrhines (lemurs, lorises, and galagos) retain the more primitive left-hand preference, whilst monkeys and apes more regularly display a right-hand preference at the individual-level. We looked to address questions of laterality in the slow loris (Nycticebus spp.) using spontaneous observations of 7 wild individuals, unimanual tests in 6 captive individuals, and photos of 42 individuals in a bilateral posture assessing handedness at the individual- and group-level. During the unimanual reach task, we found at the individual-level, only 4 slow lorises showed a hand use bias (R: 3, L: 1), Handedness index (HI) ranged from -0.57 to 1.00. In the wild unimanual grasp task, we found at the individual-level two individual showed a right-hand bias, the HI ranged from -0.19 to 0.70. The bilateral venom pose showed a trend toward a right-hand dominant grip in those photographed in captivity, but an ambiguous difference in wild individuals. There are many environmental constraints in captivity that wild animals do not face, thus data collected in wild settings are more representative of their natural state. The presence of right-handedness in these species suggests that there is a need to re-evaluate the evolution of handedness in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A Poindexter
- a Department of Social Sciences , Oxford Brookes University , Oxford , UK.,b Nocturnal Primate Research Group , Oxford , UK.,c The Little Fireface Project , West Java , Indonesia
| | - Kathleen D Reinhardt
- a Department of Social Sciences , Oxford Brookes University , Oxford , UK.,b Nocturnal Primate Research Group , Oxford , UK.,c The Little Fireface Project , West Java , Indonesia
| | - Vincent Nijman
- a Department of Social Sciences , Oxford Brookes University , Oxford , UK.,b Nocturnal Primate Research Group , Oxford , UK
| | - K A I Nekaris
- a Department of Social Sciences , Oxford Brookes University , Oxford , UK.,b Nocturnal Primate Research Group , Oxford , UK.,c The Little Fireface Project , West Java , Indonesia
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11
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Marchi D, Leischner CL, Pastor F, Hartstone‐Rose A. L
eg
M
uscle
A
rchitecture in
P
rimates and
I
ts
C
orrelation with
L
ocomotion
P
atterns. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 301:515-527. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Damiano Marchi
- Department of BiologyUniversity di Pisa, Via Derna 1Pisa, 56126 Italy
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3Wits, 2050 South Africa
| | - Carissa L. Leischner
- Department of Cell Biology and AnatomyUniversity of South Carolina School of MedicineColumbia South Carolina
| | - Francisco Pastor
- Departamento de Anatomía y RadiologíaUniversidad de Valladolid, C/Plaza de Santa Cruz, 847002 Valladolid Spain
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12
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Stephens NB, Kivell TL, Gross T, Pahr DH, Lazenby RA, Hublin JJ, Hershkovitz I, Skinner MM. Trabecular architecture in the thumb of Pan and Homo: implications for investigating hand use, loading, and hand preference in the fossil record. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 161:603-619. [PMID: 27500902 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2015] [Revised: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Humans display an 85-95% cross-cultural right-hand bias in skilled tasks, which is considered a derived behavior because such a high frequency is not reported in wild non-human primates. Handedness is generally considered to be an evolutionary byproduct of selection for manual dexterity and augmented visuo-cognitive capabilities within the context of complex stone tool manufacture/use. Testing this hypothesis requires an understanding of when appreciable levels of right dominant behavior entered the fossil record. Because bone remodels in vivo, skeletal asymmetries are thought to reflect greater mechanical loading on the dominant side, but incomplete preservation of external morphology and ambiguities about past loading environments complicate interpretations. We test if internal trabecular bone is capable of providing additional information by analyzing the thumb of Homo sapiens and Pan. MATERIALS AND METHODS We assess trabecular structure at the distal head and proximal base of paired (left/right) first metacarpals using micro-CT scans of Homo sapiens (n = 14) and Pan (n = 9). Throughout each epiphysis we quantify average and local bone volume fraction (BV/TV), degree of anisotropy (DA), and elastic modulus (E) to address bone volume patterning and directional asymmetry. RESULTS We find a right directional asymmetry in H. sapiens consistent with population-level handedness, but also report a left directional asymmetry in Pan that may be the result of postural and/or locomotor loading. CONCLUSION We conclude that trabecular bone is capable of detecting right/left directional asymmetry, but suggest coupling studies of internal structure with analyses of other skeletal elements and cortical bone prior to applications in the fossil record.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas B Stephens
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Gross
- Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, A-1060 Vienna, Getreidemarkt 9/BE, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dieter H Pahr
- Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, A-1060 Vienna, Getreidemarkt 9/BE, Vienna, Austria
| | - Richard A Lazenby
- Department of Anthropology, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada, V2N 4Z9
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany.,Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom
