1
|
Laumer IB, Rahman A, Rahmaeti T, Azhari U, Hermansyah, Atmoko SSU, Schuppli C. Active self-treatment of a facial wound with a biologically active plant by a male Sumatran orangutan. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8932. [PMID: 38698007 PMCID: PMC11066025 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58988-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Although self-medication in non-human animals is often difficult to document systematically due to the difficulty of predicting its occurrence, there is widespread evidence of such behaviors as whole leaf swallowing, bitter pith chewing, and fur rubbing in African great apes, orangutans, white handed gibbons, and several other species of monkeys in Africa, Central and South America and Madagascar. To the best of our knowledge, there is only one report of active wound treatment in non-human animals, namely in chimpanzees. We observed a male Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) who sustained a facial wound. Three days after the injury he selectively ripped off leaves of a liana with the common name Akar Kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria), chewed on them, and then repeatedly applied the resulting juice onto the facial wound. As a last step, he fully covered the wound with the chewed leaves. Found in tropical forests of Southeast Asia, this and related liana species are known for their analgesic, antipyretic, and diuretic effects and are used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases, such as dysentery, diabetes, and malaria. Previous analyses of plant chemical compounds show the presence of furanoditerpenoids and protoberberine alkaloids, which are known to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, antioxidant, and other biological activities of relevance to wound healing. This possibly innovative behavior presents the first systematically documented case of active wound treatment with a plant species know to contain biologically active substances by a wild animal and provides new insights into the origins of human wound care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle B Laumer
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Arif Rahman
- Department of Biology, Graduate Program, Faculty of Biology and Agriculture, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, 12520, Indonesia
| | - Tri Rahmaeti
- Department of Biology, Graduate Program, Faculty of Biology and Agriculture, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta, 12520, Indonesia
| | | | - Hermansyah
- Yayasan Ekosistem Lestari (YEL), Medan, Indonesia
| | | | - Caroline Schuppli
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Feltrer‐Rambaud Y, Moresco A, Ange‐van Heugten K, Pizarro A, Tomeo‐Martín B, Carrasco Pesquera L, Moresco N, Atencia R. Serum vitamin D in sanctuary chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in range countries: A pilot study. Vet Med Sci 2023; 9:2937-2945. [PMID: 37725364 PMCID: PMC10650370 DOI: 10.1002/vms3.1279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vitamin D is essential for skeletal health, calcium homeostasis and general health. The major and more stable form of vitamin D in circulation is 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D); this is the most valuable indicator of vitamin D status. There are studies on laboratory and zoo-housed chimpanzees; however, serum vitamin D status has not been documented in chimpanzees in range countries. OBJECTIVES (1) Determine the range of circulating 25-OH-D concentrations in chimpanzees in range countries. (2) Assess the influence of age, sex, and sun exposure on 25-OH-D serum concentrations. METHODS Opportunistic blood samples were obtained from 127 clinically healthy chimpanzees. Serum 25-OH-D concentration was measured with a commercially available competitive ELISA. RESULTS The median overall 25-OH-D concentration for chimpanzees in range countries was 46.24 nmol/L (range: 17.10-109.23 nmol/L). Males had a significantly lower concentration (40.15 nmol/L) than females (49.61 nmol/L), and infants (37.99 nmol/L) had a significantly lower concentration than adults (46.04 nmol/L). Concentrations of 25-OH-D in chimpanzees in sunnier habitats were significantly higher compared to thick tropical forest habitat. CONCLUSION The present constitutes a large dataset of serum 25-OH-D concentrations in range country sanctuary chimpanzees and contributes to document normal ranges. Age, sex, and sun exposure influenced serum concentrations of 25-OH-D in sanctuary chimpanzees.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anneke Moresco
- International Primate Health & Welfare GroupMadridSpain
- Reproductive Health Surveillance ProgramMorrisonColoradoUSA
- Department of Animal ScienceNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNorth CarolinaUSA
- Colorado Mesa TechColorado Mesa universityGrand JunctionColoradoUSA
| | | | | | - Beatriz Tomeo‐Martín
- Unidad de Investigación Biomédica. Animal Physiology Departemtn.Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (UIB‐UAX)MadridSpain
| | - Lara Carrasco Pesquera
- Unidad de Investigación Biomédica. Animal Physiology Departemtn.Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (UIB‐UAX)MadridSpain
| | | | - Rebeca Atencia
- International Primate Health & Welfare GroupMadridSpain
- Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) Republic of CongoPointe NoireCongo
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Abstract
Among animals, humans stand out in their consummate propensity to self-induce altered states of mind. Archaeology, history and ethnography show these activities have taken place since the beginnings of civilization, yet their role in the emergence and evolution of the human mind itself remains debatable. The means through which modern humans actively alter their experience of self and reality frequently depend on psychoactive substances, but it is uncertain whether psychedelics or other drugs were part of the ecology or culture of pre-human ancestors. Moreover, (nonhuman) great apes in captivity are currently being retired from medical research, rendering comparative approaches thus far impracticable. Here, we circumvent this limitation by harnessing the breadth of publicly available YouTube data to show that apes engage in rope spinning during solitary play. When spinning, the apes achieved speeds sufficient to alter self-perception and situational awareness that were comparable to those tapped for transcendent experiences in humans (e.g. Sufi whirling), and the number of revolutions spun predicted behavioural evidence for dizziness. Thus, spinning serves as a self-sufficient means of changing body-mind responsiveness in hominids. A proclivity for such experiences is shared between humans and great apes, and provides an entry point for the comparative study of the mechanisms, functions, and adaptive value of altered states of mind in human evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcus Perlman
- Department of English Language and Linguistics, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bard KA, Kishimoto T. Early communicative gestures in human and chimpanzee 1-year-olds observed across diverse socioecological settings. Learn Behav 2023; 51:15-33. [PMID: 36441398 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00553-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the communicative gestures used by chimpanzee and human infants. In contrast to previous studies, we compared the species at the same age (12-14 months) and used multiple groups living in diverse socioecological settings for both species. We recorded gestures produced by infants and those produce by others and directed toward infants. We classified the gestures into the following types: human-usual, chimpanzee-usual, and species-common; and searched for within species and between species differences. We found no significant differences between groups or species in overall rates of infant-produced or infant-received gestures, suggesting that all of these infants produced and received gestures at similar levels. We did find significant differences, however, when we considered the three types of gesture. Chimpanzee infants produced significantly higher rates of chimpanzee-usual gestures, and human infants produced significantly higher rates of human-usual gestures, but there was no significant species difference in the species-common gestures. Reports of species differences in gesturing in young infants, therefore, could be influenced by investigators' choice of gesture type. Interestingly, we found that 1-year-old infants produced the gesture of "hold mutual gaze" and that the chimpanzee infants had a significantly higher rate than the human infants. We did not find strong evidence that the specific types of gestural environment experienced by young infants influenced the types of gestures that infants produce. We suggest that at this point in development (before human infants use lots of speech), nonverbal communicative gestures may be equally important for human and chimpanzee infants.
