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Gérard C, Bardo A, Guéry JP, Pouydebat E, Narat V, Simmen B. Influence of food physical properties and environmental context on manipulative behaviors highlighted by new methodological approaches in zoo-housed bonobos (Pan paniscus). Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23624. [PMID: 38546028 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23624] [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: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Research on manipulative abilities in nonhuman primates, in the context of hominid evolution, has mostly focused on manual/pedal postures considered as static behaviors. While these behavioral repertoires highlighted the range of manipulative abilities in many species, manipulation is a dynamic process that mostly involves successive types of grips before reaching its goal. The present study aims to investigate the use of manual/pedal postures in zoo-housed bonobos in diverse dynamic food processing by using an innovative approach: the optimal matching analysis that compares sequences (i.e., succession of grasping postures) with each other. To characterize the manipulative techniques spontaneously employed by bonobos, we performed this sequential analysis of manual/pedal postures during 766 complete feeding sequences of 17 individuals. We analyzed the effectiveness with a score defined by a partial proxy of food intake (i.e., the number of mouthfuls) linked to a handling score measuring both the diversity and changes of manual postures during each sequence. We identified four techniques, used differently depending on the physical substrate on which the individual performed food manipulation and the food physical properties. Our results showed that manipulative techniques were more complex (i.e., higher handling score) for large foods and on substrates with lower stability. But the effectiveness score was not significantly lower for these items since manipulative complexity seemed to be compensated by a greater number of mouthfuls. It appeared that the techniques employed involved a trade-off between manipulative complexity and the amount of food ingested. This study allowed us to test and validate innovative analysis methods that are applicable to diverse ethological studies involving sequential events. Our results bring new data for a better understanding of the evolution of manual abilities in primates in association with different ecological contexts and both terrestrial and arboreal substrates and suggest that social and individual influences need to be explored further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Gérard
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Ameline Bardo
- Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Emmanuelle Pouydebat
- Mécanismes adaptatifs et évolution (MECADEV), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Victor Narat
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Simmen
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
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2
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Costes P, Soppelsa J, Houssin C, Boulinguez‐Ambroise G, Pacou C, Gouat P, Cornette R, Pouydebat E. Effect of the habitat and tusks on trunk grasping techniques in African savannah elephants. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11317. [PMID: 38646004 PMCID: PMC11027014 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Among tetrapods, grasping is an essential function involved in many vital behaviours. The selective pressures that led to this function were widely investigated in species with prehensile hands and feet. Previous studies namely highlighted a strong effect of item properties but also of the species habitat on manual grasping behaviour. African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) are known to display various prehensile abilities and use their trunk in a large diversity of habitats. Composed of muscles and without a rigid structure, the trunk is a muscular hydrostat with great freedom of movement. This multitasking organ is particularly recruited for grasping food items while foraging. Yet, the diet of African savannah elephants varies widely between groups living in different habitats. Moreover, they have tusks alongside the trunk which can assist in grasping behaviours, and their tusk morphologies are known to vary considerably between groups. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the food grasping techniques used by the trunk of two elephant groups that live in different habitats: an arid study site in Etosha National Park in Namibia, and an area with consistent water presence in Kruger National Park in South Africa. We characterised the tusks profiles and compared the grasping techniques and their frequencies of use for different foods. Our results show differences in food-grasping techniques between the two groups. These differences are related to the food item property and tusk profile discrepancies highlighted between the two groups. We suggest that habitat heterogeneity, particularly aridity gaps, may induce these differences. This may reveal an optimisation of grasping types depending on habitat, food size and accessibility, as well as tusk profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Costes
- Adaptive Mechanisms and Evolution (MECADEV)UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHNParisFrance
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, SU, EPHE, UAParisFrance
| | - Julie Soppelsa
- Adaptive Mechanisms and Evolution (MECADEV)UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHNParisFrance
| | - Céline Houssin
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, SU, EPHE, UAParisFrance
| | - Grégoire Boulinguez‐Ambroise
- Adaptive Mechanisms and Evolution (MECADEV)UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHNParisFrance
- Department of Evolutionary AnthropologyDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Camille Pacou
- Adaptive Mechanisms and Evolution (MECADEV)UMR 7179 CNRS/MNHNParisFrance
| | - Patrick Gouat
- Laboratoire d'Éthologie Expérimentale et Comparée E.R. 4443Université Sorbonne Paris NordVilletaneuseFrance
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, SU, EPHE, UAParisFrance
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3
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Bardo A, Filippo A, Balzeau A. Lateralized behaviors in living humans: Application in the context of hominin brain evolution. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023; 275:143-164. [PMID: 36841567 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The left and right hemispheres of our brains differ subtly in structure, and each is dominant in processing specific cognitive tasks. Our species has a unique system of distributing behavior and cognition between each cerebral hemisphere, with a preponderance of pronounced side biases and lateralized functions. This hemisphere-dependent relationship between cognitive, sensory or motor function and a set of brain structures is called hemispheric specialization. Hemispheric specialization has led to the emergence of model systems to link anatomical asymmetries to brain function and behavior. Scientific research on hemispheric specialization and lateralized functions in living humans focuses on three major domains: (1) hand preferences, (2) language, and (3) visuospatial skills and attention. In this chapter we present an overview of this research with a specific focus on living humans and the applications of this research in the context of hominin brain evolution. Our objective is to put into perspective what we know about brain-behavior relationships in living humans and how we can apply the same methods to investigate this relationship in fossil hominin species, and thus improve our understanding of the emergence and development of complex cognitive abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ameline Bardo
- UMR 7194, CNRS-MNHN, Département Homme et Environnement, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France; Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.
