This Seminar was presented by Sarah Elton of Durham University with focus being placed on the red colobus monkey, an endangered species in Africa, and the evolutionary, ecological and biogeographic influences on the radiation of the monkeys.
What are red colobus monkeys?
Red colobus monkeys belong to the Piliocolobus genus and are native to central and western Africa.
This genius is becoming increasingly popular in research due to most species of the genius being endangered, predominantly due to threat from humans and the heavy hunting pressure from chimpanzees.
50% of the red colobus species are currently threatened with extinction, so research is being done to identify what in particular is driving these species to extinction.
What have been the effects of radiation?
It is estimated that the red colobus monkey population probably became fragmented from the late Pliocene era, which is around 2.8 million years ago.
The result of this fragmentation of Red colobus species include monkeys in the west having a greater cranial size, and this decreases in size as you go further east. One proposed reason for this is the difference in rainfall, with more food being available in areas with greater rainfall.
The difference in morphology was calculated via geometric morphometrics which compares morphology using points on the bone which can then be compared and used to identify differences. A good example of this method can be found below:
Further morphological differences can be found in the Zanzibar red colobus which is smaller than other red colobus species. One proposed reason for this is due to animals on islands typically getting smaller over time.
Why are red colobus monkeys under threat?
There are a range of factors that are threatening red colobus monkeys, but the major threats are anthropogenic.
An increase in deforestation has led a significant reduction in habitat and resource availability. This, coupled with the monkey being hunted for meat and pet markets has contributed to its significant decline in numbers.
As previously eluded to above, the pressure from chimps is also significant. At Gombe National Park in Tanzania, Stanford estimated that chimps were killing close to a fifth of the colobus population within their territory – a significant proportion.
My thoughts
This seminar presented by Sarah was of particular use to me due to one of my current modules being based around primatology.
I found the seminar to be useful as it furthered my knowledge on the evolution of red colobus monkeys, as well as the effects different ecological factors can have on the evolution of different fragmented populations. The evolution of fragmented populations is an area that greatly interests me, and so seeing an example in the wild was very interesting to me.
I think that to ensure the survival of the red colobus monkey, natives should be educated on the importance of the red colobus monkey to areas such as tourism, and the effect that hunting is having on the population size of the red colobus monkey.
Thomas Nicholls 