Testing adaptive significance of primate color vision by behavioral and genetic studies of wild populations of New World monkeys

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Color vision is an important characteristic of primates and Neotropical monkeys are highly polymorphic for this trait. We have conducted a field study on spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) inhabiting Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica. In spider monkeys dichromats were not inferior to trichromats in detecting fruits because the luminance contrast of fruits to background leaves was the main determinant of the fruit detection. Olfactory inspection was also an important determinant for ingestion or rejection of fruits in the spider monkeys. In capuchin monkeys dichromats were more superior in foraging for surface-dwelling insects. On the other hand, the nucleotide sequence of the L-M opsin gene was more polymorphic and positive in Tajima's D than the sequences of the neutral references in these monkeys, indicating balancing selection operating on their L-M opsin gene. Taking the results of behavioral and genetic studies together, coexistence of different color vision types in the same population is adaptive.