| | - Andréa Filippo
- UMR 7194, CNRS-MNHN, Département Homme et Environnement, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France
| | - Antoine Balzeau
- UMR 7194, CNRS-MNHN, Département Homme et Environnement, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France; Department of African Zoology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium & Laboratory of Histology and Neuropathology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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4
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Soto C, Gázquez JMM, Llorente M. Hand preferences in coordinated bimanual tasks in non-human primates: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104822. [PMID: 35961384 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104822] [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: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The evolutionary significance of hand preferences among non-human primates and humans has been studied for decades with the aim of determining the origins of the population-level tendency. In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to statistically integrate data on hand preferences in non-human primates performing the tube task and other bimanual tasks to determine the presence and direction of manual laterality. Significant individual-level lateralization was obtained for these bimanual tasks. In nonhuman primates, 82% of the animals analysed showed right or left-hand preference performing the tube task, this figure being 90% for other bimanual tasks. In contrast with humans, no asymmetry was found at the population level. Additionally, population-level preferences were not found in either of the tasks, although a strong manual preference was found when performing the tube task and other bimanual tasks. Species was studied as a variable moderator throughout the meta-analysis. These results highlight the importance of standardized testing methodologies across species and institutions to obtain comparable data and fill the gaps in the taxonomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Soto
- Fundació UdG: Innovació i Formació, Universitat de Girona, Carrer Pic de Peguera 11, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - José M M Gázquez
- Fundació UdG: Innovació i Formació, Universitat de Girona, Carrer Pic de Peguera 11, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Miquel Llorente
- Fundació UdG: Innovació i Formació, Universitat de Girona, Carrer Pic de Peguera 11, 17003 Girona, Spain; Grup de Recerca "Llenguatge i Cognició", Departament de Psicologia, Facultat d'Educació i Psicologia, Universitat de Girona, Plaça Sant Domènec 9, 17004 Girona, Spain.
