Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisor: Liza Shapiro. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available from UMI.

Thesis (M.A.)--Georgia State University, 2006. / Title from title screen. Frank L'Engle Williams, committee chair; Aras Petrulis, Susan McCombie, committee members. Electronic text (69 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed Apr. 26, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-67).

Not available / text

Testing on laboratory-housed primates has long been the standard for research in cognitive psychology and other areas. As an alternative to this, a group of socially housed chacma baboons (Papio hamadrayas ursinus) at the Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education near Phalaborwa in Limpopo Province, South Africa, were the subjects for a set of basic cognitive tests. The purpose of the tests was to explore the importance of analogical reasoning by means of testing perceptual and conceptual skills in baboons. The main aim of this research is to investigate the degree to which captive but socially housed baboons are useful as experimental subjects, and to develop an apparatus and protocol to perform these tests in situ in the baboons' home cages. Five baboons were chosen as the subjects for experimentation. All subjects completed three groups of tasks to a criterion of at least 80% success over four successive experiments. The tasks tested baboons' discrimination ability between two coloured tiles, a reversal of that same discrimination task, and a simple match to- sample task. As a result of time constraints, further tasks testing conceptual ability had to be abandoned. A record was kept of environmental and social factors that may have influenced the motivation of the subjects. The time taken to complete each experiment correlated in many cases with the number of distractions experienced by the subjects. There appeared to be no significant correlation between the score attained by a subject and the number of distractions experienced by that subject. The greater number of distractions experienced by the subjects was a result of the more engaged social world in which these baboons exist. Consequently, their motivation to perform repetitive cognitive tests was decreased, and needed to be countered in novel ways. An apparatus and a protocol for testing under these conditions were developed. Testing baboons' cognitive skills in these circumstances is both possible and desirable for ethical reasons, though the process takes longer than under laboratory conditions. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2004

