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Olivier CA, Martin JS, Pilisi C, Agnani P, Kauffmann C, Hayes L, Jaeggi AV, Schradin C. Primate social organization evolved from a flexible pair-living ancestor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2215401120. [PMID: 38154063 PMCID: PMC10769843 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2215401120] [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: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Explaining the evolution of primate social organization has been fundamental to understand human sociality and social evolution more broadly. It has often been suggested that the ancestor of all primates was solitary and that other forms of social organization evolved later, with transitions being driven by various life history traits and ecological factors. However, recent research showed that many understudied primate species previously assumed to be solitary actually live in pairs, and intraspecific variation in social organization is common. We built a detailed database from primary field studies quantifying the number of social units expressing different social organizations in each population. We used Bayesian phylogenetic models to infer the probability of each social organization, conditional on several socioecological and life history predictors. Here, we show that when intraspecific variation is accounted for, the ancestral social organization of primates was inferred to be variable, with the most common social organization being pair-living but with approximately 10 to 20% of social units of the ancestral population deviating from this pattern by being solitary living. Body size and activity patterns had large effects on transitions between types of social organizations. As in other mammalian clades, pair-living is closely linked to small body size and likely more common in ancestral species. Our results challenge the assumption that ancestral primates were solitary and that pair-living evolved afterward emphasizing the importance of focusing on field data and accounting for intraspecific variation, providing a flexible statistical framework for doing so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte-Anaïs Olivier
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg2050, South Africa
| | - Jordan S. Martin
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, ZurichCH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Camille Pilisi
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
| | - Paul Agnani
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
| | - Cécile Kauffmann
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
| | - Loren Hayes
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga37403, TN
| | - Adrian V. Jaeggi
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, ZurichCH-8057, Switzerland
| | - C. Schradin
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg2050, South Africa
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Ozgul A, Fichtel C, Paniw M, Kappeler PM. Destabilizing effect of climate change on the persistence of a short-lived primate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2214244120. [PMID: 36972440 PMCID: PMC10083614 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2214244120] [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: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Seasonal tropical environments are among those regions that are the most affected by shifts in temperature and rainfall regimes under climate change, with potentially severe consequences for wildlife population persistence. This persistence is ultimately determined by complex demographic responses to multiple climatic drivers, yet these complexities have been little explored in tropical mammals. We use long-term, individual-based demographic data (1994 to 2020) from a short-lived primate in western Madagascar, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), to investigate the demographic drivers of population persistence under observed shifts in seasonal temperature and rainfall. While rainfall during the wet season has been declining over the years, dry season temperatures have been increasing, with these trends projected to continue. These environmental changes resulted in lower survival and higher recruitment rates over time for gray mouse lemurs. Although the contrasting changes have prevented the study population from collapsing, the resulting increase in life-history speed has destabilized an otherwise stable population. Population projections under more recent rainfall and temperature levels predict an increase in population fluctuations and a corresponding increase in the extinction risk over the next five decades. Our analyses show that a relatively short-lived mammal with high reproductive output, representing a life history that is expected to closely track changes in its environment, can nonetheless be threatened by climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich,8057Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research,37077Göttingen, Germany
| | - Maria Paniw
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich,8057Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville41001, Spain
| | - Peter M. Kappeler
- Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research,37077Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen,37077Göttingen, Germany
