Ann MacLarnon - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Ann MacLarnon
Journal of Zoological Research
Insect ingestion is generally recorded when consumption of free-living mobile prey is observed. H... more Insect ingestion is generally recorded when consumption of free-living mobile prey is observed. However, an infrequently-investigated alternative exists: ingestion of insects living within fruits and/or their seeds. Potentially this offers frugivorous vertebrates a substantial source of animal protein, vitamins and micronutrients. Here we report on selection by the golden-backed uacari, Cacajao ouakary, of fruits for their insect content. A Neotropical primate specialized for eating unripeseeds of hard-husked fruits, C. ouakary ate seeds/fruit pulp of 101 plant species, of which 26 showed insect infestation. Comparison of frequencies of infestation in fruits/seeds in diet-fruit remnants with those for on-tree same-aged con specific fruits, showed uacaris were: selecting infested fruits (11 species), eating at uniform frequency (9 species), or actively avoiding (6 species). Infested fruit/seed selection was not based on mechanical advantage from fruit weakened by insect burrows, since C. ouakary preferentially bite pericarp sutures, into which larvae do not burrow. By number of feeding records, the 11 actively-selected plant species contributed >25% of uacaris diet, and the 26 larvae-infested species 41.3%; at least 10.7% of individual fruit uacaris ateare estimated to have been insect-infested. Larval content varied from 0.4-5.5g per fruit, so this form of insectivory may make a significant contribution to C. ouakary diet. As larvae are commonly 60-80% protein, infested-fruit selection may be an important means for primates to access protein not otherwise easily available from fruits/seeds. We consider this topic important for understanding primate foraging decisions, and suggest diet-sampling methodologies should consider this foraging mode. Methods for detecting seed predation could be employed, both within and outside primatology, to recalibrate the contribution of fruit-inhabiting insectsto diets of species considered predominantly frugivorous.
Organisms Diversity & Evolution, Oct 12, 2015
The diet of the fossil cave bears (Ursus spelaeus group) has been debated extensively. Thought tr... more The diet of the fossil cave bears (Ursus spelaeus group) has been debated extensively. Thought traditionally to be herbivorous, more recent studies have proposed more meat in the cave bear diet. To test this, the mandibular morphology of cave bears was analysed using 3D geometric morphometrics and compared to that of extant Ursidae. Landmarks for 3D digitisation of the mandible were chosen to reflect functional morphology relating to the temporalis and masseter muscles. Extant and extinct Pleistocene Ursidae were digitised with a MicroScribe G2. Generalised Procrustes superimposition was performed, and data were allometrically and phylogenetically corrected. Principal component analysis (PCA), two-block partial least squares analysis (2B-PLS), regression analysis and discriminant function analysis were performed. PCA and 2B-PLS differentiate between known dietary niches in extant Ursidae. The lineage of the cave bear runs parallel to that of the panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in morphospace, implying the development of morphological adaptations for eating foliage. A regression of shape onto foliage content in the diet and a discriminant function analysis also indicate that the cave bear diet consisted primarily of foliage.
Ecohealth, Nov 17, 2017
During wildlife tourism, proximity or actual contact between people and animals may lead to a sig... more During wildlife tourism, proximity or actual contact between people and animals may lead to a significant risk of anthropozoonotic disease transmission. In this paper, we use social network analysis, disease simulation modelling and data on animal health and behaviour to investigate such risks at a site in Morocco, where tourists come to see wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). Measures of individual macaques' network centrality-an index of the strength and distribution of their social relationships and thus potentially their ability to spread disease-did not show clear and consistent relationships with their time spent in close proximity to, or rate of interacting with, tourists. Disease simulation modelling indicated that while higherranked animals had a significantly greater ability to spread disease within the group, in absolute terms there was little difference in the size of outbreaks that different individuals were predicted to cause. We observed a high rate of physical contact and close proximity between humans and macaques, including during three periods when the macaques were coughing and sneezing heavily, highlighting the potential risk of disease transmission. We recommend that general disease prevention strategies, such as those aimed at reducing opportunities for contact between tourists and macaques, should be adopted.
International Journal of Primatology, Jul 3, 2013
The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake: W. Sousa Silva's surname ... more The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake: W. Sousa Silva's surname was incorrectly presented as Souza-Silva.