Thesis (Ph. D)--UCLA, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

La compréhension des sociétés, de la communication et de la cognition chez les primates non humains permet de mieux comprendre l'évolution de notre propre espèce. Bien que la structure acoustique chez les primates soit principalement innée, leur utilisation vocale et leur compréhension / réponse sont plus flexibles et fluctuent en fonction des expériences sociales. Comme les relations peuvent varier entre les individus d’un même groupe et changer avec le temps, les contextes d’utilisation des vocalisations (perspective du signaleur) et les schémas de réponse aux vocalisations (perspective du récepteur) sont supposés différer même entre espèces très proches. Mon projet de thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre actuel déterminant dans quelle mesure le système social façonne la communication et la cognition sociale chez les primates. Plus spécifiquement, j’ai étudié l’utilisation d’une vocalisation affiliative — le grognement — et la surveillance sociale d’une population sauvage de babouins de Guinée (Papio papio) vivant dans le parc national du Niokolo Koba, au Sénégal. En combinant des observations comportementales et des designs expérimentaux, je me suis attachée à investir le point de vue du signaleur et du receveur en utilisant le grognement, la vocalisation affiliative la plus commune chez les babouins. Les babouins de savane (P. ursinus, P. cynocephalus, P. kinda, P. anubis) vivent dans des groupes polygynandres caractérisés par une forte compétition entre males et des relations sociales stables entre femelles. A l’inverse, l’organisation sociale des babouins de Guinée et hamadryas (P. hamadryas) est caractérisée par une société à plusieurs niveaux, une dispersion majoritaire des femelles et un système reproductif polygyny-monandre. Chez le babouin de Guinée, « l’unité » — i.e., un mâle « primaire », 1-6 femelle, leur progéniture, et fréquemment des mâles « secondaires » — représente le cœur de la société, et l’agglomération de plusieurs unités s’appelle le « parti ». Les mâles sont majoritairement philopatriques au sein d’un parti et partage une grande tolérance spatiale, facilitant la formation de liens sociaux forts et durables. Afin d’évaluer si le système social du babouin de Guinée influence leur utilisation du grognement, j’ai collecté des observations comportementales de mâles et de femelles sexuellement matures. Tout d’abord, j'ai examiné si la nature des interactions suite à une approche était modulée par la production de grognements par l'animal approchant (i.e., le sujet). A la suite d’une approche avec grognement chez les deux sexes, la dyade était plus susceptible d’interagir de manière affiliative. De plus, les grognements augmentaient la probabilité de manipulation du nourrisson du partenaire et réduisaient le risque de supplantation. Par la suite, j'ai testé comment un nourrisson à proximité du receveur et la qualité des liens sociaux entre partenaires pouvaient potentiellement influencer la décision du sujet à grogner ou rester silencieux. Les deux sexes étaient plus susceptibles de grogner envers un partenaire féminin que masculin. Entre femelles, la probabilité d’émission vocale était plus faible lorsqu’elles partageaient de forts liens sociaux, et ceci uniquement en présence d’un nourrisson avec sa partenaire. L’appartenance à une unité a également eu un impact sur le grognement, car les femmes étaient plus susceptibles de vocaliser lorsqu'elles approchent une femme d'une autre unité. Le statut de dominance et l’écart entre rang hiérarchique dyadique n’altéraient pas la probabilité de grognement entre femelles, même si une hiérarchie de dominance linéaire a été démontrée. En accord avec la tolérance élevée chez les mâles de cette espèce, la force des liens sociaux n'a eu aucun impact sur la probabilité de grogner lors d'approches entre mâles. Enfin, les mâles étaient plus prompts à grogner lorsqu'un nourrisson était à proximité du partenaire féminin. Dans l’ensemble, ces résultats indiquent que les babouins de Guinée utilisent les grognements de manière stratégique pour faire connaître leurs intentions bénigne lors de situations imprévisibles spécifiques (par exemple, en s’approchant d’un partenaire non préférentiel). Bien que les contraintes génétiques limitent la structure et l'étendue du répertoire vocal au sein d’un même taxon, les babouins peuvent adapter leur utilisation vocale de manière flexible en fonction de leur environnement social. Dans une seconde étude, j'ai exploré le point de vue du receveur en testant l'attention portée aux interactions sociales de tiers chez les mâles adultes babouins de Guinée. J'ai pratiqué des expériences de repasse pour déterminer si les mâles suivaient les associations actuelles entre mâles et femelles au sein de leur parti (mais en dehors de leur propre unité). Tout d’abord, j'ai démontré que les grognements sont exprimés plus fréquemment entre femelles et mâles primaires d'une même unité que d'unités différentes. Par la suite, j'ai réalisé des séquences acoustiques congruentes et incongrues simulant un échange de grognements entre une femelle et un mâle primaire appartenant respectivement à la même unité ou non. J’ai testé ces séquences de grognements sur des mâles primaires et des mâles non primaires, comme le statut des mâles (association avec une femelle) pourrait influencer la valeur des informations sociales. Étonnamment, les babouins mâles regardaient plus longtemps vers le hautparleur lorsqu’ils étaient exposés à la condition congruente par rapport à la condition incongrue, un résultat opposé à une précédente expérience de repasse chez le mâle babouin chacma. De plus, les mâles primaires réagissaient plus fortement que les mâles non primaires, quel que soit la condition expérimentale. Ainsi, ces résultats révèlent comment les différences du système reproductif et du degré de compétition entre mâles affectent la valeur allouée aux informations sociales même entre espèces génétiquement proches. En comparant mes résultats avec la littérature chez les geladas et d’autres espèces de babouins, les variations observées lors de l'utilisation de vocalisations et la motivation à suivre les interactions des autres chez les babouins de Guinée sont susceptibles d'être liées à des caractéristiques propres à leur système social. Bien que les babouins de Guinée utilisent des grognements de manière stratégique pour signaler leur intention bienveillante, comme c’est le cas chez plusieurs autres espèces de primates, l’absence de significativité de la force des liens sociaux entre males et males-femelles, ainsi que de la hiérarchie de dominance féminine sur la production de grognements pourrait être liée au faible niveau de compétition observé à la fois entre ou au sein d’un même sexe chez cette espèce. Compte tenu du faible intérêt que suscitent les enregistrements simulant des associations incongrues entre femelles et mâles, mes expériences de repasse supportent que l'attribution de l'attention sociale — et potentiellement l’étendue des connaissances sociales — dépend fortement du système reproductif et du degré de compétition/tolérance entre congénères. De futures recherches devraient considérer un ensemble de mesures révélant comment la compétition, la cohésion et la coopération impact potentiellement l’évolution de la communication et de la cognition. De plus, le développement de recherches comparatives entre espèces ou populations confrontées à des fluctuations des différentes dimensions du système social est primordial, sachant que l’environnement social semble expliquer davantage de variation entre espèces que les relations génétiques

