1
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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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2
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Peckre LR, Fabre AC, Wall CE, Pouydebat E, Whishaw IQ. Evolutionary History of food Withdraw Movements in Primates: Food Withdraw is Mediated by Nonvisual Strategies in 22 Species of Strepsirrhines. Evol Biol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-023-09598-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/28/2023]
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3
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Wu Y, Fan L, Bai L, Li Q, Gu H, Sun C, Jiang T, Feng J. Ambush predation and the origin of euprimates. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn6248. [PMID: 36103535 PMCID: PMC9473580 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn6248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Primates of modern aspect (euprimates) are characterized by a suite of characteristics (e.g., convergent orbits, grasping hands and feet, reduced claws, and leaping), but the selective pressures responsible for the evolution of these euprimate characteristics have long remained controversial. Here, we used a molecular phyloecological approach to determine the diet of the common ancestor of living primates (CALP), and the results showed that the CALP had increased carnivory. Given the carnivory of the CALP, along with the general observation that orbital convergence is largely restricted to ambush predators, our study suggests that the euprimate characteristics could have been more specifically adapted for ambush predation. In particular, our behavior experiment further shows that nonclaw climbing can significantly reduce noises, which could benefit the ancestral euprimates' stalking to ambush their prey in trees. Therefore, our study suggests that the distinctive euprimate characteristics may have evolved as their specialized adaptation for ambush predation in arboreal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonghua Wu
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Longcheng Fan
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Lu Bai
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Qingqing Li
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Hao Gu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Congnan Sun
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun 130118, China
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4
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Mantovani V, Hauzman E, Corredor VH, Goulart PRK, Galvão O, Talebi M, Pessoa DMA, Soares JGM, Fiorani M, Gattass R, Fix Ventura D, Bonci DMO. Genetic variability of the sws1 cone opsin gene among New World monkeys. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23199. [PMID: 32990997 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Vision is a major sense for Primates and the ability to perceive colors has great importance for the species ecology and behavior. Visual processing begins with the activation of the visual opsins in the retina, and the spectral absorption peaks are highly variable among species. In most Primates, LWS/MWS opsins are responsible for sensitivity to long/middle wavelengths within the visible light spectrum, and SWS1 opsins provide sensitivity to short wavelengths, in the violet region of the spectrum. In this study, we aimed to investigate the genetic variation on the sws1 opsin gene of New World monkeys (NWM) and search for amino acid substitutions that might be associated with the different color vision phenotypes described for a few species. We sequenced the exon 1 of the sws1 opsin gene of seven species from the families Callitrichidae, Cebidae, and Atelidae, and searched for variation at the spectral tuning sites 46, 49, 52, 86, 90, 93, 114, 116, and 118. Among the known spectral tuning sites, only residue 114 was variable. To investigate whether other residues have a functional role in the SWS1 absorption peak, we performed computational modeling of wild-type SWS1 and mutants A50I and A50V, found naturally among the species investigated. Although in silico analysis did not show any visible effect caused by these substitutions, it is possible that interactions of residue 50 with other sites might have some effect in the spectral shifts in the order of ~14 nm, found among the NWM. We also performed phylogenetic reconstruction of the sws1 gene, which partially recovered the species phylogeny. Further studies will be important to uncover the mutations responsible for the phenotypic variability of the SWS1 of NWM, and how spectral tuning may be associated with specific ecological features such as preferred food items and habitat use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviani Mantovani
- Departamento de Psicologia Experimental, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Einat Hauzman
- Departamento de Psicologia Experimental, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Vitor H Corredor
- Departamento de Psicologia Experimental, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Paulo R K Goulart
- Núcleo de Teoria de Pesquisa do Comportamento, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Olavo Galvão
- Núcleo de Teoria de Pesquisa do Comportamento, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Mauricio Talebi
- Departamento de Ciências Ambientais, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus Diadema, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniel M A Pessoa
