Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Comparative Positional Behavior of Asian Hominoidea.

身体大小是树栖环境中的一个主要限制因素，直立运动和姿势行为被认为对相对大型的猿类（类人猿）的进化发展具有实质性的优势。 这项研究的结果将扩大目前对类人猿，特别是类人猿位置行为的理解。此外，作为资源竞争对手的极度濒危的苏门答腊猩猩，数据的位置行为，森林利用，和喂养/觅食策略的濒危同域长臂猿是一个关键组成部分，在西巴塘托罗，北苏门答腊，印度尼西亚（WBT）的保护战略。这项研究还与一个更大的WBT生物多样性项目相结合，涉及具有不同专业的本地和国际研究人员，因此也将促进跨国和跨学科的联系。最后，Co-PI将帮助教育印度尼西亚学生和周围的当地社区了解WBT及其生态效益。虽然研究已经解决了这个分类组的最大代表之间的身体大小和位置行为的协变，但很少有报道关于这种关系的小型hylobatis。这是特别有趣的，因为这些在解剖学和行为学上专门化的灵长类动物被认为代表了一个谱系，该谱系在进化上减小了体型，并微调了广义正形性的猿模式，以便更有效地利用树冠。作为这一假设的检验，身体大小，栖息地的使用，和位置行为的大小可变的同域长臂猿（敏捷长臂猿）和合趾猴（合趾猴）之间的关系进行检查在WBT。Co-PI先前从泰国考艾国家公园收集的长臂猿数据也用于比较。此外，从这项研究的数据进行了比较，以前发表的数据，其他类人猿，atelids，cebids，和cercopithecoids，以重新评估猿运动和姿势的专业化。

Body size is a major constraint in the arboreal milieu, and orthograde (upright) locomotor and postural behaviors are thought to have conveyed substantial advantages to the evolutionary development of the relatively large-bodied apes (hominoids). The results from this study will expand the current understanding of hominoid, especially gibbon, positional behavior. Additionally, as resource competitors of the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, data on the positional behavior, forest use, and feeding/foraging strategies of endangered sympatric gibbons represents a key component to the conservation strategies at West Batang Toro, North Sumatra, Indonesia (WBT). This study also integrates with a larger project on the biodiversity of WBT, involving local and international researchers with diverse specializations, and will therefore also facilitate cross-national and inter-disciplinary ties. Lastly, the Co-PI will help educate Indonesian students and surrounding local communities about WBT and its ecological benefits. While studies have addressed how body size and positional behavior covary among the largest representatives of this taxonomic group, far less has been reported on this relationship for the small-bodied hylobatids. This is particularly interesting as these anatomically and behaviorally specialized primates are thought to represent a lineage that has evolutionarily reduced in body size and fine-tuned the ape pattern of generalized orthogrady in order to more efficiently exploit the arboreal canopy. As a test of this hypothesis, the relationships between body size, habitat use, and positional behavior of size-variable sympatric gibbons (Hylobates agilis) and siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus) are examined at WBT. Previously collected data by the Co-PI for Hylobates lar from Khao Yai National Park, Thailand is also used for comparison. Additionally, data from this study are compared with previously published data for other hominoids, atelids, cebids, and cercopithecoids in order to reevaluate ape locomotor and postural specializations.