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5
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Gérard C, Bardo A, Guéry JP, Pouydebat E, Simmen B, Narat V. Manipulative repertoire of bonobos (Pan paniscus) in spontaneous feeding situation. Am J Primatol 2022; 84:e23383. [PMID: 35417066 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Comparative behavioral studies of hand use amongst primate species, including humans, have been central in research on evolutionary mechanisms. In particular, the manipulative abilities of our closest relatives, the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), have been widely described in various contexts, showing a high level of dexterity both in zoo and in natural conditions. In contrast, the study of bonobos' manipulative abilities has almost exclusively been carried out in experimental contexts related to tool use. The objective of the present study is to describe the richness of the manipulative repertoire of zoo-housed bonobos, in a spontaneous feeding context including various physical substrates to gain a larger insight into our evolutionary past. Our study describes a great variety of grasping postures and grip associations in bonobos, close to the range of manipulative repertoire in chimpanzees, confirming that the two species are not markedly different in terms of cognitive and morphological constraints associated with food manipulation. We also observed differences in manipulative behaviors between juveniles and adults, indicating a greater diversity in grip associations and grasping postures used in isolation with age, and a sex-biased use of tools with females using tools more often than males. These results are consistent with the previous results in the Pan genus and reinforce the hypothesis that the evolutionary mechanisms underlying the flexibility of manipulative behaviors are shared by both species and that these ecological strategies would have already evolved in their common ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Gérard
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Ameline Bardo
- Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique (HNHP), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France.,Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | | | - Emmanuelle Pouydebat
- Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution (MECADEV), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Simmen
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Victor Narat
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
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6
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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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7
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Lefeuvre M, Gouat P, Mulot B, Cornette R, Pouydebat E. Analogous laterality in trunk movements in captive African elephants: A pilot study. Laterality 2021; 27:101-126. [PMID: 34743652 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2021.1999253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Lateralization of hand use in primates has been extensively studied in a variety of contexts, and starts to be investigated in other species and organs in order to understand the evolution of the laterality according to different tasks. In elephants, the orientation of the movements of the trunk has been observed mainly in feeding and social contexts, in free conditions. However, little is known about the influence of task complexity on trunk laterality. In this study, we compared the lateralization of the trunk in two conditions: standardized and free. We offered granules to six African elephants on each side of an opened trapdoor to create a constraining environment and reported the different behaviours employed and their orientation. In addition, we observed the same individuals in free conditions and noted the lateralization of the use of their trunk. We revealed a common right side preference in all our elephants, both in standardized and free conditions. This side bias was stronger in our constraining task, adding evidence for the task complexity theory. We finally described laterality in new behaviours in the literature on elephants, such as pinching, gathering or exploration with the trunk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëlle Lefeuvre
- UMR 7179 - MECADEV Adaptative Mechanisms and Evolution, CNRS/MNHN, Paris, France.,Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland
| | - Patrick Gouat
- Laboratoire d'Éthologie Expérimentale et Comparée E.A. 4443, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Baptiste Mulot
- Zooparc de Beauval & Beauval Nature, Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuelle Pouydebat
- UMR 7179 - MECADEV Adaptative Mechanisms and Evolution, CNRS/MNHN, Paris, France
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8
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Get a Grip: Variation in Human Hand Grip Strength and Implications for Human Evolution. Symmetry (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/sym13071142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Although hand grip strength is critical to the daily lives of humans and our arboreal great ape relatives, the human hand has changed in form and function throughout our evolution due to terrestrial bipedalism, tool use, and directional asymmetry (DA) such as handedness. Here we investigate how hand form and function interact in modern humans to gain an insight into our evolutionary past. We measured grip strength in a heterogeneous, cross-sectional sample of human participants (n = 662, 17 to 83 years old) to test the potential effects of age, sex, asymmetry (hand dominance and handedness), hand shape, occupation, and practice of sports and musical instruments that involve the hand(s). We found a significant effect of sex and hand dominance on grip strength, but not of handedness, while hand shape and age had a greater influence on female grip strength. Females were significantly weaker with age, but grip strength in females with large hands was less affected than those with long hands. Frequent engagement in hand sports significantly increased grip strength in the non-dominant hand in both sexes, while only males showed a significant effect of occupation, indicating different patterns of hand dominance asymmetries and hand function. These results improve our understanding of the link between form and function in both hands and offer an insight into the evolution of human laterality and dexterity.
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9