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Comportamento, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - Juliana G M Soares
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mario Fiorani
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Gattass
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Dora Fix Ventura
- Departamento de Psicologia Experimental, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniela M O Bonci
- Departamento de Psicologia Experimental, Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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5
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Peeters S, Zwart H. Neanderthals as familiar strangers and the human spark: How the 'golden years' of Neanderthal research reopen the question of human uniqueness. HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE LIFE SCIENCES 2020; 42:33. [PMID: 32696095 PMCID: PMC7374475 DOI: 10.1007/s40656-020-00327-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
During the past decades, our image of Homo neanderthalensis has changed dramatically. Initially, Neanderthals were seen as primitive brutes. Increasingly, however, Neanderthals are regarded as basically human. New discoveries and technologies have led to an avalanche of data, and as a result of that it becomes increasingly difficult to pinpoint what the difference between modern humans and Neanderthals really is. And yet, the persistent quest for a minimal difference which separates them from us is still noticeable in Neanderthal research. Neanderthal discourse is a vantage point from which the logic of 'us' versus 'other' is critically reconsidered. Studying contemporary academic literature and science autobiographies from an oblique perspective, focusing not on Neanderthals as objects, but on the dynamics of interaction between Neanderthal researchers and their finds, basic convictions at work in this type of research are retrieved. What is at issue is not the actual distinction between modern humans and Neanderthals (which is continuously being redefined), but rather the dualistic construction of human and nonhuman. Neanderthal understanding is affected by the desire to safeguard human uniqueness. The overall trend is to identify the human mark or spark, which defines us as favoured 'winners'. The paradoxes emerging in contemporary Neanderthal discourse are symptomatic of the fact that a dualistic style of thinking is no longer tenable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Peeters
- Institute for Science in Society (ISiS), Radboud University Nijmegen, Huygens building - Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Bayle building - Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, 3062 PA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Hub Zwart
- Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Bayle building - Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, 3062 PA, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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6
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Scott JE. Macroevolutionary effects on primate trophic evolution and their implications for reconstructing primate origins. J Hum Evol 2019; 133:1-12. [PMID: 31358174 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The visual-predation hypothesis proposes that certain derived features shared by crown primates reflect an insectivorous ancestry. Critics of this idea have argued that because insectivory is uncommon among extant primates it is unlikely to have been a major influence on early primate evolution. According to this perspective, the low frequency of insectivory indicates that it is an apomorphic deviation from the mostly conserved primate ecological pattern of herbivory. The present study tests two alternative hypotheses that are compatible with an insectivorous ancestor: (1) that trophic evolution was biased, such that herbivory evolved repeatedly with few shifts back to insectivory, and (2) that insectivorous lineages have diversified at a lower rate than herbivorous lineages owing to differential trophic effects on speciation and extinction probabilities. Model-based analysis conducted using trait data for 307 extant primate species indicates that rates of transition into and out of insectivory are similar, rejecting the hypothesis of biased trophic evolution. On the other hand, the hypothesis of asymmetric diversification is supported, with insectivorous lineages having a lower rate of diversification than herbivorous lineages. This correlation is mediated by activity pattern: insectivory occurs mostly in nocturnal lineages, which have a lower diversification rate than diurnal lineages. The frequency of insectivory also appears to have been shaped by repeated transitions into ecological contexts in which insectivory is absent (large body size) or rare (diurnality). These findings suggest that the current distribution of trophic strategies among extant primates is the result of macroevolutionary processes that have favored the proliferation and persistence of herbivory relative to insectivory. This conclusion implies that the low frequency of insectivory is not necessarily evidence against the visual-predation hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremiah E Scott
- Department of Medical Anatomical Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences, 309 E. Second St. Pomona, California, 91766-1854, USA.
