The static allometry of sexual and non-sexual traits in vervet monkeys

Sexual traits vary tremendously in static allometry. This variation may be explained in part by body size-related differences in the strength of selection. We tested this hypothesis in two populations of vervet monkeys, using estimates of the level of condition dependence for different morphological traits as a proxy for body size-related variation in the strength of selection. In support of the hypothesis, we found that the steepness of allometric slopes increased with the level of condition dependence. One trait of particular interest, the penis, had shallow allometric slopes and low levels of condition dependence, in agreement with one of the most consistent patterns yet detected in the study of allometry, namely that of genitalia exhibiting shallow allometries.This research was supported by NIH grant R01RR0163009

Comparative growth and static allometry in the genus Chlorocebus

Characterizing variation in growth across populations is critical to understanding multiple aspects of development in primates, including within-taxon developmental plasticity and the evolution of life history patterns. Growth in wild primates has often been reported and directly compared across larger taxonomic groups and within social groups, but comparisons are rarely investigated across widely dispersed populations of a single taxon. With the Vervet Phenome-Genome Project and the International Vervet Research Consortium, we trapped 936 vervet monkeys of all ages representing three populations (Kenyan pygerythrus, South African pygerythrus, and sabaeus from St. Kitts & Nevis). We gathered 10 different body measurements from each including mass, body breadth and length, segmental limb lengths, and chest circumference. To gain a better understanding of how ontogenetic patterns vary in these populations, we calculated bivariate allometry coefficients, derived using PCA on log-transformed and z-standardized trait values, and compared them to isometric vector coefficients. Within all population samples, around weaning age most traits showed a negative allometric relationship to body length. As each population ages, however, distinct patterns emerge, showing population differences in onset and intensity of growth among traits. In concordance with other analyses on growth in these populations, our results suggest that there exist relative differences in patterns of growth between Chlorocebus populations, further suggesting selection for unique developmental pathways in each

Variable responses of human and non-human primate gut microbiomes to a Western diet

BACKGROUND: The human gut microbiota interacts closely with human diet and physiology. To better understand the mechanisms behind this relationship, gut microbiome research relies on complementing human studies with manipulations of animal models, including non-human primates. However, due to unique aspects of human diet and physiology, it is likely that host-gut microbe interactions operate differently in humans and non-human primates. RESULTS: Here, we show that the human microbiome reacts differently to a high-protein, high-fat Western diet than that of a model primate, the African green monkey, or vervet (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). Specifically, humans exhibit increased relative abundance of Firmicutes and reduced relative abundance of Prevotella on a Western diet while vervets show the opposite pattern. Predictive metagenomics demonstrate an increased relative abundance of genes associated with carbohydrate metabolism in the microbiome of only humans consuming a Western diet. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the human gut microbiota has unique properties that are a result of changes in human diet and physiology across evolution or that may have contributed to the evolution of human physiology. Therefore, the role of animal models for understanding the relationship between the human gut microbiota and host metabolism must be re-focused.P40 OD010965 - NIH HHS; P40 RR019963 - NCRR NIH HHS; P51 OD011132 - NIH HHS; R01 RR016300 - NCRR NIH HHS; 5R01RR016300 - NCRR NIH HH

Just for you at Christmas

https://dh.howard.edu/prom_greetings/1009/thumbnail.jp

Danzy, Richard

Co. C. 317 Medical Battalionhttps://dh.howard.edu/prom_corres/1026/thumbnail.jp

Danzy, Richard

Co. C 317 Med. Battalion, Fort Huachuca, Arizonahttps://dh.howard.edu/prom_members/1017/thumbnail.jp

Female Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Sexual Skin Color Variability

Many primate species use colorful signals to communicate sexual receptivity, rank, pregnancy, health, and developmental maturity. Reproductive coloration may not be limited to signaling sexual receptivity or pregnancy, but may also communicate aspects of female quality. Our preliminary study examined the relationships between female sexual skin coloration, mating status, and female traits, including age and dominance rank. The study took place at the Cayo Santiago (CS) facility in Puerto Rico; data were collected May through August of 2006. We examined two questions: 1) Is sexual skin coloration related to mating status?; and 2) Are inter-and intra-individual color differences related to female traits? Facial coloration was not significantly related to mating status; genital saturation was significantly higher among mating females and among high-ranking females. Age was negatively correlated with both genital hue and genital saturation range; older females had more restricted coloration and younger females had more variable color. These preliminary results suggest that female coloration may reliably indicate aspects of female quality or condition to conspecifics, including potential mates

Passing as Danzy Senna

Caucasia, written by Danzy Senna, is part of a growing sub-genre of African-American novels, some of which announce their themes by their titles: White Boys, by Reginald McKnight; The White Boy Shuffle, by Paul Beatty; The Last Integrationist, by Jake Lamar; and Negrophobia, by Darius James, to name a few. Caucasia is a Post-Soul novel that explores the world of mullatos - both cultural and racial. But even though artists such as Kara Walker, photographer Lorna Simpson, and essayist Lisa Jones also explore the vicissitudes of post-Civil Rights Movement Black identity, in Black fiction its been pretty much a boys\u27 club

Adinkra Symbols: An Ideographic Writing System

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Quantitative Assessment of the Effects of Postnatal Lead Exposure on the Habituation of Motor Activity in Rats

Despite the steady decrease in the use of lead in gasoline, the total production of lead in the U. S. has not changed significantly in the last 30 years (Schlag, 1987). However, there has been a considerable change in lead-use patterns. Schlag (1987) reports that the primary use of lead is for the manufacture of storage batteries (72%) and secondarily for gasoline (7%). However, in spite of the consistent volume in the total production of lead, Bogden et al. (1997) points out that the elimination of lead in gasoline in the 1970s, and Reduced use of lead in other sources of exposure such as outdoor paint, printing inks, and solder tin cans used for food storage, has resulted in well-documented and substantial decreases in blood-lead concentrations of all age groups in the United States. Yet despite these efforts, some segments of the population, young children in particular, continue to be exposed to excessive levels of lead from paint chips, soil, and various other sources.Master of Science in Public Healt