Browsing by Author "Mathe, Jacinto"
Now showing 1 - 9 of 9
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- A missing piece of the Papio puzzle: Gorongosa baboon phenostructure and intrageneric relationshipsPublication . Martinez, Felipe I.; Capelli, Cristian; Ferreira da Silva, Maria J.; Aldeias, Vera; Alemseged, Zeresenay; Archer, William; Bamford, Marion; Biro, Dora; Bobe, Rene; Braun, David R.; Habermann, Jörg M.; Luedecke, Tina; Madiquida, Hilario; Mathe, Jacinto; Negash, Enquye; Paulo, Luis M.; Pinto, Maria; Stalmans, Marc; Tata, Frederico; Carvalho, SusanaMost authors recognize six baboon species: hamadryas (Papio hamadryas), Guinea (Papio papio), olive (Papio anubis), yellow (Papio cynocephalus), chacma (Papio ursinus), and Kinda (Papio kindae). However, there is still debate regarding the taxonomic status, phylogenetic relationships, and the amount of gene flow occurring between species. Here, we present ongoing research on baboon morphological diversity in Gorongosa National Park (GNP), located in central Mozambique, south of the Zambezi River, at the southern end of the East African Rift System. The park exhibits outstanding ecological diversity and hosts more than 200 baboon troops. Gorongosa National Park baboons have previously been classified as chacma baboons (P. ursinus). In accordance with this, two mtDNA samples from the park have been placed in the same mtDNA Glade as the northern chacma baboons. However, GNP baboons exhibit morphological features common in yellow baboons (e.g., yellow fur color), suggesting that parapatric gene flow between chacma and yellow baboons might have occurred in the past or could be ongoing. We investigated the phenostructure of the Gorongosa baboons using two approaches: 1) description of external phenotypic features, such as coloration and body size, and 2) 3D geometric morphometric analysis of 43 craniofacial landmarks on 11 specimens from Gorongosa compared to a pan-African sample of 352 baboons. The results show that Gorongosa baboons exhibit a mosaic of features shared with southern P. cynocephalus and P. ursinus griseipes. The GNP baboon phenotype fits within a geographic clinal pattern of replacing allotaxa. We put forward the hypothesis of either past and/or ongoing hybridization between the gray-footed chacma and southern yellow baboons in Gorongosa or an isolation-by-distance scenario in which the GNP baboons are geographically and morphologically intermediate. These two scenarios are not mutually exclusive. We highlight the potential of baboons as a useful model to understand speciation and hybridization in early human evolution. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotopes in modern tooth enamel: A case study from Gorongosa National Park, central MozambiquePublication . Lüdecke, Tina; Leichliter, Jennifer N.; Aldeias, Vera; Bamford, Marion K.; Biro, Dora; Braun, David R.; Capelli, Cristian; Cybulski, Jonathan D.; Duprey, Nicolas N.; Ferreira da Silva, Maria J.; Foreman, Alan D.; Habermann, Jörg M.; Haug, Gerald H.; Martínez, Felipe I.; Mathe, Jacinto; Mulch, Andreas; Sigman, Daniel M.; Vonhof, Hubert; Bobe, Rene; Carvalho, Susana; Martínez-García, AlfredoThe analyses of the stable isotope ratios of carbon (delta C-13), nitrogen (delta N-15), and oxygen (delta O-18) in animal tissues are powerful tools for reconstructing the feeding behavior of individual animals and characterizing trophic interactions in food webs. Of these biomaterials, tooth enamel is the hardest, most mineralized vertebrate tissue and therefore least likely to be affected by chemical alteration (i.e., its isotopic composition can be preserved over millions of years), making it an important and widely available archive for biologists and paleontologists. Here, we present the first combined measurements of delta C-13, delta N-15, and delta O-18 in enamel from the teeth of modern fauna (herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores) from the well-studied ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park (GNP) in central Mozambique. We use two novel methods to produce high-precision stable isotope enamel data: (i) the "oxidation-denitrification method," which permits the measurement of mineral-bound organic nitrogen in tooth enamel (delta N-15(enamel)), which until now, has not been possible due to enamel's low organic content, and (ii) the "cold trap method," which greatly reduces the sample size required for traditional measurements of inorganic delta C-13(enamel) and delta O-18(enamel) (from >= 0.5 to <= 0.1 mg), permitting analysis of small or valuable teeth and high-resolution serial sampling of enamel. The stable isotope results for GNP fauna reveal important ecological information about the trophic level, dietary niche, and resource consumption. delta N-15(enamel) values clearly differentiate trophic level (i.e., carnivore delta N-15(enamel) values are 4.0 parts per thousand higher, on average, than herbivores), delta C-13(enamel) values distinguish C-3 and/or C-4 biomass consumption, and delta O-18(enamel) values reflect local meteoric water (delta O-18(water)) in the park. Analysis of combined carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen stable isotope data permits geochemical separation of grazers, browsers, omnivores, and carnivores according to their isotopic niche, while mixed-feeding herbivores cannot be clearly distinguished from other dietary groups. These results confirm that combined C, N, and O isotope analyses of a single aliquot of tooth enamel can be used to reconstruct diet and trophic niches. Given its resistance to chemical alteration, the analysis of these three isotopes in tooth enamel has a high potential to open new avenues of research in (paleo)ecology and paleontology.
