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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Reconstructing Terrestrial Paleoclimate and Paleoecology with Fossil Leaves Using Digital Leaf Physiognomy and Leaf Mass Per Area

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Published on: October 25, 2024

Environmental correlates of the cercopithecoid radiations.

¹Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull, UK. sarah.elton@hyms.ac.uk

Folia Primatologica; International Journal of Primatology

|September 15, 2007

Summary

Old World monkey evolution began early, adapting to diverse habitats. Later radiations in Africa were driven more by regional environments than global climate shifts.

Area of Science:

Primate evolutionary biology
Paleoecology
African paleoanthropology

Background:

Old World monkey (Cercopithecoidea) adaptive radiation is often linked to Neogene cooling and habitat changes.
Major evolutionary events in cercopithecoids occurred prior to the late Miocene cooling period.

Observation:

Modern Old World monkeys inhabit diverse environments, reflecting early evolutionary adaptations.
Cercopithecoid speciation and abundance increased significantly in the late Miocene, Pliocene, and Pleistocene.
Regional environmental shifts and competition, rather than global climate, were key drivers of Plio-Pleistocene monkey evolution in Africa.

Findings:

Monkey community evolution in southern Africa correlates with Pleistocene grassland expansion.
East Africa's diverse cercopithecid fauna is associated with a mosaic of forest, woodland, and grassland habitats.

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Implications:

Understanding primate adaptation requires considering both global and regional environmental factors.
Early evolutionary flexibility enabled Old World monkeys to diversify across varied African landscapes.