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'the big gorilla'. bjc healthcare has foothold in st. louis area. 201121936466
park gazettement and integrated conservation and development as factors in community conflict at bwindi impenetrable forest, uganda.conflicts between protected-area managers and local people are common, but the drivers of conflict are rarely analyzed. this limits opportunities to identify strategies that reduce conflict and the magnitude of resulting threats to conservation. integrated conservation and development (icd) was adopted at bwindi impenetrable forest, uganda, to reduce conflict during gazettement of the national park, but the success of this approach remains contested. we retrieved documents of conflict written by ...201122044616
frequent and recent human acquisition of simian foamy viruses through apes' bites in central africa.human infection by simian foamy viruses (sfv) can be acquired by persons occupationally exposed to non-human primates (nhp) or in natural settings. this study aimed at getting better knowledge on sfv transmission dynamics, risk factors for such a zoonotic infection and, searching for intra-familial dissemination and the level of peripheral blood (pro)viral loads in infected individuals. we studied 1,321 people from the general adult population (mean age 49 yrs, 640 women and 681 men) and 198 ind ...201122046126
Review and hypothesis: does graves' disease develop in non-human great apes?Background: Graves' disease, caused by stimulatory thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) autoantibodies, has not been observed in animals. In contrast, Hashimoto's thyroiditis develops in chickens, rats, mice, dogs, and marmosets. Attempts to induce an immune response in mice to the luteinizing-hormone receptor suggested that autoantigen glycosylation was one parameter involved in breaking self-tolerance. Over evolution, TSHR glycosylation increased from three asparagine-linked-glycans (N-glycans) in fish ...201122066476
the 800-pound gorilla: state lawmakers are trying to cut costs so the program will survive, even when millions more are added to the rolls. 201122069839
Cross-species transmission of simian foamy virus to humans in rural Gabon, central Africa.In order to characterize simian foamy retroviruses (SFVs) in wild-born nonhuman primates (NHPs) in Gabon and to investigate cross-species transmission to humans, we obtained 497 NHP samples, composed of 286 blood and 211 tissue (bush meat) samples. Anti-SFV antibodies were found in 31 of 286 plasma samples (10.5%). The integrase gene sequence was found in 38/497 samples, including both blood and tissue samples, with novel SFVs in several Cercopithecus species. Of the 78 humans, mostly hunters, w ...201222072747
hiv-1 group p is unable to antagonize human tetherin by vpu, env or nef.abstract: background: a new subgroup of hiv-1, designated group p, was recently detected in two unrelated patients of cameroonian origin. hiv-1 group p phylogenetically clusters with sivgor suggesting that it is the result of a cross-species transmission from gorillas. until today, hiv-1 group p has only been detected in two patients and its degree of adaptation to the human host is largely unknown. previous data have shown that pandemic hiv-1 group m but not non-pandemic group o or rare group ...201122171785
a new plan for the 800-pound gorilla (guerrilla): perinatal mortality in afghanistan: a 21st century counterinsurgency model for afghanistan.afghanistan has the highest perinatal mortality rate in the entire world. one afghani woman dies every 30 minutes from perinatal- related event. one of eight afghani women will die from perinatal events. maternal mortality is (use percentage, not fractions) 1600/100,000 vs 13 /100,000 in the united states. afghanistan is one of the only countries in the world in which the average woman?s life expectancy is shorter than a males- despite the active, nationwide combat fought primarily by afghani ma ...201122173597
morphological evolution through integration: a quantitative study of cranial integration in homo, pan, gorilla and pongo.morphological integration refers to coordinated variation among traits that are closely related in development and/or function. patterns of integration can offer important insight into the structural relationship between phenotypic units, providing a framework to address questions about phenotypic evolvability and constraints. integrative features of the primate cranium have recently become a popular subject of study. however, an important question that still remains under-investigated is: what ...201222178399
a revised timeline for the origin of plasmodium falciparum as a human pathogen.while plasmodium falciparum is known to have had a strong effect on human evolution, the time period when p. falciparum first infected ancestors of modern humans has remained uncertain. recent advances demonstrated that p. falciparum evolved from ancestors of gorilla parasites via host switching. here, we estimate the range of dates during which this host switch may have occurred. dna sequences of portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene obtained from gorilla parasites closely related to ...201122183792