Collapse
|
5
|
Richter C, Behringer V, Manig F, Henle T, Hohmann G, Zierau O. Traces of dietary patterns in saliva of hominids: Profiling salivary amino acid fingerprints in great apes and humans. J Hum Evol 2023; 175:103305. [PMID: 36586354 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Herbivorous animals that regularly consume tannin-rich food are known to secrete certain tannin-binding salivary proteins (TBSPs), especially proline-rich proteins and histidine-rich proteins, as an effective measure to counteract the antinutritive effects of dietary tannins. Due to their high binding capacity, TBSPs complex with tannins in the oral cavity, and thereby protect dietary proteins and digestive enzymes. Although the natural diet of great apes (Hominidae) is biased toward ripe fruits, analyses of food plants revealed that their natural diet contains considerable amounts of tannins, which is raising the question of possible counter-measures to cope with dietary tannins. In our study, we investigated the salivary amino acid profiles of zoo-housed Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, and Pongo abelii, and compared their results with corresponding data from Homo sapiens. Individual saliva samples of 42 apes and 17 humans were collected and quantitated by amino acid analysis, using cation-exchange chromatography with postcolumn derivatization, following acid hydrolysis. We found species-specific differences in the salivary amino acid profiles with average total salivary protein concentration ranging from 308.8 mg/dL in Po. abelii to 1165.6 mg/dL in G. gorilla. Total salivary protein was consistently higher in ape than in human saliva samples (174 mg/dL). All apes had on average also higher relative proline levels than humans did. Histidine levels had the highest concentration in the samples from Po. abelii followed by P. paniscus. In all ape species, the high salivary concentrations of proline and histidine are considered to be indicative of high concentrations of TBSPs in hominids. Given that the species differences in salivary composition obtained in this study correspond with overall patterns of secondary compound content in the diet of wild populations, we assume that salivary composition is resilient to acute and long-lasting changes in diet composition in general and tannin content in particular.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Richter
- Institute of Zoology, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 20b, 01062 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Verena Behringer
- Institute of Zoology, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 20b, 01062 Dresden, Germany; Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Friederike Manig
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstrasse 66, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Thomas Henle
- Institute of Food Chemistry, Technische Universität Dresden, Bergstrasse 66, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Oliver Zierau
- Institute of Zoology, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 20b, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Cooksey KE, Sanz C, Massamba JM, Ebombi TF, Teberd P, Abea G, Mbebouti G, Kienast I, Brogan S, Stephens C, Morgan D. Predictors of respiratory illness in western lowland gorillas. Primates 2023:10.1007/s10329-022-01045-6. [PMID: 36653552 PMCID: PMC9849104 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-01045-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Infectious disease is hypothesized to be one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in wild great apes. Specific socioecological factors have been shown to influence incidences of respiratory illness and disease prevalence in some primate populations. In this study, we evaluated potential predictors (including age, sex, group size, fruit availability, and rainfall) of respiratory illness across three western lowland gorilla groups in the Republic of Congo. A total of 19,319 observational health assessments were conducted during daily follows of habituated gorillas in the Goualougo and Djéké Triangles over a 4-year study period. We detected 1146 incidences of clinical respiratory signs, which indicated the timing of probable disease outbreaks within and between groups. Overall, we found that males were more likely to exhibit signs than females, and increasing age resulted in a higher likelihood of respiratory signs. Silverback males showed the highest average monthly prevalence of coughs and sneezes (Goualougo: silverback Loya, 9.35 signs/month; Djéké: silverback Buka, 2.65 signs/month; silverback Kingo,1.88 signs/month) in each of their groups. Periods of low fruit availability were associated with an increased likelihood of respiratory signs. The global pandemic has increased awareness about the importance of continuous monitoring and preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks, which are also known to threaten wild ape populations. In addition to the strict implementation of disease prevention protocols at field sites focused on great apes, there is a need for heightened vigilance and systematic monitoring across sites to protect both wildlife and human populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristena E. Cooksey
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1114, Saint Louis, MO 63130 USA
| | - Crickette Sanz
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1114, Saint Louis, MO 63130 USA ,Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Jean Marie Massamba
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Thierry Fabrice Ebombi
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Prospère Teberd
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Gaston Abea
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Gaeton Mbebouti
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Ivonne Kienast
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850 USA ,K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850 USA
| | - Sean Brogan
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Colleen Stephens
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1114, Saint Louis, MO 63130 USA
| | - David Morgan
- Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614 USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Abstract
Twenty-five years ago, at the founding of this journal, there existed only a few conflicting findings about great apes' social-cognitive skills (theory of mind). In the 2 ½ decades since, we have discovered that great apes understand the goals, intentions, perceptions, and knowledge of others, and they use this knowledge to their advantage in competitive interactions. Twenty-five years ago there existed basically no studies on great apes' metacognitive skills. In the 2 ½ decades since, we have discovered that great apes monitor their uncertainty and base their decisions on that, or else decide to gather more information to make better decisions. The current paper reviews the past 25 years of research on great ape social cognition and metacognition and proposes a theory about how the two are evolutionarily related.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Tomasello
- Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Dean MC, Lim SY, Liversidge HM. Patterns of permanent incisor, canine and molar development in modern humans, great apes and early fossil hominins. Arch Oral Biol 2022; 143:105549. [PMID: 36167014 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2022.105549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to quantify the variation in coincident stages of incisor, canine and molar eruption and tooth formation in modern humans and great apes and then to ask if any early fossil hominins showed a dental development pattern beyond the human range and/or clearly typical of great apes. DESIGN Four stages of eruption and 18 stages of tooth development were defined and then scored for each developing tooth on radiographs of 159 once-free-living subadult great apes and on orthopantomographs of 4091 dental patients aged 1-23 years. From original observations, and from published images of eleven early fossil hominins, we then scored formation stages of permanent incisors when M1 was at root formation stage R¼-R½ and R¾-RC. RESULTS Incisor and canine eruption/development was delayed in great apes relative to molar development when compared with humans but there was overlap in almost all anterior tooth stages observed. Molar crown initiation was generally advanced in great apes and delayed in humans but again, we observed overlap in all stages in both samples. Only two fossil hominin specimens (L.H.-3 from Laetoli, Tanzania and KNM-KP 34725 from Kanapoi, Kenya) showed delayed incisor development relative to M1 beyond any individuals observed in the human sample. CONCLUSIONS For certain tooth types, the distribution of formation stages in our samples showed evidence of generally advanced or delayed development between taxa. However, it would rarely if ever be possible to allocate an individual to one taxon or another on this basis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Christopher Dean
- Centre for Human Evolution Research, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Sing-Ying Lim
- Institute of Dentistry, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK
| | - Helen M Liversidge
- Institute of Dentistry, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Abstract
Object manipulation can be used as a comparative scale of cognitive development among primates, including humans. Combinatory object manipulation is a precursor of tool-using behavior that indicates material intelligence in primates. However, developmental data on it regarding the great apes other than chimpanzees is insufficient. We conducted a longitudinal investigation of humans and chimpanzees as well as a cross-sectional examination of other great-ape infants (two bonobos, three gorillas, and four orangutans) in captive settings by using two kinds of tasks that required either inserting or stacking combinatory action. The four species of great apes and humans demonstrated both types of combinatory object manipulation during infancy. However, the order of development in different types of combinatory object manipulations varied among the great apes. Furthermore, we applied a nesting-cup task to examine the hierarchical complexity in the combinatory strategies of human children and adult chimpanzees. Both of them exhibited highly hierarchical combinations in the nesting-cup task and employed the subassembly strategy, indicating that an action merge may exist not only in human children but also in adult chimpanzees. The results were discussed with reviews of the tool-use literature from the wild great apes. The early acquisition of an inserting action in the chimpanzees may explain the tool utilization commonality reported in wild chimpanzees. The combinatory object manipulation may have worked as an external enhancer to achieve an additional hierarchical complexity in cognition and behavior, eventually leading humans to develop a language system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Misato Hayashi
- Chubu Gakuin University, 30-1 Naka Oida-cho, Kakamigahara, Gifu, 504-0837, Japan.
- Japan Monkey Centre, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan.
| | | |
Collapse
|
10
|
Verspeek J, van Leeuwen EJC, Laméris DW, Staes N, Stevens JMG. Adult bonobos show no prosociality in both prosocial choice task and group service paradigm. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12849. [PMID: 35178297 PMCID: PMC8815371 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies reported contrasting conclusions concerning bonobo prosociality, which are likely due to differences in the experimental design, the social dynamics among subjects and characteristics of the subjects themselves. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain the occurrence of prosociality in animals: the cooperative breeding hypothesis and the self-domestication hypothesis. While the former predicts low levels of prosociality in bonobos because they are non-cooperative breeders, the latter predicts high levels of prosociality because self-domestication has been proposed to select for high levels of tolerance in this species. Here, we presented a group of thirteen bonobos with two platform food-provisioning tasks: the prosocial choice task (PCT) and the group service paradigm (GSP). The latter has so far never been applied to bonobos. To allow for free choice of participation and partner, we implemented both tasks in a group setting. Like in previous PCT studies, bonobos did not choose the prosocial option more often when a group member could benefit vs not benefit. In the GSP, where food provisioning is costly, only subadult bonobos showed a limited amount of food provisioning, which was much lower than what was previously reported for chimpanzees. In both experiments, adult subjects were highly motivated to obtain rewards for themselves, suggesting that bonobos behaved indifferently to the gains of group members. We suggest that previous positive food-provisioning prosociality results in bonobos are mainly driven by the behaviour of subadult subjects. The lack of prosociality in this study corresponds to the hypothesis that proactive food provisioning co-occurs with cooperative breeding and suggests that proactive prosociality might not be part of the self-domestication syndrome in bonobos.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Verspeek
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Daan W. Laméris
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Nicky Staes
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jeroen M. G. Stevens
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium,SALTO, Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University College, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Rogers Flattery CN, Coppeto DJ, Inoue K, Rilling JK, Preuss TM, Young LJ. Distribution of brain oxytocin and vasopressin V1a receptors in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): comparison with humans and other primate species. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:1907-1919. [PMID: 34482474 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02369-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Despite our close genetic relationship with chimpanzees, there are notable differences between chimpanzee and human social behavior. Oxytocin and vasopressin are neuropeptides involved in regulating social behavior across vertebrate taxa, including pair bonding, social communication, and aggression, yet little is known about the neuroanatomy of these systems in primates, particularly in great apes. Here, we used receptor autoradiography to localize oxytocin and vasopressin V1a receptors, OXTR and AVPR1a respectively, in seven chimpanzee brains. OXTR binding was detected in the lateral septum, hypothalamus, medial amygdala, and substantia nigra. AVPR1a binding was observed in the cortex, lateral septum, hypothalamus, mammillary body, entire amygdala, hilus of the dentate gyrus, and substantia nigra. Chimpanzee OXTR/AVPR1a receptor distribution is compared to previous studies in several other primate species. One notable difference is the lack of OXTR in reward regions such as the ventral pallidum and nucleus accumbens in chimpanzees, whereas OXTR is found in these regions in humans. Our results suggest that in chimpanzees, like in most other anthropoid primates studied to date, OXTR has a more restricted distribution than AVPR1a, while in humans the reverse pattern has been reported. Altogether, our study provides a neuroanatomical basis for understanding the function of the oxytocin and vasopressin systems in chimpanzees.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christina N Rogers Flattery