S. Karger AG eBooks, Apr 16, 2015
International Journal of Primatology, Apr 20, 2013
Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris, 2019
There is considerable variation in mid-late Pleistocene hominin paranasal sinuses, and in some ta... more There is considerable variation in mid-late Pleistocene hominin paranasal sinuses, and in some taxa distinctive craniofacial shape has been linked to sinus size. Extreme frontal sinus size has been reported in mid-Pleistocene specimens often classified as Homo heidelbergensis, and Neanderthal sinuses are said to be distinctively large, explaining diagnostic Neanderthal facial shape. Here, the sinuses of fossil hominins attributed to several mid-late Pleistocene taxa were compared to those of recent H. sapiens. The sinuses were investigated to clarify differences in the extent of pneumatisation within this group and the relationship between sinus size and craniofacial variation in hominins from this time period. Frontal and maxillary sinus volumes were measured from CT data, and geometric morphometric methods were used to identify and analyse shape variables associated with sinus volume. Some mid-Pleistocene specimens were found to have extremely large frontal sinuses, supporting pre...
Biology Letters, 2016
Selection is expected to favour the evolution of flexible metabolic strategies, in response to en... more Selection is expected to favour the evolution of flexible metabolic strategies, in response to environmental conditions. Here, we use a non-invasive index of basal metabolic rate (BMR), faecal thyroid hormone (T3) levels, to explore metabolic flexibility in a wild mammal inhabiting a highly seasonal, challenging environment. T3 levels of adult male Barbary macaques in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco, varied markedly over the year; temporal patterns of variation differed between a wild-feeding and a provisioned group. Overall, T3 levels were related to temperature, foraging time (linked to food availability) and intensity of mating activity, and were higher in the provisioned than in the wild-feeding group. In both groups, T3 levels began to increase markedly one month before the start of the mating season, peaking four to six weeks into this period, and at a higher level in the wild-feeding group. Our results suggest that while both groups demonstrate marked metabolic flexibility, resp...
American Anthropologist, 1993
Zeitschrift Fur Saugetierkunde-international Journal of Mammalian Biology, Apr 1, 1987
The gastrointestinal tract of the European badger (Meies meles L.) consists of a simple elongated... more The gastrointestinal tract of the European badger (Meies meles L.) consists of a simple elongated stomach, tortuous small intestine and simple smooth-walled colon. There is no caecum. Allometric comparison of the internal surface area of the main gut compartments with comparable data from a variety of mammal species shows that the badger has a marginally larger stomach, larger small intestine and smaller colon than expected for its body weight. Multivariate analysis based on the absorptive areas of the three main gut compartments, taking into account body size, places the badger close to other mustelids and within a cluster of species most of whose diets are faunivorous.
Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2018
Journal of Zoological Research
Insect ingestion is generally recorded when consumption of free-living mobile prey is observed. H... more Insect ingestion is generally recorded when consumption of free-living mobile prey is observed. However, an infrequently-investigated alternative exists: ingestion of insects living within fruits and/or their seeds. Potentially this offers frugivorous vertebrates a substantial source of animal protein, vitamins and micronutrients. Here we report on selection by the golden-backed uacari, Cacajao ouakary, of fruits for their insect content. A Neotropical primate specialized for eating unripeseeds of hard-husked fruits, C. ouakary ate seeds/fruit pulp of 101 plant species, of which 26 showed insect infestation. Comparison of frequencies of infestation in fruits/seeds in diet-fruit remnants with those for on-tree same-aged con specific fruits, showed uacaris were: selecting infested fruits (11 species), eating at uniform frequency (9 species), or actively avoiding (6 species). Infested fruit/seed selection was not based on mechanical advantage from fruit weakened by insect burrows, since C. ouakary preferentially bite pericarp sutures, into which larvae do not burrow. By number of feeding records, the 11 actively-selected plant species contributed >25% of uacaris diet, and the 26 larvae-infested species 41.3%; at least 10.7% of individual fruit uacaris ateare estimated to have been insect-infested. Larval content varied from 0.4-5.5g per fruit, so this form of insectivory may make a significant contribution to C. ouakary diet. As larvae are commonly 60-80% protein, infested-fruit selection may be an important means for primates to access protein not otherwise easily available from fruits/seeds. We consider this topic important for understanding primate foraging decisions, and suggest diet-sampling methodologies should consider this foraging mode. Methods for detecting seed predation could be employed, both within and outside primatology, to recalibrate the contribution of fruit-inhabiting insectsto diets of species considered predominantly frugivorous.
