Department of Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Am J Primatol. 2013 Feb;75(2):95-106. doi: 10.1002/ajp.22096. Epub 2012 Nov 26.
In 1974, Cartmill introduced the theory that the earliest primate adaptations were related to their being visually oriented predators active on slender branches. Given more recent data on primate-like marsupials, nocturnal prosimians, and early fossil primates, and the context in which these primates first appeared, this theory has been modified. We hypothesize that our earliest primate relatives were likely exploiting the products of co-evolving angiosperms, along with insects attracted to fruits and flowers, in the slender supports of the terminal branch milieu. This has been referred to as the primate/angiosperm co-evolution theory. Cartmill subsequently posited that: "If the first euprimates had grasping feet and blunt teeth adapted for eating fruit, but retained small divergent orbits…" then the angiosperm coevolution theory would have support. The recent discovery of Carpolestes simpsoni provides this support. In addition, new field data on small primate diets, and a new theory concerning the visual adaptations of primates, have provided further evidence supporting the angiosperm coevolution theory.
1974 年，Cartmill 提出了一个理论，即最早的灵长类动物适应与它们作为视觉导向的捕食者有关，这些捕食者活跃在细枝上。鉴于最近关于类似灵长类的有袋动物、夜间的原猴类和早期的化石灵长类动物的数据，以及这些灵长类动物首次出现的背景，这一理论已经被修改。我们假设，我们最早的灵长类亲属可能在终端分支环境中的细枝支撑物上，利用与被子植物共同进化的产物，以及吸引水果和花朵的昆虫，来获取食物。这被称为灵长类/被子植物共同进化理论。随后，Cartmill 提出：“如果第一批真灵长类动物有用于抓握的脚和适应于吃水果的钝牙，但保留了小的发散轨道……”那么被子植物的共同进化理论就会得到支持。最近发现的 Carpolestes simpsoni 提供了这种支持。此外，关于小型灵长类动物饮食的新野外数据和一个关于灵长类动物视觉适应的新理论，也提供了进一步支持被子植物共同进化理论的证据。
