Morphological variation in the genus Chlorocebus: Ecogeographic and anthropogenically mediated variation in body mass, postcranial morphology, and growth

Abstract

Objectives Direct comparative work in morphology and growth on widely dispersed wild primate taxa is rarely accomplished, yet critical to understanding ecogeographic variation, plastic local variation in response to human impacts, and variation in patterns of growth and sexual dimorphism. We investigated population variation in morphology and growth in response to geographic variables (i.e., latitude, altitude), climatic variables (i.e., temperature and rainfall), and human impacts in the vervet monkey (Chlorocebus spp.). Methods We trapped over 1600 wild vervets from across Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, and compared measurements of body mass, body length, and relative thigh, leg, and foot length in four well-represented geographic samples: Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and St. Kitts & Nevis. Results We found significant variation in body mass and length consistent with Bergmann’s Rule in adult females, and in adult males when excluding the St. Kitts & Nevis population, which was more sexually dimorphic. Contrary to Rensch’s Rule, although the South African population had the largest average body size, it was the least dimorphic. There was significant, although very small, variation in all limb segments in support for Allen’s Rule. Females in high human impact areas were heavier than those with moderate exposures, while those in low human impact areas were lighter; human impacts had no effect on males. Conclusions Vervet monkeys appear to have adapted to local climate as predicted by Bergmann’s and, less consistently, Allen’s Rule, while also responding in predicted ways to human impacts. To better understand deviations from predicted patterns will require further comparative work in vervets.

The Outliers Are In: Queer Perspectives on Investigating Variation in Biological Anthropology

“…; Turner et al. ). Together, we see unusual and common outcomes as different parts of a statistical distribution, all of which equally beg explanation, as in newer feminist conceptions of sexual differentiation and development (Ah‐King and Nylin ; McCarthy and Arnold ).…”

Living in the suburbs: Space use by vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) in an eco‐estate, South Africa

“…Turner et al’s () study on the morphological variation within the Chlorocebus genus presented body mass sample sizes from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and St. Kitts and Nevis Islands. Their mean adult weight for free‐living South African males was 5.69 kg (0.73 SD ) and for females 4.09 kg (0.66 SD ).…”

ACE2 and TMPRSS2 variation in savanna monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.): Potential risk for zoonotic/anthroponotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and a potential model for functional studies

“…are a catarrhine primate that is ubiquitous throughout sub-Saharan African savanna environments [25]. They are often characterized as problem animals within this range due to their easy co-habitation with human settlements ranging from rural farmland to densely packed urban areas [26] [27] [28]. Green monkeys (Ch.…”