Allelic Lineages of the Ficolin Genes (FCNs) Are Passed from Ancestral to Descendant Primates.The ficolins recognize carbohydrates and acetylated compounds on microorganisms and dying host cells and are able to activate the lectin pathway of the complement system. In humans, three ficolin genes have been identified: FCN1, FCN2 and FCN3, which encode ficolin-1, ficolin-2 and ficolin-3, respectively. Rodents have only two ficolins designated ficolin-A and ficolin-B that are closely related to human ficolin-1, while the rodent FCN3 orthologue is a pseudogene. Ficolin-2 and ficolin-3 have so ...201122194813
Echocardiographic parameters of captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).A total of 163 echocardiographic studies on western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) were submitted for evaluation; 140 from 99 animals were suitable for analysis. Of these, 81 studies (42 studies from 35 males ranging in age from 11-41+ yr and 39 studies from 31 females ranging in age from 11-41+ yr) are reported here. Three studies from 3 females and 56 studies from 30 males were excluded from this report due to cardiac abnormalities. Cardiac parameters measured were aortic root (Ao ...201122204050
consequences of non-intervention for infectious disease in african great apes.infectious disease has recently joined poaching and habitat loss as a major threat to african apes. both "naturally" occurring pathogens, such as ebola and simian immunodeficiency virus (siv), and respiratory pathogens transmitted from humans, have been confirmed as important sources of mortality in wild gorillas and chimpanzees. while awareness of the threat has increased, interventions such as vaccination and treatment remain controversial. here we explore both the risk of disease to african a ...201122216162
y-chromosome variation in hominids: intraspecific variation is limited to the polygamous chimpanzee.we have previously demonstrated that the y-specific ampliconic fertility genes daz (deleted in azoospermia) and cdy (chromodomain protein y) varied with respect to copy number and position among chimpanzees (pan troglodytes). in comparison, seven y-chromosomal lineages of the bonobo (pan paniscus), the chimpanzee's closest living relative, showed no variation. we extend our earlier comparative investigation to include an analysis of the intraspecific variation of these genes in gorillas (gorilla ...201122216243
testing the oxidative stress hypothesis of aging in primate fibroblasts: is there a correlation between species longevity and cellular ros production?the present study was conducted to test predictions of the oxidative stress theory of aging assessing reactive oxygen species production and oxidative stress resistance in cultured fibroblasts from 13 primate species ranging in body size from 0.25 to 120 kg and in longevity from 20 to 90 years. we assessed both basal and stress-induced reactive oxygen species production in fibroblasts from five great apes (human, chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, and orangutan), four old world monkeys (baboon, rhesus ...201222219516
olfactory discrimination in the western lowland gorilla, gorilla gorilla gorilla.the olfactory abilities of great apes have been subject to little empirical investigation, save for a few observational reports. this study, using an habituation/dishabituation task, provides experimental evidence for a core olfactory ability, namely, olfactory discrimination, in the gorilla. in experiment 1, six zoo-housed western lowland gorillas were individually presented with the same odour on four trials, and with a novel odour on the fifth trial. odours (almond and vanilla) were presented ...201222261746
adrenal androgen production in catarrhine primates and the evolution of adrenarche.adrenarche is a developmental event involving differentiation of the adrenal gland and production of adrenal androgens, and has been hypothesized to play a role in the extension of the preadolescent phase of human ontogeny. it remains unclear whether any nonhuman primate species shows a similar suite of endocrine, biochemical, and morphological changes as are encompassed by human adrenarche. here, we report serum concentrations of the adrenal androgens dehydroepiandrosterone (dhea) and dehydroep ...201222271526
metastatic endocervical adenocarcinoma in a western lowland gorilla (gorilla g. gorilla): no evidence of virus-induced carcinogenesis.cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women. nevertheless, similar tumours have only been rarely described in great apes. this report characterizes the pathological and molecular features of a metastatic endocervical adenocarcinoma in a western lowland gorilla (gorilla g. gorilla).201222273046
