Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Macro- and Microanatomy of Primate Volar Surfaces

本研究的目的是研究原猿灵长类动物手部软组织表面形态的变化。这些形态将与这些动物的运动、饮食、体型等进行比较，以了解手指组成和适应之间的关系。作为本研究的一部分收集的组织学数据将免费提供给其他研究人员。由于许多灵长类动物在野外濒临灭绝，因此建立一个全面的灵长类动物皮肤样本数据库，供研究人员访问、添加和利用，作为他们自己研究的一部分，将减少对这一有限资源的进一步采样需求。这项研究也促进了联合首席研究员的培训和教育。灵长类动物的手和脚的软组织表面是其在运动和触觉探索过程中与环境的主要界面。因此，在不同灵长类动物中观察到的掌侧表面形态的差异可能反映了这种相互作用本质上的功能差异。特别是，掌侧表面的脂肪垫被认为有助于减弱运动过程中产生的反作用力，并作为粘弹性结构，增加垫和基底之间的摩擦系数。此外，由于掌侧皮肤内触觉感受器的密度和排列可能与整体触觉敏感性有关，因此有人认为这些特征的变化可能与饮食和基质偏好的差异有关。然而，尽管形态和行为之间有直观的联系，很少有正式的分析证明掌侧皮肤、脚垫和触觉器官的特定方面与特定功能属性之间的联系。本论文研究的总体目标是探索一组原猿灵长类动物掌面形态特征变化的功能相关性。掌侧垫的大小和形状将使用3D形态分析进行评估，掌侧皮肤内的触觉器官将使用组织学染色和立体光学显微镜进行研究。一旦描述，将探讨掌侧形态与饮食偏好、运动方式、基质使用、体型和骨骼形态之间的关系。这个博士论文研究进步奖将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立研究事业。

The goal of this research is to examine the variation in morphology of the soft tissue surfaces of the hands of prosimian primates. These morphologies will be compared with locomotion, diets, body size, etc. in these animals to understand relationships between finger composition and adaptations. The histological data collected as part of this study will be made freely available to other researchers. Since many of the subject primate species are endangered in the wild, creating a comprehensive database of primate skin samples that investigators may access, add to, and utilize as part of their own research will reduce the need for further sampling of this limited resource. This research also promotes training and education of the co-principal investigator.The soft tissue surfaces of a primate's hands and feet are its primary interface with the environment during both locomotion and tactile exploration. As such, the variation observed in the morphology of these volar surfaces in different primates likely reflects functional variation in the nature of this interaction. In particular, the fat pads within volar surfaces are thought to assist in attenuating reaction forces generated during locomotion, and to act as a viscoelastic structures increasing the coefficient of friction between the pads and substrate. In addition, since the density and arrangement of tactile sensory receptors within volar skin can be related to over-all tactile sensitivity, it has been suggested that variation in these characteristics can be related to differences in diet and substrate preferences. Nonetheless, despite intuitive links between morphology and behavior, there has been little formal analysis demonstrating connections between particular aspects of volar skin, pads and tactile organs and specific functional attributes. The overarching goal of this dissertation research is to explore the functional correlates of variation in morphological characteristics of the volar surfaces in a select group of prosimian primates. The size and shape of the volar pads will be assessed using 3D morphometric analysis, and tactile organs within volar skin will be investigated using histological staining and stereo-light microscopy. Once described, proposed relationships of the volar morphology to dietary preferences, locomotor regimes, substrate use, body size, and bony morphology will be explored.This Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.