Ecological determinants and arboreal feeding positional behaviors in Pan troglodytes, with implications for hominoid evolution

人类和类人猿有独特的骨骼特征，这使他们有别于动物王国的其他动物，并有助于高度运动的多功能性。这些特征进化的原因尚不清楚，然而，它们被认为帮助了类人猿和人类的祖先在树上寻找食物。该项目将研究猿类在野外不同环境中的运动，包括森林、林地和草原，并在以各种食物为食的同时，确定觅食时使用独特解剖特征的情况。这项研究的发现将有助于确定类人猿和人类为什么进化出直立的躯干和活动的肩膀、手臂和手等特征。该项目将通过学生直接参与编写科学教育材料，支持各级教育--小学到研究生院--的妇女和代表性不足群体的教育。该项目的外展活动建立了跨文化联系，提高了科学教育的质量。美国和国际研究网站的学生将帮助创建科学教育推广材料，并为国家博物馆关于类人猿和人类进化的展览贡献研究和保护虚拟内容。科学发现将通过发表在同行评议期刊上的文章和在专业会议上发表的报告来分享。直立的躯干和多才多艺的运动是人类的特点。据推测，这种多功能性进化到以森林树冠上成熟的果实为食，因为这是现存的类人猿倾向于做的事情。然而，最近的化石发现表明，最早的类人猿表现出高级的解剖特征，如直立的躯干，在部分开放的环境中以树叶和水果为食。为了确定运动多功能性如何与觅食行为相关，我们将研究栖息地最广泛的活猿--黑猩猩。这项研究的中心问题是：树栖栖息地结构的变化，以及食物类型和位置的变化，如何与林地和森林黑猩猩的树栖位置行为相关？这个问题将通过视频捕获和关于黑猩猩在不同栖息地的位置行为的观测数据来解决。将在观测数据上使用线性模型来探索位置模式和背景变量之间的关系。运动学数据将从视频片段中的肢体漂移中提取出来，并进行分析，以确定位置表现是否与生态和个人变量相关，以及对于那些依赖感兴趣的高级解剖学特征的行为，漂移是否最大。研究黑猩猩在多个环境和栖息地的运动将有助于预测为什么原始人进化出创新的位置行为，以及为什么早期的原始人过渡到较少树栖的存在。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Humans and apes have unique skeletal features that distinguish them from the rest of the animal kingdom and contribute to a high degree of locomotor versatility. The reason these features evolved is uncertain, however, they are thought to have helped the ancestors of apes and humans to search for food in trees. This project will examine ape locomotion in differing environments in the wild, including forests, woodlands and grasslands, and while feeding on a variety of foods, to determine the circumstances during which distinctive anatomical features are used while foraging. The findings of this study will help to determine why apes and humans evolved features such as an upright torso and mobile shoulders, arms and hands. This project will support the education of women and underrepresented groups at all levels of education - elementary through graduate school - through students' direct involvement in the creation of science education material. The outreach in this project creates cross-cultural connections and increases the quality of science education. Students in the U.S. and at the international research site will help create science education outreach materials and contribute research and conservation virtual content for a National Museum exhibit on ape and human evolution. Scientific findings will be shared through article publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at professional meetings.Hominoids are distinguished by an upright torso and versatile locomotion. It is hypothesized that such versatility evolved to feed on ripe fruit in the forest canopy, since that is what living apes tend to do. However, recent fossil discoveries show that the earliest apes to display advanced anatomical features, such as an upright torso, fed on leaves and fruit in a partially open environment. To determine how locomotor versatility relates to foraging behavior, the living ape with the broadest habitat preference, the chimpanzee, will be studied. The central question of this research is: How does variation in arboreal habitat structure, and variation in food type and location, correlate with arboreal positional behavior in woodland and forest chimpanzees? This question will be addressed using video capture and observational data on chimpanzee positional behavior in different habitats. Linear models will be employed on observational data to explore the relationship between positional modes and contextual variables. Kinematic data will be extracted from limb excursions in video footage and analyzed to determine if positional performance is correlated with ecological and individual variables, and whether excursions are greatest for those behaviors that rely on the advanced anatomical features of interest. Studying chimpanzee movement in multiple contexts and habitats will assist in predicting why hominoids evolved innovative positional behaviors and why early hominins transitioned to a less arboreal existence.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.