The thrifty phenotype hypothesis proposes reduced nutrition alters the trajectory of development of metabolic regulatory systems to produce a phenotype better fitted to an environment of decreased later-life nutrient availability. Because organisms have physiological mechanisms for coping with poor nutrition, they may have sociobehavioral mechanisms as well. Aggressive behavior, especially in the context of feeding competition, may be advantageous in such environments. There could be an association between aggression and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which can result from low maternal food intake during pregnancy. The main hypotheses of this study are [1] IUGR offspring demonstrate higher rates of aggressive behavior and [2] IUGR offspring attain higher ranks. Behavioral observations were conducted on 22 juvenile baboons (Papio sp., ages 3-5 yrs) living in groups. Male IUGR (n = 4) and female IUGR (n = 5) were offspring of mothers fed 70% the same feed eaten by control (CTR) mothers in pregnancy and lactation. CTR males (n = 8) and CTR females (n = 5) were offspring of mothers fed ad libitum. Some authorities recommend this moderate level of dietary restriction for health and longevity. Offspring have not experienced dietary restriction since weaning. IUGR, compared to CTR, showed significantly increased rates of aggressive behavior, especially threat displays. Differences were more dramatic in males than in females. IUGR baboons performed the affiliative display behaviors lipsmack and chatter at elevated rates too, perhaps to counteract the effects of increased aggressive displays. IUGR females exhibited increased rates of stereotypical chewing behavior, while IUGR males exhibited decreased rates of play behavior, possibly indicating elevated anxiety levels. There was only limited support for condition-based differences in rank. Elevated rates of aggression in IUGR baboons may reflect an aggressive behavioral phenotype that enhances fitness by improving access to resources. Alternatively, they could be a non-adaptive result of neurodevelopment with a potentially negative impact on fitness. Unraveling the dynamic relationship between experiences and development is essential for understanding how phenotypes are formed. This will improve the ability of mothers to assess benefits of different nutritional strategies, leading to healthier individuals not just during growth and development, but throughout life.

The Blyde Canyon Nature reserve displays its natural beauty for most National and International visitors all over the World. The region is renowned for its high rainfall and misty weather, which enhances the natural beauty of the area. Because of the mist belt effect, the area is one of the largest commercial forestry areas in South Africa. Baboons also seek after the topography and vegetation type (Northeastern mountain sourveld) that is typical of this area and numerous baboon troops occur in this region. This combination is often the cause of conflict between baboons and humans. The need arise for these baboons to be studied and managed as a component of this very important ecosystem. The main aims of the study were firstly to identify a natural ranging baboon troop, to habituate them and gather data regarding home range sizes, troop sizes, densities and seasonal food selection and secondly to give a detailed habitat description and vegetation map of the troop's home range. The baboon activity data was collected in 15-minute intervals over a one year period on a troop at Bourke's Luck. This included all activities such as walking, social, foraging, and resting. The food parts selected as well as the species foraged on was identified. Numerous statistical methods were used on the baboon data such as; the Shapiro Wilk test, Spearman rank-order correlation, ANOVA, and the Kolmogarov-Smirnov two sample test. There was a positive correlation between home range areas and troop sizes and the baboons preferred certain habitats above others during different seasons. To give a detailed habitat description of the troop's home range, 50 sample plots was stratified-randomly distributed in order to include all the different stratification units. a TWINSPAN classification, refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures was carried out on the Bourke's Luck section that included the baboons home range. 13 Plant communities, which can be grouped into 7 major community types were identified. This study resulted in the ecological interpretation of baboon activities related to the ecological interpretation of the vegetation in the baboon troop's home range. / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology / M.Tech. (Nature Conservation)

