Gorilla Biology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective

by Edited by Andrea B. Taylor , Michele L. Goldsmith

• ISBN13: 9780521792813
• ISBN10: 0521792819
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-01-13
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Gorillas are one of our closest living relatives, the largest of all living primates, and teeter on the brink of extinction. These fascinating animals are the focus of this in-depth and comprehensive examination of gorilla biology. Gorilla Biology combines recent research in morphology, genetics and behavioural ecology to reveal the complexity and diversity of gorilla populations. The first section focuses on morphological and molecular variation and underscores the importance of understanding diverse biological patterns at all levels in testing evolutionary and adaptive hypotheses and elucidating subspecies and species diversification. Following are discussions of the ecological constraints that influence gorilla social organization and highlight their surprising flexibility. The book ends with discussions of the conservation status of gorillas and the many and increasing threats to their continued survival. Giving insight into the evolutionary biology of these unique primates, this book will be essential reading for primatologists, anthropologists and evolutionary biologists.

Table of Contents

List of contributors	xiii
Acknowledgments	xix
Introduction: Gorilla biology: Multiple perspectives on variation within a genus	1	(8)
Andrea B. Taylor
Michele L. Goldsmith
Part 1 Gorilla taxonomy and comparative morphology	9	(228)
An introductory perspective: Gorillas -- How important, how many, how long?	11	(4)
Russell H. Tuttle
A history of gorilla taxonomy	15	(20)
Colin P. Groves
Patterns of diversity in gorilla cranial morphology	35	(27)
Rebecca M. Stumpf
John D. Polk
John F. Oates
William L. Jungers
Christopher P. Heesy
Colin P. Groves
John G. Fleagle
The hierarchy of intraspecific craniometric variation in gorillas: A population-thinking approach with implications for fossil species recognition studies	62	(42)
Gene H. Albrecht
Bruce R. Gelvin
Joseph M.A. Miller
Morphological differentiation of Gorilla subspecies	104	(28)
Steven R. Leigh
John H. Relethford
Paul B. Park
Lyle W. Konigsberg
Ontogeny and function of the masticatory complex in Gorilla: Functional, evolutionary, and taxonomic implications	132	(62)
Andrea B. Taylor
Intraspecific and ontogenetic variation in the forelimb morphology of Gorilla	194	(43)
Sandra E. Inouye
Part 2 Molecular genetics	237	(56)
An introductory perspective: Gorilla systematics, taxonomy, and conservation in the era of genomics	239	(8)
Oliver A. Ryder
Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA estimates of divergence between western and eastern gorillas	247	(22)
Michael I. Jensen-Seaman
Amos S. Deinard
Kenneth K. Kidd
Genetic studies of western gorillas	269	(24)
Stephen L. Clifford
Kate A. Abernethy
Lee J.T. White
Caroline E.G. Tutin
Mike W. Bruford
E. Jean Wickings
Part 3 Behavioral ecology	293	(112)
An introductory perspective: Behavioral ecology of gorillas	295	(7)
Caroline E.G. Tutin
Gorilla social relationships: A comparative overview	302	(26)
David P. Watts
Within-group feeding competition and socioecological factors influencing social organization of gorillas in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo	328	(30)
Juichi Yamagiwa
Kanyunyi Basabose
Kiswele Kaleme
Takakazu Yumoto
Comparative behavioral ecology of a lowland and highland gorilla population: Where do Bwindi gorillas fit?	358	(27)
Michele L. Goldsmith
Are gorillas vacuum cleaners of the forest floor? The roles of body size, habitat, and food preferences on dietary flexibility and nutrition	385	(20)
Melissa J. Remis
Part 4 Gorilla conservation	405	(93)
An introductory perspective: Gorilla conservation	407	(7)
Alexander H. Harcourt
The current status of gorillas and threats to their existence at the beginning of a new millennium	414	(18)
Andrew J. Plumptre
Alastair McNeilage
Jefferson S. Hall
Elizabeth A. Williamson
Distribution, taxonomy, genetics, ecology, and causal links of gorilla survival: The need to develop practical knowledge for gorilla conservation	432	(40)
Esteban E. Sarmiento
The Cross River gorilla: Natural history and status of a neglected and critically endangered subspecies	472	(26)
John F. Oates
Kelley L. McFarland
Jacqueline L. Groves
Richard A. Bergl
Joshua M. Linder
Todd R. Disotell
Afterword	498	(3)
Michele L. Goldsmith
Andrea B. Taylor
Index	501