use of buckets as tools by western lowland gorillas.while all great apes have been documented to use tools, gorillas are arguably the least proficient tool users. in 2009, a western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at the buffalo zoo was observed using a bucket, which had been provided as part of normal enrichment, as a tool to collect water. we conducted a brief, ad libitum investigation to confirm the validity of the initial observation. we then carried out a systematic investigation of the behavior in 2010. we collected 72 hr of video ...201222290615
phenotypic correlates of male reproductive success in western gorillas.sexual selection is thought to drive the evolution of sexually dimorphic traits that increase male reproductive success. despite a large degree of sexual dimorphism among haplorhine primates, phenotypic traits that may influence the reproductive success of males are largely unstudied due to long life spans and the difficulties in quantifying such traits non-invasively. here we employ digital photogrammetry of body length and crest size, as well as ranking of the gluteal muscle size, to test whet ...201222386152
the effect of body orientation on judgments of human visual attention in western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).the ability to appreciate the attentional states of others is an important element used in discerning the presence of theory of mind in an individual. whether primates are able to recognize attention, and further, use such information to predict behavior, remains contentious. in this study, six western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) were tested under different conditions that aimed to investigate not only their understanding of what a human experimenter sees, but also what informatio ...201322390623
genomics: gorilla gorilla gorilla. 201222398552
species association of hepatitis b virus (hbv) in non-human apes; evidence for recombination between gorilla and chimpanzee variants.hepatitis b virus (hbv) infections are widely distributed in humans, infecting approximately one third of the world's population. hbv variants have also been detected and genetically characterised from old world apes; gorilla gorilla (gorilla), pan troglodytes (chimpanzee), pongo pygmaeus (orang-utan), nomascus nastusus and hylobates pileatus (gibbons) and from the new world monkey, lagothrix lagotricha (woolly monkey). to investigate species-specificity and potential for cross species transmiss ...201222432021
severe idiopathic hypocalcemia in a juvenile western lowland gorilla, gorilla gorilla gorilla.a 6-mo-old, male western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) was evaluated because of tetany of both hands. the gorilla had alternating periods of constipation, diarrhea, and bloating since birth. a diagnosis of idiopathic hypocalcemia was based on severe hypocalcemia, a normal vitamin d level, response to oral calcium and vitamin d therapy, and eventual resolution. idiopathic hypocalcemia, an uncommon disease in neonatal humans, should be considered in young gorillas with persistent gastr ...201222448527
a new look at an old canal.attempts to explain abducens vulnerability have centered around the petroclival segment of its pathway in the skull base, in particular, its relations to the dorello's canal and the petrosphenoidal ligament of grüber. this study aims to contribute to the definition of the dorello's canal and to the understanding of abducens vulnerability from an evolutionary perspective. the petroclival region and the dorello's canal in particular were examined in a sample of 86 primate skulls. the sample contai ...201122451800
estrogenic plant foods of red colobus monkeys and mountain gorillas in uganda.phytoestrogens, or naturally occurring estrogen-mimicking compounds, are found in many human plant foods, such as soybeans (glycine max) and other legumes. because the consumption of phytoestrogens may result in both health benefits of protecting against estrogen-dependent cancers and reproductive costs of disrupting the developing endocrine system, considerable biomedical research has been focused on the physiological and behavioral effects of these compounds. despite this interest, little is k ...201222460223
no evidence for transmission of antibiotic-resistant escherichia coli strains from humans to wild western lowland gorillas in lopé national park, gabon.the intensification of human activities within the habitats of wild animals is increasing the risk of interspecies disease transmission. this risk is particularly important for great apes, given their close phylogenetic relationship with humans. areas of high human density or intense research and ecotourism activities expose apes to a high risk of disease spillover from humans. is this risk lower in areas of low human density? we determined the prevalence of escherichia coli antibiotic-resistant ...201222492436
