Social Conventions, Sexual Selection, and Acoustic Signals in Wild Brown Capuchins

野生棕卷尾猴的社会习俗、性选择和声音信号

• 批准号: 0352316
• 负责人: Sue Boinski
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-02-15 至 2010-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0352316&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Social; Conventions; Sexual; Selection; Acoustic

The capacity to combine objects and employ objects as tools is considered one of the major achievements of our species and figures deeply in our mythological, philosophical, cultural, and academic explanations for the evolution of human intelligence and behavior. Many researchers hold that object manipulation, language, social skills, and brain structure are been linked in human evolution. For the past 40 years capuchins monkeys, New World primates in the genus Cebus, have often been suggested as models for the evolution of intelligence and tool use in humans. Among primates, only only chimpanzees and humans exceed capuchins in the frequency, complexity with which objects are combined and manipulated. Although suggestive observations come from capuchins in captivity, scant evidence from wild populations is available to test hypotheses as to why exceptional manipulative abilities can be advantageous in natural settings and how individuals acquire these skills. Brown capuchins (Cebus apella) in the Central Suriname Nature Reserve (CSNR) use complex object manipulation at the highest rates yet documented among wild capuchins. More specifically, male capuchins at CSNR employ an array of object combinations and manipulations labeled as percussion: striking sticks or hard fruit against hard surfaces and breaking off tree limbs. Percussion generates mechanical (non-vocal) acoustic sounds that transmit farther and more reliably in this densely forested environment than social signals based on visual displays. Preliminary observations suggest that capuchins evaluate the acoustic structure of the noises males produce in percussion as honest indicators of male strength and vigor important in male-mate competition and female mate choice, i.e., the stronger the male percussing, the louder the noise. This research project evaluates hypotheses about (1) the functions of brown capuchins' percussive behavior, focusing on the relative benefits accruing in sexual selection versus foraging, and (2) the expression of percussion in relation to an individual's developmental status and social circumstances. Whatever the findings, the theoretical implications are important and encompass anthropology, biology, ecology, and psychology. Percussive behavior will be most fully understood against the distinctive ecological background of capuchin society at CSNR. First, the biota of the Guianan Plateau is characterized by extremely low energy and nutrient flow relative to other Neotropical regions. Second, these regional ecological characteristics are compounded by previously unsuspected landscape earthworks by pre-Columbian Amerindians populations in the area now encompassed by the CSNR. Recent exploratory work by Boinski and colleagues confirms that pervasive archeological features are present in CSNR; these sites covary with the bamboo and liana forest habitats preferentially used by capuchins. This primate and community ecology research program has been ongoing in the CSNR since 1998 and remains the only multi-year ecological project within Suriname's forested interior since the end of violent civil uprisings (late 1970's - early 1990's). Boinski and her team work with biologists, educators, and wildlife and conservation officials of Suriname, international NGOs, and Peace Corps. Long-term supportive relations have developed between Surinamese Park Service and the research team, leading to educational and conservation outreach and contributions to the scientific infrastructure of Suriname by this project far beyond the immediate research products. Educational videos produced from research tapes will be made freely available on the web. The CSNR project is engaging the Surinamese with provocative questions about the cultural and biological significance of their matchless forests at a moment in history when national and foreign interests seek to expand economic exploitation of these same forests.

联合收割机和使用物体作为工具的能力被认为是我们物种和人物的主要成就之一，在我们对人类智力和行为进化的神话，哲学，文化和学术解释中。许多研究者认为，物体操纵、语言、社会技能和大脑结构在人类进化中是相互联系的。在过去的40年里，卷尾猴（Cebus属的新大陆灵长类动物）经常被认为是人类智力和工具使用进化的模型。在灵长类动物中，只有黑猩猩和人类在组合和操纵物体的频率和复杂性方面超过卷尾猴。虽然暗示性的观察来自于圈养的卷尾猴，但很少有来自野生种群的证据可以用来检验为什么特殊的操纵能力在自然环境中是有利的以及个人如何获得这些技能的假设。在苏里南中部自然保护区（CSNR）的棕色卷尾猴（Cebus apella）使用复杂的物体操纵的比率是野生卷尾猴中最高的。更具体地说，CSNR的雄性卷尾猴使用一系列被标记为敲击的物体组合和操作：在坚硬的表面上敲击棍子或硬水果，折断树枝。打击乐产生的机械（非声乐）声学声音，在这个茂密的森林环境中传播得更远，更可靠，而不是基于视觉显示的社会信号。初步观察表明，卷尾猴评估男性在敲击中产生的噪音的声学结构，作为男性力量和活力的诚实指标，在男性配偶竞争和女性配偶选择中很重要，即，雄性的鸣叫声越强，声音就越大。本研究项目评估了以下假设：（1）棕色卷尾猴的觅食行为的功能，重点是性选择与觅食的相对收益，以及（2）与个体发育状况和社会环境相关的敲击表达。无论研究结果如何，其理论意义都很重要，涵盖了人类学、生物学、生态学和心理学。打击行为将在CSNR卷尾猴社会独特的生态背景下得到最充分的理解。首先，圭亚那高原的生物群的特点是相对于其他新热带地区的能量和营养流极低。第二，这些区域生态特征是复杂的，以前没有想到的景观土方工程前哥伦布美洲印第安人人口在该地区现在所涵盖的CSNR。Boinski及其同事最近的探索工作证实，CSNR中存在普遍的考古特征;这些遗址与卷尾猴优先使用的竹子和藤本植物森林栖息地有所不同。该灵长类动物和社区生态研究项目自1998年以来一直在CSNR进行，并且仍然是自暴力内乱（20世纪70年代末至20世纪90年代初）结束以来苏里南森林内陆唯一的多年生态项目。Boinski和她的团队与苏里南的生物学家、教育工作者、野生动物和保护官员、国际非政府组织和和平队合作。苏里南公园管理局和研究小组之间建立了长期的支持关系，从而使教育和保护工作得到推广，并使该项目对苏里南的科学基础设施作出了远远超出直接研究产品的贡献。将在网上免费提供根据研究磁带制作的教育录像。在国家和外国利益寻求扩大对这些森林的经济开发的历史时刻，CSNR项目正在向柬埔寨人提出关于其无与伦比的森林的文化和生物意义的挑衅性问题。