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Druelle F, Leti I, Bokika Ngawolo JC, Narat V. Vertical climbing in free-ranging bonobos: An exploratory study integrating locomotor performance and substrate compliance. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:e24894. [PMID: 38180148 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Ecological factors and body size shape animal movement and adaptation. Large primates such as bonobos excel in navigating the demanding substrates of arboreal habitats. However, current approaches lack comprehensive assessment of climbing performance in free-ranging individuals, limiting our understanding of locomotor adaptations. This study aims to explore climbing performance in free-ranging bonobos and how substrate properties affect their behavior. METHODS We collected data on the climbing performance of habituated bonobos, Pan paniscus, in the Bolobo Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo. We analyzed 46 climbing bouts (12 ascents, 34 descents) while moving on vertical substrates of varying diameter and compliance levels. This study assessed the average speed, peak acceleration, resting postures, and transitions between climbing and other locomotor modes. RESULTS During climbing sequences and transitions, bonobos mitigate speed variations. They also exhibit regular pauses during climbing and show higher speeds during descent in contrast to their ascent. Regarding the influence of substrate properties, bonobos exhibit higher speed when ascending on thin and slightly flexible substrates, while they appear to achieve higher speeds when descending on large and stiff substrates, by using a "fire-pole slide" submode. DISCUSSION Bonobos demonstrate remarkable abilities for negotiating vertical substrates and substrate properties influence their performance. Our results support the idea that bonobos adopt a behavioral strategy that aligns with the notion of minimizing costs. Overall, the adoption of high velocities and the use of low-cost resting postures may reduce muscle fatigue. These aspects could represent important targets of selection to ensure ecological efficiency in bonobos.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Druelle
- Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique, UMR 7194, CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Paris, France
- Functional Morphology Laboratory, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Innocent Leti
- NGO Mbou-Mon-Tour, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Victor Narat
- Eco-Anthropologie, UMR 7206, MNHN-CNRS-Univ. Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Bonobo Eco, Saint Brice sur Vienne, Vienne, France
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Berles P, Wölfer J, Alfieri F, Botton-Divet L, Guéry JP, Nyakatura JA. Linking morphology, performance, and habitat utilization: adaptation across biologically relevant 'levels' in tamarins. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:22. [PMID: 38355429 PMCID: PMC10865561 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02193-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Biological adaptation manifests itself at the interface of different biologically relevant 'levels', such as ecology, performance, and morphology. Integrated studies at this interface are scarce due to practical difficulties in study design. We present a multilevel analysis, in which we combine evidence from habitat utilization, leaping performance and limb bone morphology of four species of tamarins to elucidate correlations between these 'levels'. RESULTS We conducted studies of leaping behavior in the field and in a naturalistic park and found significant differences in support use and leaping performance. Leontocebus nigrifrons leaps primarily on vertical, inflexible supports, with vertical body postures, and covers greater leaping distances on average. In contrast, Saguinus midas and S. imperator use vertical and horizontal supports for leaping with a relatively similar frequency. S. mystax is similar to S. midas and S. imperator in the use of supports, but covers greater leaping distances on average, which are nevertheless shorter than those of L. nigrifrons. We assumed these differences to be reflected in the locomotor morphology, too, and compared various morphological features of the long bones of the limbs. According to our performance and habitat utilization data, we expected the long bone morphology of L. nigrifrons to reflect the largest potential for joint torque generation and stress resistance, because we assume longer leaps on vertical supports to exert larger forces on the bones. For S. mystax, based on our performance data, we expected the potential for torque generation to be intermediate between L. nigrifrons and the other two Saguinus species. Surprisingly, we found S. midas and S. imperator having relatively more robust morphological structures as well as relatively larger muscle in-levers, and thus appearing better adapted to the stresses involved in leaping than the other two. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates the complex ways in which behavioral and morphological 'levels' map onto each other, cautioning against oversimplification of ecological profiles when using large interspecific eco-morphological studies to make adaptive evolutionary inferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Berles
- AG Vergleichende Zoologie, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstr. 12/13, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jan Wölfer
- AG Vergleichende Zoologie, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstr. 12/13, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fabio Alfieri
- AG Vergleichende Zoologie, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstr. 12/13, 10115, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, 3012, Switzerland
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Berlin, Germany
| | - Léo Botton-Divet
- AG Vergleichende Zoologie, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstr. 12/13, 10115, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - John A Nyakatura
- AG Vergleichende Zoologie, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstr. 12/13, 10115, Berlin, Germany