- Evolution of craniofacial shape in relation to sexual dimorphism in theropithecus and papioPublication . Ossorio, Ángeles; Figueroa-Torrejón, Ambra; Buston, Rodrigo; Caldon, Matteo; Mathe, Jacinto; Doria, Giuliano; Gippoliti, Spartaco; Volta, Antonella; Silva, María Joana Ferreira da; Bobe, René; Carvalho, Susana; Capelli, Cristian; Martínez, Felipe I.Introduction: Sexual dimorphism in cranial morphology is a significant aspect of primate evolution, providing insights into evolutionary pressures and mating systems in different species. This study focuses on cranial sexual dimorphism in Papio and Theropithecus, two closely related genera within the tribe Papionini.Methods: Using geometric morphometric techniques, we analyzed 570 cranial specimens from both genera, with data sourced from various studies and repositories. Thirty craniofacial landmarks were defined and analyzed through Geometric Morphometrics tools to evaluate shape variation.Results: Our findings reveal distinct morphological clusters for each genus and sex, with Papio and Theropithecus exhibiting significant sexual dimorphism. The results distinguish genera and sex-based groups, indicating differential impacts of size on shape across groups. The findings suggest that while sexual dimorphism is stable in magnitude within each genus, the specific morphological manifestations differ.Discussion: This research advances our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms driving sexual dimorphism and emphasizes the need for further studies to explore the genetic and environmental factors influencing these differences. The innovative approach and comprehensive dataset provide a robust framework for future investigations into primate cranial morphology and its evolutionary implications.
- Genomic variation in baboons from central Mozambique unveils complex evolutionary relationships with other Papio speciesPublication . Santander, Cindy; Molinaro, Ludovica; Mutti, Giacomo; Martínez, Felipe I.; Mathe, Jacinto; Ferreira da Silva, Maria J.; Caldon, Matteo; Oteo-Garcia, Gonzalo; Aldeias, Vera; Archer, Will; Bamford, Marion; Biro, Dora; Bobe, René; Braun, David R.; Hammond, Philippa; Lüdecke, Tina; Pinto, Maria J.; Meira Paulo, Luis; Stalmans, Marc; Regala, Frederico; Bertolini, Francesco; Moltke, Ida; Raveane, Alessandro; Pagani, Luca; Carvalho, Susana; Capelli, CristianBackground Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique hosts a large population of baboons, numbering over 200 troops. Gorongosa baboons have been tentatively identified as part of Papio ursinus on the basis of previous limited morphological analysis and a handful of mitochondrial DNA sequences. However, a recent morphological and morphometric analysis of Gorongosa baboons pinpointed the occurrence of several traits intermediate between P. ursinus and P. cynocephalus, leaving open the possibility of past and/or ongoing gene flow in the baboon population of Gorongosa National Park. In order to investigate the evolutionary history of baboons in Gorongosa, we generated high and low coverage whole genome sequence data of Gorongosa baboons and compared it to available Papio genomes. Results We confirmed that P. ursinus is the species closest to Gorongosa baboons. However, the Gorongosa baboon genomes share more derived alleles with P. cynocephalus than P. ursinus does, but no recent gene flow between P. ursinus and P. cynocephalus was detected when available Papio genomes were analyzed. Our results, based on the analysis of autosomal, mitochondrial and Y chromosome data, suggest complex, possibly male-biased, gene flow between Gorongosa baboons and P. cynocephalus, hinting to direct or indirect contributions from baboons belonging to the “northern” Papio clade, and signal the presence of population structure within P. ursinus. Conclusions The analysis of genome data generated from baboon samples collected in central Mozambique highlighted a complex set of evolutionary relationships with other baboons. Our results provided new insights in the population dynamics that have shaped baboon diversity.