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA. .,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA. .,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA. .,Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Daniel J Coppeto
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Kiyoshi Inoue
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - James K Rilling
- Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.,Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Todd M Preuss
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.,Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.,Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Edes AN, Brand CM. Age, sex, and inflammatory markers predict chronic conditions, cardiac disease, and mortality among captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Primates 2021; 62:931-943. [PMID: 34460009 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00942-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
In humans, inflammatory markers predict health risks. As great apes experience many similar conditions, measuring inflammation may provide valuable health information. We examined four serum inflammatory markers in zoo-housed gorillas (n = 48): albumin, CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α. We first analyzed age- and sex-associated patterns, then used multimodel inference to evaluate models with age, sex, and inflammatory markers as predictors of all-cause morbidity, cardiac disease, and mortality. Older gorillas had lower albumin and higher IL-6, and males had higher albumin, lower CRP, and lower TNF-α. All-cause morbidity was best predicted by age, sex, and TNF-α, but the second model containing only age and sex was equivalent. Cardiac disease was best predicted by TNF-α alongside age and sex, with lower levels associated with increased risk. When outliers were removed, the model with TNF-α was second to the model containing only age and sex. Finally, mortality risk was best predicted by the model with only age and sex. Other models containing individual inflammatory markers were within top model sets for each health outcome. Our results indicate that age and sex are robust for predicting all-cause morbidity and mortality risk in gorillas; while models which include individual inflammatory markers also predict risk, they may not improve predictions over age and sex alone. However, given the prevalence of cardiac disease in great apes, these results suggest that TNF-α warrants further investigation. With their potential to provide valuable health information, data on inflammatory markers may contribute to the care and management of gorillas in human care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley N Edes
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institution, Front Royal, VA, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Department of Reproductive and Behavioral Sciences, Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Colin M Brand
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Aguilera B, Perez Gomez J, DeGrazia D. Should biomedical research with great apes be restricted? A systematic review of reasons. BMC Med Ethics 2021; 22:15. [PMID: 33593335 PMCID: PMC7888082 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-021-00580-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The use of great apes (GA) in invasive biomedical research is one of the most debated topics in animal ethics. GA are, thus far, the only animal group that has frequently been banned from invasive research; yet some believe that these bans could inaugurate a broader trend towards greater restrictions on the use of primates and other animals in research. Despite ongoing academic and policy debate on this issue, there is no comprehensive overview of the reasons advanced for or against restricting invasive research with GA. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review of the reasons reported in the academic literature on this topic. Methods Seven databases were searched for articles published in English. Two authors screened the titles, abstracts, and full texts of all articles. Two journals specialized in animal ethics, and the reference lists of included articles were subsequently also reviewed. Results We included 60 articles, most of which were published between 2006 and 2016. Twenty-five articles argued for a total ban of GA research, 21 articles defended partial restrictions, and 14 articles argued against restrictions. Overall, we identified 110 reason types, 74 for, and 36 against, restricting GA research. Reasons were grouped into nine domains: moral standing, science, welfare, public and expert attitudes, retirement and conservation, respect and rights, financial costs, law and legal status, and longer-term consequences. Conclusion Our review generated five main findings. First, there is a trend in the academic debate in favor of restricting GA research that parallels worldwide policy changes in the same direction. Second, in several domains (e.g., moral standing, and respect and rights), the reasons were rather one-sided in favor of restrictions. Third, some prominent domains (e.g., science and welfare) featured considerable engagement between opposing positions. Fourth, there is low diversity and independence among authors, including frequent potential conflicts of interests in articles defending a strong position (i.e., favoring a total ban or arguing against restrictions). Fifth, scholarly discussion was not the norm, as reflected in a high proportion of non-peer-reviewed articles and authors affiliated to non-academic institutions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo Aguilera
- Department of Bioethics, The Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA. .,Department of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. .,Department of Bioethics, NIH Clinical Center, Bldg. 10, Room 1C118, Bethesda, MD, 20892-115, USA.
| | | | - David DeGrazia
- Department of Bioethics, The Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.,Department of Philosophy, George Washington University, Washington, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Abstract
The great apes play an important role as model organisms. They are our closest living relatives, allowing us to identify the genetic basis of phenotypic traits that we think of as characteristically human. However, the most significant asset of great apes as model organisms is that they share with humans most of their genetic makeup. This means that we can extend our vast knowledge of the human genome, its genes, and the associated phenotypes to these species. Comparative genomic studies of humans and apes thus reveal how very similar genomes react when exposed to different population genetic regimes. In this way, each species represents a natural experiment, where a genome highly similar to the human one, is differently exposed to the evolutionary forces of demography, population structure, selection, recombination, and admixture/hybridization. The initial sequencing of reference genomes for chimpanzee, orangutan, gorilla, the bonobo, each provided new insights and a second generation of sequencing projects has provided diversity data for all the great apes. In this chapter, we will outline some of the findings that population genomic analysis of great apes has provided, and how comparative studies have helped us understand how the fundamental forces in evolution have contributed to shaping the genomes and the genetic diversity of the great apes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David Castellano
- Bioinformatics and Genomics, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Kasper Munch
- Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Abstract
Allostatic load is the wear-and-tear organisms accumulate due to senescence and stress; it is measured by combining biomarkers from multiple somatic systems into allostatic load indices (ALIs). Frequently used in human research, ALIs have shown consistent results across samples despite different biomarkers and methods. However, determining optimal models likely is necessary if ALIs are to be feasible research tools in other species. Herein, we build on prior research in western lowland gorillas to explore one potential method for determining which biomarkers may be best for estimating allostatic load. After narrowing down which biomarkers to include using a combination of forward stepwise regression and independent biomarker associations with project variables, we estimated allostatic load using both the traditional one-tailed quartile method as well as a multi-method approach. There was a significant positive association between allostatic load and triglycerides, but not cholesterol, both of which are commonly used as diagnostic markers of poor health. Using binomial generalized linear models, a one-unit increase in allostatic load was associated with increased risk of all-cause morbidity and mortality, but reduced risk of cardiac disease. Although conclusions were similar, compared to our original ALIs, these new ALIs had weaker effect sizes and poorer relative goodness of fit, suggesting this method for identifying the best possible list of biomarkers to include in an index was not effective. This report continues the development of ALIs as a clinical tool in wildlife while systematically testing one possible method for determining an optimal ALI for a particular species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley N Edes
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Barbara A Wolfe
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Douglas E Crews
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Surbeck M. A toothless bonobo skull challenges the notion of alternative subsistence strategies in early Homo. J Hum Evol 2020; 147:102871. [PMID: 32905896 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Surbeck
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Av, 10249 Cambridge, USA; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Prieur J, Pika S. Gorillas' (Gorilla g. gorilla) knowledge of conspecifics' affordances: intraspecific social tool use for food acquisition. Primates 2020; 61:583-91. [PMID: 32166437 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-020-00805-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The use of tools, long thought to be uniquely human, has now been observed in other animal taxa including several species of birds, non-primate mammals as well as some non-human primate species. Chimpanzees, one of humankind’s closest living relatives, exceed all other non-human animal species as they have been reported to use an exceptionally large toolkit. However, relatively little is known about the tool-use skills of the other great ape species. While the majority of tools described are inanimate objects, the use of social tools has received relatively little attention. Here we provide the first evidence of naturally occurring spontaneous exploitative behaviour of a conspecific as a social tool for food acquisition in non-human animals. We observed gorillas in captivity utilising a conspecific as a ladder to gain access to unreachable food. We discuss our findings in the light of other studies on social tool use and suggest the need for more nuanced interpretations of gorillas’ cognitive skills.
Collapse
|
18
|
Boehlke C, Rupf S, Tenniswood M, Chittur SV, Hannig C, Zierau O. Caries and periodontitis associated bacteria are more abundant in human saliva compared to other great apes. Arch Oral Biol 2020; 111:104648. [PMID: 31927405 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2020.104648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Caries and periodontitis are uncommon in free ranging great apes but a major oral disease in humans. The aim was to analyze abundance and diversity of oral bacteria of western humans and their closest relatives, to examine if zoo apes feeding on diet other than in their natural habitat show caries and periodontitis associated salivary bacteria and comparable susceptibility for oral civilization diseases as humans. DESIGN Bacterial composition of human and great ape saliva samples were compared by analyzing the V3 region of the bacteria 16S rRNA gene by Next Generation Sequencing with Ion Torrent. RESULTS Results show species-specific differences in the salivary bacteria phyla and genera composition among all apes. Moreover, salivary bacterial composition within non-human apes showed higher intra-individual differences than within humans. Human saliva exhibited lowest bacteria diversity. Different behavioral patterns including (oral) hygiene standards of humans and non-human apes might cause differences. All species differed in diversity and abundance of caries associated bacteria genera. Human saliva revealed higher abundance of caries and periodontitis relevant bacteria in contrast to other great apes, which might be supported by higher consume of refined cariogenic food items, possibly raising their risk for oral disease susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS The study offers first clues on caries and periodontitis relevant bacteria of captive great ape species in comparison to humans. Higher susceptibility to oral diseases for humans than for their closest relatives, leads to the question, if the oral microbiome changed during evolution and how it is influenced by the human life style.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Boehlke
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Zoology, Molecular Cell Physiology and Endocrinology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01217 Dresden, Germany; Policlinic of Operative and Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine ´Carl Gustav Carus´, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Stefan Rupf
- Clinic of Operative Dentistry, Periodontology and Preventive Dentistry, Saarland University, 66424 Homburg/Saar, Germany.
| | - Martin Tenniswood
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY, 12144-2345, USA.
| | - Sridar V Chittur
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY, 12144-2345, USA; Center for Functional Genomics, University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY, 12144-2345, USA.
