Smith Andrew C, Buchanan-Smith Hannah M, Surridge Alison K, Osorio Daniel, Mundy Nicholas I
Scottish Primate Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK.
J Exp Biol. 2003 Sep;206(Pt 18):3159-65. doi: 10.1242/jeb.00536.
The evolution of trichromatic colour vision by the majority of anthropoid primates has been linked to the efficient detection and selection of food, particularly ripe fruits among leaves in dappled light. Modelling of visual signals has shown that trichromats should be more efficient than dichromats at distinguishing both fruits from leaves and ripe from unripe fruits. This prediction is tested in a controlled captive setting using stimuli recreated from those actually encountered by wild tamarins (Saguinus spp.). Dietary data and reflectance spectra of Abuta fluminum fruits eaten by wild saddleback (Saguinus fuscicollis) and moustached (Saguinus mystax) tamarins and their associated leaves were collected in Peru. A. fluminum leaves, and fruits in three stages of ripeness, were reproduced and presented to captive saddleback and red-bellied tamarins (Saguinus labiatus). Trichromats were quicker to learn the task and were more efficient at selecting ripe fruits than were dichromats. This is the first time that a trichromatic foraging advantage has been demonstrated for monkeys using naturalistic stimuli with the same chromatic properties as those encountered by wild animals.
大多数类人猿灵长类动物三色视觉的进化与食物的有效检测和选择有关，特别是在斑驳光线下树叶中成熟的果实。视觉信号建模表明，在区分果实与树叶以及成熟果实与未成熟果实方面，三色视觉者应比双色视觉者更有效。在一个受控的圈养环境中，使用从野生狨猴（绢毛猴属）实际遇到的刺激物重新创建的刺激物对这一预测进行了测试。在秘鲁收集了野生鞍背狨猴（白领伶猴）和髭狨猴所食用的弗氏厚壳桂果实及其相关树叶的饮食数据和反射光谱。复制了弗氏厚壳桂树叶以及处于三个成熟阶段的果实，并将其呈现给圈养的鞍背狨猴和红腹狨猴（白唇伶猴）。与双色视觉者相比，三色视觉者学习任务更快，在选择成熟果实方面更有效。这是首次使用具有与野生动物所遇到的相同色度特性的自然主义刺激物，证明猴子具有三色觅食优势。
