Mineralized tissue research on the life history of Virunga mountain gorillas

该项目的主要目标是对来自卢旺达维龙加山地大猩猩（Gorilla beringei beringei）的已知野生非洲猿类种群进行牙齿和骨骼组织显微解剖的全面分析，重点是测试硬组织发育与特定环境和生活史因素之间的关系。利用放射学和组织学技术，获得山地大猩猩牙齿和骨骼生长发育的原始数据，为野外类人猿发育建立重要的比较基础，验证社会生态因素对类人猿生活史变异性影响的假设；(2)确定硬组织中记录发育应激发生率的微观解剖特征的存在和时间顺序（即，牙釉质纹的强化；骨骼生长受阻的线条）；(3)将这些年表与气候、行为和兽医记录进行比较，以确定环境因素和个体生活史特征（例如，断奶、社会地位、疾病、人为干扰）影响硬组织生长的方式，并记录在其发育的微观解剖学中。考虑到相关生命记录的可用性，对维龙加山地大猩猩的硬组织研究可以为这些极度濒危的类人猿的生物学和健康状况提供重要而独特的见解，并建立一个基于牙齿和骨骼组织综合研究的框架，这些研究对从化石开始的生活史进化研究具有重大的变革潜力。该项目的更广泛影响包括促进科学学科之间整合的新的国际合作；为卢旺达和美国的学生和科学家建立牙齿和骨骼放射照相和显微镜图像的数字档案；以及为美国本科生和研究生提供研究和培训机会。最后，在卢旺达支助一名研究助理和增加培训机会将建立当地的专门知识和能力，以确保山地大猩猩骨骼保存和研究工作的长期可持续性，并扩大代表性不足的群体对科学的参与。

The major objective of this project is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of dental and skeletal tissue microanatomy in a known population of African apes from the wild, Virunga mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), Rwanda, with an emphasis on testing relationships between hard tissue development and specific environmental and life history factors. Using radiographic and histologic techniques, specific aims include : (1) generating primary data on dental and skeletal growth and development in mountain gorillas, establishing an important comparative foundation on great ape development in the wild, and test hypotheses concerning the influence of socioecological factors on variability in great ape life histories; (2) determining the presence and chronology of microanatomical features in hard tissues that record incidence of developmental stress (i.e., accentuated enamel striae; lines of arrested growth in bone); and (3) comparing these chronologies against climatic, behavioral and veterinary records to determine the manner in which environmental factors and characteristics of individual life histories (e.g., weaning, social status, disease, human disturbance) impact the growth of hard tissues and are recorded in their developing microanatomy. Given availability of associated life records, hard tissue research on Virunga mountain gorillas can contribute significant and unique insight into the biology and health of these critically-endangered great apes, and establish a framework based on the combined study of dental and skeletal tissues in well-documented natural populations that has significant transformative potential for the study of life history evolution from fossils. Broader impacts of this project include new international collaborations that foster integration among scientific disciplines; creation of a digital archive of tooth and bone radiographic and microscopy images, available to Rwandan and US students and scientists; and research and training opportunities for US undergraduate and graduate students. Finally, support for a research assistant and additional training opportunities in Rwanda will build local expertise and capacity to ensure the long-term sustainability of mountain gorilla skeletal preservation and research efforts, and broaden participation of under-represented groups in science.