Papers by Agustin Fuentes
Summer Computer Simulation Conference, Jul 11, 2010
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Time and Mind, 2014
The quest for understanding the human propensity for religious imagination can be aided by invest... more The quest for understanding the human propensity for religious imagination can be aided by investigating more fully the core role of the evolutionary transition between becoming and being human. A distinctively human imagination is part of the explanation for human evolutionary success. Significant factors can be found in the evolutionary patterns and processes in the genus Homo during the Pleistocene, especially the later part of that epoch approximately 400–100,000 years ago. The combination of a niche construction perspective with fossil and archeological evidence, highlighting the role of cooperation in human evolution, adds to our understanding of a wholly human way of being, our socio-cognitive niche. This is a niche wherein experiences in, and perceptions of, of the world exist in a particular semiotic context: social relationships, landscapes, and biotic and abiotic elements are embedded in an experiential reality that is infused with a potential for symbolic meaning derived from more than the material substance and milieu at hand.
International Journal of Primatology, 2015
Little is known regarding behavioral and social responses of free-ranging primates to demographic... more Little is known regarding behavioral and social responses of free-ranging primates to demographic changes emerging from significant mortality events. Here, we report on the activity patterns and intergroup sociospatial relationships in a commensal population of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Bali, Indonesia, that underwent a significant mortality event in summer 2012. During the period of interest, we noted heightened mortality in three of the five social groups present in this population, with adult females and juveniles experiencing higher mortality rates than adult and subadult males. Limited diagnostic data regarding pathogen identification and a lack of any conclusive etiology of the deaths prevent our ascertainment of the agent(s) responsible for the observed mortality, but given the characteristics of the event we assume it was caused by a transmissible disease outbreak. Comparing the pre-and postmortality event periods, we found significant differences in activity patterns, including a decreased proportion of affiliation in adult females. This result is likely indicative of enhanced social instability induced by the high mortality of adult females that constitute the stable core of macaque social structure. A higher social tension between groups after the mortality event was indicated by more frequent and intense agonistic
The Gibbons, 2009
Page 1. Chapter 12 The Ecology and Evolution of Hylobatid Communities: Causal and Contextual Fact... more Page 1. Chapter 12 The Ecology and Evolution of Hylobatid Communities: Causal and Contextual Factors Underlying Inter-and Intraspecific Variation Nicholas Malone and Agustin Fuentes Introduction The following quotations ...
Religion, Brain & Behavior, 2014
The Behavioral and brain sciences, 2014
An explicit role for emergent group-level traits, social role diversification, and coordination m... more An explicit role for emergent group-level traits, social role diversification, and coordination makes good sense when thinking about human evolution. To most effectively understand these and other facets, we need to move toward an integrative model that assumes niche construction and encompasses positive feedback systems at individual, subgroup and larger group levels, demographic processes, and local ecologies.
Pair-bonding may be a significant feature of the social repertoire of some primate species. Howev... more Pair-bonding may be a significant feature of the social repertoire of some primate species. However, discerning inter-and intraspecific pair bonds is problematic. I present an overview of the general behavior and ecology of species reported to occur in two-adult, pair-bonded groups. There is no two-adult grouped nonhuman primate species in Africa and only two types in Asia. Behavioral and ecological data suggest that the two-adult group or pairbonding or both may have evolved separately 4-7 times. I propose that two pair-bond components-social pair bond and sexual pair bond-occur and can be defined and described in such a manner that facilitates comparative analysis across primate taxa. The evolution of grouping patterns in many two-adult grouped primates may be best modeled via evolutionary scenarios relying on direct dietary/energetic constraints, predation, and possibly mateguarding. There is little support for the infanticide prevention and bodyguard hypotheses of female-choice models.
Primates in Perspective is the first edited volume to offer a comprehensive overview of primatolo... more Primates in Perspective is the first edited volume to offer a comprehensive overview of primatology since 1987. Forty-four original essays--by fifty-nine leading researchers in the field today-- provide wide-ranging and contemporary coverage of all of the major areas of primatology. Arranged in six sections, the text begins with an introduction to primatology and a review of the natural history of the major taxonomic groups within the order Primates. It goes on to cover methodologies and research design for both field and captive settings; primate reproduction; primate ecology and conservation and their roles in the daily lives of primates; and such aspects of social behavior and intelligence as communication, learning, and cognition. The volume ends with a concluding chapter by the editors that discusses the future of primatological research. Ideal for introductory primatology courses, Primates in Perspective can also be used in upper-division behavior and conservation courses. Add...