facilitating play through communication: significance of teeth exposure in the gorilla play face.primate facial expressions (fes) likely play an important role in primate society: through facial signals, individuals can potentially send and receive information and may benefit from coordinating their behavior accordingly. many primates use a relaxed open mouth (rom) facial display or “play face” (pf) during play behavior, where the mouth is open but teeth are covered. in addition to this conventional pf, however, western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) also use a full pf where the ...201222512019
variation in anthropoid vertebral formulae: implications for homology and homoplasy in hominoid evolution.variation in vertebral formulae within and among hominoid species has complicated our understanding of hominoid vertebral evolution. here, variation is quantified using diversity and similarity indices derived from population genetics. these indices allow for testing models of hominoid vertebral evolution that call for disparate amounts of homoplasy, and by inference, different patterns of evolution. results are interpreted in light of "short-backed" (j exp zool (mol dev evol) 302b:241-267) and ...201222532475
the evolution and consequences of snar family transposition in primates.the small nf90 associated rna (snar) family of small noncoding rnas (ncrna) appears to have evolved from retrotransposon ancestors at or soon after pivotal stages in primate evolution. snars are thought to be derived from a flam c-like (free left alu monomer) element through multiple short insertion/deletion (indel) and nucleotide (nt) substitution events. tracing snar's complex evolutionary history through primate genomes led to the recent discovery of two novel retrotransposons: the alu/snar r ...201122545241
apes (gorilla gorilla, pan paniscus, p. troglodytes, pongo abelii) versus corvids (corvus corax, c. corone) in a support task: the effect of pattern and functionality.apes (gorilla gorilla, pan paniscus, p. troglodytes, pong abelii) and corvids (corvus corax, c. corone) are among the most proficient and flexible tool users in the animal kingdom. although it has been proposed that this is the result of convergent evolution, little is known about whether this is limited to behavior or also includes the underlying cognitive mechanisms. we compared several species of apes (bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans) and corvids (carrion crows and common raven ...201222545765
brief communication: hand preference for bimanual and unimanual feeding in captive gorillas: extension in a second colony of apes.right-hand dominance is widely considered to be a uniquely human trait. whether nonhuman primates exhibit similar population-level hand preferences remains a topic of considerable debate. despite extensive research focusing on laterality in nonhuman primates, our interpretation of these studies is limited due to methodological issues including the lack of a common measure of hand preference and the use of tasks that may not be reliable indicators of handedness. the use of consistent methods betw ...201222639326
problem solving in great apes (pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla, and pongo abelii): the effect of visual feedback.what kind of information animals use when solving problems is a controversial topic. previous research suggests that, in some situations, great apes prefer to use causally relevant cues over arbitrary ones. to further examine to what extent great apes are able to use information about causal relations, we presented three different puzzle box problems to the four nonhuman great ape species. of primary interest here was a comparison between one group of apes that received visual access to the func ...201222644115
infant-directed communication in lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla): do older animals scaffold communicative competence in infants?infant-directed speech is a linguistic phenomenon in which adults adapt their language when addressing infants in order to provide them with more salient linguistic information and aid them in language acquisition. adult-directed language differs from infant-directed language in various aspects, including speech acoustics, syntax, and semantics. the existence of a "gestural motherese" in interaction with infants, demonstrates that not only spoken language but also nonvocal modes of communication ...201222644596
recovery potential of a western lowland gorilla population following a major ebola outbreak: results from a ten year study.investigating the recovery capacity of wildlife populations following demographic crashes is of great interest to ecologists and conservationists. opportunities to study these aspects are rare due to the difficulty of monitoring populations both before and after a demographic crash. ebola outbreaks in central africa have killed up to 95% of the individuals in affected western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) populations. assessing whether and how fast affected populations recover is ess ...201222649511