- Gorongosa by the sea: First Miocene fossil sites from the Urema Rift, central Mozambique, and their coastal paleoenvironmental and paleoecological contextsPublication . Habermann, Jörg M.; Alberti, Matthias; Aldeias, Vera; Alemseged, Zeresenay; Archer, Will; Bamford, Marion; Biro, Dora; Braun, David R.; Capelli, Cristian; Cunha, Eugenia; da Silva, Maria Ferreira; Luedecke, Tina; Madiquida, Hilario; Martinez, Felipe I.; Mathe, Jacinto; Negash, Enquye; Paulo, Luis M.; Pinto, Maria; Stalmans, Marc; Regala, Frederico Tata; Wynn, Jonathan G.; Bobe, Rene; Carvalho, SusanaThe East African Rift System (EARS) has played a central role in our understanding of human origins and vertebrate evolution in the late Cenozoic of Africa. However, the distribution of fossil sites along the rift is highly biased towards its northern extent, and the types of paleoenvironments are primarily restricted to fluvial and lacustrine settings. Here we report the discovery of the first fossil sites from the Urema Rift at Gorongosa National Park (central Mozambique) at the southern end of the EARS, and reconstruct environmental contexts of the fossils. In situ and surface fossils from the lower member of the Mazamba Formation, estimated to be of Miocene age, comprise mammals, reptiles, fishes, invertebrates, palms, and dicot trees. Fossil and geological evidence indicates a coastal-plain paleoenvironmental mosaic of riverine forest/woodland and estuarine habitats that represent the first coastal biomes identified in the Neogene EARS context. Receiving continental sediment from source terranes west of today's Urema Graben, estuarine sequences accumulated prior to rifting as compound incised-valley fills on a low-gradient coastal plain following transgression. Modern environmental analogues are extremely productive habitats for marine and terrestrial fauna, including primates. Thus, our discoveries raise the possibility that the Miocene coastal landscapes of Gorongosa were ecologically-favorable habitats for primates, providing relatively stable maritime climate and ecosystem conditions, year-round freshwater availability, and food both from terrestrial and marine sources. The emerging fossil record from Gorongosa is beginning to fill an important gap in the paleobiogeography of Africa as no fossil sites of Neogene age have previously been reported from the southernmost part of the EARS. Furthermore, this unique window into past continental-margin ecosystems of central Mozambique may allow us to test key paleobiogeographic hypotheses during critical periods of primate evolution.
- Sex-mediated gene flow in grayfoot chacma baboons (Papio ursinus griseipes) in Gorongosa National Park, MozambiquePublication . Silva, Maria Joana Ferreira da; Tralma, Paula; Colmonero-Costeira, Ivo; Cravo-Mota, Mariana; Farassi, Rassina; Hammond, Philippa; Lewis-Bevan, Lynn; Bamford, Marion K.; Biro, Dora; Lüdecke, Tina; Mathe, Jacinto; Bobe, René; Capelli, Cristian; Martínez, Felipe I.; Carvalho, SusanaDispersal behavior influences gene flow and the spatial distribution of genetic diversity, which is crucial for a species' evolutionary trajectory and population persistence under environmental changes. We used gene flow as a proxy to investigate dispersal patterns in the grayfoot chacma baboon (Papio ursinus griseipes) in Gorongosa National Park (GNP), central Mozambique. The baboons inhabit a mosaic landscape with a seasonally variable environment. Thirty-two years ago, GNP was the epicenter of a major war that severely reduced apex predators, resulting in limited mammalian predation on baboons. We aimed to characterize genetic diversity, examine the extent and direction of sex-biased gene flow at different time frames and investigate changes in population size and recent migration events. We collected 121 non-invasive DNA samples and analyzed uni- and bi-parentally inherited markers, comprising mitochondrial DNA, autosomal and Y-linked microsatellites, at two geographic locations (GNP and Catap & uacute; Forest Reserve) 150 km apart. We observed high genetic diversity and no evidence of a recent population decline. We identified six mitochondrial haplotypes, including a genetically distinct one in Catapu Forest Reserve. We found molecular evidence for historical and current male-mediated gene flow and female philopatry. Our results highlight the resilience of dispersal patterns in Papio sp. in diverse and seasonally variable ecosystems which have been disturbed by anthropogenic activities.
