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The Natural History of Model Organisms: Insights into the evolution of social systems and species from baboon studies
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| 2.13 MB | Adobe PDF |
Orientador(es)
Resumo(s)
Baboons, members of the genus Papio, comprise six closely related species distributed
throughout sub-Saharan Africa and southwest Arabia. The species exhibit more ecological flexibility
and a wider range of social systems than many other primates. This article summarizes our current
knowledge of the natural history of baboons and highlights directions for future research. We
suggest that baboons can serve as a valuable model for complex evolutionary processes, such as
speciation and hybridization. The evolution of baboons has been heavily shaped by climatic changes
and population expansion and fragmentation in the African savanna environment, similar to the
processes that acted during human evolution. With accumulating long-term data, and new data from
previously understudied species, baboons are ideally suited for investigating the links between
sociality, health, longevity and reproductive success. To achieve these aims, we propose a closer
integration of studies at the proximate level, including functional genomics, with behavioral and
ecological studies.
Descrição
Palavras-chave
Baboon; social systems; evolution; species.