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Shifting Biogeographic Patterns of Microcebus ravelobensis and M. murinus. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00304-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Kappeler PM, Pethig L, Prox L, Fichtel C. Reproductive Senescence in Two Lemur Lineages. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.894344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between age and reproductive performance is highly variable across species. Humans and some cetaceans exhibit an extreme form of reproductive senescence in that female reproduction ceases years or even decades before average life expectancy is reached. However, neither the existence of reproductive senescence in some taxa nor its absence in others is fully understood. Comparative data from other long-lived mammals may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the evolution of menopause, but data from wild primates, in particular, are scarce. We therefore investigated age-related female reproductive performance in two wild sympatric populations of Malagasy primates: Verreaux’s sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) and redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons), which have a maximal longevity of more than 20 years. Based on 25 years of long-term demographic data, we extracted information on reproductive output of 38 female Verreaux’s sifakas and 42 female redfronted lemurs. We modeled variation in female reproductive performance and interbirth intervals as a function of age, the number of adult females within a group to account for female competition, and rainfall as a proxy for annual variation in food availability. We also compared our results for these two species with data on captive populations of the same two genera that are buffered from fluctuations in environmental variables. Our analyses disclosed statistical evidence for reproductive senescence in three out of four populations (captive Coquerel’s sifakas, wild redfronted lemurs, and captive red lemurs) but not for wild Verreaux’s sifakas. Compared to wild populations, reproductive senescence was therefore not less pronounced in captive animals, even though the latter are buffered from environmental adversities. In wild redfronted lemurs, mothers were more likely to give birth in years with more rainfall, but neither the number of co-resident females, nor annual rainfall did predict variation in the probability of giving birth in wild Verreaux’s sifakas. Thus, our study contributes valuable comparative information on reproductive senescence in a basal group of primates, and offers insights into the modulating effects of environmental, social and phylogenetic factors on patterns and dynamics of age-specific female reproduction.
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Radespiel U, Scheumann M. Introduction to the Special Issue Celebrating the Life and Work of Elke Zimmermann. INT J PRIMATOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00307-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Ho CLA, Fichtel C, Huber D. The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) as a model for early primate brain evolution. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2021; 71:92-99. [PMID: 34768148 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2021.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), one of the world's smallest primates, is thought to share a similar ecological niche and many anatomical traits with early euprimates. As a result, it has been considered a suitable model system for early primate physiology and behavior. Moreover, recent studies have demonstrated that mouse lemurs have comparable cognitive abilities and cortical functional organization as haplorhines. Finally, the small brain size of mouse lemurs provides us with actual lower limits for miniaturization of functional brain circuits within the primate clade. Considering its phylogenetic position and early primate-like traits, the mouse lemurs are a perfect model species to study the early evolution of primate brains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Lum Andy Ho
- University of Geneva, Department of Basic Neurosciences, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Verhaltensökologie und Soziobiologie, Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Leibniz Science Campus 'Primate Cognition', 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Huber
- University of Geneva, Department of Basic Neurosciences, Rue Michel Servet 1, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland.
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Rolle F, Torti V, Valente D, De Gregorio C, Giacoma C, Von Hardenberg A. Sex and age-specific survival and life expectancy in a free ranging population of Indri indri (Gmelin, 1788). THE EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/24750263.2021.1947398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- F. Rolle
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - V. Torti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - D. Valente
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - C. De Gregorio
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - C. Giacoma
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - A. Von Hardenberg
- Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Chester, UK
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Heymann EW. Opossums. An adaptive radiation of New World marsupials, by Robert S. Voss & Sharon A. Jansa. Primates 2021. [PMCID: PMC8410692 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00931-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eckhard W. Heymann
