Facial fluctuating asymmetry in three species of colobus monkeys
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Date
2023-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in biological structures has historically been used as a proxy for developmental instability (DI), and therefore stress in development. Facial bones, specifically cranial bones, are of particular interest for FA analysis. To better understand differences in environmental stressors, particularly in the context of anthropogenic change, facial FA has been quantified in three species of colobus monkeys; two of these species (Piliocolobus badius and Colobus polykomos) are sympatric and inhabit the Taï region of Côte d'Ivoire. An additional population of southern Kenyan C. angolensis palliatus was included for comparative analysis; these populations represent a gradient of stress. Landmarks were imposed on primate crania using Viewbox 4 software; using geomorph and morphoJ, relative differences in FA were quantified through PCAs and FA component variance tests. The results from this project offer weak support in favor of this gradient, with significant evidence (p=0.035) suggesting this population of Taï P. badius demonstrates a greater response to stress than the population of C. angolensis palliatus. Given recent alarming trends in P. badius conservation, future work comparing responses to stress among various populations and species of Piliocolobus is desired.
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Keywords
Asymmetry, Monkey, Stress, Developmental Instability, Geometric Morphometrics, Colobus