The primate origins of female sexuality,and their implications for the role of nonconceptive sex in the reproductive strategies of women

In many species of monkeys and apes, sexual solicitations of males by females are more facultative and opportunistic than generally realized. Although female sexual solicitations peak at midcyle, solicitations and copulations are not necessarily confined to the days just around ovulation. Human female sexuality, and the physiological underpinnings of this sexuality evolved in prehominid contexts in which female primates solicited and copulated with multiple males on a situation-dependent basis. Such sexual behavior became increasingly costly to females in the course of hominid evolution, and women's sexuality today must be viewed as an imperfect compromise between formerly adaptive organs (such as the female clitoris) and the chronic challenges mothers face in eliciting and insuring male protection and investment in offspring.     

From Radcliffe-Brown to sociobiology: Some aspects of the rise of primatology within physical anthropology

The formation of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists some 50 years ago marked the official recognition of physical anthropology as a legitimate subfield of anthropology. Since then, with the growth of individual and institutional participation in the Association, and with the development of new research paradigms, a number of subspecializations have come to be accepted within the field. Perhaps none of these specializations, however, has grown as rapidly, or spectacularly, as has the subfield of primatology. This article details some of the rise of primatology as an accepted subdiscipline of physical anthropology and discusses the theoretical orientations which guided the first anthropological forays into the study of nonhuman primates.     

Diet and feeding behavior of semi-free ranging mandrills in an enclosed gabonais forest

Twelve wild born mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), six males, six females, were studied in a 1.4-ha forest enclosure in Gabon Africa. Seventy-six percent of their food was obtained from the ground (45% unidentified food objects foraged from the leaf litter, 21% from ground plants, and 10% animal matter) while 23% was taken from arboreal sources (10% from trees, 10% from vines, and 3% from shrubs). Plant parts eaten include seeds, roots, fruits, stem pith, apical branch ends, mature and immature leaves, nuts, buds, blossoms, and bark. There were significant dietary differences between sexes. There were also individual dietary differences both in preferred foods and arboreal vs terrestrial foraging locations. At nearly all times of the day at least 70% of the study group was on the ground. Sixty-four percent of their time was spent feeding, with females spending more time feeding than males. High rates of feeding were seen throughout the day, with high individual variances, which is explained by individual food preferences and a temporal partitioning of the food resources. These findings are compared to those observed in wild mandrills and other baboons.     

Patterns of ingestive behavior and anterior tooth use differences in sympatric anthropoid primates

Little research has been directed towards the examination of ingestive behaviors in wild primates. This paper describes a naturalistic study of anterior tooth use in four sympatric anthropoid species: Hylobates lar, Macaca fascicularis, Pongo pygmaeus, and Presbytis thomasi. Instantaneous group scan data were collected during nearly 1,800 hours of observation between August 1990 and July 1991 at the Ketambe Research Station in the Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia. Ingestive behaviors are documented for specific food items and compared among the primate taxa. Results indicate significant differences among the species in preferred methods of food ingestion. These differences are related in part to dietary differences, and in part to other aspects of each primate's biology and ecology. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

强春性小麦品种的生育特性

强春性小麦品种在生育过程中,对温度条件要求不严格,生育早期没有低温效应。它们对日长也无严格要求,其光周期反应不具有长日植物的性质。在我国南北不同播期的不同温光组合中,都能顺利通过各生育时期,正常抽穗和开花。这种品种类型具有广泛的生态适应性,在科研和生产中均有重要的利用价值。     

Morphometry and allometry of the primate humerus

The primate distal humerus has been used both in phylogenetic reconstruction and in assessing locomotor and postural adaptations. This study uses an allometric approach to predict locomotor patterns of extant primates regardless of phylogenetic position. By showing the relationship between form and function in living primate taxa it will be possible to use this data set to predict locomotor behavior of extinct primates. Several linear measurements were taken from the distal humerus of 71 extant primate species (anthropoids and prosimians). Allometric regressions of each measurement were performed with mandibular M₂ area as a surrogate for body size. These measurements were used to determine if significant differences in distal humerus morphology exist among locomotor groups. The results were then used to test several hypotheses about the relationship between humeral form and function. For example, the hypothesis that suspensory primates have a large medial epicondyle is confirmed; the hypothesis that terrestrial quadrupeds have a deep olecranon fossa could not be confirmed with quantitative data. In addition to this hypothesis testing, the residuals from the allometric regressions of the humeral measurements were used in a discriminant functions analysis to estimate locomotor behavior from distal humerus morphology. The discriminant functions analysis correctly reclassified 64/71 (90%) species.     