Organisms Diversity & Evolution, Oct 12, 2015
The diet of the fossil cave bears (Ursus spelaeus group) has been debated extensively. Thought tr... more The diet of the fossil cave bears (Ursus spelaeus group) has been debated extensively. Thought traditionally to be herbivorous, more recent studies have proposed more meat in the cave bear diet. To test this, the mandibular morphology of cave bears was analysed using 3D geometric morphometrics and compared to that of extant Ursidae. Landmarks for 3D digitisation of the mandible were chosen to reflect functional morphology relating to the temporalis and masseter muscles. Extant and extinct Pleistocene Ursidae were digitised with a MicroScribe G2. Generalised Procrustes superimposition was performed, and data were allometrically and phylogenetically corrected. Principal component analysis (PCA), two-block partial least squares analysis (2B-PLS), regression analysis and discriminant function analysis were performed. PCA and 2B-PLS differentiate between known dietary niches in extant Ursidae. The lineage of the cave bear runs parallel to that of the panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in morphospace, implying the development of morphological adaptations for eating foliage. A regression of shape onto foliage content in the diet and a discriminant function analysis also indicate that the cave bear diet consisted primarily of foliage.
Ecohealth, Nov 17, 2017
During wildlife tourism, proximity or actual contact between people and animals may lead to a sig... more During wildlife tourism, proximity or actual contact between people and animals may lead to a significant risk of anthropozoonotic disease transmission. In this paper, we use social network analysis, disease simulation modelling and data on animal health and behaviour to investigate such risks at a site in Morocco, where tourists come to see wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). Measures of individual macaques' network centrality-an index of the strength and distribution of their social relationships and thus potentially their ability to spread disease-did not show clear and consistent relationships with their time spent in close proximity to, or rate of interacting with, tourists. Disease simulation modelling indicated that while higherranked animals had a significantly greater ability to spread disease within the group, in absolute terms there was little difference in the size of outbreaks that different individuals were predicted to cause. We observed a high rate of physical contact and close proximity between humans and macaques, including during three periods when the macaques were coughing and sneezing heavily, highlighting the potential risk of disease transmission. We recommend that general disease prevention strategies, such as those aimed at reducing opportunities for contact between tourists and macaques, should be adopted.
International Journal of Primatology, Jul 3, 2013
The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake: W. Sousa Silva's surname ... more The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake: W. Sousa Silva's surname was incorrectly presented as Souza-Silva.
S. Karger AG eBooks, Apr 16, 2015
International Journal of Primatology, Apr 20, 2013
Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris, 2019
There is considerable variation in mid-late Pleistocene hominin paranasal sinuses, and in some ta... more There is considerable variation in mid-late Pleistocene hominin paranasal sinuses, and in some taxa distinctive craniofacial shape has been linked to sinus size. Extreme frontal sinus size has been reported in mid-Pleistocene specimens often classified as Homo heidelbergensis, and Neanderthal sinuses are said to be distinctively large, explaining diagnostic Neanderthal facial shape. Here, the sinuses of fossil hominins attributed to several mid-late Pleistocene taxa were compared to those of recent H. sapiens. The sinuses were investigated to clarify differences in the extent of pneumatisation within this group and the relationship between sinus size and craniofacial variation in hominins from this time period. Frontal and maxillary sinus volumes were measured from CT data, and geometric morphometric methods were used to identify and analyse shape variables associated with sinus volume. Some mid-Pleistocene specimens were found to have extremely large frontal sinuses, supporting pre...
Biology Letters, 2016
Selection is expected to favour the evolution of flexible metabolic strategies, in response to en... more Selection is expected to favour the evolution of flexible metabolic strategies, in response to environmental conditions. Here, we use a non-invasive index of basal metabolic rate (BMR), faecal thyroid hormone (T3) levels, to explore metabolic flexibility in a wild mammal inhabiting a highly seasonal, challenging environment. T3 levels of adult male Barbary macaques in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco, varied markedly over the year; temporal patterns of variation differed between a wild-feeding and a provisioned group. Overall, T3 levels were related to temperature, foraging time (linked to food availability) and intensity of mating activity, and were higher in the provisioned than in the wild-feeding group. In both groups, T3 levels began to increase markedly one month before the start of the mating season, peaking four to six weeks into this period, and at a higher level in the wild-feeding group. Our results suggest that while both groups demonstrate marked metabolic flexibility, resp...
American Anthropologist, 1993
Zeitschrift Fur Saugetierkunde-international Journal of Mammalian Biology, Apr 1, 1987
The gastrointestinal tract of the European badger (Meies meles L.) consists of a simple elongated... more The gastrointestinal tract of the European badger (Meies meles L.) consists of a simple elongated stomach, tortuous small intestine and simple smooth-walled colon. There is no caecum. Allometric comparison of the internal surface area of the main gut compartments with comparable data from a variety of mammal species shows that the badger has a marginally larger stomach, larger small intestine and smaller colon than expected for its body weight. Multivariate analysis based on the absorptive areas of the three main gut compartments, taking into account body size, places the badger close to other mustelids and within a cluster of species most of whose diets are faunivorous.
Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2018