- The first Miocene fossils from coastal woodlands in the southern East African RiftPublication . Bobe, René; Aldeias, Vera; Alemseged, Zeresenay; Anemone, Robert L.; Archer, Will; Aumaître, Georges; Bamford, Marion K.; Biro, Dora; Bourlès, Didier L.; Doyle Boyd, Melissa; Braun, David R.; Capelli, Cristian; d’Oliveira Coelho, João; Habermann, Jörg M.; Head, Jason J.; Keddadouche, Karim; Kupczik, Kornelius; Lebatard, Anne-Elisabeth; Lüdecke, Tina; Macôa, Amélia; Martínez, Felipe I.; Mathe, Jacinto; Mendes, Clara; Paulo, Luis Meira; Pinto, Maria; Presnyakova, Darya; Püschel, Thomas A.; Regala, Frederico; Sier, Mark; Ferreira da Silva, Maria Joana; Stalmans, Marc; Carvalho, SusanaThe Miocene was a key time in the evolution of African ecosystems witnessing the origin of the African apes and the isolation of eastern coastal forests through an expanding arid corridor. Until recently, however, Miocene sites from the southeastern regions of the continent were unknown. Here, we report the first Miocene fossil teeth from the shoulders of the Urema Rift in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. We provide the first 1) radiometric ages of the Mazamba Formation, 2) reconstructions of paleovegetation in the region based on pedogenic carbonates and fossil wood, and 3) descriptions of fossil teeth. Gorongosa is unique in the East African Rift in combining marine invertebrates, marine vertebrates, reptiles, terrestrial mammals, and fossil woods in coastal paleoenvironments. The Gorongosa fossil sites offer the first evidence of woodlands and forests on the coastal margins of southeastern Africa during the Miocene, and an exceptional assemblage of fossils including new species.
- West side story: regional inter‐troop variation in baboon bark‐stripping at gorongosa national park, MozambiquePublication . Biro, Dora; Muschinski, Jana; Hammond, Philippa; Bobe, René; Bamford, Marion K.; Capelli, Cristian; de Oliveira Coelho, João; Farassi, Rassina; Lüdecke, Tina; Martinez, Felipe I.; Silva, Maria Joana Ferreira; Carvalho, Susana; Mathe, JacintoObjectives: Baboons possess sophisticated physical and social cognitive abilities; hence, the lack of evidence to date of largescale behavioral variation in these primates is puzzling. Here we studied a candidate for such variation—the stripping of bark from Acacia robusta trees for consumption of the sap and soft tissue underneath—in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. Materials and Methods: We surveyed an area inhabited by ~60 troops of chacma baboons, recording the availability and characteristics of the target trees, as well as the presence or absence of bark-stripping at 45 habitat plots distributed across a grid covering an area of ~300km2. Results: Camera traps confirmed the presence of baboons at all habitat plots, and we identified regional clumping in the distribution of the behavior, a pattern consistent across two consecutive years. Proportion and mean height/width of A. robusta did not predict whether bark-stripping behavior was present at a given site, nor did broader ecological variables such as habitat type and distance to the nearest water source. However, stripping sites had significantly higher numbers of A. robusta than non-stripping sites, and within a given bark-stripping site, baboons preferred to strip taller and wider trees among those available. Discussion: The prominent geographical clustering we uncovered may have been driven by opportunity (i.e., the prevalence of A. robusta at a given site), but is also consistent with a possible (non-mutually exclusive) cultural interpretation. We propose avenues for future research on Gorongosa's baboons to better quantify the relative contributions of ecology, genetics, and social.
- West Side Story: regional inter‐troop variation in baboon bark‐stripping at gorongosa national park, MozambiquePublication . Biro, Dora; Muschinski, Jana; Hammond, Philippa; Bobe, René; Bamford, Marion K.; Capelli, Cristian; de Oliveira Coelho, João; Farassi, Rassina; Lüdecke, Tina; Martinez, Felipe I.; Silva, Maria Joana Ferreira; Mathe, Jacinto; Carvalho, SusanaObjectives: Baboons possess sophisticated physical and social cognitive abilities; hence, the lack of evidence to date of large-scale behavioral variation in these primates is puzzling. Here we studied a candidate for such variation—the stripping of barkfrom Acacia robusta trees for consumption of the sap and soft tissue underneath—in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique.Materials and Methods: We surveyed an area inhabited by ~60 troops of chacma baboons, recording the availability andcharacteristics of the target trees, as well as the presence or absence of bark-stripping at 45 habitat plots distributed across a gridcovering an area of ~300 km 2 .Results: Camera traps confirmed the presence of baboons at all habitat plots, and we identified regional clumping in the distri-bution of the behavior, a pattern consistent across two consecutive years. Proportion and mean height/width of A. robusta did notpredict whether bark-stripping behavior was present at a given site, nor did broader ecological variables such as habitat type anddistance to the nearest water source. However, stripping sites had significantly higher numbers of A. robusta than non-strippingsites, and within a given bark-stripping site, baboons preferred to strip taller and wider trees among those available.Discussion: The prominent geographical clustering we uncovered may have been driven by opportunity (i.e., the prevalenceof A. robusta at a given site), but is also consistent with a possible (non-mutually exclusive) cultural interpretation. We proposeavenues for future research on Gorongosa's baboons to better quantify the relative contributions of ecology, genetics, and social.