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Spiezio C, Regaiolli B, Vallortigara G. Motor and postural asymmetries in marsupials: Forelimb preferences in the red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus). Behav Processes 2016; 128:119-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Regaiolli B, Spiezio C, Hopkins WD. Hand preference on unimanual and bimanual tasks in strepsirrhines: The case of the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta). Am J Primatol 2016; 78:851-60. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2016] [Revised: 03/23/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Regaiolli
- Department of Research and Conservation; Parco Natura Viva - Garda Zoological Park; Bussolengo (VR) Italy
| | - Caterina Spiezio
- Department of Research and Conservation; Parco Natura Viva - Garda Zoological Park; Bussolengo (VR) Italy
| | - William D. Hopkins
- Neuroscience Institute and Language Research Center; Georgia State University; Atlanta Georgia
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Giljov A, Karenina K, Ingram J, Malashichev Y. Parallel Emergence of True Handedness in the Evolution of Marsupials and Placentals. Curr Biol 2015; 25:1878-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Revised: 05/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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16
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Sfar N, Mangalam M, Kaumanns W, Singh M. A comparative assessment of hand preference in captive red howler monkeys, Alouatta seniculus and yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys, Sapajus xanthosternos. PLoS One 2014; 9:e107838. [PMID: 25271639 PMCID: PMC4182683 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0107838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 08/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
There are two major theories that attempt to explain hand preference in non-human primates-the 'task complexity' theory and the 'postural origins' theory. In the present study, we proposed a third hypothesis to explain the evolutionary origin of hand preference in non-human primates, stating that it could have evolved owing to structural and functional adaptations to feeding, which we refer to as the 'niche structure' hypothesis. We attempted to explore this hypothesis by comparing hand preference across species that differ in the feeding ecology and niche structure: red howler monkeys, Alouatta seniculus and yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys, Sapajus xanthosternos. The red howler monkeys used the mouth to obtain food more frequently than the yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys. The red howler monkeys almost never reached for food presented on the opposite side of a wire mesh or inside a portable container, whereas the yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys reached for food presented in all four spatial arrangements (scattered, on the opposite side of a wire mesh, inside a suspended container, and inside a portable container). In contrast to the red howler monkeys that almost never acquired bipedal and clinging posture, the yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys acquired all five body postures (sitting, bipedal, tripedal, clinging, and hanging). Although there was no difference between the proportion of the red howler monkeys and the yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys that preferentially used one hand, the yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys exhibited an overall weaker hand preference than the red howler monkeys. Differences in hand preference diminished with the increasing complexity of the reaching-for-food tasks, i.e., the relatively more complex tasks were perceived as equally complex by both the red howler monkeys and the yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys. These findings suggest that species-specific differences in feeding ecology and niche structure can influence the perception of the complexity of the task and, consequently, hand preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasibah Sfar
- Department of Biology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Madhur Mangalam
- Biopsychology Laboratory and Institution of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysore, India
| | | | - Mewa Singh
- Biopsychology Laboratory and Institution of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysore, India
- Evolutionary & Organismal Biology Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
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Schnoell AV, Huebner F, Kappeler PM, Fichtel C. Manual lateralization in wild redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) during spontaneous actions and in an experimental task. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 153:61-7. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2013] [Revised: 09/09/2013] [Accepted: 10/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna V. Schnoell
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit,German Primate Center; Kellnerweg 4 37077 Göttingen Germany
- Courant Research Center “Evolution of Social Behavior”; University of Göttingen; Germany
| | - Franziska Huebner
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit,German Primate Center; Kellnerweg 4 37077 Göttingen Germany
| | - Peter M. Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit,German Primate Center; Kellnerweg 4 37077 Göttingen Germany
- Courant Research Center “Evolution of Social Behavior”; University of Göttingen; Germany
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit,German Primate Center; Kellnerweg 4 37077 Göttingen Germany
- Courant Research Center “Evolution of Social Behavior”; University of Göttingen; Germany