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Anetai S, Tokita K, Anetai H, Kojima R, Aizawa Y, Kageyama I, Kumaki K, Hirasaki E, Endo H. Morphological significance of the medial brachial cutaneous nerve: An anatomical study of the brachial plexus in primates. Primates 2023; 64:261-272. [PMID: 36629996 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-01046-5] [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: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The medial brachial cutaneous nerve (MBC) originates from the medial cord of the brachial plexus and innervates the skin sensory in the medial posterior surface of the upper arm. Considering previous reports of the primate brachial plexus, the MBC appeared to be the sole branch in the brachial plexus that only some primates possess. However, the detailed descriptions and records regarding the morphology of the MBC and related nerves, their origins and distributions (dermatomes) in particular, were frequently lacked in the previous reports, and it remains unclear why the difference in the MBC appearance exists among primates. In this study, the brachial plexus and its branches were first re-evaluated and certainly identified in several primates, humans, chimpanzee, macaque monkey, lutung, tamarin, squirrel monkey, and spider monkey. The MBC was identified in humans, chimpanzee, spider monkey, and squirrel monkey. In the other species, the intercostobrachial nerve (ICB) originating from some of 1st to 3rd intercostal nerves developed and distributed instead of the MBC. According to the kinesiological and behavioral studies, the former species possessing MBC show high shoulder joint mobility associated with their locomotive patterns. We speculate that the MBC corresponds to transformed ICB; specifically, where it originates presumably transfers from the 1st and/or 2nd intercostal nerves to the brachial plexus, which allows it to reach the upper arm by coursing the shortest distance even if the forelimb is raised high. Therefore, MBC may embody phylogenetic morphogenesis of the nerve associated with the locomotive evolution and adaptation in primate forelimb.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saori Anetai
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1, Yayoi, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan. .,The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. .,School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health and Medical Care, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan.
| | - Kounosuke Tokita
- School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health and Medical Care, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan.,Department of Anatomy, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Hidaka Anetai
- School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health and Medical Care, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan.,Department of Anatomy and Life Structure, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryuhei Kojima
- School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health and Medical Care, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan.,Department of Anatomy, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Yukio Aizawa
- Department of Anatomy, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Ikuo Kageyama
- Department of Anatomy, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Katsuji Kumaki
- Department of Anatomy, School of Life Dentistry at Niigata, The Nippon Dental University, Niigata, Japan
| | - Eishi Hirasaki
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hideki Endo
- The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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Berles P, Heymann EW, Golcher F, Nyakatura JA. Leaping and differential habitat use in sympatric tamarins in Amazonian Peru. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Differential habitat use in sympatric species can provide insight into how behavior relates to morphological differences and as a general model for the study of biological adaptations to different functional demands. In Amazonia, closely related sympatric tamarins of the genera Saguinus and Leontocebus regularly form stable mixed-species groups, but exhibit differences in foraging height and locomotor activity. To test the hypothesis that two closely related species in a mixed-species group prefer different modes of leaping regardless of the substrates available, we quantified leaping behavior in a mixed-species group of Saguinus mystax and Leontocebus nigrifrons. We studied leaping behavior in relation to support substrate type and foraging height in the field for 5 months in the Amazonian forest of north-eastern Peru. Saguinus mystax spent significantly more time above 15 m (79%) and used predominantly horizontal and narrow supports for leaping. Leontocebus nigrifrons was predominantly active below 10 m (87%) and exhibited relatively more trunk-to-trunk leaping. Both species preferred their predominant leaping modes regardless of support type availability in the different forest layers. This indicates that the supports most commonly available in each forest layer do not determine the tamarins’ leaping behavior. This apparent behavioral adaptation provides a baseline for further investigation into how behavioral differences are reflected in the morphology and species-specific biomechanics of leaping behavior and establishes callitrichid primates as a model well-suited to the general study of biological adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Berles
- AG Morphologie und Formengeschichte, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eckhard W Heymann
- Verhaltensökologie & Soziobiologie, Deutsches Primatenzentrum – Leibniz-Institut für Primatenforschung, Kellnerweg, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Felix Golcher
- Institut für Deutsche Sprache und Linguistik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden, Berlin, Germany
| | - John A Nyakatura
- AG Morphologie und Formengeschichte, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße, Berlin, Germany
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Young JW, Chadwell BA, Dunham NT, McNamara A, Phelps T, Hieronymus T, Shapiro LJ. The Stabilizing Function of the Tail During Arboreal Quadrupedalism. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:491-505. [PMID: 34022040 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Locomotion on the narrow and compliant supports of the arboreal environment is inherently precarious. Previous studies have identified a host of morphological and behavioral specializations in arboreal animals broadly thought to promote stability when on precarious substrates. Less well-studied is the role of the tail in maintaining balance. However, prior anatomical studies have found that arboreal taxa frequently have longer tails for their body size than their terrestrial counterparts, and prior laboratory studies of tail kinematics and the effects of tail reduction in focal taxa have broadly supported the hypothesis that the tail is functionally important for maintaining balance on narrow and mobile substrates. In this set of studies, we extend this work in two ways. First, we used a laboratory dataset on three-dimensional segmental kinematics and tail inertial properties in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis) to investigate how tail angular momentum is modulated during steady-state locomotion on narrow supports. In the second study, we used a quantitative dataset on quadrupedal locomotion in wild platyrrhine monkeys to investigate how free-ranging arboreal animals adjust tail movements in response to substrate variation, focusing on kinematic measures validated in prior laboratory studies of tail mechanics (including the laboratory data presented). Our laboratory results show that S. boliviensis significantly increase average tail angular momentum magnitudes and amplitudes on narrow supports, and primarily regulate that momentum by adjusting the linear and angular velocity of the tail (rather than via changes in tail posture per se). We build on these findings in our second study by showing that wild platyrrhines responded to the precarity of narrow and mobile substrates by extending the tail and exaggerating tail displacements, providing ecological validity to the laboratory studies of tail mechanics presented here and elsewhere. In conclusion, our data support the hypothesis that the long and mobile tails of arboreal animals serve a biological role of enhancing stability when moving quadrupedally over narrow and mobile substrates. Tail angular momentum could be used to cancel out the angular momentum generated by other parts of the body during steady-state locomotion, thereby reducing whole-body angular momentum and promoting stability, and could also be used to mitigate the effects of destabilizing torques about the support should the animals encounter large, unexpected perturbations. Overall, these studies suggest that long and mobile tails should be considered among the fundamental suite of adaptations promoting safe and efficient arboreal locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse W Young
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA
| | - Brad A Chadwell
- Department of Anatomy, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Meridian, ID 83642, USA
| | - Noah T Dunham
- Department of Conservation and Science, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA.,Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Allison McNamara
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Taylor Phelps
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA
| | - Tobin Hieronymus
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH 44272, USA
| | - Liza J Shapiro
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Dunham NT, McNamara A, Shapiro LJ, Phelps T, Young JW. Asymmetrical gait kinematics of free-ranging callitrichines in response to changes in substrate diameter and orientation. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb.217562. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.217562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Arboreal environments present considerable biomechanical challenges for animals moving and foraging among substrates varying in diameter, orientation, and compliance. Most studies of quadrupedal gait kinematics in primates and other arboreal mammals have focused on symmetrical walking gaits and the significance of diagonal sequence gaits. Considerably less research has examined asymmetrical gaits, despite their prevalence in small-bodied arboreal taxa. Here we examine whether and how free-ranging callitrichine primates adjust asymmetrical gait kinematics to changes in substrate diameter and orientation, as well as how variation in gait kinematics affects substrate displacement. We used high-speed video to film free-ranging Saguinus tripartitus and Cebuella pygmaea inhabiting the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador. We found that Saguinus used bounding and half-bounding gaits on larger substrates versus gallops and symmetrical gaits on smaller substrates, and also shifted several kinematic parameters consistent with attenuating forces transferred from the animal to the substrate. Similarly, Cebuella shifted from high impact bounding gaits on larger substrates to using more half-bounding gaits on smaller substrates; however, kinematic adjustments to substrate diameter were not as profound as in Saguinus. Both species adjusted gait kinematics to changes in substrate orientation; however, gait kinematics did not significantly affect empirical measures of substrate displacement in either species. Due to their small body size, claw-like nails, and reduced grasping capabilities, callitrichines arguably represent extant biomechanical analogues for an early stage in primate evolution. As such, greater attention should be placed on understanding asymmetrical gait dynamics for insight into hypotheses concerning early primate locomotor evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noah T. Dunham
- Division of Conservation and Science, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 4200 Wildlife Way, Cleveland, OH, 44109, USA
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, 2080 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Allison McNamara
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, 2201 Speedway Stop C3200, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Liza J. Shapiro
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, 2201 Speedway Stop C3200, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Taylor Phelps
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, 4209 St. Rt. 44, Rootstown, OH, 44272, USA
| | - Jesse W. Young
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Northeast Ohio Medical University, 4209 St. Rt. 44, Rootstown, OH, 44272, USA
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Dunham NT, McNamara A, Shapiro LJ, Hieronymus TL, Phelps T, Young JW. Effects of substrate and phylogeny on quadrupedal gait in free‐ranging platyrrhines. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 170:565-578. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Noah T. Dunham
- Division of Conservation and Science Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Cleveland Ohio
| | - Allison McNamara
- Department of Anthropology University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas
| | - Liza J. Shapiro
- Department of Anthropology University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas
| | - Tobin L. Hieronymus
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology Northeast Ohio Medical University Rootstown Ohio
| | - Taylor Phelps
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology Northeast Ohio Medical University Rootstown Ohio
| | - Jesse W. Young
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology Northeast Ohio Medical University Rootstown Ohio
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