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Lefeuvre M, Gouat P, Mulot B, Cornette R, Pouydebat E. Behavioural variability among captive African elephants in the use of the trunk while feeding. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9678. [PMID: 32874780 PMCID: PMC7441921 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Proboscideans, an order of mammals including elephants, are the largest of the Earth lands animals. One probable consequence of the rapid increase of their body size is the development of the trunk, a multitask highly sensitive organ used in a large repertoire of behaviours. The absence of bones in the trunk allows a substantial degree of freedom for movement in all directions, and this ability could underlie individual-level strategies. We hypothesised a stronger behavioural variability in simple tasks, and a correlation between the employed behaviours and the shape and size of the food. The observations of a captive group of African elephants allowed us to create a complete catalogue of trunk movements in feeding activities. We noted manipulative strategies and impact of food item properties on the performed behaviours. The results show that a given item is manipulated with a small panel of behaviours, and some behaviours are specific to a single shape of items. The study of the five main feeding behaviours emphasises a significant variability between the elephants. Each individual differed from every other individual in the proportion of at least one behaviour, and every behaviour was performed in different proportions by the elephants. Our findings suggest that during their lives elephants develop individual strategies adapted to the manipulated items, which increases their feeding efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maëlle Lefeuvre
- Adaptive Mechanisms and Evolution, CNRS/MNHN MECADEV, Paris, France.,Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland
| | - Patrick Gouat
- Laboratoire d'Éthologie Expérimentale et Comparée E.A. 4443, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
| | - Baptiste Mulot
- Zooparc de Beauval & Beauval Nature, Saint-Aignan, France
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
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10
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Macchi R, Daver G, Brenet M, Fradet L, Prat S, Domalain M. Biomechanical analysis of lithic tools production: impact on the evolution of early hominin upper limb? Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/10255842.2020.1715004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Macchi
- Institut PPrime, CNRS – Université de Poitiers – ENSMA, UPR 3346, Poitiers, France
- PALEVOPRIM, CNRS – Université de Poitiers –, UMR 7262, Poitiers, France
| | - G. Daver
- PALEVOPRIM, CNRS – Université de Poitiers –, UMR 7262, Poitiers, France
| | - M. Brenet
- CNRS, UMR5199 PACEA et INRAP GSO, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - L. Fradet
- Institut PPrime, CNRS – Université de Poitiers – ENSMA, UPR 3346, Poitiers, France
| | - S. Prat
- UMR 7194 (HNHP), MNHN/CNRS/UPVD, Alliance Sorbonne Université, Musée de l’Homme, Paris, France
| | - M. Domalain
- Institut PPrime, CNRS – Université de Poitiers – ENSMA, UPR 3346, Poitiers, France
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11
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de Andrade AC, de Sousa AB. Hand preferences and differences in extractive foraging in seven capuchin monkey species. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22901. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 06/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio C. de Andrade
- Universidade Federal da Paraiba, Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas e Educacao; Departamento de Engenharia e Meio Ambiente; Rio Tinto Paraíba Brazil
| | - Allana B. de Sousa
- Universidade Federal da Paraiba, Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas e Educacao; Departamento de Engenharia e Meio Ambiente; Rio Tinto Paraíba Brazil
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12
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Stephens NB, Kivell TL, Pahr DH, Hublin JJ, Skinner MM. Trabecular bone patterning across the human hand. J Hum Evol 2018; 123:1-23. [PMID: 30072187 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2017] [Revised: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/10/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hand bone morphology is regularly used to link particular hominin species with behaviors relevant to cognitive/technological progress. Debates about the functional significance of differing hominin hand bone morphologies tend to rely on establishing phylogenetic relationships and/or inferring behavior from epigenetic variation arising from mechanical loading and adaptive bone modeling. Most research focuses on variation in cortical bone structure, but additional information about hand function may be provided through the analysis of internal trabecular structure. While primate hand bone trabecular structure is known to vary in ways that are consistent with expected joint loading differences during manipulation and locomotion, no study exists that has documented this variation across the numerous bones of the hand. We quantify the trabecular structure in 22 bones of the human hand (early/extant modern Homo sapiens) and compare structural variation between two groups associated with post-agricultural/industrial (post-Neolithic) and foraging/hunter-gatherer (forager) subsistence strategies. We (1) establish trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV), modulus (E), degree of anisotropy (DA), mean trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) and spacing (Tb.Sp); (2) visualize the average distribution of site-specific BV/TV for each bone; and (3) examine if the variation in trabecular structure is consistent with expected joint loading differences among the regions of the hand and between the groups. Results indicate similar distributions of trabecular bone in both groups, with those of the forager sample presenting higher BV/TV, E, and lower DA, suggesting greater and more variable loading during manipulation. We find indications of higher loading along the ulnar side of the forager sample hand, with high site-specific BV/TV distributions among the carpals that are suggestive of high loading while the wrist moves through the 'dart-thrower's' motion. These results support the use of trabecular structure to infer behavior and have direct implications for refining our understanding of human hand evolution and fossil hominin hand use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas B Stephens
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, United Kingdom; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dieter H Pahr
