23 research outputs found
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Life History Space : A Multivariate Analysis of Life History Variation in Extant and Extinct Malagasy Lemurs
Studies of primate life history variation are constrained by the fact that all large-bodied extant primates are haplorhines. However, large-bodied strepsirrhines recently existed. If we can extract life history information from their skeletons, these species can contribute to our understanding of primate life history variation. This is particularly important in light of new critiques of the classic fast-slow continuum as a descriptor of variation in life history profiles across mammals in general. We use established dental histological methods to estimate gestation length and age at weaning for five extinct lemur species. On the basis of these estimates, we reconstruct minimum interbirth intervals and maximum reproductive rates. We utilize principal components analysis to create a multivariate life history space that captures the relationships among reproductive parameters and brain and body size in extinct and extant lemurs. Our data show that, whereas large-bodied extinct lemurs can be described as slow in some fashion, they also varied greatly in their life history profiles. Those with relatively large brains also weaned their offspring late and had long interbirth intervals. These were not the largest of extinct lemurs. Thus, we distinguish size-related life history variation from variation that linked more strongly to ecological factors. Because all lemur species larger than 10 kg, regardless of life history profile, succumbed to extinction after humans arrived in Madagascar, we argue that large body size increased the probability of extinction independently of reproductive rate. We also provide some evidence that, among lemurs, brain size predicts reproductive rate better than body size
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Across the ecological divide: Dental developmental diversity in Madagascar\u27s giant lemurs.
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The secrets of lemur teeth
ew tools are available for teasing out aspects of life-history variation among extinct species. Here we summarize research on the life histories of the extinct lemurs of Madagascar. There is a wide range of variation in dental developmental timing among these species, from among the most accelerated (Palaeopropithecus) to among the most prolonged (Hadropithecus) within the Order Primates. Rather than reflecting variation in body size, this diversity appears to relate to niche characteristics and encephalization
Deadwood Structural Properties May Influence Aye-Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) Extractive Foraging Behavior
Clathrin light chain directs endocytosis by influencing the binding of the yeast Hip1R homologue, Sla2, to F-actin
The clathrin light-chain (LC) N-terminal region interacts with the Sla2/Hip1/Hip1R family of ANTH/talin–like proteins. In vivo evidence shows that LC–Sla2 binding is important for releasing Sla2 attachments to actin in the endocytic coat. Loss of this regulation can suppress major actin defects during endocytosis