Glycine-N-acyltransferase (GLYAT, EC 2.3.1.13) has been characterised in a number of species including: humans, chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys and bovines. The characterisation of GLYAT from various species contributes to a better understanding of the diversity of the enzyme which in turn might help improve the current understanding of detoxification in mammals. The GLYAT enzyme of both the chacma baboon and vervet monkey has not been characterised. In this project, tissue samples were obtained from a chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) and a vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) to determine the nucleic acid sequence that encodes GLYAT in these two species to broaden our current understanding on the diversity of GLYAT in primates. A liver of a chacma baboon was used to extract total RNA. Complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesised using an oligo (dT) primer. An open reading frame (ORF) encoding GLYAT of the chacma baboon was amplified with a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) using primers designed from a human GLYAT transcript. The PCR product containing an ORF encoding GLYAT of the chacma baboon was cloned, sequenced and expressed. The recombinant GLYAT of the chacma baboon expressed well in bacteria, but was insoluble and did not have enzyme activity. A crude cytoplasmic extract was prepared from the liver of a chacma baboon. The objective was to compare enzyme activity between the native and recombinant GLYAT. The prepared liver extract from the chacma baboon was assayed for enzyme activity and compared to the activity in a liver extract from bovine, previously prepared by Ms M Snyders. Both the chacma baboon and bovine liver extracts had GLYAT enzyme activity. To obtain sequence information on vervet monkey GLYAT, leukocytes were isolated from blood obtained from a living vervet monkey. A human GLYAT gene sequence was used as a reference DNA sequence in the design of PCR primers that were used to amplify the exons of GLYAT of the vervet monkey. All six GLYAT exons were individually amplified and PCR products were sequenced. The sequences were combined to reconstruct an ORF encoding GLYAT of the vervet monkey. The ORFs coding the GLYAT of both chacma baboon and vervet monkey were found to be 888 bp long (excluding stop codon) and encoded a protein of 296 amino acids. A fragment of 1256 bp of the chacma baboon GLYAT transcript was sequenced. The two GLYAT ORF sequences were translated to amino acid sequences and aligned to that of GLYAT of primates obtained from the Ensembl sequence database. The GLYAT amino acid sequences of the chacma baboon, vervet monkey and rhesus monkey formed a related group, distinct from other primates. The chacma baboon and vervet monkey sequences were 99 % identical to the rhesus monkey sequence and 92.6 % identical to the human sequence. There were 4 new variations introduced by GLYAT amino acid sequences from the chacma baboon and the vervet monkey. The vervet monkey introduced an isoleucine in place of a valine at position 32 and an arginine in place of a histidine or glutamine at position 224. The chacma baboon introduced a tyrosine in place of isoleucine at position 201 and an arginine in place of histidine or glutamine at position 240. The knowledge generated in this project will broaden the understanding of GLYAT diversity relating to GLYAT in primates. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Biochemistry))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011

The focus of this study is the effect of environmental conditions on the social relationships among females in a free-ranging troop of chacma baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus), in a southern woodland habitat. The female dominance hierarchy, rank related differential costs and benefits to individuals, and the nature of special relationships between females, were followed. The study was conducted for a total of 18 months during three years, at Mkuzi Game Reserve, Zululand, South-Africa. The study troop occupy a rich woodland habitat with abundant food resources. Visibility under these conditions is poor and the baboons are subjected to leopard predation. Intra-troop competition for food among female primates and its effect on lifetime reproductive success, has been widely stressed to be a major cost for low ranking females. No evidence of competition for food was found among females at Mkuzi. It is suggested that the main cause for mortality may be predation by leopards, and that females compete mainly over a safe spatial position. The following characteristics of female sociality at Mkuzi may support this suggestion: 1. While no indication of rank related feeding behaviour, reproductive success, or 'attractiveness' to others was found, the higher ranking females had more access to central, and thus better protected, spatial positions in the troop. 2. The importance of social associations among females at Mkuzi seems to lie in mutual grooming and protection from predation by the vicinity to each other, and not in coalitionary support. Female associates were thus not necessarily adjacent ranking and probably not kin. 3. Although female dominance hierarchy was usually stable, the lowest ranking adult female has promoted her rank independently, following the disappearance of her only female associate and during her pregnancy, when she was probably subjected to high risk of predation. 4. Following troop fission, most females chose to improve their own rank position by adopting the AYS strategy (Abandon Your immediate Superior in rank), rather than joining associates. It is suggested that the resident males were responsible for the initiation of troop fission, in order to decrease the high cost of sexual competition to them, by reducing the number of males in each daughter troop. High intensity of competition between males was the result of the high female reproductive success. Risk of predation, and therefore the cost to individual females, increased after fission. This study may present an additional accumulating behavioural evidence on adaptations environmental conditions. the of flexibility primates example to of social and to various environmental conditions. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1993.