Collaborative Research: A Multidisciplinary, Field-Based Study of the Little-Known Kinda Baboon (Papio cynocephalus kindae)

巴布亚(Papio属)的身体、行为和生态多样性使它们成为理解早期人类进化的一个富有成效的来源。这个项目调查了一种分布广泛但鲜为人知的物种--有点像狒狒(P.kindae)，并探索了它独特的行为和身体特征的生理和遗传基础。除了外表上异常小和幼稚之外，有点像狒狒的性别分化似乎比其他狒狒要小。像其他物种的雌性一样，成年雄性种类经常开始长时间的梳妆，而雌性经常发出警报声，这通常是雄性狒狒的活动。出乎意料的是，有点像狒狒的狒狒会与邻近的查克玛狒狒(P.ursinus)杂交，后者的体型几乎是他们的两倍，而且行为更典型。这项研究项目从可观察到的行为和解剖水平，通过发育和激素控制水平，到基因组水平，追踪了这些物种差异的原因。在赞比亚的卡福国家公园，200多只种类的、杂交的和chacma狒狒被捕获，采样，并毫发无损地释放。基本的生物学数据，如体重和身体尺寸，与血液样本一起收集。专业实验室研究这些血液样本中的荷尔蒙和其他影响生长、性别分化和行为的生物活性成分，并制作一张高分辨率的类似基因组的图谱。然后，通过比较种类中快速进化的候选区域和其他狒狒物种中的同源区域，可以追踪到遗传水平上一致区分种类的生理差异。该项目在将成熟的、技术相对较低的领域技术与基因组学和荷尔蒙生理学的尖端技术相结合方面具有创新性。最直接的是，它填补了我们对关键灵长类动物属知识的一个重大空白。从长远来看，它为包括人类在内的其他物种的行为变异和进化提供了洞察力。在更广泛的领域，该项目将培训研究生，进一步与赞比亚野生动物当局进行科学合作，并促进狒狒在野生动物旅游中的地位。

The physical, behavioral and ecological diversity of baboons (genus Papio) makes them a fruitful source as analogies for understanding early human evolution. This project investigates a widespread but little known species, the kinda baboon (P. kindae), and probes the physiological and genetic bases of its distinctive behaviors and physical features. Besides being unusually small and juvenile in appearance, kinda baboons appear less sexually differentiated than other baboons. Behaving like females of other species, adult male kindas frequently initiate long grooming sessions, while females often give alarm barks, which is normally a male baboon activity. Unexpectedly, kinda baboons hybridize with neighboring chacma baboons (P. ursinus) which are almost twice their size, and are behaviorally more typical. This research project traces the causes of these species differences from the level of observable behavior and anatomy, through the level of development and hormonal control, to the level of the genome. Over 200 kinda, hybrid, and chacma baboons are trapped, sampled, and released unharmed in Kafue National Park, Zambia. Basic biological data such as weight and body measurements are collected along with blood samples. Specialist labs investigate these blood samples for the hormones and other biologically active components that influence growth, sexual differentiation, and behavior, and produce a high-resolution map of the kinda genome. Physiological differences that consistently distinguish kindas can then be tracked to the genetic level, by comparing fast-evolving candidate regions in kindas with homologous regions in other baboon species. The project is innovative in combining proven, comparatively low-tech field techniques with cutting edge technology in genomics and hormonal physiology. Most immediately, it fills a major gap in our knowledge of a key primate genus. In the long term, it provides insights into behavioral variation and evolution in other species, including humans. In the wider sphere, the project will train graduate students, further scientific collaboration with Zambian Wildlife authorities, and promote the status of baboons in wildlife tourism.