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

狒狒（Papio属）的生理、行为和生态多样性使它们成为理解早期人类进化的丰富类比来源。本项目调查了一种分布广泛但鲜为人知的物种——类人猿狒狒（P. kindae），并探讨了其独特行为和身体特征的生理和遗传基础。除了在外表上异常的小和幼年外，小狒狒的性别分化似乎比其他狒狒要少。成年雄性狒狒的行为和其他物种的雌性狒狒一样，它们经常会开始长时间的梳理过程，而雌性狒狒通常会发出警叫声，这是雄性狒狒的活动。出乎意料的是，kinda狒狒与相邻的chacma狒狒（P. ursinus）杂交，后者几乎是它们的两倍大，行为更典型。该研究项目从可观察的行为和解剖水平，通过发育和激素控制水平，到基因组水平，追溯这些物种差异的原因。在赞比亚Kafue国家公园，超过200只种类，杂交和chacma狒狒被捕获，取样并毫发无损地释放。基本的生物数据，如体重和身体测量，与血液样本一起收集。专业实验室研究这些血液样本中的激素和其他影响生长、性别分化和行为的生物活性成分，并绘制出一幅高分辨率的基因组图。通过比较类群中快速进化的候选区域与其他狒狒物种的同源区域，可以将区分类群的生理差异一直追踪到遗传水平。该项目将成熟的、技术含量相对较低的领域技术与基因组学和激素生理学的前沿技术相结合，具有创新性。最直接的是，它填补了我们对一个关键灵长类属的知识的重大空白。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见解。在更广泛的范围内，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，并提高狒狒在野生动物旅游业中的地位。

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.