| | - Christian Hannig
- Policlinic of Operative and Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine ´Carl Gustav Carus´, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Oliver Zierau
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Zoology, Molecular Cell Physiology and Endocrinology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01217 Dresden, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Krachun C, Lurz R, Mahovetz LM, Hopkins WD. Mirror self-recognition and its relationship to social cognition in chimpanzees. Anim Cogn 2019; 22:1171-1183. [PMID: 31542841 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01309-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Chimpanzees and humans are capable of recognizing their own reflection in mirrors. Little is understood about the selective pressures that led to this evolved trait and about the mechanisms that underlie it. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that mirror self-recognition in chimpanzees is the byproduct of a developed form of self-awareness that was naturally selected for its adaptive use in social cognitive behaviors. We present here the first direct attempt to assess the social cognition hypothesis by analyzing the association between mirror self-recognition in chimpanzees, as measured by a mirror-mark test, and their performance on a variety of social cognition tests. Consistent with the social cognition hypothesis, chimpanzees who showed evidence of mirror self-recognition in the mark test tended to perform significantly better on the social cognition tasks than those who failed the mark test. Additionally, the data as a whole fit the social cognition hypothesis better than the main competing hypothesis of mirror self-recognition in great apes, the secondary representation hypothesis. Our findings strongly suggest that the evolutionary origins of great apes' and humans' capacity to understand ourselves, as revealed by our capacity to recognize ourselves in mirrors, are intimately linked to our ability to understand others.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carla Krachun
- Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
| | - Robert Lurz
- Department of Philosophy, Brooklyn College, CUNY, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, USA
| | - Lindsay M Mahovetz
- Department of Psychology, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - William D Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Gottfried H, Vigilant L, Mundry R, Behringer V, Surbeck M. Aggression by male bonobos against immature individuals does not fit with predictions of infanticide. Aggress Behav 2019; 45:300-309. [PMID: 30710459 DOI: 10.1002/ab.21819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The selective advantage of male infanticide is enhancement of reproductive success of the aggressor. This implies that aggression is directed at individuals sired by others, infant loss shortens the mother's inter-birth interval, and the aggressor has a greater likelihood of siring the next offspring of the victims' mother. As these conditions are not always met, the occurrence of male infanticide is expected to vary, and hominoid primates offer an interesting example of variation in male infanticide. Infanticide has been reported in gorillas and chimpanzees but appears to be absent in orangutans and bonobos. One argument for the absence of infanticide in bonobos is reduction of male aggression. However, given that male aggression against immature individuals occurs and that females engage in behavior that is considered to be counterstrategy against male infanticide, the risk of male infanticide may pose a potential threat. Here, we explored whether aggression by male bonobos fits predictions of male infanticide. Male aggression toward immature individuals was rare and did not have lethal consequences, but the majority of observed cases exposed targets to risks of injury. Males did not target their own offspring less frequently than unrelated immatures, and the risk of being the target of male aggression increased with the targets' age. Overall, these results do not match the predictions of the adaptive male infanticide hypothesis. Instead, aggression by males may promote the emigration of the targets and older males may reinforce their superior status toward individuals that will soon compete for the same resources.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Linda Vigilant
- Max‐Planck‐Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Roger Mundry
- Max‐Planck‐Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Verena Behringer
- Max‐Planck‐Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Martin Surbeck
- Max‐Planck‐Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Maibach V, Vigilant L. Reduced bonobo MHC class I diversity predicts a reduced viral peptide binding ability compared to chimpanzees. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:14. [PMID: 30630404 PMCID: PMC6327438 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1352-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The highly polymorphic genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I are involved in defense against viruses and other intracellular pathogens. Although several studies found reduced MHC class I diversity in bonobos in comparison to the closely related chimpanzee, it is unclear if this lower diversity also influences the functional ability of MHC class I molecules in bonobos. Here, we use a bioinformatic approach to analyze the viral peptide binding ability of all published bonobo MHC class I molecules (n = 58) in comparison to all published chimpanzee MHC class I molecules (n = 161) for the class I loci A, B, C and A-like. RESULTS We examined the peptide binding ability of all 219 different MHC class I molecules to 5,788,712 peptides derived from 1432 different primate viruses and analyzed the percentage of bound peptides and the overlap of the peptide binding repertoires of the two species. We conducted multiple levels of analysis on the "species"-, "population"- and "individual"-level to account for the characterization of MHC variation in a larger number of chimpanzees and their broader geographic distribution. We found a lower percentage of bound peptides in bonobos at the B locus in the "population"-level comparison and at the B and C loci in the "individual"-level comparison. Furthermore, we found evidence of a limited peptide binding repertoire in bonobos by tree-based visualization of functional clustering of MHC molecules, as well as an analysis of peptides bound by both species. CONCLUSION Our results suggest a reduced MHC class I viral peptide binding ability at the B and C loci in bonobos compared to chimpanzees. The effects of this finding on the immune defense against viruses in wild living bonobos are unclear. However, special caution is needed to prevent introduction and spread of new viruses to bonobos, as their defensive ability to cope with new viruses could be limited compared to chimpanzees.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Maibach
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Linda Vigilant
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Mattle-Greminger MP, Bilgin Sonay T, Nater A, Pybus M, Desai T, de Valles G, Casals F, Scally A, Bertranpetit J, Marques-Bonet T, van Schaik CP, Anisimova M, Krützen M. Genomes reveal marked differences in the adaptive evolution between orangutan species. Genome Biol 2018; 19:193. [PMID: 30428903 PMCID: PMC6237011 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-018-1562-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Integrating demography and adaptive evolution is pivotal to understanding the evolutionary history and conservation of great apes. However, little is known about the adaptive evolution of our closest relatives, in particular if and to what extent adaptions to environmental differences have occurred. Here, we used whole-genome sequencing data from critically endangered orangutans from North Sumatra (Pongo abelii) and Borneo (P. pygmaeus) to investigate adaptive responses of each species to environmental differences during the Pleistocene. RESULTS Taking into account the markedly disparate demographic histories of each species after their split ~ 1 Ma ago, we show that persistent environmental differences on each island had a strong impact on the adaptive evolution of the genus Pongo. Across a range of tests for positive selection, we find a consistent pattern of between-island and species differences. In the more productive Sumatran environment, the most notable signals of positive selection involve genes linked to brain and neuronal development, learning, and glucose metabolism. On Borneo, however, positive selection comprised genes involved in lipid metabolism, as well as cardiac and muscle activities. CONCLUSIONS We find strikingly different sets of genes appearing to have evolved under strong positive selection in each species. In Sumatran orangutans, selection patterns were congruent with well-documented cognitive and behavioral differences between the species, such as a larger and more complex cultural repertoire and higher degrees of sociality. However, in Bornean orangutans, selective responses to fluctuating environmental conditions appear to have produced physiological adaptations to generally lower and temporally more unpredictable food supplies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maja P. Mattle-Greminger
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tugce Bilgin Sonay
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge - Batiment Genopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Nater
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
- Lehrstuhl für Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Marc Pybus
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tariq Desai
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH UK
| | - Guillem de Valles
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ferran Casals
- Servei de Genòmica, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aylwyn Scally
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EH UK
| | - Jaume Bertranpetit
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain
- CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 4, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carel P. van Schaik
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Maria Anisimova
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge - Batiment Genopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Applied Simulations, School of Life Sciences and Facility Management, Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, Einsiedlerstrasse 31a, 8820 Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Michael Krützen
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Bardo A, Vigouroux L, Kivell TL, Pouydebat E. The impact of hand proportions on tool grip abilities in humans, great apes and fossil hominins: A biomechanical analysis using musculoskeletal simulation. J Hum Evol 2018; 125:106-121. [PMID: 30502891 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Differences in grip techniques used across primates are usually attributed to variation in thumb-finger proportions and muscular anatomy of the hand. However, this cause-effect relationship is not fully understood because little is known about the biomechanical functioning and mechanical loads (e.g., muscle or joint forces) of the non-human primate hand compared to that of humans during object manipulation. This study aims to understand the importance of hand proportions on the use of different grip strategies used by humans, extant great apes (bonobos, gorillas and orangutans) and, potentially, fossil hominins (Homo naledi and Australopithecus sediba) using a musculoskeletal model of the hand. Results show that certain grips are more challenging for some species, particularly orangutans, than others, such that they require stronger muscle forces for a given range of motion. Assuming a human-like range of motion at each hand joint, simulation results show that H. naledi and A. sediba had the biomechanical potential to use the grip techniques considered important for stone tool-related behaviors in humans. These musculoskeletal simulation results shed light on the functional consequences of the different hand proportions among extant and extinct hominids and the different manipulative abilities found in humans and great apes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ameline Bardo
- Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, 75006, France; Department of Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179-CNRS/MNHN, MECADEV, Paris, 75321, France; Animal Postcranial Evolution Laboratory, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom.