- Institute for Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, Getreidemarkt 9, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, United Kingdom; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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13
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Bardo A, Cornette R, Borel A, Pouydebat E. Manual function and performance in humans, gorillas, and orangutans during the same tool use task. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 164:821-836. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ameline Bardo
- Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité; Paris 75006 France
- Department of Ecology and Management of Biodiversity; UMR 7179-CNRS/MNHN, MECADEV; Paris 75321 France
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- Institute of Systematic; Evolution, Biodiversity (ISYEB), UMR 7205-CNRS/MNHN/UPMC/EPHE, National Museum of Natural History; Paris 75005 France
| | - Antony Borel
- Department of Prehistory; UMR 7194-CNRS-MNHN, Musée de l'Homme; Paris 75116 France
| | - Emmanuelle Pouydebat
- Department of Ecology and Management of Biodiversity; UMR 7179-CNRS/MNHN, MECADEV; Paris 75321 France
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14
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Brand CM, Marchant LF, Boose KJ, White FJ, Rood TM, Meinelt A. Laterality of Grooming and Tool Use in a Group of Captive Bonobos ( Pan paniscus). Folia Primatol (Basel) 2017; 88:210-222. [DOI: 10.1159/000477804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Cronin KA, Jacobson SL, Bonnie KE, Hopper LM. Studying primate cognition in a social setting to improve validity and welfare: a literature review highlighting successful approaches. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3649. [PMID: 28791199 PMCID: PMC5545107 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studying animal cognition in a social setting is associated with practical and statistical challenges. However, conducting cognitive research without disturbing species-typical social groups can increase ecological validity, minimize distress, and improve animal welfare. Here, we review the existing literature on cognitive research run with primates in a social setting in order to determine how widespread such testing is and highlight approaches that may guide future research planning. SURVEY METHODOLOGY Using Google Scholar to search the terms "primate" "cognition" "experiment" and "social group," we conducted a systematic literature search covering 16 years (2000-2015 inclusive). We then conducted two supplemental searches within each journal that contained a publication meeting our criteria in the original search, using the terms "primate" and "playback" in one search and the terms "primate" "cognition" and "social group" in the second. The results were used to assess how frequently nonhuman primate cognition has been studied in a social setting (>3 individuals), to gain perspective on the species and topics that have been studied, and to extract successful approaches for social testing. RESULTS Our search revealed 248 unique publications in 43 journals encompassing 71 species. The absolute number of publications has increased over years, suggesting viable strategies for studying cognition in social settings. While a wide range of species were studied they were not equally represented, with 19% of the publications reporting data for chimpanzees. Field sites were the most common environment for experiments run in social groups of primates, accounting for more than half of the results. Approaches to mitigating the practical and statistical challenges were identified. DISCUSSION This analysis has revealed that the study of primate cognition in a social setting is increasing and taking place across a range of environments. This literature review calls attention to examples that may provide valuable models for researchers wishing to overcome potential practical and statistical challenges to studying cognition in a social setting, ultimately increasing validity and improving the welfare of the primates we study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A. Cronin
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Sarah L. Jacobson
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Kristin E. Bonnie
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Beloit College, Beloit, WI, United States of America
| | - Lydia M. Hopper
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, United States of America
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Hopkins WD, Meguerditchian A, Coulon O, Misiura M, Pope S, Mareno MC, Schapiro SJ. Motor skill for tool-use is associated with asymmetries in Broca's area and the motor hand area of the precentral gyrus in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Behav Brain Res 2017; 318:71-81. [PMID: 27816558 PMCID: PMC5459306 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.10.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Revised: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Among nonhuman primates, chimpanzees are well known for their sophistication and diversity of tool use in both captivity and the wild. The evolution of tool manufacture and use has been proposed as a driving mechanism for the development of increasing brain size, complex cognition and motor skills, as well as the population-level handedness observed in modern humans. Notwithstanding, our understanding of the neurological correlates of tool use in chimpanzees and other primates remains poorly understood. Here, we assessed the hand preference and performance skill of chimpanzees on a tool use task and correlated these data with measures of neuroanatomical asymmetries in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the pli-de-passage fronto-parietal moyen (PPFM). The IFG is the homolog to Broca's area in the chimpanzee brain and the PPFM is a buried gyrus that connects the pre- and post-central gyri and corresponds to the motor-hand area of the precentral gyrus. We found that chimpanzees that performed the task better with their right compared to left hand showed greater leftward asymmetries in the IFG and PPFM. This association between hand performance and PPFM asymmetry was particularly robust for right-handed individuals. Based on these findings, we propose that the evolution of tool use was associated with increased left hemisphere specialization for motor skill. We further suggest that lateralization in motor planning, rather than hand preference per se, was selected for with increasing tool manufacture and use in Hominid evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D Hopkins
- Neuroscience Institute and Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, United States; Division of Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA 30029, United States.