Monkeys on the Edge
ABSTRACT Long-tailed macaques are an edge species, preferring to live along the forest borders of... more ABSTRACT Long-tailed macaques are an edge species, preferring to live along the forest borders of many habitat types (Gumert, Chapter 1). The result of this preference is that long-tailed macaques are adaptable generalists that are frequently found along the edges of human settlements across Southeast Asia. Another consequence is that long-tailed macaques can adjust quickly to living with other species, and thus have commonly expanded beyond the edge to overlap with humans in numerous contexts (see Part II). Due to the close association with humans, macaque populations can be powerfully impacted by human activity. In some cases they have been carried and introduced to areas beyond their normal range (see Part III). The overlap of macaques and humans, and the consequences of this overlap, needs to be better understood. While the basis of our relationship with long-tailed macaques is becoming apparent, much more research will be needed to fully understand their population and the causes and consequences of our interface with them. This chapter is an attempt to focus future research in a few important areas that will be necessary for better understanding the population, ecology, and synanthropic nature of long-tailed macaques. This chapter focuses on three subject areas that warrant special consideration for future scientifi c research on M. fascicularis : population-level research, the issue of ethnophoresy and introduced populations, and the causes and consequences of human-macaque overlap. Directions for population-level research Long-tailed macaques perhaps have the greatest amount of intraspecifi c variation of any primate species (Fooden, 2006). The large variation is not yet well
Veterinary Parasitology, 2007
Pedicinus spp. parasitize several species of nonhuman primates. This is the first published repor... more Pedicinus spp. parasitize several species of nonhuman primates. This is the first published report confirming the presence of Pedicinus albidus (Rudow) infestation in the free-ranging macaques (Macaca sylvanus) of Gibraltar. The diagnosis of pediculosis was based upon finding adult lice on host animals.
Primates, 2011
Interactions with humans impact many aspects of behavior and ecology in nonhuman primates. Becaus... more Interactions with humans impact many aspects of behavior and ecology in nonhuman primates. Because of the complexities of the human-nonhuman primate interface, methods are needed to quantify the effects of anthropogenic interactions, including their intensity and differential impacts between nonhuman primate groups. Stable isotopes can be used to quickly and economically assess intergroup dietary variation, and provide a framework for the development of specific hypotheses about anthropogenic impact. This study uses stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis to examine intraspecific variation in diet between five groups of Barbary macaques, Macaca sylvanus, in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, Gibraltar. Analysis of hair from 135 macaques showed significant differences in δ(13)C and δ(15)N values between a group with minimal tourist contact and groups that were main tourist attractions. Because we observed no overt physiological or substantial behavioral differences between the groups, feeding ecology is the most likely cause of any differences in stable isotope ratios. Haphazard provisioning by tourists and Gibraltarians is a likely source of dietary variation between groups. Stable isotope analysis and observational data facilitate a deeper understanding of the feeding ecology of the Barbary macaques relevant to the role of an anthropogenic ecology for the species.
International Journal of Primatology, 1996
Presbytis potenziani/s found only on the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, and its ecology and feeding... more Presbytis potenziani/s found only on the Mentawai Islands, Indonesia, and its ecology and feeding and ranging behavior have been little studied. I studied 10 groups of Presbytis potenziani in the primary forests of North Pagai lsland, Mentawai, Indonesia. P. potenziani used ...
International Journal of Primatology, 1995
... Our host country sponsors were the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conser... more ... Our host country sponsors were the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation (PHPA), the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (LIPI), and theIndonesian Primate Center at Bogor Agricultural University. ...
