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Lea AJ, Clark AG, Dahl AW, Devinsky O, Garcia AR, Golden CD, Kamau J, Kraft TS, Lim YAL, Martins DJ, Mogoi D, Pajukanta P, Perry GH, Pontzer H, Trumble BC, Urlacher SS, Venkataraman VV, Wallace IJ, Gurven M, Lieberman DE, Ayroles JF. Applying an evolutionary mismatch framework to understand disease susceptibility. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002311. [PMID: 37695771 PMCID: PMC10513379 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are on the rise worldwide. Obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes are among a long list of "lifestyle" diseases that were rare throughout human history but are now common. The evolutionary mismatch hypothesis posits that humans evolved in environments that radically differ from those we currently experience; consequently, traits that were once advantageous may now be "mismatched" and disease causing. At the genetic level, this hypothesis predicts that loci with a history of selection will exhibit "genotype by environment" (GxE) interactions, with different health effects in "ancestral" versus "modern" environments. To identify such loci, we advocate for combining genomic tools in partnership with subsistence-level groups experiencing rapid lifestyle change. In these populations, comparisons of individuals falling on opposite extremes of the "matched" to "mismatched" spectrum are uniquely possible. More broadly, the work we propose will inform our understanding of environmental and genetic risk factors for NCDs across diverse ancestries and cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J. Lea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Andrew G. Clark
- Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Andrew W. Dahl
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Orrin Devinsky
- Department of Neurology, NYU Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Angela R. Garcia
- Department of Anthropology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Christopher D. Golden
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Joseph Kamau
- One Health Centre, Institute of Primate Research, Karen, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Yvonne A. L. Lim
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Dino J. Martins
- Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Donald Mogoi
- Department of Medical Services and Public Health, Ministry of Health Laikipia County, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Päivi Pajukanta
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - George H. Perry
- Departments of Anthropology and Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Samuel S. Urlacher
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States of America
| | - Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ian J. Wallace
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Daniel E. Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Julien F. Ayroles
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
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Ibrahim H, Bekele A, Fashing PJ, Nguyen N, Yazezew D, Moges A, Venkataraman VV, Mekonnen A. Feeding ecology of a highland population of hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas) at Borena-Sayint National Park, northern Ethiopia. Primates 2023; 64:513-526. [PMID: 37369925 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-023-01077-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Studying the diet and feeding behavior of primates is essential to understanding their ecology and designing effective conservation plans. Despite decades of study on the hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas) in lowland habitats, little is known about the feeding ecology of this species in highland ecosystems. To address this empirical gap, we tracked temporal changes in vegetation abundance and their relation to the dietary choices of hamadryas baboons in highland habitat at Borena-Sayint National Park (BSNP) in northern Ethiopia. We performed behavioral scan sampling on a focal study band of 21-37 hamadryas baboons over a 12-month period. We found that mature and young leaves were the most abundant plant parts throughout the year, while fruits and flowers were the least abundant, with significant seasonal variation that followed the bimodal pattern of rainfall characteristic of the Ethiopian highlands ecosystem. The annual diet of hamadryas baboons at BSNP consisted mostly of fruits (32.0%) and graminoid blades (21.2%), and included 52 food species across 22 families of plants and three families of animals. Food raided from nearby farms accounted for 8.8% of their diet. The availability of fruits and flowers was positively correlated with their consumption, suggesting that these are preferred foods, whereas graminoid blades, and other leaves, appeared to be less preferred foods. The feeding ecology of hamadryas baboons at BSNP differs considerably from that of lowland populations. The well-studied lowland hamadryas baboons in Awash National Park obtain much of their diet from Acacia species and palm fruit, whereas those at BSNP, where Acacia trees are rare and palms are absent, relied on Olinia rochetiana and Rosa abyssinica for a combined 27% of their annual diet. The reliance of hamadryas baboons at BSNP on cultivated crops for nearly one-tenth of their diet leads to conflict with humans and warrants more detailed study so that this issue can be addressed in conservation plans for the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hussein Ibrahim
- Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Wollo University, P.O. Box 1145, Dessie, Ethiopia.