| | - Laurent Vigouroux
- Institute of Movement Sciences, UMR 7287-CNRS, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, 13288, France
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution Laboratory, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, United Kingdom; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany; Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa
| | - Emmanuelle Pouydebat
- Department of Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179-CNRS/MNHN, MECADEV, Paris, 75321, France
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Kamgang SA, Bobo KS, Maisels F, Ambahe RDD, Ambassa Ongono DE, Gonder MK, Johnson P, Marino J, Sinsin B. The relationship between the abundance of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes ellioti) and its habitat: a conservation concern in Mbam-Djerem National Park, Cameroon. BMC Ecol 2018; 18:40. [PMID: 30285707 PMCID: PMC6167774 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-018-0199-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the relationship between great apes and their habitat is essential for the development of successful conservation strategies. The chimpanzee Pan troglodytes ellioti is endemic to Nigeria and Cameroon, and occupies an ecologically diverse range of habitats from forests to forest-savannah mosaic in Mbam-Djerem National Park (MDNP) in Cameroon. The habitat variation in chimpanzees is poorly understood in MDNP which provides an excellent opportunity to assess ecological factors that shape the abundance and distribution patterns of P. t. ellioti over a small geographic scale. RESULTS We counted 249 nests along 132 km of transects in total. Of these, 119 nests along 68 km occurred in dense forest and 130 nests along 64 km in forest-savannah mosaic. Chimpanzee density was 0.88 [95% CI (0.55-1.41)] individuals/km2 in the dense forest and 0.59 [95% CI (0.19-1.76)] in the forest-savannah mosaic. Nest abundance varied with vegetation type and was higher in areas with dense canopy cover, steeper slopes and relatively higher altitudes. CONCLUSIONS Our estimates of chimpanzee densities were lower than reported in other studied populations in the range of the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee. However, we found that habitat features, slope and altitude likely play a role in shaping patterns of chimpanzee nesting ecology. Further studies need to be focused on nest decay rates and phenology of useful plants in order to model chimpanzee abundance and distribution in Mbam-Djerem National Park.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Serge Alexis Kamgang
- Garoua Wildlife School, Face aéroport international de Garoua, P.O. Box 271, Garoua, Cameroon.
- Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Yaounde, Cameroon.
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 P.O.Box 526, Cotonou, Benin.
| | - Kadiri Serge Bobo
- Department of Forestry, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 222, Dschang, Cameroon
| | - Fiona Maisels
- Global Conservation Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, NY, 10460, USA
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK
| | | | | | | | - Paul Johnson
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney, Oxford, UK
| | - Jorgelina Marino
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney, Oxford, UK
| | - Brice Sinsin
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 P.O.Box 526, Cotonou, Benin
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Abstract
BACKGROUND Peaceful conflict resolution strategies have been identified as effective mechanisms for minimising the potential costs of group life in many gregarious species, especially in primates. The knowledge of conflict-management in orangutans, though, is still extremely limited. Given their semi-solitary lives in the wild, there seems to be barely a need for orangutans to apply conflict management strategies other than avoidance. However, because of the rapid loss of orangutan habitat due to deforestation, opportunities to prevent conflicts by dispersion are shrinking. Additionally, more and more orangutans are brought into rehabilitation centres where they are bound to live in close contact with conspecifics. This raises the questions of whether and how orangutans are able to cope with conflicts, which are inevitably connected with group life. METHODS Observational zoo-studies provide a valuable method to investigate such potential: in zoos, orangutans usually live in permanent groups and face the challenges of group life every day. Therefore, we observed a group of six socially-housed Sumatran orangutans at the Dortmund Zoo, Germany, both in their spacious outdoor enclosure in the summer and in the less spacious indoor enclosure in the winter. During 157.5 h of observation, we collected data on aggressive interactions, third-party interventions and post-conflict affiliations. We applied the post-conflict/matched-control observation (PC/MC) and the time rule method to investigate the occurrence of reconciliation and post-conflict third-party affiliations. RESULTS We recorded a total of 114 aggressive interactions (including conflicts in the context of weaning and of male sexual coercion). As expected, we found an increase of both open conflicts and peaceful conflict resolution under less spacious conditions. In accordance with previous reports, we observed interventions by initially uninvolved individuals. Whereas we found no clear evidence for post-conflict third-party affiliations, we were able to demonstrate the occurrence of reconciliation among orangutans. DISCUSSION Notwithstanding the small sample size and the explorative character of our study, we found evidence that orangutans possess a potential for prosocial conflict resolution. When living in groups and under conditions in which dispersion is no longer an option, orangutans are capable to flexibly apply strategies of conflict resolution to cease open conflicts and to repair the potential social damage of aggressive interactions. These strategies are similar to those of other great apes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin S. Kopp
- Department of Education and Psychology; Comparative Developmental Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Katja Liebal
- Department of Education and Psychology; Comparative Developmental Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Mendonça RS, Dahl CD, Carvalho S, Matsuzawa T, Adachi I. Touch-screen-guided task reveals a prosocial choice tendency by chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes). PeerJ 2018; 6:e5315. [PMID: 30083456 PMCID: PMC6074756 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans help others even without direct benefit for themselves. However, the nature of altruistic (i.e., only the other benefits) and prosocial (i.e., self and other both benefit) behaviors in our closest living relative, the chimpanzee, remains controversial. To address this further, we developed a touch-screen-guided task that allowed us to increase the number of trials for a thorough test of chimpanzees’ prosocial and altruistic tendencies. Mother-offspring dyads were tested in the same compartment; one was the actor while the other was the recipient. In Experiment 1, the actor chose among three options: prosocial, selfish (only the actor benefited) and altruistic. To better understand the nature of the chimpanzees’ choices and to improve experimental control, we conducted two additional experiments. Experiment 2 consisted of two-option choices interspersed with three-option choices, and in Experiment 3 the two-option choice were blocked across all trials. The results of Experiment 1 clearly showed that chimpanzees acted prosocially in the touch-screen-guided task, choosing the prosocial option on an average of 79% of choices. Five out of the six chimpanzees showed the preference to act prosocially against chance level. The preference for the prosocial option persisted when conditions were changed in Experiments 2 and 3. When only selfish and altruistic options were available in Experiments 2 and 3, chimpanzees preferred the selfish option. These results suggest that (1) most individuals understood the nature of the task and modified their behavior according to the available options, (2) five out of the six chimpanzees chose to act prosocially when they had the option to, and (3) offspring counterbalanced between altruistic and selfish, when given those two options perhaps to avoid suffering repercussions from the mother.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Renata S Mendonça
- Primate Research Institute, Section of Language and Intelligence, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan.,Centre for Functional Ecology-Science for People & the Planet, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Christoph D Dahl
- Institute of Biology, Department of Comparative Cognition, University of Neuchatel, Neuchâtel, NE, Switzerland
| | - Susana Carvalho
- Centre for Functional Ecology-Science for People & the Planet, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.,Primate Models for Behavioural Evolution Lab, Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.,Interdisciplinary Centre for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB), University of Algarve, Faro, Portugal.,Gorongosa Restoration Project, Gorongosa National Park, Sofala, Mozambique
| | | | - Ikuma Adachi
- Primate Research Institute, Center for International Collaboration and Advanced Studies in Primatology, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Eckert J, Call J, Hermes J, Herrmann E, Rakoczy H. Intuitive statistical inferences in chimpanzees and humans follow Weber's law. Cognition 2018; 180:99-107. [PMID: 30015211 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2018.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Humans and nonhuman great apes share a sense for intuitive statistical reasoning, making intuitive probability judgments based on proportional information. This ability is of fundamental importance, in particular for inferring general regularities from finite numbers of observations and, vice versa, for predicting the outcome of single events using prior information. To date it remains unclear which cognitive mechanism underlies and enables this capacity. The aim of the present study was to gain deeper insights into the cognitive structure of intuitive statistics by probing its signatures in chimpanzees and humans. We tested 24 sanctuary-living chimpanzees in a previously established paradigm which required them to reason from populations of food items with different ratios of preferred (peanuts) and non-preferred items (carrot pieces) to randomly drawn samples. In a series of eight test conditions, the ratio between the two ratios to be discriminated (ROR) was systematically varied ranging from 1 (same proportions in both populations) to 16 (high magnitude of difference between populations). One hundred and forty-four human adults were tested in a computerized version of the same task. The main result was that both chimpanzee and human performance varied as a function of the log(ROR) and thus followed Weber's law. This suggests that intuitive statistical reasoning relies on the same cognitive mechanism that is used for comparing absolute quantities, namely the analogue magnitude system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Eckert
- Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Goettingen, Waldweg 26, 37073 Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus "Primate Cognition", German Primate Center/Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Goettingen, Germany.
| | - Josep Call
- Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Jonas Hermes
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Goettingen, Waldweg 26, 37073 Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus "Primate Cognition", German Primate Center/Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| | - Esther Herrmann
- Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hannes Rakoczy
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Goettingen, Waldweg 26, 37073 Goettingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus "Primate Cognition", German Primate Center/Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Bard KA, Maguire-Herring V, Tomonaga M, Matsuzawa T. The gesture 'Touch': Does meaning-making develop in chimpanzees' use of a very flexible gesture? Anim Cogn 2019; 22:535-50. [PMID: 29063986 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-017-1136-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Revised: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/03/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In this bottom-up study of gesture, we focused on the details of a single gesture, Touch. We compared characteristics of use by three young chimpanzees with those of 11 adults, their interactive partners, housed in a semi-natural social group at the Kyoto University Primate Research Institute (KUPRI) in Japan. Five hundred eighty-one observations of the gesture Touch were collected across a four-year time span. This single gesture had 36 different forms, was directed to 70 different target locations on the body of social partners, and occurred in 26 different contexts. Significant differences were found between infant and adult initiators in the form, target locations, and contexts of the gesture Touch. There was a wide diversity in form–location patterns within each context, and there were no form–location patterns specific to particular contexts. Thus, we demonstrate that this gesture exhibits flexibility in form and flexibility in use. The results from this study illustrate the importance of contextualized meaning in understanding flexibility in the gesture use of great apes.