ubiquitous hepatocystis infections, but no evidence of plasmodium falciparum-like malaria parasites in wild greater spot-nosed monkeys (cercopithecus nictitans).western gorillas (gorilla gorilla) have been identified as the natural reservoir of the parasites that were the immediate precursor of plasmodium falciparum infecting humans. recently, a p. falciparum-like sequence was reported in a sample from a captive greater spot-nosed monkey (cercopithecus nictitans), and was taken to indicate that this species may also be a natural reservoir for p. falciparum-related parasites. to test this hypothesis we screened blood samples from 292 wild c. nictitans mo ...201222691606
the mid-face of lower pleistocene hominins and its bearing on the attribution of sk 847 and stw 53.sk 847 and stw 53 have often been cited as evidence for early homo in south africa. to examine whether midfacial morphology is in agreement with these attributions, we analyze euclidean distances calculated from 3-d coordinates on the maxillae of sk 847 and stw 53, as well as australopithecus africanus (sts 5, sts 71), paranthropus robustus (sk 46, sk 48, sk 52, sk 83), early homo (knm-er 1813, knm-er 1805, knm-er 3733, knm-wt 15000), p. boisei (knm-er 406, knm-wt 17000, knm-wt 17400), gorilla g ...201222695253
suspected macular degeneration in a captive western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).the case of a 31-year-old captive female western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) with decreased near vision but good distance vision is presented. examination of the fundus revealed drusen-like bodies in the macula presumably because of an age-related macular degeneration (amd).201222702721
teasing apart the contributions of hard dietary items on 3d dental microtextures in primates.3d dental microtexture analysis is a powerful tool for reconstructing the diets of extinct primates. this method is based on the comparison of fossils with extant species of known diet. the diets of primates are highly diversified and include fruits, seeds, grass, tree leaves, bark, roots, tubers, and animal resources. fruits remain the main component in the diets of most primates. we tested whether the proportion of fruit consumed is correlated with dental microtexture. two methods of microtext ...201222705031
direct and indirect reputation formation in nonhuman great apes (pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla, pongo pygmaeus) and human children (homo sapiens).humans make decisions about when and with whom to cooperate based on their reputations. people either learn about others by direct interaction or by observing third-party interactions or gossip. an important question is whether other animal species, especially our closest living relatives, the nonhuman great apes, also form reputations of others. in study 1, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and 2.5-year-old human children experienced a nice experimenter who tried to give food/toys to the subjec ...201322746158
evaluation of different storage methods to characterize the fecal bacterial communities of captive western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).freezing is considered to be the best method for long-term storage of bacterial dna from feces; however this method cannot be usually applied for samples of wild primates collected in the challenging conditions of the tropical forest. in order to find an alternative conservation method of fecal samples from wild great apes, we compared freezing with other fixation methods. fecal samples from 11 captive gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) from three czech zoos were stored using freezing, rna stabi ...201222828127
target animacy influences chimpanzee handedness.we employed a bottom-up, quantitative method to investigate great ape handedness. our previous investigation of gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) demonstrated that contextual information influenced an individual's handedness toward target objects. specifically, we found a significant right-hand bias for unimanual actions directed toward inanimate target objects but not for actions directed to animate target objects (forrester et al. in anim cogn 14(6):903-907, 2011). using the identical methodo ...201222829099
[great apes: who are they? are they able to self-medicate?].six great ape species (chimpanzees, bonobos, western gorillas, eastern gorillas, sumatran orangutans and bornean orangutans) live in tropical forests of africa and south-east asia. their habitat, severely threatened by deforestation, contains a vast chemical and biological diversity. during the last decade, we have isolated and identified novel pharmacologically active compounds from plants used by wild chimpanzees in kibale national park, uganda. our continuous observations over the last 12 yea ...201122844752