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Peter J Fashing
- Division of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, USA
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nga Nguyen
- Division of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, USA
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dereje Yazezew
- Department of Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Debre Berhan University, P.O. Box 445, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia
| | - Amera Moges
- Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Vivek V Venkataraman
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Addisu Mekonnen
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Wildlife and Ecotourism Management, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
- Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Abstract
Vivek V. Venkataraman introduces gelada monkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek V Venkataraman
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Addisu Mekonnen
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Lea AJ, Clark AG, Dahl AW, Devinsky O, Garcia AR, Golden CD, Kamau J, Kraft TS, Lim YAL, Martins D, Mogoi D, Pajukanta P, Perry G, Pontzer H, Trumble BC, Urlacher SS, Venkataraman VV, Wallace IJ, Gurven M, Lieberman D, Ayroles JF. Evolutionary mismatch and the role of GxE interactions in human disease. ArXiv 2023:arXiv:2301.05255v2. [PMID: 36713247 PMCID: PMC9882586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Globally, we are witnessing the rise of complex, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) related to changes in our daily environments. Obesity, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes are part of a long list of "lifestyle" diseases that were rare throughout human history but are now common. A key idea from anthropology and evolutionary biology-the evolutionary mismatch hypothesis-seeks to explain this phenomenon. It posits that humans evolved in environments that radically differ from the ones experienced by most people today, and thus traits that were advantageous in past environments may now be "mismatched" and disease-causing. This hypothesis is, at its core, a genetic one: it predicts that loci with a history of selection will exhibit "genotype by environment" (GxE) interactions and have differential health effects in ancestral versus modern environments. Here, we discuss how this concept could be leveraged to uncover the genetic architecture of NCDs in a principled way. Specifically, we advocate for partnering with small-scale, subsistence-level groups that are currently transitioning from environments that are arguably more "matched" with their recent evolutionary history to those that are more "mismatched". These populations provide diverse genetic backgrounds as well as the needed levels and types of environmental variation necessary for mapping GxE interactions in an explicit mismatch framework. Such work would make important contributions to our understanding of environmental and genetic risk factors for NCDs across diverse ancestries and sociocultural contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J. Lea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
- Child and Brain Development, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada
| | - Andrew G. Clark
- Department of Computational Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Andrew W. Dahl
- Section of Genetic Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Orrin Devinsky
- Department of Neurology, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Angela R. Garcia
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
| | | | - Joseph Kamau
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
| | - Yvonne A. L. Lim
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Dino Martins
- Turkana Basin Research Institute, Turkana, Kenya
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Donald Mogoi
- Director at County Government of Laikipia, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Paivi Pajukanta
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Institute for Precision Health, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - George Perry
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, US
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
| | - Samuel S. Urlacher
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
- Child and Brain Development, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Ian J. Wallace
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California: Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Julien F. Ayroles
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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Kraft TS, Cummings DK, Venkataraman VV, Alami S, Beheim B, Hooper P, Seabright E, Trumble BC, Stieglitz J, Kaplan H, Endicott KL, Endicott KM, Gurven M. Female cooperative labour networks in hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210431. [PMID: 36440571 PMCID: PMC9703235 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperation in food acquisition is a hallmark of the human species. Given that costs and benefits of cooperation vary among production regimes and work activities, the transition from hunting-and-gathering to agriculture is likely to have reshaped the structure of cooperative subsistence networks. Hunter-gatherers often forage in groups and are generally more interdependent and experience higher short-term food acquisition risk than horticulturalists, suggesting that cooperative labour should be more widespread and frequent for hunter-gatherers. Here we compare female cooperative labour networks of Batek hunter-gatherers of Peninsular Malaysia and Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia. We find that Batek foraging results in high daily variation in labour partnerships, facilitating frequent cooperation in diffuse networks comprised of kin and non-kin. By contrast, Tsimane horticulture involves more restricted giving and receiving of labour, confined mostly to spouses and primary or distant kin. Tsimane women also interact with few individuals in the context of hunting/fishing activities and forage mainly with spouses and primary kin. These differences give rise to camp- or village-level networks that are more modular (have more substructure when partitioned) among Tsimane horticulturalists. Our findings suggest that subsistence activities shape the formation and extent of female social networks, particularly with respect to connections with other women and non-kin. We discuss the implications of restricted female labour networks in the context of gender relations, power dynamics and the adoption of farming in humans. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cooperation among women: evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Daniel K. Cummings
