Domestication Phenotype Linked to Vocal Behavior in Marmoset Monkeys
Asif A Ghazanfar1, Lauren M Kelly2, Daniel Y Takahashi2
1Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
Current Biology : CB
|October 16, 2020
Summary
Marmoset monkeys show a link between a white facial patch, a domestication trait, and vocal responses. Parental vocal feedback influences facial patch growth, suggesting a developmental connection in this primate model.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Primate behavior
- Developmental biology
Background:
- Domestication syndrome describes traits arising from human selection for tameness.
- Self-domestication is hypothesized in species like humans and bonobos, but evidence is limited.
- Morphological and behavioral traits associated with domestication require further investigation in non-human primates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between a specific domestication phenotype (white facial fur patch) and vocal behavior in marmoset monkeys.
- To explore the developmental mechanisms connecting morphological and behavioral traits related to domestication.
- To provide evidence for the developmental basis of domestication phenotypes in a non-human primate.
Main Methods:
- Observational study of marmoset monkeys.
- Quantification of white facial fur patch size.
- Analysis of affiliative vocal responding.
- Assessment of parental vocal feedback during development.
Main Results:
- The size of the white facial fur patch in marmosets is correlated with their affiliative vocal responding.
- Parental vocal feedback during development significantly influences the growth rate of the white facial patch.
- A potential mechanistic link involving neural crest cells is suggested.
Conclusions:
- Vocal behavior and morphological phenotypes associated with domestication are developmentally linked in marmosets.
- This study offers novel insights into the development of domestication traits in non-human primates.
- The findings support the investigation of developmental pathways underlying self-domestication hypotheses.
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