Using Behavioral and Kinematic Methods to Characterize Arboreal Behavior of Bwindi Mountain Gorillas
Open AccessThe relationships between primate locomotor behavior and variation in skeletal morphology are often used to make functional interpretations of skeletal anatomy in extinct taxa. For understanding human locomotor evolution, the locomotor behavior of the African apes, our closest living relatives, serves as an important comparative context. However, detailed locomotor data for some of the African apes are still quite limited. While some recent studies have quantified chimpanzee locomotor behavior in more detail, similar studies are lacking for gorillas. As a large-bodied ape that occupies a diverse range of habitats, gorillas provide an interesting model for understanding the patterns and extent of variation among geographic groups within an ape lineage. Such information is critical for interpreting variation in the ape and human fossil record.This dissertation characterizes the arboreal behavior of a lesser-known population of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, providing important comparative data for understanding inter- and intraspecific variation in gorillas, as well as expanding the definition for what is typical of mountain gorillas. Chapter 1 outlines previous research related to gorilla locomotion and introduces the research objectives. Chapter 2 analyzes the influence of frugivory on activity patterns of Bwindi mountain gorillas and presents comparisons to the better-known Virunga population of mountain gorillas. Chapters 3 examines the relationships between frugivory and arboreality in Bwindi gorillas as well as variation in these behaviors across age-sex classes. Chapter 4 documents the postural and locomotor behavior of these gorillas, investigating changes during development and comparing results to the available data on the Virunga population. Chapter 5 presents the use of field-based methods for motion analysis, comparing two methods for capturing three-dimensional kinematic data on wild African apes. Chapter 6 summarizes the findings and overarching conclusions of the dissertation.This dissertation addresses gaps in our knowledge about gorilla locomotion by providing a more comprehensive understanding of the locomotor behavior of Bwindi mountain gorillas. Analyses presented here reveal that Bwindi gorillas show an intermediate level of frugivory and arboreality compared to western gorillas and the Virunga mountain gorillas, including a greater frequency of key arboreal locomotor behaviors such as vertical climbing. These results emphasize that Bwindi mountain gorillas do not conform to the traditional view of mountain gorillas as large-bodied folivores that are highly terrestrial. The kinematic methods presented here lay the groundwork for filling in additional gaps in existing ape comparative locomotor data by demonstrating the feasibility of collecting 3-D kinematic data in field settings. The results of this dissertation emphasize the importance of understanding variation between ecologically distinct populations. Recognizing the range of variation in extant taxa is necessary for making functional interpretations about skeletal morphology, and will improve our ability to relate morphological variation to ecological and behavioral diversity in these taxa. Understanding these relationships in extant large-bodied apes is essential for making informed functional interpretations about locomotor behavior from the skeletal anatomy of our fossil relatives.
- All rights reserved
Notice to Authors
If you are the author of this work and you have any questions about the information on this page, please use the Contact form to get in touch with us.
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Ostrofsky_gwu_0075A_14837.pdf | 2019-08-21 | Open Access |
|