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada T2N 1N4
| | - Sarah Alami
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
| | - Bret Beheim
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Paul Hooper
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Ed Seabright
- School of Collective Intelligence, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
| | - Benjamin C. Trumble
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jonathan Stieglitz
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, Toulouse 31000, France
| | - Hillard Kaplan
- Department of Health Economics and Anthropology, Economic Science Institute, Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA 92866, USA
| | - Karen L. Endicott
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Kirk M. Endicott
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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Wallace IJ, Lea AJ, Lim YAL, Chow SKW, Sayed IBM, Ngui R, Shaffee MTH, Ng KS, Nicholas C, Venkataraman VV, Kraft TS. Orang Asli Health and Lifeways Project (OA HeLP): a cross-sectional cohort study protocol. BMJ Open 2022; 12:e058660. [PMID: 36127083 PMCID: PMC9490611 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-058660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Non-communicable disease (NCD) risk is influenced by environmental factors that are highly variable worldwide, yet prior research has focused mainly on high-income countries where most people are exposed to relatively homogeneous and static environments. Understanding the scope and complexity of environmental influences on NCD risk around the globe requires more data from people living in diverse and changing environments. Our project will investigate the prevalence and environmental causes of NCDs among the indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia, known collectively as the Orang Asli, who are currently undergoing varying degrees of lifestyle and sociocultural changes that are predicted to increase vulnerability to NCDs, particularly metabolic disorders and musculoskeletal degenerative diseases. METHODS AND ANALYSIS Biospecimen sampling and screening for a suite of NCDs (eg, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis), combined with detailed ethnographic work to assess key lifestyle and sociocultural variables (eg, diet, physical activity and wealth), will take place in Orang Asli communities spanning a gradient from remote, traditional villages to acculturated, market-integrated urban areas. Analyses will first test for relationships between environmental variables, NCD risk factors and NCD occurrence to investigate how environmental changes are affecting NCD susceptibility among the Orang Asli. Second, we will examine potential molecular and physiological mechanisms (eg, epigenetics and systemic inflammation) that mediate environmental effects on health. Third, we will identify intrinsic (eg, age and sex) and extrinsic (eg, early-life experiences) factors that predispose certain people to NCDs in the face of environmental change to better understand which Orang Asli are at greatest risk of NCDs. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Approval was obtained from multiple ethical review boards including the Malaysian Ministry of Health. This study follows established principles for ethical biomedical research among vulnerable indigenous communities, including fostering collaboration, building cultural competency, enhancing transparency, supporting capacity building and disseminating research findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J Wallace
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Amanda J Lea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
- Child and Brain Development Program, CIFAR, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yvonne A L Lim
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Steven K W Chow
- Federation of Private Medical Practitioners' Associations of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Pantai Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Romano Ngui
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Kee-Seong Ng
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Vivek V Venkataraman
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Thomas S Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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Holowka NB, Kraft TS, Wallace IJ, Gurven M, Venkataraman VV. Forest terrains influence walking kinematics among indigenous Tsimane of the Bolivian Amazon. Evol Hum Sci 2022; 4:e19. [PMID: 37588935 PMCID: PMC10426037 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Laboratory-based studies indicate that a major evolutionary advantage of bipedalism is enabling humans to walk with relatively low energy expenditure. However, such studies typically record subjects walking on even surfaces or treadmills that do not represent the irregular terrains our species encounters in natural environments. To date, few studies have quantified walking kinematics on natural terrains. Here we used high-speed video to record marker-based kinematics of 21 individuals from a Tsimane forager-horticulturalist community in the Bolivian Amazon walking on three different terrains: a dirt field, a forest trail and an unbroken forest transect. Compared with the field, in the unbroken forest participants contacted the ground with more protracted legs and flatter foot postures, had more inclined trunks, more flexed hips and knees, and raised their feet higher during leg swing. In contrast, kinematics were generally similar between trail and field walking. These results provide preliminary support for the idea that irregular natural surfaces like those in forests cause humans to alter their walking kinematics, such that travel in these environments could be more energetically expensive than would be assumed from laboratory-based data. These findings have important implications for the evolutionary energetics of human foraging in environments with challenging terrains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas S. Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Ian J. Wallace
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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Mekonnen A, Fashing PJ, Chapman CA, Venkataraman VV, Stenseth NC. The value of flagship and umbrella species for restoration and sustainable development: Bale monkeys and bamboo forest in Ethiopia. J Nat Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Kraft TS, Venkataraman VV, Wallace IJ, Crittenden AN, Holowka NB, Stieglitz J, Harris J, Raichlen DA, Wood B, Gurven M, Pontzer H. The energetics of uniquely human subsistence strategies. Science 2021; 374:eabf0130. [PMID: 34941390 DOI: 10.1126/science.abf0130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Vivek V Venkataraman
