Overview

This volume brings together a series of papers that address the topic of reconstructing behaviour in the primate fossil record. Here is a review of broad issues related to reconstructing various aspects of behaviour - such as diet and social systems - from very different types of evidence, including comparative analysis and adaptation, ontogenetic evidence, paleoenvironmental and paleo-community analysis, experimental functional analysis, and comparative socioecology. The reader should gain a perspective on the various types of evidence that can be brought to bear on reconstructing behaviour, the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches, and, perhaps, new approaches to the topic. Authors review not only the types of evidence that can be used to reconstruct behaviour, but also the limitations of the evidence, only emphasizing the weakness of behavioural reconstruction as a basis and inspiration for further research.

Full Product Details

Author:   J. Michael Plavcan ,  Richard F. Kay ,  William L. Jungers ,  Carel P. van Schaik
Publisher:   Springer Science+Business Media
Imprint:   Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers
Edition:   2002 ed.
Dimensions:   Width: 17.80cm , Height: 3.20cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   2.380kg
ISBN:  

9780306466045

ISBN 10:   030646604
Pages:   437
Publication Date:   30 November 2001
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

1 Adaptation and Behavior in the Primate Fossil Record.- Defining Adaptation.- Identifying Adaptations.- How Can Fossil Taxa Be Used to Study Adaptation?.- Summary and.- Conclusions.- References.- 2 Functional Morphology and In Vivo Bone Strain Patterns in the Craniofacial Region of Primates: Beware of Biomechnical Stories about Fossil Bones.- In Vivo Bone Strain Patterns.- Discussion.- Conclusions.- References.- 3 On the Interface between Ontogeny and Function.- Ontogeny as a Criterion of Subtraction.- Biomechanical Scaling and Functional Equivalence.- Heterochrony.- Conclusions.- References.- 4 Dental Ontogeny and Life-History Strategies: The Case of the Giant Extinct Indroids of Madagascar.- Development and the Reconstruction of the Behavior and Life Histories of Extinct Primates: Approaches and Methodologies.- Development and the Reconstruction of Behavior in Extinct Primates: An Example.- Conclusions.- References.- 5 A Comparative Approach to Reconstructing the Socioecology of Extinct Primates.- Methods.- Results.- Worked Examples.- Discussion.- Conclusions.- References.- 6 The Use of Paleocommunity and Taphonomic Studies in Reconstructing Primate Behavior.- The Comparative Method and Actualistic Studies in Paleoecology 220 Fossil Assemblages.- Community Comparisons.- Behavioral Ecology of Primates in Extant and Makapansgat Communities 242 Primate.- Interactions and Behavior Based on Accumulating Agents.- Integration of Community Comparisons.- Evolution, Taphonomy, and Community Paleoecology.- References.- 7 Reconstructing the Diets of Fossil Primates.- Adaptive Signals for Diet in Primates.- Nonadaptive Signals for Diet in Primates.- Discussion.- Summary and Conclusions.- References.- 8 Reconstructing Social Behavior from Dimorphism in the Fossil Record.- Data.- Behavioral Variables.- Relations between Dimorphism and Behavioral Estimates.- Relations between Relative Canine Size and Competition Classifications.- Relations between Dimorphism and Other.- Variables.- Summary and Conclusions.- References.- 9 The Adaptations of Branisella boliviana, the Earliest South American Monkey.- Branisella boliviana, the Earliest-Known Platyrrhine Primate.- Summary and Conclusions.- References.- 10 Ecomorphology and Behavior of Giant Extinct Lemurs from Madagascar.- Body Size and Sexual Dimorphism.- Activity Cycles.- Oral Behaviors.- Positional Behavior.- Summary.- References.- 11 Conclusions: Reconstructing Behavior in the Fossil Record.- The Comparative Approach.- Phylogeny.- Standard Error from Comparative Analyses.- Body Mass and Allometry.- Incomplete Extant Models.- Problems with Defining Behavior.- Multiple Lines of Evidence.- Conclusions.- References.

Reviews

`The chapters are of high quality and well focused. Recommended.' Choice, 40:4 (2002) `One of the major challenges in primate paleontology is reconstructing the animals behaviour from its fossil remains. Unlike human archeology, where there are plenty of clues from material culture, paleontologists have much less information to work from. This book looks at the current state of the art [...] with chapters covering a broad range of techniques that can be applied and reviewing the predictions that can be made. It is firmly aimed at researchers in the field although its content might be interesting to final year undergraduates.' Primate Eye, Primate Society of Great Britain, 81 (October 2003)

`The chapters are of high quality and well focused. Recommended.' Choice, 40:4 (2002) `One of the major challenges in primate paleontology is reconstructing the animals behaviour from its fossil remains. Unlike human archeology, where there are plenty of clues from material culture, paleontologists have much less information to work from. This book looks at the current state of the art [...] with chapters covering a broad range of techniques that can be applied and reviewing the predictions that can be made. It is firmly aimed at researchers in the field although its content might be interesting to final year undergraduates.' Primate Eye, Primate Society of Great Britain, 81 (October 2003)

The chapters are of high quality and well focused. Recommended.' Choice, 40: 4 (2002) One of the major challenges in primate paleontology is reconstructing the animals behaviour from its fossil remains. Unlike human archeology, where there are plenty of clues from material culture, paleontologists have much less information to work from. This book looks at the current state of the art [...] with chapters covering a broad range of techniques that can be applied and reviewing the predictions that can be made. It is firmly aimed at researchers in the field although its content might be interesting to final year undergraduates.' Primate Eye, Primate Society of Great Britain, 81 (October 2003)

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