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Giljov A, Karenina K, Malashichev Y. Forelimb preferences in quadrupedal marsupials and their implications for laterality evolution in mammals. BMC Evol Biol 2013; 13:61. [PMID: 23497116 PMCID: PMC3599622 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-61] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2012] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acquisition of upright posture in evolution has been argued to facilitate manual laterality in primates. Owing to the high variety of postural habits marsupials can serve as a suitable model to test whether the species-typical body posture shapes forelimb preferences in non-primates or this phenomenon emerged only in the course of primate evolution. In the present study we aimed to explore manual laterality in marsupial quadrupeds and compare them with the results in the previously studied bipedal species. Forelimb preferences were assessed in captive grey short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) and sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) in four different types of unimanual behaviour per species, which was not artificially evoked. We examined the possible effects of sex, age and task, because these factors have been reported to affect motor laterality in placental mammals. RESULTS In both species the direction of forelimb preferences was strongly sex-related. Male grey short-tailed opossums showed right-forelimb preference in most of the observed unimanual behaviours, while male sugar gliders displayed only a slight, not significant rightward tendency. In contrast, females in both species exhibited consistent group-level preference of the left forelimb. We failed to reveal significant differences in manual preferences between tasks of potentially differing complexity: reaching a stable food item and catching live insects, as well as between the body support and food manipulation. No influence of subjects' age on limb preferences was found. CONCLUSIONS The direction of sex-related differences in the manual preferences found in quadrupedal marsupials seems to be not typical for placental mammals. We suggest that the alternative way of interhemispheric connection in absence of corpus callosum may result in a fundamentally distinct mechanism of sex effect on limb preferences in marsupials compared to placentals. Our data confirm the idea that non-primate mammals differ from primates in sensitivity to task complexity. Comparison of marsupial species studied to date indicate that the vertical body orientation and the bipedalism favor the expression of individual- and population-level forelimb preferences in marsupials much like it does in primates. Our findings give the first evidence for the effect of species-typical posture on the manual laterality in non-primate mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Giljov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Karina Karenina
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Yegor Malashichev
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Department of Embryology, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
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Giljov A, Karenina K, Malashichev Y. Does bipedality predict the group-level manual laterality in mammals? PLoS One 2012; 7:e51583. [PMID: 23251583 PMCID: PMC3520930 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0051583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2012] [Accepted: 11/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Factors determining patterns of laterality manifestation in mammals remain unclear. In primates, the upright posture favours the expression of manual laterality across species, but may have little influence within a species. Whether the bipedalism acts the same in non-primate mammals is unknown. Our recent findings in bipedal and quadrupedal marsupials suggested that differences in laterality pattern, as well as emergence of manual specialization in evolution might depend on species-specific body posture. Here, we evaluated the hypothesis that the postural characteristics are the key variable shaping the manual laterality expression across mammalian species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We studied forelimb preferences in a most bipedal marsupial, brush-tailed bettong, Bettongia penicillata in four different types of unimanual behavior. The significant left-forelimb preference at the group level was found in all behaviours studied. In unimanual feeding on non-living food, catching live prey and nest-material collecting, all or most subjects were lateralized, and among lateralized bettongs a significant majority displayed left-forelimb bias. Only in unimanual supporting of the body in the tripedal stance the distribution of lateralized and non-lateralized individuals did not differ from chance. Individual preferences were consistent across all types of behaviour. The direction or the strength of forelimb preferences were not affected by the animals' sex. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our findings support the hypothesis that the expression of manual laterality depends on the species-typical postural habit. The interspecies comparison illustrates that in marsupials the increase of bipedality corresponds with the increase of the degree of group-level forelimb preference in a species. Thus, bipedalism can predict pronounced manual laterality at both intra- and interspecific levels in mammals. We also conclude that quadrupedal position in biped species can slightly hinder the expression of manual laterality, but the evoked biped position in quadrupedal species does not necessarily lead to the enhanced manifestation of manual laterality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey Giljov
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Saint-Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Karina Karenina
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Saint-Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Yegor Malashichev
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Saint-Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
- Department of Embryology, Saint-Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
