Doctoral Dissertation Research: Positional Behavior and Limb Use in Cebus, Alouatta, and Ateles

对位置行为(运动和姿势)的研究是生物人类学中的关键问题，包括灵长类动物的起源和树栖适应、类人族攀登和类人族两足动物。对运动和姿势的研究提供了关于生物物种的生态、解剖和进化关系的关键信息，为解释化石记录提供了一个比较的框架，并作为保护和生态规划的教育工具。这项研究考察了生活在哥斯达黎加热带雨林的三种新大陆灵长类动物(Ateles geoffroyi、Alouatta palliata和Cebus Capucinus)的位置行为个体发育(个体的生活史)以及肢体和缠尾使用的细节。在成长和发展的过程中，个体在利用环境方面面临着不同的挑战。个体发育数据可以评估发生时的行为和形态变化，以及对密切相关物种之间位置行为的发育限制。虽然个体发育对我们理解位置行为至关重要，但还没有实地研究来评估它对新大陆灵长类动物的影响。白面卷尾猴(Cebus)、黑手蜘蛛猴(Ateles)和衣冠猴(Alouatta)将在哥斯达黎加的La Suerte生物研究站接受检查。行为观察结合数字录像将被用来记录婴儿期、青春期和成年期的位置策略，以解决以下目标。首先，本研究将对三种卷尾动物的表达行为、功能形态和生态环境进行全面、系统和量化的描述。其次，有关幼年和成体位置策略的数据将提供有关生长和发育如何影响青少年时期的摄食和觅食策略、社会行为和最终生存的信息。第三，由于可缠绕的尾巴在Atelinae亚科(Alouatta、Ateles、Brachyteles和Lagothrix)和Cebus中独立进化，本研究将允许比较可缠绕的尾巴在两个更接近的物种(Ateles和Alouatta)中作为共同派生特征的比较，以及作为更远缘CEBus的类似特征的比较。与之密切相关的咆哮猴和蜘蛛猴是阿特林主题的生物行为变体，即具有广泛抓握能力的大身体、长尾的新大陆灵长类动物。卷尾猴也有尾巴的缠绕能力，但在身体大小和尾巴解剖(以及进化史)上有所不同。该项目将对居住在同一热带雨林的三种新大陆灵长类动物的表达行为和生态环境做出全面、系统和量化的描述。通过关注个体发育在位置行为上的差异问题，这项研究考察了灵长类个体发育中类似成人的运动和姿势模式的发展程度，以及模式在年龄和性别类别内和之间的差异。最后，这项研究成果将用于拉苏尔特生物研究站周围雨林的保护规划和维护。作为这些努力的一部分，成果将为周围社区和美国的教育项目做出贡献。

Studies of positional behavior (locomotion and posture) are central to key issues in biological anthropology including primate origins and arboreal adaptations, hominoid climbing, and hominid bipedalism. The study of locomotion and posture provides critical information concerning ecological, anatomical and evolutionary relationships in living species, a comparative framework for interpretation of the fossil record, and as an educational tool for conservation and ecological planning. This research examines the ontogeny (the life history of an individual) of positional behavior and details of limb and prehensile-tail use in three New World primate species (Ateles geoffroyi, Alouatta palliata, and Cebus capucinus) inhabiting a tropical rainforest in Costa Rica. During the course of growth and development, individuals face different challenges in exploiting their environment. Ontogenetic data allow assessment of behavioral and morphological changes as they occur and developmental constraints on positional behavior among closely-related species. While ontogeny is critical to our understanding of positional behavior, there are no field studies that assess its effects on New World primates. White-faced capuchins (Cebus), black handed spider monkeys (Ateles), and mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta) will be examined at La Suerte Biological Research Station in Costa Rica. Behavioral observations in conjunction with digital video recording will be used to document positional strategies during infancy, juvenescence, and adulthood to address the following objectives. First, this research will provide a comprehensive, systematic, and quantified description of expressed behavior, functional morphology, and ecological context of three prehensile-tailed species. Second, data on juvenile and adult positional strategies will provide information on how growth and development may influence feeding and foraging strategy, social behavior, and ultimately survival during the juvenile period. Third, because the prehensile tail has evolved independently in the subfamily Atelinae (Alouatta, Ateles, Brachyteles, and Lagothrix) and Cebus, this study will allow comparison of the prehensile tail as a shared-derived feature in two more closely-related species (Ateles and Alouatta), and as an analogous feature in the more distantly- related Cebus. Closely-related howler and spider monkeys are biobehavioral variations on the ateline theme, that is, large-bodied, long-tailed New World primates with extensive gripping capabilities. Capuchin monkeys, also with prehensile abilities of the tail, differ in body size and tail anatomy (and evolutionary history). This project will contribute a comprehensive, systematic, and quantified description of expressed behavior and ecological context in three New World primates inhabiting the same rainforest. By focusing on questions of ontogenetic differences in positional behavior, this study examines the degree to which adult-like patterns of locomotion and posture develop in primate ontogeny and how patterns may differ within and between age and sex categories. Finally, the results of this research will be used in the conservation planning and maintenance of the rainforest surrounding La Suerte Biological Research Station. As part of these efforts, results will contribute to educational programs in the surrounding community and in the United States.