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7
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Cartmill M. A sort of revolution: Systematics and physical anthropology in the 20th century. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 165:677-687. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matt Cartmill
- Boston University; Boston Massachusetts
- Duke University; Durham North Carolina
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8
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Janiak MC, Chaney ME, Tosi AJ. Evolution of Acidic Mammalian Chitinase Genes (CHIA) Is Related to Body Mass and Insectivory in Primates. Mol Biol Evol 2017; 35:607-622. [PMID: 29216399 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Insects are an important food resource for many primates, but the chitinous exoskeletons of arthropods have long been considered to be indigestible by the digestive enzymes of most mammals. However, recently mice and insectivorous bats were found to produce the enzyme acidic mammalian chitinase (AMCase) to digest insect exoskeletons. Here, we report on the gene CHIA and its paralogs, which encode AMCase, in a comparative sample of nonhuman primates. Our results show that early primates likely had three CHIA genes, suggesting that insects were an important component of the ancestral primate diet. With some exceptions, most extant primate species retain only one functional CHIA paralog. The exceptions include two colobine species, in which all CHIA genes have premature stop codons, and several New World monkey species that retain two functional genes. The most insectivorous species in our sample also have the largest number of functional CHIA genes. Tupaia chinensis and Otolemur garnettii retain three functional CHIA paralogs, whereas Tarsius syrichta has a total of five, two of which may be duplications specific to the tarsier lineage. Selection analyses indicate that CHIA genes are under more intense selection in species with higher insect consumption, as well as in smaller-bodied species (<500 g), providing molecular support for Kay's Threshold, a well-established component of primatological theory which proposes that only small primates can be primarily insectivorous. These findings suggest that primates, like mice and insectivorous bats, may use the enzyme AMCase to digest the chitin in insect exoskeletons, providing potentially significant nutritional benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mareike C Janiak
- Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.,Center for Human Evolutionary Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.,Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY
| | - Morgan E Chaney
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH.,School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH
| | - Anthony J Tosi
- Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, OH.,School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH
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9
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Lequin M. Paleoanthropology's uses of the bipedal criterion. HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE LIFE SCIENCES 2017; 40:7. [PMID: 29168074 DOI: 10.1007/s40656-017-0172-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Bipedalism is one of the criteria that paleoanthropologists use in order to interpret the fossil record and to determine if a specimen belongs to the human lineage. In the context of such interpretations, bipedalism is considered to be a unique characteristic of this lineage that also marks its origin. This conception has largely remained unchallenged over the last decades, in spite of fossil discoveries that led to the emergence of bipedalism in the human lineage being shifted back by several millions of years. In this paper, I analyze the uses of this criterion in paleoanthropology and demonstrate that interpretative biases (such as underdetermined inferences and circular reasoning) are at play in interpretations of hominin remains. By discussing Darwin's hypotheses about the evolution of bipedalism, I identify major theoretical issues that need to be addressed in the current debates on hominin evolution. First, the assumption that "man alone has become a biped" (Darwin in The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex, John Murray, London, 1871) is analyzed in the light of recent empirical data. Three major issues are discussed: the definition of "man", i.e. "human", the uniqueness of human bipedalism, and the equivocal meaning of being a "biped". Then, I highlight some of Darwin's remarks that may be helpful for current debates in paleoanthropology, regarding natural selection in locomotor evolution, as well as taxonomic and phylogenetic significance of functional features. Finally, I analyze two examples of how fossil discoverers referred to Darwin in the recent years and discuss his role as an intellectual support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Lequin
- Equipe de Recherche sur les Rationalités Philosophiques et les Savoirs, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, 5, allées Antonio Machado, 31058, Toulouse Cedex 9, France.
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10
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de Ruiter DJ, Churchill S, Hawks J, Berger L. Late Australopiths and the Emergence of Homo. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ANTHROPOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anthro-102116-041734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
New fossil discoveries and new analyses increasingly blur the lines between Australopithecus and Homo, changing scientific ideas about the transition between the two genera. The concept of the genus itself remains an unsettled issue, though recent fossil discoveries and theoretical advances, alongside developments in phylogenetic reconstruction and hypothesis testing, are helping us approach a resolution. A review of the latest discoveries and research reveals that (a) despite the recent recovery of key fossil specimens, the antiquity of the genus Homo remains uncertain; (b) although there exist several australopith candidate ancestors for the genus Homo, there is little consensus about which of these, if any, represents the actual ancestor; and (c) potential convergent evolution (homoplasy) in adaptively significant features in late australopiths and basal members of the Homo clade, combined with probable reticulate evolution, makes it currently impossible to identify the direct ancestor of Homo erectus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darryl J. de Ruiter
- Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits 2050, South Africa
| | - S.E. Churchill
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits 2050, South Africa
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708
| | - J. Hawks
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits 2050, South Africa
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
| | - L.R. Berger
- Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits 2050, South Africa
- School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits 2050, South Africa
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11
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Boyer DM, Toussaint S, Godinot M. Postcrania of the most primitive euprimate and implications for primate origins. J Hum Evol 2017; 111:202-215. [PMID: 28874272 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The fossil record of early primates is largely comprised of dentitions. While teeth can indicate phylogenetic relationships and dietary preferences, they say little about hypotheses pertaining to the positional behavior or substrate preference of the ancestral crown primate. Here we report the discovery of a talus bone of the dentally primitive fossil euprimate Donrussellia provincialis. Our comparisons and analyses indicate that this talus is more primitive than that of other euprimates. It lacks features exclusive to strepsirrhines, like a large medial tibial facet and a sloping fibular facet. It also lacks the medially positioned flexor-fibularis groove of extant haplorhines. In these respects, the talus of D. provincialis comes surprisingly close to that of the pen-tailed treeshrew, Ptilocercus lowii, and extinct plesiadapiforms for which tali are known. However, it differs from P. lowii and is more like other early euprimates in exhibiting an expanded posterior trochlear shelf and deep talar body. In overall form, the bone approximates more leaping reliant euprimates. The phylogenetically basal signal from the new fossil is confirmed with cladistic analyses of two different character matrices, which place D. provincialis as the most basal strepsirrhine when the new tarsal data are included. Interpreting our results in the context of other recent discoveries, we conclude that the lineage leading to the ancestral euprimate had already become somewhat leaping specialized, while certain specializations for the small branch niche came after crown primates began to radiate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doug M Boyer
- Duke University, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
| | - Séverine Toussaint
- UFR Sciences Du Vivant, Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7, Sorbonne Universités, Centre de Recherche sur La Paléobiodiversité et Les Paléoenvironnements (CR2P, UMR 7207), CNRS/MNHN/UPMC, Paris, France
| | - Marc Godinot
- École Pratique des Hautes Études, PSL, UMR 7207 CR2P, Paris, France
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12
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Kimbel WH, Villmoare B. From Australopithecus to Homo: the transition that wasn't. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150248. [PMID: 27298460 PMCID: PMC4920303 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the transition from Australopithecus to Homo is usually thought of as a momentous transformation, the fossil record bearing on the origin and earliest evolution of Homo is virtually undocumented. As a result, the poles of the transition are frequently attached to taxa (e.g. A. afarensis, at ca 3.0 Ma versus H. habilis or H. erectus, at ca 2.0-1.7 Ma) in which substantial adaptive differences have accumulated over significant spans of independent evolution. Such comparisons, in which temporally remote and adaptively divergent species are used to identify a 'transition', lend credence to the idea that genera should be conceived at once as monophyletic clades and adaptively unified grades. However, when the problem is recast in terms of lineages, rather than taxa per se, the adaptive criterion becomes a problem of subjectively privileging 'key' characteristics from what is typically a stepwise pattern of acquisition of novel characters beginning in the basal representatives of a clade. This is the pattern inferred for species usually included in early Homo, including H. erectus, which has often been cast in the role as earliest humanlike hominin. A fresh look at brain size, hand morphology and earliest technology suggests that a number of key Homo attributes may already be present in generalized species of Australopithecus, and that adaptive distinctions in Homo are simply amplifications or extensions of ancient hominin trends.This article is part of the themed issue 'Major transitions in human evolution'.
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Affiliation(s)
- William H Kimbel
- Institute of Human Origins, and School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Brian Villmoare
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA Department of Anthropology, University College London, London UK WC1H 0BW
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13
