Red colobus monkeys are a group of African monkeys that include some of the most endangered primate populations. Despite urgently needing to understand the importance of particular populations for preserving the biodiversity of this lineage, their evolutionary relationships remain poorly understood, and their taxonomy is unstable, and often enigmatic. Data on behaviour, ecology, genetics, and morphology are thus strongly needed to address taxonomic issues that are not only relevant for primatologists, but also for conservation biologists. In this study, we investigated the morphological diversity and evolution of red colobus by examining the cranial variation of 369 individuals from most living populations. Crania were measured using a set of 64 anatomical landmarks, and were analysed using geometric morphometric methods for the study of three-dimensional landmark coordinates. We found significant differences among most of the populations traditionally described on the basis of pelage colour and geographic distribution. However, differences tended to be smaller within biogeographic assemblages, which might be related to mountain refugia during periods of forest contraction in the Pleistocene.We also found a tendency towards large taxonomic distances, which suggested that populations might have originated earlier than has been traditionally thought, a result congruent with a recent molecular phylogenetic analysis. However, the distinctive forms of East African relict populations might be related to an acceleration of morphological evolution in small peripheral isolates, under strong selective pressures. This indicates that small and isolated populations, which are also the most endangered ones, might indeed be unique representatives of the red colobus radiation, and hence contribute to its biodiversity significantly. However, in- depth morphological studies of red colobus, particularly those in peripheral populations that tend to be rare in the wild, as well as in museum collections, is hampered by a paucity of data. In these cases, populations might be extinct before primatologists and conservationsts can even appreciate what was lost. (C) 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009.

The radiation of red colobus monkeys (Primates, Colobinae): morphological evolution in a clade of endangered African primates / Cardini, Andrea Luigi; S., Elton. - In: ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY. - ISSN 0024-4082. - STAMPA. - 157:(2009), pp. 197-224. [10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00508.x]

The radiation of red colobus monkeys (Primates, Colobinae): morphological evolution in a clade of endangered African primates

CARDINI, Andrea Luigi;
2009

Abstract

Red colobus monkeys are a group of African monkeys that include some of the most endangered primate populations. Despite urgently needing to understand the importance of particular populations for preserving the biodiversity of this lineage, their evolutionary relationships remain poorly understood, and their taxonomy is unstable, and often enigmatic. Data on behaviour, ecology, genetics, and morphology are thus strongly needed to address taxonomic issues that are not only relevant for primatologists, but also for conservation biologists. In this study, we investigated the morphological diversity and evolution of red colobus by examining the cranial variation of 369 individuals from most living populations. Crania were measured using a set of 64 anatomical landmarks, and were analysed using geometric morphometric methods for the study of three-dimensional landmark coordinates. We found significant differences among most of the populations traditionally described on the basis of pelage colour and geographic distribution. However, differences tended to be smaller within biogeographic assemblages, which might be related to mountain refugia during periods of forest contraction in the Pleistocene.We also found a tendency towards large taxonomic distances, which suggested that populations might have originated earlier than has been traditionally thought, a result congruent with a recent molecular phylogenetic analysis. However, the distinctive forms of East African relict populations might be related to an acceleration of morphological evolution in small peripheral isolates, under strong selective pressures. This indicates that small and isolated populations, which are also the most endangered ones, might indeed be unique representatives of the red colobus radiation, and hence contribute to its biodiversity significantly. However, in- depth morphological studies of red colobus, particularly those in peripheral populations that tend to be rare in the wild, as well as in museum collections, is hampered by a paucity of data. In these cases, populations might be extinct before primatologists and conservationsts can even appreciate what was lost. (C) 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009.
2009
157
197
224
The radiation of red colobus monkeys (Primates, Colobinae): morphological evolution in a clade of endangered African primates / Cardini, Andrea Luigi; S., Elton. - In: ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY. - ISSN 0024-4082. - STAMPA. - 157:(2009), pp. 197-224. [10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00508.x]
Cardini, Andrea Luigi; S., Elton
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/690305
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