Testing adaptive significance of primate color vision by behavioral and genetic studies of wild populations of New World monkeys

2009 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19207018
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Anthropology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: KAWAMURA Shoji The University of Tokyo, 大学院・新領域創成科学研究科, 准教授 (40282727)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): OOTA Hiroki 東京大学, 大学院・新領域創成科学研究科, 助教 (40401228)
• Project Period (FY): 2007 – 2009
• Keywords: 霊長類学 / 色覚多様性 / オプシン / 視物質 / オマキザル / クモザル

Research Abstract

Color vision is an important characteristic of primates and Neotropical monkeys are highly polymorphic for this trait. We have conducted a field study on spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) and capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) inhabiting Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica. In spider monkeys dichromats were not inferior to trichromats in detecting fruits because the luminance contrast of fruits to background leaves was the main determinant of the fruit detection. Olfactory inspection was also an important determinant for ingestion or rejection of fruits in the spider monkeys. In capuchin monkeys dichromats were more superior in foraging for surface-dwelling insects. On the other hand, the nucleotide sequence of the L-M opsin gene was more polymorphic and positive in Tajima's D than the sequences of the neutral references in these monkeys, indicating balancing selection operating on their L-M opsin gene. Taking the results of behavioral and genetic studies together, coexistence of different color vision types in the same population is adaptive.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Can color vision variation explain sex differences in invertebrate foraging by capuchin monkeys? (2010)
  • Author(s): Melin, A. D., Fedigan, L. M., Young, H. C., Kawamura, S.
  • Journal Title: Current Zoology 56 Pages: 300-312
• [Journal Article] An explicit signature of balancing selection for color-vision variation in New World monkeys (2010)
  • Author(s): Hiwatashi, T., Okabe, Y., Tsutsui, T., Hiramatsu, C., Melin, A. D., Oota, H., Schaffner, C. M., Aureli, F., Fedigan, L. M., Innan, H., Kawamura, S.
  • Journal Title: Molecular Biology and Evolution 27 Pages: 453-464
• [Journal Article] Evolutionary diversification of visual opsin genes in fish and primates. In : From Genes to Animal Behavior : Social Structures, Personalities, Communication by Color (Inoue-Murayama, M., Kawamura, S. and Weiss, A. eds.) (2010)
  • Author(s): Kawamura, S.
  • Journal Title: Springer, Tokyo, Japan (in press)
• [Journal Article] Polymorphic color vision in primates : evolutionary considerations (2010)
  • Author(s): Kawamura, S., Hiramatsu, C., Melin, A. D., Schaffner, C. M, Aureli, F., Fedigan, L. M.
  • Journal Title: In : Post Genome Biology of Primates (Hirai, H., Imai, H. and Go, Y. eds.). Springer, Tokyo, Japan (in press)
• [Journal Article] Color vision polymorphism in wild New World monkeys as a model system to understand the adaptive significance of primate color vision (2010)
  • Author(s): Melin, A. D., Hiramatsul, C., Schaffner, C. M, Aureli, F., Linda M. Fedigan, Kawamura, S.
  • Journal Title: In : Molecular Primatology (Di Fiore, A. ed.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (in press)
• [Journal Article] Fig foraging by dichromatic and trichromatic white-faced capuchin monkeys in a tropical dry forest (2009)
  • Author(s): Melin, A. D., Fedigan, L. M., Hiramatsu, C., Hiwatashi, T., Parr, N., Kawamura, S.
  • Journal Title: International Journal of Primatology 30 Pages: 753-775
• [Journal Article] Interplay of olfaction and vision in fruit foraging of spider monkeys (2009)
  • Author(s): Hiramatsu, C., Melin, A. D., Aureli, F., Schaffner, C. M., Vorobyev, M., Kawamura, S.
  • Journal Title: Animal Behaviour 77 Pages: 1421-1426
• [Journal Article] 錐体オプシン遺伝子と色覚の進化多様性 : 魚類と霊長類に注目して (2009)