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse, France.,Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ian J Wallace
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jacob Harris
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - David A Raichlen
- Human and Evolutionary Biology Section, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Brian Wood
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Venkataraman VV, Miller C, Foxfoot I, Lin B, Petrie ZL, Simberloff RA, Bernardo O, Redon N, Hohn TI, Kerby JT, Nguyen N, Fashing PJ. Epizoochorous seed dispersal by an Afroalpine savanna primate. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
- Guassa Gelada Research Project Mehal Meda Ethiopia
| | - Carrie Miller
- Guassa Gelada Research Project Mehal Meda Ethiopia
- Department of Anthropology University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | - Iris Foxfoot
- Guassa Gelada Research Project Mehal Meda Ethiopia
| | - Bing Lin
- Guassa Gelada Research Project Mehal Meda Ethiopia
- Princeton School of Public and International Affairs Princeton University Princeton New Jersey USA
| | | | | | | | - Nathan Redon
- Guassa Gelada Research Project Mehal Meda Ethiopia
| | - Triana I. Hohn
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
| | - Jeffrey T. Kerby
- Guassa Gelada Research Project Mehal Meda Ethiopia
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Nga Nguyen
- Guassa Gelada Research Project Mehal Meda Ethiopia
- Department of Anthropology & Environmental Studies Program California State University Fullerton California USA
| | - Peter J. Fashing
- Guassa Gelada Research Project Mehal Meda Ethiopia
- Department of Anthropology & Environmental Studies Program California State University Fullerton California USA
- Department of Biosciences Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES) University of Oslo Oslo Norway
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Mekonnen A, Fashing PJ, Venkataraman VV, Chapman CA, Stenseth NC, Hernandez-Aguilar RA. Sleeping Site and Tree Selection by Bale Monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) at Kokosa Forest Fragment in Southern Ethiopia. INT J PRIMATOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-021-00251-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAlthough selecting advantageous sleeping sites is crucial for nonhuman primates, the extent to which different factors contribute to their selection remains largely unknown for many species. We investigated hypotheses relating to predator avoidance, food access, and thermoregulation to explain the sleeping behavior of Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) occupying a degraded fragmented forest, Kokosa, in the southern Ethiopian Highlands. We found that the study group reused 11 out of 20 sleeping sites used during the 42 study days over a 6-month period. Sleeping sites were usually close to the last feeding trees of the day (mean distance =15.2 m) and/or the first feeding trees of the next morning (mean distance = 13.5 m). This may reflect an attempt to maximize feeding efficiency and reduce travel costs. Compared to the mean trees in the study area, sleeping trees were significantly shorter. Bale monkeys selected sleeping places in trees with high foliage density above and below them, lending support to the hypothesis that they select sleeping places that can conceal them from predators and at the same time offer shelter from cold weather. The monkeys also frequently huddled at night. Our results suggest that predator avoidance, access to food resources, and thermoregulation all likely influence the selection of sleeping sites by Bale monkeys.
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Kraft TS, Venkataraman VV, Endicott KL, Endicott KM. Preserving quantifiable ethnographic records of disappearing human lifeways. Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:117-124. [PMID: 32472595 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The human evolutionary sciences place high value on quantitative data from traditional small-scale societies that are rapidly modernizing. These data often stem from the sustained ethnographic work of anthropologists who are today nearing the end of their careers. Yet many quantitative ethnographic data are preserved only in summary formats that do not reflect the rich and variable ethnographic reality often described in unpublished field notes, nor the deep knowledge of their collectors. In raw disaggregated formats, such data have tremendous scientific value when used in conjunction with modern statistical techniques and as part of comparative analyses. Through a personal example of longitudinal research with Batek hunter-gatherers that involved collaboration across generations of researchers, we argue that quantifiable ethnographic records, just like material artifacts, deserve high-priority preservation efforts. We discuss the benefits, challenges, and possible avenues forward for digitizing, preserving, and archiving ethnographic data before it is too late.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Vivek V Venkataraman
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse, France.,Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Karen L Endicott
- Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - Kirk M Endicott
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
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Gutema TM, Atickem A, Tsegaye D, Bekele A, Sillero-Zubiri C, Marino J, Kasso M, Venkataraman VV, Fashing PJ, Stenseth NC. Foraging ecology of African wolves ( Canis lupaster) and its implications for the conservation of Ethiopian wolves ( Canis simensis). R Soc Open Sci 2019; 6:190772. [PMID: 31598305 PMCID: PMC6774988 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
African wolves (AWs) are sympatric with endangered Ethiopian wolves (EWs) in parts of their range. Scat analyses have suggested a dietary overlap between AWs and EWs, raising the potential for exploitative competition, and a possible conservation threat to EWs. However, in contrast to that of the well-studied EW, the foraging ecology of AWs remains poorly characterized. Accordingly, we studied the foraging ecology of radio-collared AWs (n = 11 individuals) at two localities with varying levels of anthropogenic disturbance in the Ethiopian Highlands, the Guassa-Menz Community Conservation Area (GMCCA) and Borena-Saynt National Park (BSNP), accumulating 845 h of focal observation across 2952 feeding events. We also monitored rodent abundance and rodent trapping activity by local farmers who experience conflict with AWs. The AW diet consisted largely of rodents (22.0%), insects (24.8%), and goats and sheep (24.3%). Of the total rodents captured by farmers using local traps during peak barley production (July to November) in GMCCA, averaging 24.7 ± 8.5 rodents/hectare/day, 81% (N = 3009) were scavenged by AWs. Further, of all the rodents consumed by AWs, most (74%) were carcasses. These results reveal complex interactions between AWs and local farmers, and highlight the scavenging niche occupied by AWs in anthropogenically altered landscapes in contrast to the active hunting exhibited by EWs in more intact habitats. While AWs cause economic damage to local farmers through livestock predation, they appear to play an important role in scavenging pest rodents among farmlands, a pattern of behaviour which likely mitigates direct and indirect competition with EWs. We suggest two routes to promote the coexistence of AWs and EWs in the Ethiopian highlands: local education efforts highlighting the complex role AWs play in highland ecosystems to reduce their persecution, and enforced protection of intact habitats to preserve habitat preferred by EWs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tariku Mekonnen Gutema