Collapse
|
29
|
Abstract
Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes are critically involved in the defense against intracellular pathogens. MHC diversity comparisons among samples of closely related taxa may reveal traces of past or ongoing selective processes. The bonobo and chimpanzee are the closest living evolutionary relatives of humans and last shared a common ancestor some 1 mya. However, little is known concerning MHC class I diversity in bonobos or in central chimpanzees, the most numerous and genetically diverse chimpanzee subspecies. Here, we used a long-read sequencing technology (PacBio) to sequence the classical MHC class I genes A, B, C, and A-like in 20 and 30 wild-born bonobos and chimpanzees, respectively, with a main focus on central chimpanzees to assess and compare diversity in those two species. We describe in total 21 and 42 novel coding region sequences for the two species, respectively. In addition, we found evidence for a reduced MHC class I diversity in bonobos as compared to central chimpanzees as well as to western chimpanzees and humans. The reduced bonobo MHC class I diversity may be the result of a selective process in their evolutionary past since their split from chimpanzees.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Maibach
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Jörg B Hans
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain
- CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 4, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Linda Vigilant
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Carrier DR, Cunningham C. The effect of foot posture on capacity to apply free moments to the ground: implications for fighting performance in great apes. Biol Open 2017; 6:269-277. [PMID: 28202470 PMCID: PMC5312108 DOI: 10.1242/bio.022640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
In contrast to most other primates, great apes have feet in which the heel supports body weight during standing, walking and running. One possible advantage of this plantigrade foot posture is that it may enhance fighting performance by increasing the ability to apply free moments (i.e. force couples) to the ground. We tested this possibility by measuring performance of human subjects when performing from plantigrade and digitigrade (standing on the ball of the foot and toes) postures. We found that plantigrade posture substantially increased the capacity to apply free moments to the ground and to perform a variety of behaviors that are likely to be important to fighting performance in great apes. As predicted, performance in maximal effort lateral striking and pushing was strongly correlated with free moment magnitude. All else being equal, these results suggest species that can adopt plantigrade posture will be able to apply larger free moments to the ground than species restricted to digitigrade or unguligrade foot posture. Additionally, these results are consistent with the suggestion that selection for physical competition may have been one of the factors that led to the evolution of the derived plantigrade foot posture of great apes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David R Carrier
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 S. 1400 E., Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Hasegawa H, Shigyo M, Yanai Y, McLennan MR, Fujita S, Makouloutou P, Tsuchida S, Ando C, Sato H, Huffman MA. Molecular features of hookworm larvae (Necator spp.) raised by coproculture from Ugandan chimpanzees and Gabonese gorillas and humans. Parasitol Int 2016; 66:12-15. [PMID: 27840196 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2016.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2015] [Revised: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Species composition of Necator hookworms was surveyed in (i) Ugandan chimpanzees living around farms and villages at Bulindi, (ii) Gabonese gorillas under habituation in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park (MDNP), and (iii) Gabonese villagers living adjacent to MDNP. Internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of rDNA and partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (Cox1) gene of mtDNA were analyzed from larvae obtained by coproculture. Three ITS types (I, II and III) and three Cox1 haplotype groups (A, B and C) were demonstrated. ITS type I and Cox1 haplotype group A, representing Necator americanus, were demonstrated in the hookworm larvae from Gabonese gorillas and humans, but not from Ugandan chimpanzees. Type II and haplotype groups B and C, presumably representing N. gorillae, were found in larvae from Ugandan chimpanzees and Gabonese gorillas and humans. These features were overall similar with those found previously in the Central African Republic. Meanwhile, type III was proven in a larva from a Gabonese gorilla as the first demonstration from a non-human primate. Cox1 haplotypes obtained from Ugandan chimpanzees formed a subgroup within group B, presumably reflecting dispersal and diversification processes of the apes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hideo Hasegawa
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Hasama, Yufu, Oita 879-5593, Japan.
| | - Miho Shigyo
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Hasama, Yufu, Oita 879-5593, Japan
| | - Yuka Yanai
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Hasama, Yufu, Oita 879-5593, Japan
| | - Matthew R McLennan
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane Campus, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Shiho Fujita
- Department of Basic Veterinary Medicine, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
| | - Patrice Makouloutou
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yoshida, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan; Institute de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale (IRET/CENAREST), BP 13354 Libreville, Gabon
| | - Sayaka Tsuchida
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University, Shimogamo, Kyoto 606-8522, Japan
| | - Chieko Ando
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan; General Incorporated Association ECO-LOGIC, Oshikakubo, Fujinomiya, Shizuoka 419-0303, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Sato
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yoshida, Yamaguchi 753-8515, Japan
| | - Michael A Huffman
- Section of Social Systems Evolution, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2, Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Ngoubangoye B, Boundenga L, Arnathau C, Mombo IM, Durand P, Tsoumbou TA, Otoro BV, Sana R, Okouga AP, Moukodoum N, Willaume E, Herbert A, Fouchet D, Rougeron V, Bâ CT, Ollomo B, Paupy C, Leroy EM, Renaud F, Pontier D, Prugnolle F. The host specificity of ape malaria parasites can be broken in confined environments. Int J Parasitol 2016; 46:737-44. [PMID: 27486075 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2016.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have revealed a large diversity of Plasmodium spp. among African great apes. Some of these species are related to Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent agent of human malaria (subgenus Laverania), and others to Plasmodium ovale, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium vivax (subgenus Plasmodium), three other human malaria agents. Laverania parasites exhibit strict host specificity in their natural environment. Plasmodium reichenowi, Plasmodium billcollinsi, Plasmodium billbrayi and Plasmodium gaboni infect only chimpanzees, while Plasmodium praefalciparum, Plasmodium blacklocki and Plasmodium adleri are restricted to gorillas and Plasmodium falciparum is pandemic in humans. This host specificity may be due to genetic and/or environmental factors. Infrastructures hosting captive primates, such as sanctuaries and health centres, usually concentrate different primate species, thus favouring pathogen exchanges. Using molecular tools, we analysed blood samples from captive non-human primates living in Gabon to evaluate the risk of Plasmodium spp. transfers between host species. We also included blood samples from workers taking care of primates to assess whether primate-human parasite transfers occurred. We detected four transfers of Plasmodium from gorillas towards chimpanzees, one from chimpanzees to gorillas, three from humans towards chimpanzees and one from humans to mandrills. No simian Plasmodium was found in the blood samples from humans working with primates. These findings demonstrate that the genetic barrier that determines the apparent host specificity of Laverania is not completely impermeable and that parasite exchanges between gorillas and chimpanzees are possible in confined environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Barthélémy Ngoubangoye
- Centre de Primatologie, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon; Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, France; LabEx ECOFECT, Eco-evolutionary Dynamics of Infectious Diseases, University of Lyon, France.
| | - Larson Boundenga
- Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon; Laboratoire d'Écologie et Biologie Evolutive, Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, BP5005, Senegal.
| | - Céline Arnathau
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France
| | - Illich Manfred Mombo
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France; Département de Zoonoses et maladies émergentes, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Patrick Durand
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Rick Sana
- Centre de Primatologie, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Alain-Prince Okouga
- Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Nancy Moukodoum
- Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Eric Willaume
- Parc de La Lékédi, Société d'Exploitation du Parc de La Lékédi/Entreprise de Recherche et d'Activités Métallurgiques/Compagnie Minière de l'Ogooué, BP 52, Bakoumba, Gabon
| | - Anaïs Herbert
- Centre de Primatologie, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon
| | - David Fouchet
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, France; LabEx ECOFECT, Eco-evolutionary Dynamics of Infectious Diseases, University of Lyon, France
| | - Virginie Rougeron
- Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon; Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France
| | - Cheikh Tidiane Bâ
- Laboratoire d'Écologie et Biologie Evolutive, Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, BP5005, Senegal
| | - Benjamin Ollomo
- Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Christophe Paupy
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France
| | - Eric M Leroy
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France
| | - François Renaud
- Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon
| | - Dominique Pontier
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, France; LabEx ECOFECT, Eco-evolutionary Dynamics of Infectious Diseases, University of Lyon, France
| | - Franck Prugnolle
- Unité de Biodiversité, Ecologie et Evolution des Parasites, CIRMF, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon; Laboratoire MIVEGEC, UM-CNRS 5290-IRD 224, IRD Montpellier, France
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
McLennan MR, Asiimwe C. Cars kill chimpanzees: case report of a wild chimpanzee killed on a road at Bulindi, Uganda. Primates 2016; 57:377-88. [PMID: 26960418 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-016-0528-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Roads have broadly adverse impacts on wildlife, including nonhuman primates. One direct effect is mortality from collisions with vehicles. While highly undesirable, roadkills provide valuable information on the health and condition of endangered species. We present a case report of a wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) killed crossing a road in Bulindi, Uganda, where chimpanzees inhabit forest fragments amid farmland. Details of the collision are constructed from eyewitness accounts of pedestrians. Physical examination of the cadaver indicated good overall body condition; at 40 kg, the deceased female was heavier than usual for an adult female East African chimpanzee. No external wounds or fractures were noted. Coprological assessment demonstrated infection by several gastrointestinal parasites commonly reported in living wild chimpanzees. Histopathology revealed eosinophilic enteritis and biliary hyperplasia potentially caused by parasite infection. However, eosinophilia was not widely spread into the submucosa, while egg/cyst counts suggested low-intensity parasite infections compared to healthy female chimpanzees of similar age in nearby Budongo Forest. No behavioral indicators of ill health were noted in the deceased female in the month prior to the accident. We conclude that cause of death was acute, i.e., shock from the collision, and was probably unrelated to parasite infection or any other underlying health condition. Notably, this female had asymmetrical polythelia, and, while nursing at the time of her death, had one functioning mammary gland only. In Uganda, where primates often inhabit human-dominated landscapes, human population growth and economic development has given rise to increasing motor traffic, while road development is enabling motorists to travel at greater speeds. Thus, the danger of roads to apes and other wildlife is rising, necessitating urgent strategies to reduce risks. Installation of simple speed-bumps-common on Ugandan roads-would be effective in reducing risks to wildlife, and would also make roads safer for human pedestrians.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R McLennan
- Anthropology Centre for Conservation, Environment and Development, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane Campus, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK.