  • Author(s): 河村正二
  • Journal Title: 比較生理生化学 26(3) Pages: 110-116
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Importance of achromatic contrast in short-range fruit foraging of primates (2008)
  • Author(s): Hiramatsul, C., Melin, A. D., Aureli, F., Schaffner, C. M., Vorobyev, M., Matsumoto, Y., Kawamura, S.
  • Journal Title: PLoS ONE 3 Pages: e3356
• [Journal Article] Polymorphic color vision in white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) : Is there foraging niche divergence among phenotypes? (2008)
  • Author(s): Melin, A. D., Fedigan, L. M., Hiramatsu, C., Kawamura, S.
  • Journal Title: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 62 Pages: 659-670
• [Presentation] Polymorphic color vision in primates : evolutionary considerations (2010)
  • Author(s): Kawamura, S.
  • Organizer: Hominization Conference 2010 Primate Genomics for Globalization of Collaboration Program : Post-genome biology of primates as the hub-research for understanding our species and neighbors
  • Place of Presentation: Inuyama International Sightseeing Center "Freude", Inuyama, Japan
  • Year and Date: 20100304-20100306
• [Presentation] Evolutionary diversification of visual opsin repertoires in primates and fish : functional differentiation, behavioral significance and natural selection (2009)
  • Author(s): Kawamura, S.
  • Organizer: Neotropical Primate Sensory and Cognitive Ecology Workshop
  • Place of Presentation: University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
  • Year and Date: 20090305-20090306
• [Presentation] Mutations creating novel spectral types of Atelid L/M opsin alleles and the natural selection acting to maintain allelic polymorphism of L/M opsin genes in wild populations of New World monkeys (2008)
  • Author(s): Kawamura, S., Matsumoto, Y., Ozawa, N., Hiwatashi, T., Okabe, Y., Tsutsui, T., Hiramatsu, C., Melin, A. D., Innan, H., Schaffner, C. M., Aureli, F., Fedigan, L. M.
  • Organizer: International Primatological Society XXII Congress
  • Place of Presentation: The Edinburgh International Conference Centre, Edinburgh, UK
  • Year and Date: 20080803-20080808
• [Presentation] Evolutionary diversification of visual opsin subtypes in fish and primates : spectral differentiation, expression patterning and natural selection (2008)
  • Author(s): Kawamura, S.
  • Organizer: The Asia-Pacific Conference on Vision (APCV 2008) : Comparative Colour Vision
  • Place of Presentation: Brisbane Convention Centre, Brisbane, Australia
  • Year and Date: 20080718-20080721
• [Presentation] Detection of natural selection acting to maintain allelic polymorphism of L/M opsin genes in wild populations of New World monkeys (2008)
  • Author(s): Kawamura, S., Matsumoto, Y., Ozawa, N., Hiwatashi, T., Okabe, Y., Tsutsui, T., Hiramatsu, C., Melin, A. D., Innan, H., Schaffner, C. M., Aureli, F., Fedigan, L. M.
  • Organizer: Annual Meeting of the Society of Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE) 2008
  • Place of Presentation: Palau de Congressos de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
  • Year and Date: 20080605-20080608
• [Presentation] Color vision polymorphism in New World monkeys and its implication in primate evolution (2008)
  • Author(s): Kawamura, S.
  • Organizer: The 1st International Symposium of the Biodiversity Global COE Project, "from Genome to Ecosystem"
  • Place of Presentation: Shiran Kaikan, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
  • Year and Date: 20080319-20080320
• [Remarks]
  • URL: http://www.jinrui.ib.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/kawamura-home.html
• [Remarks]
  • URL: http://www.jinrui.ib.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp/kawamura-home-E.html
• [Remarks] Nature DIGEST日本語編集版5: 22-27, 2008年5月号「メダカに集まる熱い視線」
• [Remarks] 日本経済新聞2007年12月9日サイエンス欄 :「色覚とコミュニケーション」
• [Remarks] 日経産業新聞2007年7月25日 先端技術欄 :「魚の複雑な色覚解明」
• [Remarks] TBS「カラダのキモチ」2009年5月3日放送「百聞は一見にしかず驚きだらけの眼の不思議!」