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Natural Resources Management, Jimma University, PO Box 307, Ethiopia
| | - Anagaw Atickem
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Diress Tsegaye
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Claudio Sillero-Zubiri
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK
- IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group, Oxford, UK
| | - Jorgelina Marino
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK
- IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group, Oxford, UK
| | - Mohammed Kasso
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Peter J. Fashing
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, 800 North State College Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA
| | - Nils C. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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14
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Kraft TS, Venkataraman VV, Tacey I, Dominy NJ, Endicott KM. Foraging Performance, Prosociality, and Kin Presence Do Not Predict Lifetime Reproductive Success in Batek Hunter-Gatherers. Hum Nat 2019; 30:71-97. [PMID: 30552578 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-018-9334-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Identifying the determinants of reproductive success in small-scale societies is critical for understanding how natural selection has shaped human evolution and behavior. The available evidence suggests that status-accruing behaviors such as hunting and prosociality are pathways to reproductive success, but social egalitarianism may diminish this pathway. Here we introduce a mixed longitudinal/cross-sectional dataset based on 45 years of research with the Batek, a population of egalitarian rain forest hunter-gatherers in Peninsular Malaysia, and use it to test the effects of four predictors of lifetime reproductive success: (i) foraging return rate, (ii) sharing proclivity, (iii) cooperative foraging tendency, and (iv) kin presence. We found that none of these factors can explain variation in lifetime reproduction among males or females. We suggest that social egalitarianism, combined with strikingly low infant and juvenile mortality rates, can mediate the pathway between foraging, status-accruing behavior, and reproductive success. Our approach advocates for greater theoretical and empirical attention to quantitative social network measures, female foraging, and fitness outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA. .,Department of Anthropology, University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
| | - Vivek V Venkataraman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Ivan Tacey
- Exeter Anthrozoology as Symbiotics Ethics Working Group, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Kirk M Endicott
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
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15
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Venkataraman VV, Yegian AK, Wallace IJ, Holowka NB, Tacey I, Gurven M, Kraft TS. Locomotor constraints favour the evolution of the human pygmy phenotype in tropical rainforests. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1492. [PMID: 30404871 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The convergent evolution of the human pygmy phenotype in tropical rainforests is widely assumed to reflect adaptation in response to the distinct ecological challenges of this habitat (e.g. high levels of heat and humidity, high pathogen load, low food availability, and dense forest structure), yet few precise adaptive benefits of this phenotype have been proposed. Here, we describe and test a biomechanical model of how the rainforest environment can alter gait kinematics such that short stature is advantageous in dense habitats. We hypothesized that environmental constraints on step length in rainforests alter walking mechanics such that taller individuals are expected to walk more slowly due to their inability to achieve preferred step lengths in the rainforest. We tested predictions from this model with experimental field data from two short-statured populations that regularly forage in the rainforest: the Batek of Peninsular Malaysia and the Tsimane of the Bolivian Amazon. In accordance with model expectations, we found stature-dependent constraints on step length in the rainforest and concomitant reductions in walking speed that are expected to compromise foraging efficiency. These results provide the first evidence that the human pygmy phenotype is beneficial in terms of locomotor performance and highlight the value of applying laboratory-derived biomechanical models to field settings for testing evolutionary hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek V Venkataraman
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse, France .,Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
| | - Andrew K Yegian
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
| | - Ian J Wallace
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
| | - Nicholas B Holowka
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
| | - Ivan Tacey
- Department of Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, USA
| | - Thomas S Kraft
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, USA