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Joly M, Scheumann M, Zimmermann E. Posture does not matter! Paw usage and grasping paw preference in a small-bodied rooting quadrupedal mammal. PLoS One 2012; 7:e38228. [PMID: 22666494 PMCID: PMC3364208 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Accepted: 05/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent results in birds, marsupials, rodents and nonhuman primates suggest that phylogeny and ecological factors such as body size, diet and postural habit of a species influence limb usage and the direction and strength of limb laterality. To examine to which extent these findings can be generalised to small-bodied rooting quadrupedal mammals, we studied trees shrews (Tupaia belangeri). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We established a behavioural test battery for examining paw usage comparable to small-bodied primates and tested 36 Tupaia belangeri. We studied paw usage in a natural foraging situation (simple food grasping task) and measured the influence of varying postural demands (triped, biped, cling, sit) on paw preferences by applying a forced-food grasping task similar to other small-bodied primates. Our findings suggest that rooting tree shrews prefer mouth over paw usage to catch food in a natural foraging situation. Moreover, we demonstrated that despite differences in postural demand, tree shrews show a strong and consistent individual paw preference for grasping across different tasks, but no paw preference at a population level. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Tree shrews showed less paw usage than small-bodied quadrupedal and arboreal primates, but the same paw preference. Our results confirm that individual paw preferences remain constant irrespective of postural demand in some small-bodied quadrupedal non primate and primate mammals which do not require fine motoric control for manipulating food items. Our findings suggest that the lack of paw/hand preference for grasping food at a population level is a universal pattern among those species and that the influence of postural demand on manual lateralisation in quadrupeds may have evolved in large-bodied species specialised in fine manipulations of food items.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Joly
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
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Mosquera M, Geribàs N, Bargalló A, Llorente M, Riba D. Complex tasks force hand laterality and technological behaviour in naturalistically housed chimpanzees: inferences in hominin evolution. ScientificWorldJournal 2012; 2012:514809. [PMID: 22550466 PMCID: PMC3323904 DOI: 10.1100/2012/514809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2011] [Accepted: 11/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Clear hand laterality patterns in humans are widely accepted. However, humans only elicit a significant hand laterality pattern when performing complementary role differentiation (CRD) tasks. Meanwhile, hand laterality in chimpanzees is weaker and controversial. Here we have reevaluated our results on hand laterality in chimpanzees housed in naturalistic environments at Fundació Mona (Spain) and Chimfunshi Wild Orphanage (Zambia). Our results show that the difference between hand laterality in humans and chimpanzees is not as great as once thought. Furthermore, we found a link between hand laterality and task complexity and also an even more interesting connection: CRD tasks elicited not only the hand laterality but also the use of tools. This paper aims to turn attention to the importance of this threefold connection in human evolution: the link between CRD tasks, hand laterality, and tool use, which has important evolutionary implications that may explain the development of complex behaviour in early hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Mosquera
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Campus Catalunya, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002 Tarragona, Spain.
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Giljov A, Karenina K, Malashichev Y. Limb preferences in a marsupial, Macropus rufogriseus: evidence for postural effect. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.11.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Laurence A, Wallez C, Blois-Heulin C. Task complexity, posture, age, sex: Which is the main factor influencing manual laterality in captiveCercocebus torquatus torquatus? Laterality 2011; 16:586-606. [DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2010.501338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Smith HM, Thompson CL. Observations of hand preference in wild groups of white-faced sakis (Pithecia pithecia) in Suriname. Am J Primatol 2011; 73:655-64. [PMID: 21425315 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.20942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2010] [Revised: 01/03/2011] [Accepted: 02/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Hand preference is well observed in humans and some primates. Unlike many other primates, however, humans show a consistent hand preference across a variety of tasks, and a distinct right-handed skew at the population level. Although there are a moderate number of published studies, primate hand preference literature is unbalanced by the large number of studies on only a few species. No previous studies have addressed hand preference in white-faced sakis (WFS; Pithecia pithecia). We followed three habituated groups of wild WFS in Suriname and recorded individual hand preference for six different manual behaviors. There was no consistent hand preference across a range of uni-manual behaviors for any individual. Likewise, there were significantly more ambidextrous individuals in the population than expected (χ(2) (df = 2) = 11.2, P = 0.004) and thus, no population level hand preference. Our findings contribute baseline data to the debate of primate hand lateralization, and support the notion that lateralization of hand function does not characterize all species.