| | - Caroline Asiimwe
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, P.O. Box 362, Masindi, Uganda
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Wich SA, Singleton I, Nowak MG, Utami Atmoko SS, Nisam G, Arif SM, Putra RH, Ardi R, Fredriksson G, Usher G, Gaveau DLA, Kühl HS. Land-cover changes predict steep declines for the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii). Sci Adv 2016; 2:e1500789. [PMID: 26973868 PMCID: PMC4783118 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1500789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Positive news about Sumatran orangutans is rare. The species is critically endangered because of forest loss and poaching, and therefore, determining the impact of future land-use change on this species is important. To date, the total Sumatran orangutan population has been estimated at 6600 individuals. On the basis of new transect surveys, we estimate a population of 14,613 in 2015. This higher estimate is due to three factors. First, orangutans were found at higher elevations, elevations previously considered outside of their range and, consequently, not surveyed previously. Second, orangutans were found more widely distributed in logged forests. Third, orangutans were found in areas west of the Toba Lake that were not previously surveyed. This increase in numbers is therefore due to a more wide-ranging survey effort and is not indicative of an increase in the orangutan population in Sumatra. There are evidently more Sumatran orangutans remaining in the wild than we thought, but the species remains under serious threat. Current scenarios for future forest loss predict that as many as 4500 individuals could vanish by 2030. Despite the positive finding that the population is double the size previously estimated, our results indicate that future deforestation will continue to be the cause of rapid declines in orangutan numbers. Hence, we urge that all developmental planning involving forest loss be accompanied by appropriate environmental impact assessments conforming with the current national and provincial legislations, and, through these, implement specific measures to reduce or, better, avoid negative impacts on forests where orangutans occur.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Serge A. Wich
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, James Parsons Building, Byrom Street, L33AF Liverpool, UK
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Sciencepark 904, Amsterdam 1098, Netherlands
- Corresponding author. E-mail:
| | - Ian Singleton
- Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, Jalan Wahid Hasyim 51/74, Medan 20154, Indonesia
| | - Matthew G. Nowak
- Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, Jalan Wahid Hasyim 51/74, Medan 20154, Indonesia
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Illinois University, 1000 Faner Drive, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
| | - Sri Suci Utami Atmoko
- Fakultas Biologi, Universitas Nasional, Jalan Sawo Manila, Pasar Minggu, Jakarta Selatan 12520, Indonesia
| | - Gonda Nisam
- Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, Jalan Wahid Hasyim 51/74, Medan 20154, Indonesia
| | - Sugesti Mhd. Arif
- Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, Jalan Wahid Hasyim 51/74, Medan 20154, Indonesia
| | - Rudi H. Putra
- Leuser Conservation Forum, Jalan Geuchik Raja No. 89 A, Banda Aceh 23233, Indonesia
| | - Rio Ardi
- Yayasan Orangutan Sumatera Lestari–Orangutan Information Centre, Jalan Bunga Sedap Malam 18C No. 10, Medan 20131, Indonesia
| | - Gabriella Fredriksson
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Sciencepark 904, Amsterdam 1098, Netherlands
- Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, Jalan Wahid Hasyim 51/74, Medan 20154, Indonesia
| | - Graham Usher
- Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, Jalan Wahid Hasyim 51/74, Medan 20154, Indonesia
| | - David L. A. Gaveau
- Center for International Forestry Research, P.O. Box 0113 BOCBD, Bogor 16000, Indonesia
| | - Hjalmar S. Kühl
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Stoessel A, Gunz P, David R, Spoor F. Comparative anatomy of the middle ear ossicles of extant hominids--Introducing a geometric morphometric protocol. J Hum Evol 2016; 91:1-25. [PMID: 26852810 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Revised: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The presence of three interconnected auditory ossicles in the middle ear is a defining characteristic of mammals, and aspects of ossicle morphology are related to hearing sensitivity. However, analysis and comparison of ossicles are complicated by their minute size and complex three-dimensional shapes. Here we introduce a geometric morphometric measurement protocol for 3D shape analysis based on landmarks and semilandmarks obtained from μCT images and apply it to ossicles of extant hominids (great apes and humans). We show that the protocol is reliable and reproducible over a range of voxel resolutions, and captures even subtle shape differences. Using this approach it is possible to distinguish the hominid taxa by mean shapes of their malleus and incus (p < 0.01). The stapes appears less diagnostic, although this may in part be related to the small sample size available. Using ancestral state estimation, we show that, within hominids, Homo sapiens is derived with respect to its malleus (short manubrium, long corpus, head anterior-posterior flattened, articular facet shape), incus (wide intercrural curvature, long incudal processes, articular facet shape) and stapes (high stapes with kidney-shaped footplate). H. sapiens also shows a number of plesiomorphic shape traits whereas Gorilla and Pan possess a number of autapomorphic characteristics. The Pongo ossicles appear to be close to the plesiomorphic hominid condition. The malleus shows little difference in size among hominids, and allometry is thus of little importance. In contrast, the incus and stapes are more variable in size, and their shape is more strongly related to size differences. Although the form-function relationships in the middle ear are not fully understood, some aspects of ossicle morphology suggest that interspecific differences in hearing capacities are present among hominids. Finally, the results of this study provide a comparative framework for morphometric studies analyzing ossicles of extinct hominids, with a bearing on taxonomy, phylogeny and auditory function.
Collapse
|
36
|
Hrazdilová K, Slaninková E, Brožová K, Modrý D, Vodička R, Celer V. New species of Torque Teno miniviruses infecting gorillas and chimpanzees. Virology 2015; 487:207-14. [PMID: 26547037 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2015] [Revised: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/15/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Anelloviridae family is comprised of small, non-enveloped viruses of various genome lengths, high sequence diversity, sharing the same genome organization. Infections and co-infections by different genotypes in humans are ubiquitous. Related viruses were described in number of mammalian hosts, but very limited data are available from the closest human relatives - great apes and non-human primates. Here we report the 100% prevalence determined by semi-nested PCR from fecal samples of 16 captive primate species. Only the Mandrillus sphinx, showed the prevalence only 8%. We describe three new species of gorillas׳ and four new species of chimpanzees׳ Betatorqueviruses and their co-infections in one individual. This study is also first report and analysis of nearly full length TTMV genomes infecting gorillas. Our attempts to sequence the complete genomes of anelloviruses from host feces invariably failed. Broader usage of blood /tissue material is necessary to understand the diversity and interspecies transmission of anelloviruses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kristýna Hrazdilová
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno,612 42 Brno, Czech Republic; CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno,612 42 Brno, Czech Republic.