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Trosvik P, de Muinck EJ, Rueness EK, Fashing PJ, Beierschmitt EC, Callingham KR, Kraus JB, Trew TH, Moges A, Mekonnen A, Venkataraman VV, Nguyen N. Multilevel social structure and diet shape the gut microbiota of the gelada monkey, the only grazing primate. Microbiome 2018; 6:84. [PMID: 29729671 PMCID: PMC5935910 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-018-0468-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The gelada monkey (Theropithecus gelada), endemic to the Ethiopian highlands, is the only graminivorous primate, i.e., it feeds mainly on grasses and sedges. In spite of known dental, manual, and locomotor adaptations, the intestinal anatomy of geladas is similar to that of other primates. We currently lack a clear understanding of the adaptations in digestive physiology necessary for this species to subsist on a graminoid-based diet, but digestion in other graminivores, such as ruminants, relies heavily on the microbial community residing in the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Furthermore, geladas form complex, multilevel societies, making them a suitable system for investigating links between sociality and the GI microbiota. RESULTS Here, we explore the gastrointestinal microbiota of gelada monkeys inhabiting an intact ecosystem and document how factors like multilevel social structure and seasonal changes in diet shape the GI microbiota. We compare the gelada GI microbiota to those of other primate species, reporting a gradient from geladas to herbivorous specialist monkeys to dietary generalist monkeys and lastly humans, the ultimate ecological generalists. We also compare the microbiotas of the gelada GI tract and the sheep rumen, finding that geladas are highly enriched for cellulolytic bacteria associated with ruminant digestion, relative to other primates. CONCLUSIONS This study represents the first analysis of the gelada GI microbiota, providing insights into the adaptations underlying graminivory in a primate. Our results also highlight the role of social organization in structuring the GI microbiota within a society of wild animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pål Trosvik
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Oslo, Norway
| | - Eric J. de Muinck
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Oslo, Norway
| | - Eli K. Rueness
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Oslo, Norway
| | - Peter J. Fashing
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA USA
| | - Evan C. Beierschmitt
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA USA
| | | | - Jacob B. Kraus
- Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
| | - Thomas H. Trew
- Cleve Lodge, Minster Road, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 4BA England
| | - Amera Moges
- Department of Biology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Addisu Mekonnen
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Nga Nguyen
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA USA
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Gutema TM, Atickem A, Bekele A, Sillero-Zubiri C, Kasso M, Tsegaye D, Venkataraman VV, Fashing PJ, Zinner D, Stenseth NC. Competition between sympatric wolf taxa: an example involving African and Ethiopian wolves. R Soc Open Sci 2018; 5:172207. [PMID: 29892409 PMCID: PMC5990763 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Carnivore populations are declining globally due to range contraction, persecution and prey depletion. One consequence of these patterns is increased range and niche overlap with other carnivores, and thus an elevated potential for competitive exclusion. Here, we document competition between an endangered canid, the Ethiopian wolf (EW), and the newly discovered African wolf (AW) in central Ethiopia. The diet of the ecological specialist EW was dominated by rodents, whereas the AW consumed a more diverse diet also including insects and non-rodent mammals. EWs used predominantly intact habitat, whereas AWs used mostly areas disturbed by humans and their livestock. We observed 82 encounters between the two species, of which 94% were agonistic. The outcomes of agonistic encounters followed a territory-specific dominance pattern, with EWs dominating in intact habitat and AWs in human-disturbed areas. For AWs, the likelihood of winning encounters also increased with group size. Rodent species consumed by EWs were also available in the human-disturbed areas, suggesting that these areas could be suitable habitat for EWs if AWs were not present. Increasing human encroachment not only affects the prey base of EWs, but also may impact their survival by intensifying competition with sympatric AWs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tariku Mekonnen Gutema
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Natural Resources Management, Jimma University, PO Box 307, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Anagaw Atickem
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Claudio Sillero-Zubiri
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, University of Oxford, Tubney House, Tubney, UK
- IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group, Oxford, UK
| | - Mohammed Kasso
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Diress Tsegaye
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Peter J. Fashing
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, 800 North State College Boulevard, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA
| | - Dietmar Zinner
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nils C. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Mekonnen A, Fashing PJ, Sargis EJ, Venkataraman VV, Bekele A, Hernandez-Aguilar RA, Rueness EK, Stenseth NC. Flexibility in positional behavior, strata use, and substrate utilization among Bale monkeys (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis) in response to habitat fragmentation and degradation. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22760. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Addisu Mekonnen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - Peter J. Fashing
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Anthropology and Environmental Studies Program; California State University Fullerton; Fullerton California
| | - Eric J. Sargis
- Department of Anthropology; Yale University; New Haven Connecticut
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology; Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History; New Haven Connecticut
| | - Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology; Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts
| | - Afework Bekele
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; Addis Ababa Ethiopia
| | - R. Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Eli K. Rueness
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Nils Chr. Stenseth
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
- Department of Zoological Sciences; Addis Ababa University; Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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Nguyen N, Lee LM, Fashing PJ, Nurmi NO, Stewart KM, Turner TJ, Barry TS, Callingham KR, Goodale CB, Kellogg BS, Burke RJ, Bechtold EK, Claase MJ, Eriksen GA, Jones SC, Kerby JT, Kraus JB, Miller CM, Trew TH, Zhao Y, Beierschmitt EC, Ramsay MS, Reynolds JD, Venkataraman VV. Comparative primate obstetrics: Observations of 15 diurnal births in wild gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada) and their implications for understanding human and nonhuman primate birth evolution. Am J Phys Anthropol 2017; 163:14-29. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Revised: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nga Nguyen