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Smith
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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Scheumann M, Joly-Radko M, Leliveld L, Zimmermann E. Does body posture influence hand preference in an ancestral primate model? BMC Evol Biol 2011; 11:52. [PMID: 21356048 PMCID: PMC3056780 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-11-52] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2010] [Accepted: 02/28/2011] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The origin of human handedness and its evolution in primates is presently under debate. Current hypotheses suggest that body posture (postural origin hypothesis and bipedalism hypothesis) have an important impact on the evolution of handedness in primates. To gain insight into the origin of manual lateralization in primates, we studied gray mouse lemurs, suggested to represent the most ancestral primate condition. First, we investigated hand preference in a simple food grasping task to explore the importance of hand usage in a natural foraging situation. Second, we explored the influence of body posture by applying a forced food grasping task with varying postural demands (sit, biped, cling, triped). RESULTS The tested mouse lemur population did not prefer to use their hands alone to grasp for food items. Instead, they preferred to pick them up using a mouth-hand combination or the mouth alone. If mouth usage was inhibited, they showed an individual but no population level handedness for all four postural forced food grasping tasks. Additionally, we found no influence of body posture on hand preference in gray mouse lemurs. CONCLUSION Our results do not support the current theories of primate handedness. Rather, they propose that ecological adaptation indicated by postural habit and body size of a given species has an important impact on hand preference in primates. Our findings suggest that small-bodied, quadrupedal primates, adapted to the fine branch niche of dense forests, prefer mouth retrieval of food and are less manually lateralized than large-bodied species which consume food in a more upright, and less stable body posture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Scheumann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, D-30559 Hannover, Germany.
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26
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Reghem E, Tia B, Bels V, Pouydebat E. Food Prehension and Manipulation in Microcebus murinus (Prosimii, Cheirogaleidae). Folia Primatol (Basel) 2011; 82:177-88. [DOI: 10.1159/000334077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2011] [Accepted: 10/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Hanbury DB, Edens KD, Bunch DA, Legg CE, Watson SL. Multiple measures of laterality in Garnett's bushbaby (Otolemur garnettii). Am J Primatol 2010; 72:206-16. [PMID: 19960526 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.20769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral laterality, a common measure of hemispheric specialization of the brain, has been examined in multiple tasks across several species of prosimian primates; however, there is inconsistency among findings between and within species that leaves many questions about laterality unanswered. Most studies have employed few measures of laterality, most commonly handedness. This study examined multiple measures of laterality within subjects in 17 captive-born Garnett's bushbabies (Otolemur garnettii) to assess the consistency of lateralized behaviors and to examine possible influences such as age, posture, novelty, and arousal to elucidate the relations between direction and strength of laterality. We measured reaching, turning bias, scent marking, tail wrapping, leading foot, side-of-mouth preference, and hand use in prey capture. Because autonomic arousal has been invoked as a determinant of strength of lateralization, we included multiple tasks that would allow us to test this hypothesis. All subjects were significantly lateralized on simple reaching tasks (P<0.01) and tail wrapping (P<0.01). Moreover, the number of animals lateralized on turning (P<0.01), leading limb (P<0.05), mouth use (P<0.01), and prey capture (P<0.01) was greater than would be expected by chance alone. There was consistency in the strength and direction of hand biases across different postures. Tasks requiring hand use were more strongly lateralized than tasks not involving hand use (P<0.001). The data do not support the assumption that arousal (as subjectively categorized) or novelty strengthens lateralized responding. The results of this study are discussed in terms of the effects of arousal, posture, and age on lateralized behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Hanbury
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, 39406, USA
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Nelson EL, O'Karma JM, Ruperti FS, Novak MA. Laterality in semi-free-ranging black and white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata variegata): head-tilt correlates with hand use during feeding. Am J Primatol 2009; 71:1032-40. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.20746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Lhota S, Jůnek T, Bartoš L. Patterns and laterality of hand use in free-ranging aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis) and a comparison with captive studies. J ETHOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-008-0136-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Leliveld LMC, Scheumann M, Zimmermann E. Manual lateralization in early primates: a comparison of two mouse lemur species. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2008; 137:156-63. [PMID: 18470896 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.20852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