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Melin AD, Wells K, Moritz GL, Kistler L, Orkin JD, Timm RM, Bernard H, Lakim MB, Perry GH, Kawamura S, Dominy NJ. Euarchontan Opsin Variation Brings New Focus to Primate Origins. Mol Biol Evol 2016; 33:1029-41. [PMID: 26739880 PMCID: PMC4776711 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msv346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Debate on the adaptive origins of primates has long focused on the functional ecology of the primate visual system. For example, it is hypothesized that variable expression of short- (SWS1) and middle-to-long-wavelength sensitive (M/LWS) opsins, which confer color vision, can be used to infer ancestral activity patterns and therefore selective ecological pressures. A problem with this approach is that opsin gene variation is incompletely known in the grandorder Euarchonta, that is, the orders Scandentia (treeshrews), Dermoptera (colugos), and Primates. The ancestral state of primate color vision is therefore uncertain. Here, we report on the genes (OPN1SW and OPN1LW) that encode SWS1 and M/LWS opsins in seven species of treeshrew, including the sole nocturnal scandentian Ptilocercus lowii. In addition, we examined the opsin genes of the Central American woolly opossum (Caluromys derbianus), an enduring ecological analogue in the debate on primate origins. Our results indicate: 1) retention of ultraviolet (UV) visual sensitivity in C. derbianus and a shift from UV to blue spectral sensitivities at the base of Euarchonta; 2) ancient pseudogenization of OPN1SW in the ancestors of P. lowii, but a signature of purifying selection in those of C. derbianus; and, 3) the absence of OPN1LW polymorphism among diurnal treeshrews. These findings suggest functional variation in the color vision of nocturnal mammals and a distinctive visual ecology of early primates, perhaps one that demanded greater spatial resolution under light levels that could support cone-mediated color discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB
| | - Konstans Wells
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Gillian L Moritz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University
| | - Logan Kistler
- Departments of Anthropology and Biology, Pennsylvania State University School of Life Sciences, Gibbet Hill Campus, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph D Orkin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis
| | - Robert M Timm
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence
| | - Henry Bernard
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Maklarin B Lakim
- Sabah Parks, Lot 45 & 46 KK Times Square Coastal Highway, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - George H Perry
- Departments of Anthropology and Biology, Pennsylvania State University
| | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Nathaniel J Dominy
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH Department of Biological Sciences, Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
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Soligo C, Smaers JB. Contextualising primate origins--an ecomorphological framework. J Anat 2016; 228:608-29. [PMID: 26830706 PMCID: PMC4804135 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecomorphology - the characterisation of the adaptive relationship between an organism's morphology and its ecological role - has long been central to theories of the origin and early evolution of the primate order. This is exemplified by two of the most influential theories of primate origins: Matt Cartmill's Visual Predation Hypothesis, and Bob Sussman's Angiosperm Co-Evolution Hypothesis. However, the study of primate origins is constrained by the absence of data directly documenting the events under investigation, and has to rely instead on a fragmentary fossil record and the methodological assumptions inherent in phylogenetic comparative analyses of extant species. These constraints introduce particular challenges for inferring the ecomorphology of primate origins, as morphology and environmental context must first be inferred before the relationship between the two can be considered. Fossils can be integrated in comparative analyses and observations of extant model species and laboratory experiments of form-function relationships are critical for the functional interpretation of the morphology of extinct species. Recent developments have led to important advancements, including phylogenetic comparative methods based on more realistic models of evolution, and improved methods for the inference of clade divergence times, as well as an improved fossil record. This contribution will review current perspectives on the origin and early evolution of primates, paying particular attention to their phylogenetic (including cladistic relationships and character evolution) and environmental (including chronology, geography, and physical environments) contextualisation, before attempting an up-to-date ecomorphological synthesis of primate origins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeroen B Smaers
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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15
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Defining Genera of New World Monkeys: The Need for a Critical View in a Necessarily Arbitrary Task. INT J PRIMATOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-015-9882-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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16
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Oldest known euarchontan tarsals and affinities of Paleocene Purgatorius to Primates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:1487-92. [PMID: 25605875 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1421707112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Earliest Paleocene Purgatorius often is regarded as the geologically oldest primate, but it has been known only from fossilized dentitions since it was first described half a century ago. The dentition of Purgatorius is more primitive than those of all known living and fossil primates, leading some researchers to suggest that it lies near the ancestry of all other primates; however, others have questioned its affinities to primates or even to placental mammals. Here we report the first (to our knowledge) nondental remains (tarsal bones) attributed to Purgatorius from the same earliest Paleocene deposits that have yielded numerous fossil dentitions of this poorly known mammal. Three independent phylogenetic analyses that incorporate new data from these fossils support primate affinities of Purgatorius among euarchontan mammals (primates, treeshrews, and colugos). Astragali and calcanei attributed to Purgatorius indicate a mobile ankle typical of arboreal euarchontan mammals generally and of Paleocene and Eocene plesiadapiforms specifically and provide the earliest fossil evidence of arboreality in primates and other euarchontan mammals. Postcranial specializations for arboreality in the earliest primates likely played a key role in the evolutionary success of this mammalian radiation in the Paleocene.