Current Anthropology, 2010
BMC Ecology, 2013
Background: Landscape complexity can mitigate or facilitate host dispersal, influencing patterns ... more Background: Landscape complexity can mitigate or facilitate host dispersal, influencing patterns of pathogen transmission. Spatial transmission of pathogens through landscapes, therefore, presents an important but not fully elucidated aspect of transmission dynamics. Using an agent-based model (LiNK) that incorporates GIS data, we examined the effects of landscape information on the spatial patterns of host movement and pathogen transmission in a system of long-tailed macaques and their gut parasites. We first examined the role of the landscape to identify any individual or additive effects on host movement. We then compared modeled dispersal distance to patterns of actual macaque gene flow to both confirm our model's predictions and to understand the role of individual land uses on dispersal. Finally, we compared the rate and the spread of two gastrointestinal parasites, Entamoeba histolytica and E. dispar, to understand how landscape complexity influences spatial patterns of pathogen transmission. Results: LiNK captured emergent properties of the landscape, finding that interaction effects between landscape layers could mitigate the rate of infection in a non-additive way. We also found that the inclusion of landscape information facilitated an accurate prediction of macaque dispersal patterns across a complex landscape, as confirmed by Mantel tests comparing genetic and simulated dispersed distances. Finally, we demonstrated that landscape heterogeneity proved a significant barrier for a highly virulent pathogen, limiting the dispersal ability of hosts and thus its own transmission into distant populations. Conclusions: Landscape complexity plays a significant role in determining the path of host dispersal and patterns of pathogen transmission. Incorporating landscape heterogeneity and host behavior into disease management decisions can be important in targeting response efforts, identifying cryptic transmission opportunities, and reducing or understanding potential for unintended ecological and evolutionary consequences. The inclusion of these data into models of pathogen transmission patterns improves our understanding of these dynamics, ultimately proving beneficial for sound public health policy.
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007
Crab-eating, or long-tailed, macaques [Macaca fascicularis (Raffles, 1821)] have been studied ext... more Crab-eating, or long-tailed, macaques [Macaca fascicularis (Raffles, 1821)] have been studied extensively throughout their distribution in South and Southeast Asia. Despite this extensive body of research, the island population of long-tailed macaques from Singapore remains virtually undescribed. In the present study, we compare the morphometric variability and patterns of growth observed in a population sample from Singapore with a composite sample from Thailand, north of the Isthmus of Kra. The results of our analyses indicate that there are statistically significant differences between the two populations in adult size and shape. For both males and females, the Singapore population is smaller than the Thai population. Relative to body length, the Singapore macaques exhibit significantly longer tails, and, relative to cranial length, they exhibit significantly more narrow faces than the Thai macaques. Although levels of sexual dimorphism for most morphometric traits are very similar, indicating similar levels of male-male competition for females, the Singapore males exhibit a significantly larger testicular volume relative to body weight, suggestive of an alternative male reproductive strategy. In addition to adult somatometric size and shape, comparisons of growth patterns relative to age and body size reveal significant differences between the two population samples. Combined, these results suggest either that statistically significant differences in adult morphology and patterns of growth can occur in presumably reproductively cohesive subspecies, or the Singapore macaques may be taxonomically distinct.
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2000
Conditional mating strategies and within-sex variation in mating patterns occur across a wide ran... more Conditional mating strategies and within-sex variation in mating patterns occur across a wide range of primate taxa. Attempts to model the evolution of human mating strategies should incorporate current primatological data sets and phylogenetic perspectives. However, comparisons between interview and questionnaire-based human behavioral data and observationally and experimental generated nonhuman behavioral data should be conducted with prudence.
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2005
The target article effectively assesses multiple hypotheses for human sexuality, demonstrating su... more The target article effectively assesses multiple hypotheses for human sexuality, demonstrating support for a complex, integrated perspective. However, care must be taken when extrapolating human universal patterns from specific cultural subsets without appropriate ethnographic contexts. Although it makes a strong contribution to the investigation of human sexuality, the basal reliance on a reductionist perspective constrains the full efficacy of this research.
American Journal of Primatology, 2010
Recent and long-term sympatries between humans and nonhuman primates (hereafter primates) are cen... more Recent and long-term sympatries between humans and nonhuman primates (hereafter primates) are central to the behavioral ecology, conservation, and evolutionary trajectories of numerous primate species. Ethnoprimatology emphasizes that interconnections between humans and primates should be viewed as more than just disruptions of a "natural" state, and instead anthropogenic contexts must be considered as potential drivers for specific primate behavioral patterns. Rather than focusing solely on the behavior and ecology of the primate species at hand, as in traditional primatology, or on the symbolic meanings and uses of primates, as in socio-cultural anthropology, ethnoprimatology attempts to merge these perspectives into a more integrative approach. As human pressures on environments continue to increase and primate habitats become smaller and more fragmented, the need for a primatology that considers the impact of human attitudes and behavior on all aspects of primate lives and survival is imperative. In this special issue, we present both data-driven examples and more general discussions that describe how ethnoprimatological approaches can be both a contribution to the core theory and practice of primatology and a powerful tool in our goal of conservation action.
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Papers by Agustin Fuentes