桃儿七分布格局与生态适应的初步研究

以云南产桃儿七Ｓｉｎｏｐｏｄｏｐｈｙｌｌｕｍ ｈｅｘａｎｄｒｕｍ（Ｒｏｙｌｅ）Ｙｉｎｇ为研究材料,分析了它的分布格局及生态适应。指出桃儿七是一个分布范围较广、生态适应幅度大的物种;在分布区内它主要出现在具有次生植被的山谷中,个体在居群内的分布格局,由于受到放牧活动的影响而呈聚群式分布,植株常出现在灌木丛下和树根附近。它适应夏秋湿润凉爽,冬季及早春寒冷干燥的气候条件,并具有相应的生长与发育节律。人类     

Locomotor decoupling and the origin of hominin bipedalism

Theoretical adaptive landscapes and mathematical representations of key constraints of evolutionary and primate biology are used to propose a new hypothesis for the origin of hominin bipedalism. These constraints suggest that the selective pressure that produced this novel form of locomotion was the need for effective suspensory and terrestrial movement. This testable hypothesis, termed the Decoupling Hypothesis, posits that bipedalism is an adaptation that enables the shoulder to maintain a high degree of mobility, a feature important to suspensory behaviors, in the face of significant demands for a high degree of stability, a feature important for highly effective terrestrial quadrupedism.     

游蛇科8种蛇的鳞片显微皮纹结构观察

游蛇科8种蛇,分别为云南沾益采集的棕网腹链蛇(Hebius johannis),云南铜壁关采集的卡西腹链蛇(H.khasiensis)、八线腹链蛇(H.octolineatum)、双带腹链蛇(H.parallela)、八莫过树蛇(Dendrelaphis subocularis),云南澜沧采集的大眼斜鳞蛇(Pseudoxenodon macrops),云南昆明采集的虎斑颈槽蛇(Rhabdophis tigrinus),云南临沧采集的中国小头蛇(Oligodon chinensis)。于2014年4月对其背鳞显微皮纹结构进行扫描电镜观察,8种蛇每种使用1个个体,每个个体分别从蛇体的前、中、近尾部各采集3枚鳞片,共观察9枚鳞片。低倍下观察到鳞棱,高倍下观察到纵行小棱、条索、横纹、小孔结构,这些结构存在种间差异。八莫过树蛇和中国小头蛇无鳞棱,但是其余6种蛇鳞棱十分明显;大眼斜鳞蛇的纵行小棱短于100μm,其余7种蛇的纵行小棱均长于100μm;仅八莫过树蛇和双带腹链蛇背鳞上有明显的条索结构;八莫过树蛇的横纹为平缓波纹,其余7种蛇的横纹为\"U\"形波纹;小孔的形状、排列位置在种间变化较大,小孔的密集程度以八莫过树蛇、大眼斜鳞蛇、虎斑颈槽蛇较高。在8种蛇中,八莫过树蛇背鳞的显微皮纹结构最为复杂,可能与其栖息在热带雨林中有关。     

碱地肤的生态、生理适应性及其群落特征

本文采用野外调查分析和室内实验相结合的方法,研究了碱地肤（Ｋｏｃｈｉａｓｉｅｖｅｒｓｉａｎａ）的生态、生理适应性及其组成的群落,结果表明：（１）碱地肤有一定的耐碱能力,生态幅度较窄。它与生境的关系及种群的数量调节是其生态适应性的体现。（２）碱地肤对盐碱生境的适应是由于体内具有某些生理调节功能,主要的如呼吸强度随着盐浓度升高而下降,同时ＡＴＰ含量减少;细胞膜透性随着盐浓度增高而加大,脯氨酸的积累增多。（３）碱地肤与不同植物组成多个群落,其生态优势度体现了群落种类组成的变化,反映土壤碱化程度的差异,构成羊草草地退化的一个演替系列。     

A study of baboon hemoglobin.

Electrophoretic analysis of hemoglobin types of 409 baboons of various species, mostly from Senegal, corresponds with the findings of other authors. Baboon hemoglobin is homogeneous as a whole, but differs electrophoretically from that of other monkey species. However, a difference in the electrophoretic mobility of the nonhemoglobin fraction of Papio anubis and Papio cynocephalus suggests a possibly different amino-acid sequence. This information may be useful for the classification in doubtful cases.     

Species of the genus Papio (Cercopithecidae) as subjects of biomedical research: I. Biological basis of experiments on baboons

The paper reviews the use of various baboon species in biomedical research throughout the world.     