- Department of Anthropology & Environmental Studies Program; California State University, Fullerton; Fullerton California
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Laura M. Lee
- School of Veterinary Medicine; University of Wisconsin; Madison Wisconsin
| | - Peter J. Fashing
- Department of Anthropology & Environmental Studies Program; California State University, Fullerton; Fullerton California
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Niina O. Nurmi
- Department of Behavioral Ecology; Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen; Göttingen Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - C. Barret Goodale
- School of Natural Resources and Extension; University of Alaska Fairbanks; Fairbanks Alaska
| | | | - Ryan J. Burke
- Department of Zoology; University of Oxford; Oxford England, UK
| | - Emily K. Bechtold
- Department of Microbiology; University of Massachusetts; Amherst Massachusetts
| | - Megan J. Claase
- Windy Ridge, Spring Hill, Little Staughton, Bedford; Bedfordshire England, UK
| | - G. Anita Eriksen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES); Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo; Oslo Norway
| | - Sorrel C.Z. Jones
- School of Biological Sciences; Royal Holloway, University of London; England, UK
| | - Jeffrey T. Kerby
- Department of Biological Sciences; Dartmouth College; Hanover New Hampshire
| | - Jacob B. Kraus
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; Front Royal Virginia
| | - Carrie M. Miller
- Department of Anthropology; University of Minnesota; Minneapolis Minnesota
| | | | - Yi Zhao
- Environmental Studies Program California State University Fullerton; Fullerton California
| | - Evan C. Beierschmitt
- Department of Anthropology; University of California, Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara California
| | - Malcolm S. Ramsay
- Department of Anthropology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada
| | | | - Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology; Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts
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20
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Kraft TS, Venkataraman VV. Could plant extracts have enabled hominins to acquire honey before the control of fire? J Hum Evol 2015; 85:65-74. [PMID: 26145789 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2014] [Revised: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Honey is increasingly recognized as an important food item in human evolution, but it remains unclear whether extinct hominins could have overcome the formidable collective stinging defenses of honey bees during honey acquisition. The utility of smoke for this purpose is widely recognized, but little research has explored alternative methods of sting deterrence such as the use of plant secondary compounds. To consider whether hominins could have used plant extracts as a precursor or alternative to smoke, we review the ethnographic, ethnobotanical, and plant chemical ecology literature to examine how humans use plants in combination with, and independently of, smoke during honey collection. Plant secondary compounds are diverse in their physiological and behavioral effects on bees and differ fundamentally from those of smoke. Plants containing these chemicals are widespread and prove to be remarkably effective in facilitating honey collection by honey hunters and beekeepers worldwide. While smoke may be superior as a deterrent to bees, plant extracts represent a plausible precursor or alternative to the use of smoke during honey collection by hominins. Smoke is a sufficient but not necessary condition for acquiring honey in amounts exceeding those typically obtained by chimpanzees, suggesting that significant honey consumption could have predated the control of fire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S Kraft
- Department of Biological Sciences, Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA.
| | - Vivek V Venkataraman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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Venkataraman VV, Kerby JT, Nguyen N, Ashenafi ZT, Fashing PJ. Solitary Ethiopian wolves increase predation success on rodents when among grazing gelada monkey herds. J Mammal 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyu013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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22
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Nguyen N, Fashing PJ, Boyd DA, Barry TS, Burke RJ, Goodale CB, Jones SCZ, Kerby JT, Kellogg BS, Lee LM, Miller CM, Nurmi NO, Ramsay MS, Reynolds JD, Stewart KM, Turner TJ, Venkataraman VV, Knauf Y, Roos C, Knauf S. Fitness impacts of tapeworm parasitism on wild gelada monkeys at Guassa, Ethiopia. Am J Primatol 2015; 77:579-94. [PMID: 25716944 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Revised: 12/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Parasitism is expected to impact host morbidity or mortality, although the fitness costs of parasitism have rarely been quantified for wildlife hosts. Tapeworms in the genus Taenia exploit a variety of vertebrates, including livestock, humans, and geladas (Theropithecus gelada), monkeys endemic to the alpine grasslands of Ethiopia. Despite Taenia's adverse societal and economic impacts, we know little about the prevalence of disease associated with Taenia infection in wildlife or the impacts of this disease on host health, mortality and reproduction. We monitored geladas at Guassa, Ethiopia over a continuous 6½ year period for external evidence (cysts or coenuri) of Taenia-associated disease (coenurosis) and evaluated the impact of coenurosis on host survival and reproduction. We also identified (through genetic and histological analyses) the tapeworms causing coenurosis in wild geladas at Guassa as Taenia serialis. Nearly 1/3 of adult geladas at Guassa possessed ≥1 coenurus at some point in the study. Coenurosis adversely impacted gelada survival and reproduction at Guassa and this impact spanned two generations: adults with coenuri suffered higher mortality than members of their sex without coenuri and offspring of females with coenuri also suffered higher mortality. Coenurosis also negatively affected adult reproduction, lengthening interbirth intervals and reducing the likelihood that males successfully assumed reproductive control over units of females. Our study provides the first empirical evidence that coenurosis increases mortality and reduces fertility in wild nonhuman primate hosts. Our research highlights the value of longitudinal monitoring of individually recognized animals in natural populations for advancing knowledge of parasite-host evolutionary dynamics and offering clues to the etiology and control of infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nga Nguyen
