Comparative Biology and Evolutionary Relationships of Tree Shrews PDF
Preview Comparative Biology and Evolutionary Relationships of Tree Shrews
Comparative Biology and Evolutionary Relationships of Tree Shrews ADVANCES IN PRIMATOLOGY Series Editors: W. PATRICK LUCKETT Creighton University School of Medicine Omaha, Nebraska CHARLES R. NOBACK Columbia University New York, New York Editorial Board: JOHN F. EISENBERG F.A.JENKINS,Jr. Smithsonian Institution Harvard University Washington, D.C. Cambridge, Massachusetts MORRIS GOODMAN FREDERICK S. SZALAY Wayne State University School of Medicine Hunter College Detroit, Michigan New York, New York mE PRIMATE BRAIN Edited by Charles R. Noback and William Montagna MOLECULAR ANTHROPOLOGY: Genes and Proteins in the Evolutionary Ascent of the Primates Edited by Morris Goodman and Richard E. Tashian SENSORY SYSTEMS OF PRIMATES Edited by Charles R. Noback NURSERY CARE OF NONHUMAN PRIMATES Edited by Gerald C. Ruppenthal COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIPS OF TREE SHREWS Edited by W. Patrick Luckett A Continuation Order Plan is available for tbis series. A continuation order will bring delivery of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon actual shipment. For further information please contact the publisher. Comparative Biology and Evolutionary Relationships of Tree Shrews Edited by w. Patrick Luckett Creighton University School of Meaiclne Omaha, Nebraska Plenum Press . New York and London Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: Comparative biology and evolutionary relationships of tree shrews. (Advances in primatology) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Tupaiidae-Evolution. 2. Mammals-Evolution. I. Luckett, Winter Patrick. II. Series. QL737.P968C65 599.3'3 80-19824 ISBN 978-1-4684-1053-2 ISBN 978-1-4684-1053-2 ISBN 978-1-4684-1051-8 (eBook) 001 10. 1007/978-1-4684-1051-8 © 1980 Plenum Press, New York Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1980 A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation 227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher Contributors Percy M. Butler Gerrell Drawhorn Department of Zoology Department of Anthropology Royal Holloway College University of California, Davis Englefield Green, Surrey Davis, California England Morris Goodman Department of Anatomy C. B. G. Campbell Wayne State University School Department of Medical of Medicine Neurosciences Detroit, Michigan Division of Neuropsychiatry Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Louis L. Jacobs Washington, D. C. Department of Geology Museum of Northern Arizona Flagstaff, Arizona Matt Cartmill Department of Anatomy W. Patrick Luckett Duke University Medical Center Department of\Anatomy Durham, North Carolina Creighton University Omaha, Nebraska John E. Cronin Department of Anthropology R. D. E. MacPhee Peabody Museum Department of Anatomy Harvard University Duke University Medical Center Cambridge, Massachusetts Durham, North Carolina Howard Dene Genji Matsuda Department of Anatomy Department of Biochemistry Wayne State University School Nagasaki University School of of Medicine Medicine Detroit, Michigan Nagasaki, Japan v vi CONTRIBUTORS J. Michael Novacek Vincent M. Sarich Department of Zoology Departments of Anthropology San Diego State University and Biochemistry San Diego, California University of California Berkeley, California William Prychodko Frederick S. Szalay Department of Biology Department of Anthropology Wayne State University Hunter College, CUNY Detroit, Michigan New York, New York Preface Tree shrews are small-bodied, scansorial, squirrel-like mammals that occupy a wide range of arboreal, semi-arboreal, and forest floor niches in Southeast Asia and adjacent islands. Comparative aspects of tree shrew biology have been the subject of extensive investigations during the past two decades. These studies were initiated in part because of the widely accepted belief that tupaiids are primitive primates, and, as such, might provide valuable insight into the evolutionary origin of complex patterns of primate behavior, locomotion, neurobiology, and reproduction. During the same period, there has been a renewed interest in the methodology of phylogenetic reconstruction and in the use of data from a variety of biological disciplines to test or formulate hypotheses of evolutionary relationships. In particular, interest in the com parative and systematic biology of mammals has focused on analysis of phy logenetic relationships among Primates and a search for their closest relatives. Assessment of the possible primate affinities of tree shrews has comprised an important