On Adaptation: An Integrative Study of Jumping Behaviour and Functional Morphology of the Hind Limb in Callitrichid Primates As Model System

The morphology of all biological structures is governed by historical, developmental, architectural, and functional constraints, however, the evolutionary process of adaptation leads to a reflection of functional demands posed by environmental factors in the shape of the structures that make up an organism. The interplay between a structure, its function and its biological role is complex and analyses require an integrated approach that accounts for several levels of investigation: structure, function, performance, and behaviour. The project will exemplarily analyse biological adaptation in callitrichid primates as a model system. A bow will be drawn from the analysis of morphology to the behaviour of free-ranging primates. The Callitrichidae present an ideal model system, because of their well-known phylogeny, an almost complete representation of postcranial material in museum collections, their unproblematic handling in non-invasive performance experiments, and their accessibility in a field station in Amazonian Peru. The project will focus on the hind limb morphology and jumping performance and behaviour, because callitrichids have been documented to utilize their environment in strikingly different ways (horizontal leaping versus vertical clinging and leaping).These behavioural differences will be used to trace down functional and morphological differences in order to gain insight into the locomotor evolution of these primates. The study will present a paragon of how to reconstruct locomotor evolution and adaptation also for other mammalian and non-mammalian vertebrate groups.