Evolution of Gibbons and Siamang Phylogeny, Morphology, and Cognition

About this book

Evolution of Gibbons and Siamang provides insight into gibbon diet and community ecology, the mating system and reproduction, and conservation biology, all topics which represent areas of substantial progress in understanding socio-ecological flexibility and conservation needs of the hylobatid family. This work analyzes hylobatid evolution by synthesizing recent and ongoing studies of molecular phylogeny, morphology, and cognition in a framework of gibbon and siamang evolution. With its clearly different perspective, this book is written to be read, referenced, and added to the bookshelves of scientists, librarians, and the interested public.

Contents

Part I. - Introduction 1. The Evolution of Gibbons and Siamang Reichard U.H., Barelli C., Hirai H. & Nowak M.G. 2. The Role of Historical and Fossil Records in Predicting Changes in the Spatial Distribution of Hylobatids Chatterjee H.J. 3. Locomotion and Posture in Ancestral Hominoids Prior to the Split of Hylobatids Nowak M.G. & Reichard U.H. 4. The Fossil Record and Evolutionary History of Hylobatids Harrison, T. 5. Climate and Geography of Asia: Miocene to Pleistocene Reichard U.H. & Croissier M.M. Part II. - Gibbon and Siamang Phylogeny 6. Unique evolution of heterochromatin and alpha satellite DNA in small apes Koga A. & Hirai H. 7. Phylogeny and Classification of Gibbons (Hylobatidae) Roos C. Part III. - Evolution of Gibbon and Siamang Morphology and Locomotion 8. Why is the Siamang Larger than other Hylobatids? Reichard U.H. & Preuschoft H. 9. Gibbons to Gorillas: Allometric Issues in Hominoid Cranial Evolution Leslie E.R. & Shea B.T. 10. Nowak M.G. & Reichard U.H. 11. Selective Value of Characteristic Size Parameters in Hylobatids. A Biomechanical Approach to Small Ape Size and Morphology. Preuschoft H., Schonewasser K.-H. & Witzel U. Part IV. - Gibbon and Siamang Cognition 12. Hand Manipulation Skills in Hylobatids Prime J.M. & Ford S. 13. The Evolution of Technical Intelligence: Perspectives from the Hylobatidae Cunningham C.L., Anderson J.R. & Mootnick A.R. 14. Communication and Cognition of Small Apes Liebal K. 15. Gibbon songs: Understanding the Evolution and Development of this Unique Form of Vocal Communication Koda H.

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Biography

CLAUDIA BARELLI is a primatologist and conservation scientist with a PhD in biology on female gibbons' reproductive strategies. She is currently a research fellow at MUSE - Science Museum in Trento, Italy. Her major research interests integrated morphological and behavioral studies with genetics, endocrinology and parasitology to address questions relating to reproductive strategies, life history, signaling, sexual selection and evolution in primates. A second focus of her research involves conservation physiology with emphasis on developing multidisciplinary methods that integrate population ecology with metagenomics and physiological approaches for the rapid assessment of threatened populations to address questions concerning human/wildlife interactions and biodiversity conservation. HIROHISA HIRAI is a Professor of Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, and Former Director of the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University, Japan. His primary research interests are in molecular cytogenetics and chromosome evolution in primates. Especially, he is interested in constitutive heterochromatin, rDNA genomic dispersion, centromere and telomere of hylobatids, hominids, and platyrrhines. ULRICH H. REICHARD is Associate Professor of Biological Anthropology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, U.S.A. He co-authored Monogamy: Mating Strategies and Partnerships in Birds, Humans and other Mammals (2003). His research interests are wide, spanning topics related to the ecology, behavior, and cognition of primates, particularly small apes, with the purpose of finding answers to questions about what makes us human. For nearly thirty years his empirical work has focused on the primate community of Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, where he and his team of students and colleagues study the life history, vocal communication, and spatial intelligence of white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar). Current investigations also involve reproductive strategies of male and female northern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca leonina).