- Verhaltensökologie & Soziobiologie, Deutsches Primatenzentrum - Leibniz-Institut für Primatenforschung, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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Schradin C, Drouard F, Lemonnier G, Askew R, Olivier CA, Pillay N. Geographic intra-specific variation in social organization is driven by population density. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02896-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Montero BK, Refaly E, Ramanamanjato J, Randriatafika F, Rakotondranary SJ, Wilhelm K, Ganzhorn JU, Sommer S. Challenges of next-generation sequencing in conservation management: Insights from long-term monitoring of corridor effects on the genetic diversity of mouse lemurs in a fragmented landscape. Evol Appl 2019; 12:425-442. [PMID: 30828365 PMCID: PMC6383737 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 09/24/2018] [Accepted: 09/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Long-term genetic monitoring of populations is essential for efforts aimed at preserving genetic diversity of endangered species. Here, we employ a framework of long-term genetic monitoring to evaluate the effects of fragmentation and the effectiveness of the establishment of corridors in restoring population connectivity and genetic diversity of mouse lemurs Microcebus ganzhorni. To this end, we supplement estimates of neutral genetic diversity with the assessment of adaptive genetic variability of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). In addition, we address the challenges of long-term genetic monitoring of functional diversity by comparing the genotyping performance and estimates of MHC variability generated by single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP)/Sanger sequencing with those obtained by high-throughput sequencing (next-generation sequencing [NGS], Illumina), an issue that is particularly relevant when previous work serves as a baseline for planning management strategies that aim to ensure the viability of a population. We report that SSCP greatly underestimates individual diversity and that discrepancies in estimates of MHC diversity attributable to the comparisons of traditional and NGS genotyping techniques can influence the conclusions drawn from conservation management scenarios. Evidence of migration among fragments in Mandena suggests that mouse lemurs are robust to the process of fragmentation and that the effect of corridors is masked by ongoing gene flow. Nonetheless, results based on a larger number of shared private alleles at neutral loci between fragment pairs found after the establishment of corridors in Mandena suggest that gene flow is augmented as a result of enhanced connectivity. Our data point out that despite low effective population size, M. ganzhorni maintains high individual heterozygosity at neutral loci and at MHC II DRB gene and that selection plays a predominant role in maintaining MHC diversity. These findings highlight the importance of long-term genetic monitoring in order to disentangle between the processes of drift and selection maintaining adaptive genetic diversity in small populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Karina Montero
- Animal Ecology and ConservationHamburg UniversityHamburgGermany
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation GenomicsUniversity of UlmUlmGermany
| | | | | | | | | | - Kerstin Wilhelm
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation GenomicsUniversity of UlmUlmGermany
| | | | - Simone Sommer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation GenomicsUniversity of UlmUlmGermany
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Sleep patterns, daytime predation, and the evolution of diurnal sleep site selection in lorisiforms. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 166:563-577. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Interannual Variation in Diet, Dietary Diversity, and Dietary Overlap in Three Sympatric Strepsirrhine Species in Southeastern Madagascar. INT J PRIMATOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0040-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Agnani P, Kauffmann C, Hayes LD, Schradin C. Intra-specific variation in social organization of Strepsirrhines. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22758. [PMID: 29664134 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Strepsirrhines, that is, lemurs, galagos, and lorises, are considered basal primates, making them important to understand the evolution of primate sociality. Apart from some lemurs, they are nocturnal and solitary living, though the view of their sociality nature has changed with field studies being completed. We conducted a review of the primary literature about the social organization (group composition) of strepsirrhines, with the aim to determine whether intra-specific variation in social organization (IVSO) occurs and to determine how many species are pair-living, group-living, or solitary living. We found data in 83 peer-reviewed studies for 43 of the 132 strepsirrhine species and compared our results using two databases on social systems of mammals published in 2011 and 2013. While it is often assumed that primates show relatively fixed social organizations, we found that 60.5% of species for which data exist have IVSO. We found only 7% of the species to be truly solitary living (with 34.9% additional species to be sometimes solitary living), which is in contrast to the other databases, which had reported 60.9% and 37.7% of species to be solitary. We further explored group compositions by designating "functional groups" (e.g., foraging, breeding, and infant care groups). While functional groups might explain IVSO within a single species, this was not consistent over species with IVSO, such that IVSO was poorly explained by functional groups. Our study supports the view that most strepsirrhines are social (58.1% of species with another 34.9% of species sometimes living in pairs or groups) and show complex and often variable social organizations; reinforcing the assumption that the ancestor of all primates was social and not solitary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Agnani
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Loren D Hayes
- Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tennessee
| | - Carsten Schradin
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France.,School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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