- Department of Anthropology, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California; Environmental Studies Program, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California
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23
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Venkataraman VV, Glowacka H, Fritz J, Clauss M, Seyoum C, Nguyen N, Fashing PJ. Effects of dietary fracture toughness and dental wear on chewing efficiency in geladas (Theropithecus gelada). Am J Phys Anthropol 2014; 155:17-32. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Halszka Glowacka
- Institute of Human Origins; School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University; Tempe AZ
| | - Julia Fritz
- Clinic for Zoo Animals; Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich; Switzerland
| | - Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals; Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich; Switzerland
| | - Chalachew Seyoum
- Institute of Human Origins; School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University; Tempe AZ
- Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage; Addis Ababa; Ethiopia
| | - Nga Nguyen
- Department of Anthropology; California State University Fullerton; CA
- Environmental Studies Program; California State University Fullerton; CA
| | - Peter J. Fashing
- Department of Anthropology; California State University Fullerton; CA
- Environmental Studies Program; California State University Fullerton; CA
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Fashing PJ, Nguyen N, Venkataraman VV, Kerby JT. Gelada feeding ecology in an intact ecosystem at Guassa, Ethiopia: Variability over time and implications for theropith and hominin dietary evolution. Am J Phys Anthropol 2014; 155:1-16. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2014] [Revised: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 06/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter J. Fashing
- Department of Anthropology; California State University Fullerton; 800 N. State College Boulevard Fullerton CA 92834
- Environmental Studies Program; California State University Fullerton; 800 N. State College Boulevard Fullerton CA 92834
| | - Nga Nguyen
- Department of Anthropology; California State University Fullerton; 800 N. State College Boulevard Fullerton CA 92834
- Environmental Studies Program; California State University Fullerton; 800 N. State College Boulevard Fullerton CA 92834
| | | | - Jeffrey T. Kerby
- The Polar Center and Department of Biology; Pennsylvania State University; University Park PA 16802
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Kraft TS, Venkataraman VV, Dominy NJ. A natural history of human tree climbing. J Hum Evol 2014; 71:105-18. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2012] [Revised: 07/22/2013] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Venkataraman VV, Kraft TS, Desilva JM, Dominy NJ. Phenotypic Plasticity of Climbing-Related Traits in the Ankle Joint of Great Apes and Rainforest Hunter-Gatherers. Hum Biol 2013; 85:309-28. [DOI: 10.3378/027.085.0315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Venkataraman VV, Rolian C, Gordon AD, Patel BA. A resampling approach and implications for estimating the phalangeal index from unassociated hand bones in fossil primates. Am J Phys Anthropol 2013; 151:280-9. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2013] [Accepted: 03/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vivek V. Venkataraman
- Department of Biological Sciences; Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center, Dartmouth College; Hanover; NH; 03755
| | - Campbell Rolian
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; University of Calgary; Calgary; Alberta; Canada; T2N4N1
| | - Adam D. Gordon
- Department of Anthropology; University at Albany-SUNY; Albany; NY; 12222
| | - Biren A. Patel
- Department of Cell and Neurobiology; Keck School of Medicine; University of Southern California; Los Angeles; CA; 90033
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Fashing PJ, Nguyen N, Barry TS, Goodale CB, Burke RJ, Jones SCZ, Kerby JT, Lee LM, Nurmi NO, Venkataraman VV. Death among geladas (Theropithecus gelada): a broader perspective on mummified infants and primate thanatology. Am J Primatol 2010; 73:405-9. [PMID: 21432869 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.20902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2010] [Revised: 10/21/2010] [Accepted: 10/27/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Despite intensive study in humans, responses to dying and death have been a neglected area of research in other social mammals, including nonhuman primates. Two recent reports [Anderson JR, Gillies A, Lock LC. 2010. Pan thanatology. Current Biology 20:R349-R351; Biro D, Humle T, Koops K, Souse C, Hayashi M, Matsuzawa T. 2010. Chimpanzee mothers at Bossou, Guinea carry the mummified remains of their dead infants. Current Biology 20:R351-R352] offered exciting new insights into behavior toward dying and dead conspecifics in our closest living relatives-chimpanzees. Here, we provide a comparative perspective on primate thanatology using observations from a more distant human relative-gelada monkeys (Theropithecus gelada)-and discuss how gelada reactions to dead and dying groupmates differ from those recently reported for chimpanzees. Over a 3.75-year study period, we observed 14 female geladas at Guassa, Ethiopia carrying dead infants from 1 hr to ≥48 days after death. Dead infants were carried by their mothers, other females in their group, and even by females belonging to other groups. Like other primate populations in which extended (>10 days) infant carrying after death has been reported, geladas at Guassa experience an extreme climate for primates, creating conditions which may favor slower rates of decomposition of dead individuals. We also witnessed the events leading up to the deaths of two individuals and the responses by groupmates to these dying individuals. Our results suggest that while chimpanzee mothers are not unique among primates in carrying their dead infants for long periods, seemingly "compassionate" caretaking behavior toward dying groupmates may be unique to chimpanzees among nonhuman primates (though it remains unknown whether such "compassionate" behavior occurs outside captivity).
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Fashing
- Department of Anthropology, California State University Fullerton, USA.
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