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MacKinnon KC. Contemporary Biological Anthropology in 2013: Integrative, Connected, and Relevant. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.12102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Melin AD, Crowley BE, Brown ST, Wheatley PV, Moritz GL, Yit Yu FT, Bernard H, DePaolo DJ, Jacobson AD, Dominy NJ. Technical Note: Calcium and carbon stable isotope ratios as paleodietary indicators. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 154:633-43. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2013] [Accepted: 04/29/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda D. Melin
- Department of Anthropology; Dartmouth College; Hanover NH 03755
- Department of Anthropology; Washington University; St. Louis MO 63130
| | - Brooke E. Crowley
- Department of Geology; University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati OH 45221
- Department of Anthropology; University of Cincinnati; Cincinnati OH 45221
| | - Shaun T. Brown
- Center for Isotope Geochemistry; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab; Berkeley CA 94720
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science; University of California; Berkeley CA 94720
| | - Patrick V. Wheatley
- Center for Isotope Geochemistry; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab; Berkeley CA 94720
| | - Gillian L. Moritz
- Department of Biological Sciences; Dartmouth College; Hanover NH 03755
| | - Fred Tuh Yit Yu
- Research and Education Division (Zoology and Entomology); Kinabalu Park 89308 Ranau Sabah Malaysia
| | - Henry Bernard
- Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation; Universiti Malaysia Sabah; 88999 Kota Kinabalu Sabah Malaysia
| | - Donald J. DePaolo
- Center for Isotope Geochemistry; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab; Berkeley CA 94720
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science; University of California; Berkeley CA 94720
| | - Andrew D. Jacobson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Northwestern University; Evanston IL 60208
| | - Nathaniel J. Dominy
- Department of Anthropology; Dartmouth College; Hanover NH 03755
- Department of Biological Sciences; Dartmouth College; Hanover NH 03755
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Boyer DM, Yapuncich GS, Chester SG, Bloch JI, Godinot M. Hands of early primates. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2013; 152 Suppl 57:33-78. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Doug M. Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology; Duke University; Durham NC
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology; New York NY
| | - Gabriel S. Yapuncich
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology; Duke University; Durham NC
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology; New York NY
| | - Stephen G.B. Chester
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology; New York NY
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, Brooklyn College; CUNY; Brooklyn NY
| | - Jonathan I. Bloch
- Florida Museum of Natural History; University of Florida; Gainesville FL
| | - Marc Godinot
- Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes; UMR; 5143 Paris France
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Cartmill M. The end of higher taxa: A reply to tattersall. Evol Anthropol 2013; 22:172-3. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matt Cartmill
- Serves on the faculty of Boston University and the emeritus faculty of Duke University
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Boyer DM, Seiffert ER, Gladman JT, Bloch JI. Evolution and allometry of calcaneal elongation in living and extinct primates. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67792. [PMID: 23844094 PMCID: PMC3701013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Specialized acrobatic leaping has been recognized as a key adaptive trait tied to the origin and subsequent radiation of euprimates based on its observed frequency in extant primates and inferred frequency in extinct early euprimates. Hypothesized skeletal correlates include elongated tarsal elements, which would be expected to aid leaping by allowing for increased rates and durations of propulsive acceleration at takeoff. Alternatively, authors of a recent study argued that pronounced distal calcaneal elongation of euprimates (compared to other mammalian taxa) was related primarily to specialized pedal grasping. Testing for correlations between calcaneal elongation and leaping versus grasping is complicated by body size differences and associated allometric affects. We re-assess allometric constraints on, and the functional significance of, calcaneal elongation using phylogenetic comparative methods, and present an evolutionary hypothesis for the evolution of calcaneal elongation in primates using a Bayesian approach to ancestral state reconstruction (ASR). Results show that among all primates, logged ratios of distal calcaneal length to total calcaneal length are inversely correlated with logged body mass proxies derived from the area of the calcaneal facet for the cuboid. Results from phylogenetic ANOVA on residuals from this allometric line suggest that deviations are explained by degree of leaping specialization in prosimians, but not anthropoids. Results from ASR suggest that non-allometric increases in calcaneal elongation began in the primate stem lineage and continued independently in haplorhines and strepsirrhines. Anthropoid and lorisid lineages show stasis and decreasing elongation, respectively. Initial increases in calcaneal elongation in primate evolution may be related to either development of hallucal-grasping or a combination of grasping and more specialized leaping behaviors. As has been previously suggested, subsequent increases in calcaneal elongation are likely adaptations for more effective acrobatic leaping, highlighting the importance of this behavior in early euprimate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doug M Boyer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
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Rosenberger AL. Fallback foods, preferred foods, adaptive zones, and primate origins. Am J Primatol 2013; 75:883-90. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2013] [Revised: 04/08/2013] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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