Dietary correlates of temporomandibular joint morphology in New World primates

Previous analyses of the masticatory apparatus have demonstrated that the shape of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is functionally and adaptively linked to variation in feeding behavior and diet in primates. Building on previous research, this study presents an analysis of the link between diet and TMJ morphology in the context of functional and dietary differences among New World primates. To evaluate this proposed relationship, I used three-dimensional morphometric methods to quantify TMJ shape across a sample of 13 platyrrhine species. A broad interspecific analysis of this sample found strong relationships among TMJ size, TMJ shape, and diet, suggesting that both size and diet are significant factors influencing TMJ morphology in New World primates. However, it is likely that at least some of these differences are related to a division of dietary categories along clade lines.A series of hypotheses related to load resistance capabilities and range of motion in the TMJ were then tested among small groups of closely related taxa with documented dietary differences. These pairwise analyses indicate that some aspects of TMJ morphology can be used to differentiate among closely related species with different diets. However, not all of my predictions were upheld. The anteroposterior dimensions of the TMJ were most strongly consistent with hypothesized differences in ingestive/masticatory behaviors and jaw gape, whereas the predictions generated for variation in entoglenoid and articular tubercle height were not upheld. These results imply that while some features can be reliably associated with increased load resistance and facilitation of wider jaw gapes in the masticatory apparatus, other features are less strongly correlated with masticatory function.     

广西弄拉几种适生药材叶片对岩溶环境的生态适应

目的:探讨植物微形态结构与岩溶生态环境的关系.方法:利用光学显微镜对常规石蜡切片法处理的生长于广西弄拉适生药材忍冬(Lonicera Japonica Thunb)、华南忍冬(Lonicera confuse)、瓜子金(Polygala japonica Houtt)、黄花草(Solidago decurrensLour)的解剖结构进行了观察,并利用扫描电镜技术对四种灌木叶片表皮形态进行研究.结果:(1)忍冬、华南忍冬、黄花草下表皮均分布浓密的表皮毛,忍冬上表面中脉有少量表皮毛,黄花草上表皮分布有稀疏的星状表皮毛,忍冬、华南忍冬和黄花草的气孔位于下表皮毛间隙,这种结构可反射阳光和阻止水分蒸发,从而适应强光和水分不足的环境;(2)瓜子金叶片为肉质叶,上下表面均有气孔分布,并出现明显的下陷.气孔主要分布在叶片表面凹陷处,这种局部微环境有利于水分的保持;(3)四种植物叶片表面均出现表皮细胞外壁加厚或角质化,这种结构有利于减少水分蒸腾.结论:几种植物叶片结构特征是其长期在岩溶区干旱环境条件下形成的适应性变化,适应方式有一定的趋同.     

New postcranial elements for the earliest Eocene fossil primate Teilhardina belgica

Teilhardina belgica is one of the most primitive fossil primates known to date and the earliest haplorhine with associated postcranials, making it relevant to a reconstruction of the ancestral primate morphotype. Here we describe newly discovered postcranial elements of T. belgica. It is a small primate with an estimated body mass between 30 and 60 g, similar to the size of a mouse lemur. Its hindlimb anatomy suggests frequent and forceful leaping with excellent foot mobility and grasping capabilities. It can now be established that this taxon exhibits critical primate postcranial synapomorphies such as a grasping hallux, a tall knee, and nailed digits. This anatomical pattern and behavioral profile is similar to what has been inferred before for other omomyids and adapiforms. The most unusual feature of T. belgica is its elongated middle phalanges (most likely manual phalanges), suggesting that this early primate had very long fingers similar to those of living tarsiers.     

The impact of plant secondary compounds on primate feeding behavior

The recent literature on plant secondary compounds and their influence on primate feeding behavior is reviewed. Many studies of nonhuman primates document the extreme selectivity that primates, particularly herbivorous species, demonstrate in their food choice. Until quite recently investigators interpreted this to mean that herbivorous primates were not food limited. This view has been challenged in the past 10 years by researchers concentrating on the primate–plant interaction. Chemical analyses have demonstrated that plant parts are of varying quality due to differences in nutrient and secondary compound content. The assumption that all leaves (or fruits, flowers, and insects) are potential foods of equal value to the primates eating them is refuted. The observed selectivity and preferences of primates for specific plant or insect species and parts are now viewed as strategies for dealing with the nutrient and secondary compound content variation in these foods.     

The post-copulation withdrawal response in female baboons: A functional analysis

Rapid withdrawal of females from males at the end of the copulatory sequence (prior to male dismounting) characterizes several primate species. The purpose of this paper is to make a preliminary investigation into possible functional aspects of these “copulatory darts.” Two hypotheses are proposed; (1) females use darts to aid competing males to locate the source of copulation calls; and (2) females dart in order to promote re-mating with the same male. Both hypotheses postulate that darts may thus enhance male-male competition, although acquisition of other benefits may be the primary drive to darting according to the re-mating hypothesis. Using data from 157 copulations collected from six females spread across four groups in a wild population of chacma baboonsPapio cynocephalus ursinus, darting behaviour is described. Within females, darting distance is highly variable. Darting distance is greatest at the time of ovulation (and maximal sexual swelling), and there is some evidence that darting may also be more frequent, and cover greater distances, when the mating male is adult rather than juvenile. While darting behaviour appears unrelated to the presence or absence of ejaculation, it tends to correlate positively with the duration of the female copulation call. These preliminary results are consistent with a mediating role in male-male competition and therefore provide support for both hypotheses.