eLife (Nov 2019)
Insights into the evolution of social systems and species from baboon studies
- Julia Fischer,
- James P Higham,
- Susan C Alberts,
- Louise Barrett,
- Jacinta C Beehner,
- Thore J Bergman,
- Alecia J Carter,
- Anthony Collins,
- Sarah Elton,
- Joël Fagot,
- Maria Joana Ferreira da Silva,
- Kurt Hammerschmidt,
- Peter Henzi,
- Clifford J Jolly,
- Sascha Knauf,
- Gisela H Kopp,
- Jeffrey Rogers,
- Christian Roos,
- Caroline Ross,
- Robert M Seyfarth,
- Joan Silk,
- Noah Snyder-Mackler,
- Veronika Staedele,
- Larissa Swedell,
- Michael L Wilson,
- Dietmar Zinner
Affiliations
- Julia Fischer
- ORCiD
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany; Department of Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus for Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
- James P Higham
- ORCiD
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States
- Susan C Alberts
- ORCiD
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, United States; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, United States; Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya
- Louise Barrett
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada; Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
- Jacinta C Beehner
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States; Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
- Thore J Bergman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States; Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, United States
- Alecia J Carter
- ORCiD
- Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier, Montpellier, France; Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
- Anthony Collins
- Gombe Stream Research Centre, Jane Goodall Institute, Kigoma, United Republic of Tanzania
- Sarah Elton
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
- Joël Fagot
- Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Montpellier, France
- Maria Joana Ferreira da Silva
- Organisms and Environment Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Centro de Administração e Políticas Públicas, School of Social and PoliticalSciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- Kurt Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Peter Henzi
- Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
- Clifford J Jolly
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, United States
- Sascha Knauf
- ORCiD
- Work Group Neglected Tropical Diseases, Infection Biology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany; Division of Microbiology and Animal Hygiene, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany
- Gisela H Kopp
- Zukunftskolleg, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany; Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behaviour, Konstanz, Germany
- Jeffrey Rogers
- Human Genome Sequencing Center, Houston, United States; Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, United States
- Christian Roos
- Gene Bank of Primates, German Primate Center, Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany; Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Caroline Ross
- Department of Life Sciences, Roehampton University, London, United Kingdom
- Robert M Seyfarth
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
- Joan Silk
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States; Institute for Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, United States
- Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States; Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States; National Primate Research Cente, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
- Veronika Staedele
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, United States; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Larissa Swedell
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, United States; Department of Anthropology, Queens College, City University of New York, New York, United States; Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Michael L Wilson
- Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States; Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States; Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, United States
- Dietmar Zinner
- ORCiD
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz-Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus for Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.50989
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 8
Abstract
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.
Keywords