UCLA Center for Society and Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Proc Biol Sci. 2012 Jun 7;279(1736):2204-11. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2011.2326. Epub 2012 Jan 11.
The rich diversity of primate faces has interested naturalists for over a century. Researchers have long proposed that social behaviours have shaped the evolution of primate facial diversity. However, the primate face constitutes a unique structure where the diverse and potentially competing functions of communication, ecology and physiology intersect, and the major determinants of facial diversity remain poorly understood. Here, we provide the first evidence for an adaptive role of facial colour patterns and pigmentation within Neotropical primates. Consistent with the hypothesis that facial patterns function in communication and species recognition, we find that species living in smaller groups and in sympatry with a higher number of congener species have evolved more complex patterns of facial colour. The evolution of facial pigmentation and hair length is linked to ecological factors, and ecogeographical rules related to UV radiation and thermoregulation are met by some facial regions. Our results demonstrate the interaction of behavioural and ecological factors in shaping one of the most outstanding facial diversities of any mammalian lineage.
灵长类动物丰富多样的面部特征引起了自然主义者一个多世纪的兴趣。长期以来，研究人员一直认为社会行为塑造了灵长类动物面部多样性的进化。然而，灵长类动物的面部是一个独特的结构，其中交流、生态和生理的多样化和潜在竞争功能相交，面部多样性的主要决定因素仍未得到很好的理解。在这里，我们提供了第一个证据表明新热带灵长类动物的面部颜色模式和色素沉着具有适应性作用。与面部模式在交流和物种识别中起作用的假设一致，我们发现生活在较小群体中和与更多同种物种共存的物种进化出了更复杂的面部颜色模式。面部色素沉着和毛发长度的进化与生态因素有关，一些面部区域符合与紫外线辐射和体温调节有关的生态地理规则。我们的研究结果表明，行为和生态因素的相互作用塑造了哺乳动物谱系中最显著的面部多样性之一。