| | - Adrien Meguerditchian
- Laboratory of Cognitive Psychology, UMR 7290, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Olivier Coulon
- Aix-Marseille Université, LSIS, UMR CNRS 7296, Marseille, France
| | - Maria Misiura
- Neuroscience Institute and Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, United States
| | - Sarah Pope
- Neuroscience Institute and Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, United States
| | - Mary Catherine Mareno
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX 78602, United States
| | - Steven J Schapiro
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX 78602, United States
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17
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Neufuss J, Humle T, Cremaschi A, Kivell TL. Nut-cracking behaviour in wild-born, rehabilitated bonobos (Pan paniscus): a comprehensive study of hand-preference, hand grips and efficiency. Am J Primatol 2016; 79:1-16. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 08/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Neufuss
- Animal Postcranial Evolution Laboratory, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation; University of Kent; Canterbury UK
| | - Tatyana Humle
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation; University of Kent; Canterbury UK
| | - Andrea Cremaschi
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science; University of Kent; UK
| | - Tracy L. Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution Laboratory, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation; University of Kent; Canterbury UK
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
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18
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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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Bardo A, Borel A, Meunier H, Guéry JP, Pouydebat E. Behavioral and functional strategies during tool use tasks in bonobos. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 161:125-40. [PMID: 27311774 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Revised: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Different primate species have developed extensive capacities for grasping and manipulating objects. However, the manual abilities of primates remain poorly known from a dynamic point of view. The aim of the present study was to quantify the functional and behavioral strategies used by captive bonobos (Pan paniscus) during tool use tasks. The study was conducted on eight captive bonobos which we observed during two tool use tasks: food extraction from a large piece of wood and food recovery from a maze. We focused on grasping postures, in-hand movements, the sequences of grasp postures used that have not been studied in bonobos, and the kind of tools selected. Bonobos used a great variety of grasping postures during both tool use tasks. They were capable of in-hand movement, demonstrated complex sequences of contacts, and showed more dynamic manipulation during the maze task than during the extraction task. They arrived on the location of the task with the tool already modified and used different kinds of tools according to the task. We also observed individual manual strategies. Bonobos were thus able to develop in-hand movements similar to humans and chimpanzees, demonstrated dynamic manipulation, and they responded to task constraints by selecting and modifying tools appropriately, usually before they started the tasks. These results show the necessity to quantify object manipulation in different species to better understand their real manual specificities, which is essential to reconstruct the evolution of primate manual abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ameline Bardo
- Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, 75006, France.,Department of Ecology and Management of Biodiversity, UMR 7179-CNRS/MNHN, MECADEV, Paris, 75321, France
| | - Antony Borel
- Department of Prehistory, UMR 7194-CNRS-MNHN, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, 75116, France
| | - Hélène Meunier
- Primatology Center of Strasbourg University, Fort Foch, Niederhausbergen, 67207, France.,Laboratory of Cognitive and Adaptative Neuroscience, UMR 7364-CNRS/, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | | | - Emmanuelle Pouydebat
- Department of Ecology and Management of Biodiversity, UMR 7179-CNRS/MNHN, MECADEV, Paris, 75321, France
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20
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Nelson EL, Boeving ER. Precise digit use increases the expression of handedness in Colombian spider monkeys (Ateles fusciceps rufiventris). Am J Primatol 2015; 77:1253-62. [PMID: 26339782 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Revised: 07/24/2015] [Accepted: 08/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Decades of research on the hand use patterns of nonhuman primates can be aptly summarized by the following phrase: measurement matters. There is a general consensus that simple reaching is a poor indicator of handedness in most species, while tasks that constrain how the hands are used elicit individual, and in some cases, population-level biases. The TUBE task has become a popular measure of handedness, although there is variability in its administration across studies. The goal of this study was to investigate whether TUBE performance is affected by tube diameter, with the hypothesis that decreasing tube diameter would increase task complexity, and therefore the expression of handedness. We predicted that hand preference strength, but not direction, would be affected by tube diameter. We administered the TUBE task using a 1.3 cm tube to Colombian spider monkeys, and compared their performance to a previous study using a larger 2.5 cm diameter tube. Hand preference strength increased significantly on the smaller diameter tube. Hand preference direction was not affected. Notably, spider monkeys performed the TUBE task using a single digit, despite the longstanding view that this species has poor dexterity. We encourage investigators who use the TUBE task to carefully consider the diameter of the tube used in testing, and to report digit use consistently across studies. In addition, we recommend that researchers who cannot use the TUBE task try to incorporate the key features from this task into their own species appropriate measures: bimanual coordination and precise digit use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza L Nelson
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
| | - Emily R Boeving
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida
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