| | - Eva Slaninková
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno,612 42 Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno,612 42 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kristýna Brožová
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno,612 42 Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno,612 42 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - David Modrý
- CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno,612 42 Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno,612 42 Brno, Czech Republic; Biology Centre, Institute of Parasitology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Roman Vodička
- The Prague Zoological Garden, Prague 171 00, Czech Republic
| | - Vladimír Celer
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno,612 42 Brno, Czech Republic; CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno,612 42 Brno, Czech Republic
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Pearson A, Groves C, Cardini A. The 'temporal effect' in hominids: Reinvestigating the nature of support for a chimp-human clade in bone morphology. J Hum Evol 2015; 88:146-159. [PMID: 26363669 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2014] [Revised: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 06/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In 2004, an analysis by Lockwood and colleagues of hard-tissue morphology, using geometric morphometrics on the temporal bone, succeeded in recovering the correct phylogeny of living hominids without resorting to potentially problematic methods for transforming continuous shape variables into meristic characters. That work has increased hope that by using modern analytical methods and phylogenetically informative anatomical data we might one day be able to accurately infer the relationships of hominins, including the closest extinct relatives of modern humans. In the present study, using 3D virtually generated models of the hominid temporal bone and a larger suite of geometric morphometric and comparative techniques, we have re-examined the evidence for a Pan-Homo clade. Despite differences in samples, as well as the type of raw data, the effect of measurement error (and especially landmark digitization by a different operator), but also a broader perspective brought in by our diverse set of approaches, our reanalysis largely supports Lockwood and colleagues' original results. However, by focusing not only mainly on shape (as in the original 2004 analysis) but also on size and 'size-corrected' (non-allometric) shape, we demonstrate that the strong phylogenetic signal in the temporal bone is largely related to similarities in size. Thus, with this study, we are not suggesting the use of a single 'character', such as size, for phylogenetic inference, but we do challenge the common view that shape, with its highly complex and multivariate nature, is necessarily more phylogenetically informative than size and that actually size and size-related shape variation (i.e., allometry) confound phylogenetic inference based on morphology. This perspective may in fact be less generalizable than often believed. Thus, while we confirm the original findings by Lockwood et al., we provide a deep reinterpretation of their nature and potential implications for hominid phylogenetics and we show how crucial it is not to overlook size in geometric morphometric analyses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alannah Pearson
- School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
| | - Colin Groves
- School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
| | - Andrea Cardini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche e Geologiche, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, l.go S. Eufemia 19, 41121 Modena, Italy; Centre for Forensic Science, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Anderson JR, Gallup GG. Mirror self-recognition: a review and critique of attempts to promote and engineer self-recognition in primates. Primates 2015; 56:317-26. [PMID: 26341947 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-015-0488-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
We review research on reactions to mirrors and self-recognition in nonhuman primates, focusing on methodological issues. Starting with the initial demonstration in chimpanzees in 1970 and subsequent attempts to extend this to other species, self-recognition in great apes is discussed with emphasis on spontaneous manifestations of mirror-guided self-exploration as well as spontaneous use of the mirror to investigate foreign marks on otherwise nonvisible body parts-the mark test. Attempts to show self-recognition in other primates are examined with particular reference to the lack of convincing examples of spontaneous mirror-guided self-exploration, and efforts to engineer positive mark test responses by modifying the test or using conditioning techniques. Despite intensive efforts to demonstrate self-recognition in other primates, we conclude that to date there is no compelling evidence that prosimians, monkeys, or lesser apes-gibbons and siamangs-are capable of mirror self-recognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James R Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Letters, Yoshida-honmachi, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
| | - Gordon G Gallup
- Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Abstract
It is sometimes argued that while human gestures are produced ostensively and intentionally, great ape gestures are produced only intentionally. If true, this would make the psychological mechanisms underlying the different species' communication fundamentally different, and ascriptions of meaning to chimpanzee gestures would be inappropriate. While the existence of different underlying mechanisms cannot be ruled out, in fact claims about difference are driven less by empirical data than by contested assumptions about the nature of ostensive communication. On some accounts, there are no reasons to doubt that great ape gestural communication is ostensive. If these accounts are correct, attributions of meaning to chimpanzee gestures would be justified.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard Moore
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain/Department of Philosophy, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
van Wyhe J, Kjærgaard PC. Going the whole orang: Darwin, Wallace and the natural history of orangutans. Stud Hist Philos Biol Biomed Sci 2015; 51:53-63. [PMID: 25861859 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsc.2015.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This article surveys the European discovery and early ideas about orangutans followed by the contrasting experiences with these animals of the co-founders of evolution by natural selection, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. The first non-human great ape that both of them interacted with was the orangutan. They were both profoundly influenced by what they saw, but the contexts of their observations could hardly be more different. Darwin met orangutans in the Zoological Gardens in London while Wallace saw them in the wild in Borneo. In different ways these observations helped shape their views of human evolution and humanity's place in nature. Their findings played a major role in shaping some of the key questions that were pursued in human evolutionary studies during the rest of the nineteenth century.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John van Wyhe
- Department of Biological Sciences & Fellow of Tembusu College, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore.
| | - Peter C Kjærgaard
- Centre for Biocultural History, Aarhus University, Jens Chr. Skous Vej 7, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark; The Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Tsuda Y, Parkins CJ, Caposio P, Feldmann F, Botto S, Ball S, Messaoudi I, Cicin-Sain L, Feldmann H, Jarvis MA. A cytomegalovirus-based vaccine provides long-lasting protection against lethal Ebola virus challenge after a single dose. Vaccine 2015; 33:2261-2266. [PMID: 25820063 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Revised: 03/06/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Ebola virus (Zaire ebolavirus; EBOV) is a highly lethal hemorrhagic disease virus that most recently was responsible for two independent 2014 outbreaks in multiple countries in Western Africa, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, respectively. Herein, we show that a cytomegalovirus (CMV)-based vaccine provides durable protective immunity from Ebola virus following a single vaccine dose. This study has implications for human vaccination against ebolaviruses, as well as for development of a 'disseminating' vaccine to target these viruses in wild African great apes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshimi Tsuda
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Christopher J Parkins
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Patrizia Caposio
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Friederike Feldmann
- Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Sara Botto
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Susan Ball
- Centre for Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Biomarkers, University of Plymouth, Devon, UK
| | - Ilhem Messaoudi
- School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Luka Cicin-Sain
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Heinz Feldmann
- Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Michael A Jarvis
- School of Biomedical and Healthcare Sciences, University of Plymouth, Devon, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Soto-Calderón ID, Dew JL, Bergl RA, Jensen-Seaman MI, Anthony NM. Admixture between historically isolated mitochondrial lineages in captive Western gorillas: recommendations for future management. J Hered 2015; 106:310-4. [PMID: 25790828 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esv006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although captive populations of western gorilla have been maintained in the United States for over a century, little is known about the geographic origins and genetic composition of the current zoo population. Furthermore, although previous mitochondrial analyses have shown that free-range gorilla populations exhibit substantial regional differentiation, nothing is known of the extent to which this variation has been preserved in captive populations. To address these questions, we combined 379 pedigree records with data from 52 mitochondrial sequences to infer individual haplogroup affiliations, geographical origin of wild founders and instances of inter-breeding between haplogroups in the United States captive gorilla population. We show that the current captive population contains all major mitochondrial lineages found within wild western lowland gorillas. Levels of haplotype diversity are also comparable to those found in wild populations. However, the majority of captive gorilla matings have occurred between individuals with different haplogroup affiliations. Although restricting crosses to individuals within the same haplogroup would preserve the phylogeographic structure present in the wild, careful management of captive populations is required to minimize the risk of drift and inbreeding. However, when captive animals are released back into the wild, we recommend that efforts should be made to preserve natural phylogeographic structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Iván D Soto-Calderón
- From the Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148 (Soto-Calderón, Dew, and Anthony); the Molecular Genetics Lab. (GENMOL), University of Antioquia, AA.1226, Medellín, Colombia (Soto-Calderón); the North Carolina Zoo, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205 (Bergl); and the Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15282 (Jensen-Seaman).
| | - J Larry Dew
- From the Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148 (Soto-Calderón, Dew, and Anthony); the Molecular Genetics Lab. (GENMOL), University of Antioquia, AA.1226, Medellín, Colombia (Soto-Calderón); the North Carolina Zoo, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205 (Bergl); and the Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15282 (Jensen-Seaman)
| | - Richard A Bergl
- From the Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148 (Soto-Calderón, Dew, and Anthony); the Molecular Genetics Lab. (GENMOL), University of Antioquia, AA.1226, Medellín, Colombia (Soto-Calderón); the North Carolina Zoo, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205 (Bergl); and the Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15282 (Jensen-Seaman)
| | - Michael I Jensen-Seaman
- From the Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148 (Soto-Calderón, Dew, and Anthony); the Molecular Genetics Lab. (GENMOL), University of Antioquia, AA.1226, Medellín, Colombia (Soto-Calderón); the North Carolina Zoo, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205 (Bergl); and the Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15282 (Jensen-Seaman)
| | - Nicola M Anthony
- From the Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, 2000 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70148 (Soto-Calderón, Dew, and Anthony); the Molecular Genetics Lab. (GENMOL), University of Antioquia, AA.1226, Medellín, Colombia (Soto-Calderón); the North Carolina Zoo, 4401 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205 (Bergl); and the Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15282 (Jensen-Seaman)
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Puppione DL, Ryan CM, Bassilian S, Souda P, Xiao X, Ryder OA, Whitelegge JP. Detection of two distinct forms of apoC-I in great apes. Comp Biochem Physiol Part D Genomics Proteomics 2010; 5:73-9. [PMID: 20209111 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2009.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
ApoC-I, the smallest of the soluble apolipoproteins, associates with both TG-rich lipoproteins and HDL. Mass spectral analyses of human apoC-I previously had demonstrated that in the circulation there are two forms, either a 57 amino acid protein or a 55 amino acid protein, due to the loss of two amino acids from the N-terminus. In our analyses of the apolipoproteins of the other great apes by mass spectrometry, four forms of apoC-I were detected. Two of these showed a high degree of identity to the mature and truncated forms of human apoC-I. The other two were homologous to the virtual protein and its truncated form that are encoded by a human pseudogene. In humans, the genes for apoC-I and its pseudogene are located on chromosome 19, the pseudogene being 2.5 kb downstream from the apoC-I gene. Based on the similarity between the apoC-I gene and the pseudogene, it has been concluded that the latter arose from the former as a result of gene duplication approximately 35 million years ago. Interestingly, the virtual protein encoded by the pseudogene is acidic, not basic like apoC-I. In the chimpanzee, there also are two genes for apoC-I, the one upstream encodes a basic protein and the downstream gene, rather than being a pseudogene, encodes an acidic protein (P86336). In addition to reporting on the molecular masses of great ape apoC-I, we were able to clearly demonstrate by "Top-down" sequencing that the acidic form arose from a separate gene. In our analyses, we have measured the molecular masses of apoC-I associated with the HDL of the following great apes: bonobo (Pan paniscus), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), and the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii). Genomic variations in chromosome 19 among great apes, baboons and macaques as they relate to both genes for apoC-I and the pseudogene are compared and discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Donald L Puppione
- The Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|