In humans, 90% of the population is right handed. Although population hand preference has been found in some primate species, the evolution of manual lateralization in primates is not yet clear. To gain insight into manual lateralization of ancestral primates, we studied hand usage in unspecialized quadrupedal, nocturnal lemurs, using a large sample size. We compared two closely related mouse lemur species to explore the variation of hand preference within the same genus. We tested 44 gray mouse lemurs and 19 Goodman's mouse lemurs in a forced food grasping task. The tests were videotaped. Measures of hand preference (i.e. the hand that is spontaneously chosen for a specific task) and successful hand usage (i.e. the hand that is successful in completing a specific task) were taken to explore manual lateralization. Both species showed manual lateralization at an individual, but not at a population level. Goodman's mouse lemurs showed stronger individual hand preferences than gray mouse lemurs. This suggests that strength in hand preference is variable within the same genus. No sex and age effects were found. The hand preference of offspring was negatively correlated to that of their mothers, but not correlated to that of their fathers. Thus, no clear genetic effect can be derived from these results. In the Goodman's mouse lemurs, hand preference increased with increasing task experience. However, successful hand usage was not affected by task experience, suggesting that successful hand usage is a more stable measurement for manual lateralization than hand preference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisette M C Leliveld
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 30559 Hannover, Germany.
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31
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Ward JP, Cantalupo C. Origins and functions of laterality: interactions of motoric systems. Laterality 2008; 2:279-303. [PMID: 15513069 DOI: 10.1080/713754271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
To evaluate lateral motoric bias in response systems at different levels of the neuraxis and assess the extent of interaction between these levels in the small-eared bushbaby (Otolemur garnettii), 27 animals were tested for lateral bias in hand use and whole-body turn bias in two postural conditions. Subjects retrieved mealworms quadrupedally by reaching downwards into glass jars and bipedally by reaching upwards to baited straws. Eye bias was assessed separately. Behaviours were scored from videotape. Two subgroups were identified: SHIFTERS changed hand preference with posture and had correlations of hand/eye bias in quadrupedal posture and of hand/turn bias, with more bimanual reaching, in bipedal posture; NONSHIFTERS were consistent in hand preference and more strongly lateralised in reach and turn than SHIFTERS. Subgroups did not differ in reach efficiency. Results are interpreted to support the value of the analysis of motoric levels and their interactions in the study of the evolution of laterality. Assuming natural selection for coordinated and targeted behaviours to be the source of lateralisation, several proposals in support of a motoric theory of laterality origins and functions are advanced.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Ward
- Department of Psychology, P.O. Box 6400, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152-6400, USA
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Scheumann M, Zimmermann E. Sex-specific asymmetries in communication sound perception are not related to hand preference in an early primate. BMC Biol 2008; 6:3. [PMID: 18199316 PMCID: PMC2266901 DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-6-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2007] [Accepted: 01/16/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Left hemispheric dominance of language processing and handedness, previously thought to be unique to humans, is currently under debate. To gain an insight into the origin of lateralization in primates, we have studied gray mouse lemurs, suggested to represent the most ancestral primate condition. We explored potential functional asymmetries on the behavioral level by applying a combined handedness and auditory perception task. For testing handedness, we used a forced food-grasping task. For testing auditory perception, we adapted the head turn paradigm, originally established for exploring hemispheric specializations in conspecific sound processing in Old World monkeys, and exposed 38 subjects to control sounds and conspecific communication sounds of positive and negative emotional valence. RESULTS The tested mouse lemur population did not show an asymmetry in hand preference or in orientation towards conspecific communication sounds. However, males, but not females, exhibited a significant right ear-left hemisphere bias when exposed to conspecific communication sounds of negative emotional valence. Orientation asymmetries were not related to hand preference. CONCLUSION Our results provide the first evidence for sex-specific asymmetries for conspecific communication sound perception in non-human primates. Furthermore, they suggest that hemispheric dominance for communication sound processing evolved before handedness and independently from each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Scheumann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Elke Zimmermann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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Milliken GW, Ferra G, Kraiter KS, Ross CL. Reach and posture hand preferences during arboreal feeding in Sifakas (Propithecus sp.): a test of the postural origins theory of behavioral lateralization. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 119:430-9. [PMID: 16366776 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.119.4.430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Sixteen sifakas (11 Propithecus verreauxi coquereli, 2 Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi form majori, and 3 Propithecus tattersalli) were videotaped as they fed on leaves in an arboreal context. The hand used to feed and the hand used to maintain postural stability was coded. For each subject, the lateral bias of the hand used to feed was opposite the hand used in postural support. Seven sifakas displayed no bias for feeding or posture-related hand use, 7 sifakas displayed significant feeding-related reach preferences for pulling branches to the mouth (5 left- and 2 right-hand preferences), and 9 sifakas exhibited significant hand preferences for postural support (2 left-, 7 right-hand preferent). Although these data do not strongly support the postural origins theory of behavioral lateralization, the modal preference pattern for sifakas that displayed significant hand preferences for posture and feeding involve a left bias for feeding and a right bias for postural support. s reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Garrett W Milliken
- Department of Psychology, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 29424, USA.
