Milk is inhabited by a community of bacteria and is one of the first postnatal sources of microbial exposure for mammalian young. Bacteria in breast milk may enhance immune development, improve intestinal health, and stimulate the gut‐brain axis for infants. Variation in milk microbiome structure (e.g., operational taxonomic unit [OTU] diversity, community composition) may lead to different infant developmental outcomes. Milk microbiome structure may depend on evolutionary processes acting at the host species level and ecological processes occurring over lactation time, among others. We quantified milk microbiomes using 16S rRNA high‐throughput sequencing for nine primate species and for six primate mothers sampled over lactation. Our data set included humans (
Evolutionary research benefits form the integration of laboratory and field components to determine factors and processes that affect the evolutionary trajectories of species. Our shared interest in understanding hybridization with genetic admixture as a process that may impact social, behavioral, and ecological features of primates, brought us together in a collaborative project aimed at addressing how vocal variation in two species of howler monkeys in Mexico affects and is affected by hybridization. To achieve this goal, we joined our academic expertise in studying primate genetics, ecology, and behavior under different natural and experimental conditions. We took advantage of decades of experience studying and handing wild howler monkeys for translocation projects to safely sample and study wild populations for this project. Here, we describe the history of our collaboration highlighting how our different perspectives, academic realities, and individual strengths built the foundation for our successful collaboration. We also share our perspectives on how this collaboration opened up new academic venues, broadened our individual perspectives on the integration of different research approaches to address a complex topic, and allowed us to recognize the strength of international collaboration.
more » « less- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10103220
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- American Journal of Primatology
- Volume:
- 81
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 0275-2565
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Homo sapiens , Philippines and USA) and eight nonhuman primate species living in captivity (bonobo [Pan paniscus ], chimpanzee [Pan troglodytes ], western lowland gorilla [Gorilla gorilla gorilla ], Bornean orangutan [Pongo pygmaeus ], Sumatran orangutan [Pongo abelii ], rhesus macaque [Macaca mulatta ], owl monkey [Aotus nancymaae ]) and in the wild (mantled howler monkey [Alouatta palliata ]). For a subset of the data, we paired microbiome data with nutrient and hormone assay results to quantify the effect of milk chemistry on milk microbiomes. We detected a core primate milk microbiome of seven bacterial OTUs indicating a robust relationship between these bacteria and primate species. Milk microbiomes differed among primate species with rhesus macaques, humans and mantled howler monkeys having notably distinct milk microbiomes. Gross energy in milk from protein and fat explained some of the variations in microbiome composition among species. Microbiome composition changed in a predictable manner for three primate mothers over lactation time, suggesting that different bacterial communities may be selected for as the infant ages. Our results contribute to understanding ecological and evolutionary relationships between bacteria and primate hosts, which can have applied benefits for humans and endangered primates in our care. -
Abstract Objectives When closely related species overlap geographically, selection may favor species‐specific mate recognition traits to avoid hybridization costs. Conversely, the need to recognize potential same‐sex rivals may select for lower specificity, creating the possibility that selection in one domain constrains evolution in the other. Despite a wealth of data on mate recognition, studies addressing rival recognition between hybridizing species are limited to a few bird species. Using naïve populations, we examine the extent to which failed rival recognition might have affected hybridization patterns when two species of howler monkeys (
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Collaborative learning is a valuable skill and practice; opportunities to mentor others are critical in empowering minoritized learners, especially in STEM and computing disciplines.
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Additionally, lack of awareness about peers' knowledge is a common hindrance in students knowing who to ask for help and how.
What this paper adds
An example of a designed interface called Connected Spaces with potential to foster more inter‐student collaboration, especially outside of mandated within‐group collaboration—in the form of cross‐group help seeking and help giving.
A design based research study using actor network theory highlighting the limitations of Connected Spaces in sparking notable behaviour change among students by itself but being retooled as a teacher support tool in enabling cross‐group collaborations.
Presenting conceptions of collaboration through technologies as bridging agentic gaps and acting with new agencies in performing help‐seeking related actions.
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Implications for practice and/or policy
Designers and researchers should create and test more interfaces alongside teachers across different classrooms and contexts aimed at supporting different kinds of voluntary collaborative interactions.
Curricula, standards and school practices should further center providing students with opportunities to engage as mentors and build communities of learning across disciplines to empower minoritized students.
Researchers engaging in design based research should consider using more posthumanist lenses to examine educational technologies and how they affect change in learning environments.
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Comparing vocalizations across species is useful for understanding acoustic variation at mechanistic and evolutionary levels. Here, we take advantage of the divergent vocalizations of two closely related howler monkey species (
Alouatta pigra andA. palliata ) to better understand vocal evolution. In addition to comparing multiple acoustic and temporal features of roars and the calling bouts in which they are produced, we tested several predictions. First,A. pigra should have roars with lower fundamental frequency and lower formant dispersion because they are larger thanA. palliata and have a larger hyoid apparatus. Second,A. pigra should have faster calling rates, longer roars, longer bouts, and exaggerated call features linked to vocal effort (e.g., nonlinear phenomena and emphasized frequencies) because they are the more aggressive species during intergroup encounters. We found significant interspecific differences supporting our predictions in every tested parameter of roars and bouts, except for roar duration and barking rate. Stepwise discriminant function analyses identified the best features for differentiating roars (acoustic features: formant dispersion followed by highest frequency; temporal features: longest syllable duration followed by number of syllables). Although resembling each other more than they resemble South American howler monkeys, our comparison revealed striking differences in the vocalizations of the two Mesoamerican species. While we cannot completely rule out the influence of body size or the environmental conditions in which the two species evolved, vocal differences were likely influenced by sexual selection. The exaggerated roars and intense calling patterns inA. pigra seem more suitable for intergroup competition, whereasA. palliata calls may be better suited for mate attraction and competition within groups. With interspecific acoustic differences quantified, we will now be able to examine how vocalizations contribute to the evolutionary dynamics of theA. palliata ×A. pigra hybrid zone in southern Mexico. Am. J. Primatol. 78:755–766, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.