part of these studies, and a considerable amount of dental, cranio skeletal, neuroanatomical, reproductive, developmental, and molecular evi dence has been marshalled to either corroborate or refute hypotheses of a special tupaiid-primate relationship. These contrasting viewpoints have re sulted from differing interpretations of the basic data, as well as alternative approaches to the evolutionary analysis of data. The present volume was organized in order to evaluate the possible evo lutionary relationships of tree shrews to primates and other eutherian mam mals. Such analysis is deemed an essential prerequisite for the use of tree shrews as possible models for the study of the evolutionary origin of various primate organ systems. Assessment of the mammalian affinities of tree shrews is limited because of the sparseness of the tupaiid fossil record (restricted at present to the recently discovered Miocene specimens described by Jacobs in this volume). In order to evaluate the possible mammalian affinities oftupaiids, it is essential to attempt reconstruction of the morphotypic condition for each organ system analyzed in Tupaiidae, Primates, Dermoptera, Chiroptera, Li potyphla, Macroscelididae, and other eutherian taxa, because such analyses vii viii PREFACE facilitate the recognition of convergent evolution of individual traits in these systems. Reconstruction of the eutherian morphotype for selected features was also undertaken by many contributors, and these hypothetical reconstruc tions serve as focal points for identifying areas of disagreement in phylogenetic analyses. Contributors to the volume were requested to consider two interrelated questions during their assessments of the possible evolutionary relationships of tree shrews. (1) Are there uniquely derived biological attributes shared solely by tupaiids and primates? (2) If tupaiids are not cladistically primates, are they more closely related phyletically to primates, dermopterans, and chiropterans (in a superordinal taxon Archonta) than they are to any other eutherians? Following evaluations of the available dental, cranial, postcranial, neuroana tomical, reproductive, developmental, and molecular evidence, the contribu tors were in general agreement that tupaiids do not appear to share any uniquely derived features with living or fossil primates that would warrant inclusion of tree shrews in a monophyletic order Primates. Available biological data suggest, instead, that tree shrews have evolved independently since at least the early Tertiary, despite the fact that corroborating fossil evidence is lacking. As proposed previously by Butler, recognition of the separate ordinal status of tree shrews (as the order Scandentia) appears to be the best manner of expressing such a long and independent evolutionary history. There was less agreement among contributors concerning the possible superordinal relationships of Scandentia. The available molecular and post cranial evidence provides some support for a modified archontan hypothesis of phylogenetic affinities among Scandentia, Primates, and Dermoptera, but data evaluated from other organ systems provide little, if any, corroboration for this postulate. As emphasized by Szalay and Drawhorn in this volume, however, the available biological evidence does not corroborate any alternative hypotheses of superordinal affinities of Scandentia. Future investigations of tupaiid biology should provide additional data for testing the archontan hypothesis. Even if tree shrews are not considered to be members of the order Pri mates, these fascinating mammals will remain the subject of extensive study by primate biologists. Analyses of the evolutionary relationships of tree shrews during the past two decades have been a major stimulus to renewed investi gations into the origin and phylogeny of Primates. Moreover, assessments of possible tupaiid-primate affinities have focused attention on the wide range of molecular and soft anatomical evidence that can be used to supplement, rather than replace, the more traditional dental and skeletal data for phylogenetic reconstruction. On behalf of the contributors, I wish to thank Mr. Kirk Jensen for his encouragement and continued support of this project. Special thanks are also due to Miss Mary Markytan and Mrs. Edith Witt for their invaluable assistance in preparing this volume for publication. This book was composed by Western ix PREFACE Typesetting Company, Kansas City, Missouri, and the editor acknowledges the assistance of Mr. Jerry Germany and Mr. Alex Kreicbergs in completing this phase of the project. w.P.L.
The list of books you might like
