Insights into the evolution of social systems and species from baboon studies

Fischer, Julia; Higham, James P; Alberts, Susan C; Barrett, Louise; Beehner, Jacinta C; Bergman, Thore J; Carter, Alecia J; Collins, Anthony; Elton, Sarah; Fagot, Joël; Ferreira da Silva, Maria Joana; Hammerschmidt, Kurt; Henzi, Peter; Jolly, Clifford J; Knauf, Sascha; Kopp, Gisela H; Rogers, Jeffrey; Roos, Christian; Ross, Caroline; Seyfarth, Robert M; Silk, Joan; Snyder-Mackler, Noah; Staedele, Veronika; Swedell, Larissa; Wilson, Michael L; Zinner, Dietmar

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.

Citation

Fischer, J., Higham, J. P., Alberts, S. C., Barrett, L., Beehner, J. C., Bergman, T. J., …Zinner, D. (2019). Insights into the evolution of social systems and species from baboon studies. eLife, 8, Article e50989. https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.50989

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 16, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Nov 12, 2019
• Publication Date: Nov 12, 2019
• Deposit Date: Nov 27, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 27, 2019
• Journal: eLife
• Publisher: eLife Sciences Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Article Number: e50989
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.50989