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Papademetriou E, Sheu CF, Michel GF. A Meta-Analysis of Primate Hand Preferences, Particularly for Reaching. J Comp Psychol 2005; 119:33-48. [PMID: 15740428 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.119.1.33] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
P. F. MacNeilage, M. G. Studdert-Kennedy, and B. Lindblom (1987) proposed a progression for handedness in primates that was supposed to account for the evolution of a right bias in human handedness. To test this proposal, the authors performed meta-analyses on 62 studies that provided individual data (representing 31 species: 9 prosimians, 6 New World monkeys, 10 Old World monkeys, 2 lesser apes, and 4 greater apes), of the 118 studies of primate handedness published since 1987. Although evidence of a population-level left-handed bias for prosimians and Old World monkeys supports P. F. MacNeilage et al., the data from apes, New World monkeys, and individual species of prosimians and New World monkeys do not. Something other than primate handedness may have been the evolutionary precursor of the right bias in hand-use distribution among hominids.
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The potential effects of sex, posture and living condition on lateralized behaviors in ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02437498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Abstract
A variety of mammalian species including prosimian and simian primates wrap their tails around their bodies as a means of thermoregulation and for reasons of comfort during resting or sleep. Adopting such a resting posture requires an animal to move its tail either to the right or to the left of the midline of its body, and thus to perform a lateralized behavior. The purpose of this study was to assess the occurrence of lateral biases in tail resting posture in three species of New World primates. Twenty squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys, and howler monkeys, respectively, were observed and data on tail resting posture were collected and analyzed. The results demonstrate (1) that individual squirrel monkeys and spider monkeys exhibit highly significant lateral biases in tail resting posture; (2) a lack of a lateral bias at the group level; (3) that howler monkeys fail to show side preferences in tail wrapping; (4) a lack of sex differences in this behavior in all three species; and (5) a lack of significant correlations between preferred side of tail resting posture and preferred side of hand use in simple reaching tasks which had been assessed with a subset of animals in previous studies. Thus, the present study provides evidence for a behavioral asymmetry which is well-known to occur in rats but has not been described so far in nonhuman primates, and which might offer an additional approach to the investigation of the mechanisms underlying functional cerebral asymmetries.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Laska
- Department of Medical Psychology, University of Munich Medical School, Germany.
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37
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McGrew WC, Marchant LF. On the other hand: Current issues in and meta-analysis of the behavioral laterality of hand function in nonhuman primates. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 1997. [DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8644(1997)25+<201::aid-ajpa8>3.0.co;2-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 272] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Hand preference in the Sifaka (propithecus verreauxi coquereli) during feeding in captivity. Primates 1995. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02381353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Butler PM, Stafford DK, Ward JP. Relative efficiency of preferred and nonpreferred patterns of lateralized foraging in the gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus). Am J Primatol 1995; 36:71-77. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.1350360106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/1994] [Revised: 09/14/1994] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Stafford DK, Milliken GW, Ward JP. Patterns of hand and mouth lateral biases in bamboo leaf shoot feeding and simple food reaching in the gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus). Am J Primatol 1993; 29:195-207. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.1350290305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/1992] [Accepted: 10/07/1992] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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