[malaria in hominids].malaria parasites (plasmodium spp) that infect great apes are very poorly documented malaria was first described in gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans in the early 20th century, but most studies were confined to a handful of chimpanzees in the 1930-1950s and a few orangutans in the 1970s. the three plasmodium species described in african great apes were very similar to those infecting humans. the most extensively studied was p reichenowi, because of its close phylogenetic relation to p. falcip ...201122844753
reye's or reye's-like syndrome in western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).a 15-year-old western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) died shortly after transfer to the north carolina zoo.201222882671
scheuermann kyphosis in nonhuman primates.a cadaveric survey of the thoracic spines of extant species of nonbipedal primates for the presence of scheuermann kyphosis.201222922891
non-invasive monitoring of physiological stress in the western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla): validation of a fecal glucocorticoid assay and methods for practical application in the field.enzymeimmunoassays (eias) allow researchers to monitor stress hormone output via measurement of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fgcms) in many vertebrates. they can be powerful tools which allow the acquisition of otherwise unobtainable physiological information from both captive animals and wild animals in remote forest habitats, such as great apes. however, methods for hormone measurement, extraction and preservation need to be adapted and validated for field settings. in preparation for a f ...201222926327
clinical management of a western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) with a cardiac resynchronization therapy device.a 24-yr-old, male western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) was diagnosed with congestive heart failure using transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiology. new york heart association (nyha) class iii was assigned to the severity of the condition. over 16 mo, this progressed to nyha class iv despite increasing medical therapy. repeated evaluations suggested that implantation of a cardiac resynchronization therapy device with a defibrillator (crt-d) could benefit this animal based on c ...201122946404
face and eye scanning in gorillas (gorilla gorilla), orangutans (pongo abelii), and humans (homo sapiens): unique eye-viewing patterns in humans among hominids.because the faces and eyes of primates convey a rich array of social information, the way in which primates view faces and eyes reflects species-specific strategies for facial communication. how are humans and closely related species such as great apes similar and different in their viewing patterns for faces and eyes? following previous studies comparing chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) with humans (homo sapiens), this study used the eye-tracking method to directly compare the patterns of face and ...201222946925
recovery of arcobacter spp. from nonlivestock species.the genus arcobacter encompasses campylobacter-like organisms that grow in air at 25 degrees c. arcobacter has been detected or isolated from clinically healthy livestock as well as aborted fetuses and has been presumptively identified as either campylobacter or leptospira, based on its growth in selective semisolid media. because reports from nonlivestock species are limited, this study examined nine presumptive isolates of arcobacter spp. from an alpaca (vicugna pacos), black rhinoceros (dicer ...201122950328
the al 333-160 fourth metatarsal from hadar compared to that of humans, great apes, baboons and proboscis monkeys: non-conclusive evidence for pedal arches or obligate bipedality in hadar hominins.based on comparisons to non-statistically representative samples of humans and two great ape species (i.e. common chimpanzees pan troglodytes and lowland gorillas gorilla gorilla), ward et al. (2011) concluded that a complete hominin fourth metatarsal (4th mt) from hadar, al 333-160, belonged to a committed terrestrial biped with fixed transverse and longitudinal pedal arches, which was no longer under selection favoring substantial arboreal behaviors. according to ward et al., the hadar 4th mt ...201222995931
genetic characterization of simian foamy viruses infecting humans.simian foamy viruses (sfvs) are retroviruses that are widespread among nonhuman primates (nhps). sfvs actively replicate in their oral cavity and can be transmitted to humans after nhp bites, giving rise to a persistent infection even decades after primary infection. very few data on the genetic structure of such sfvs found in humans are available. in the framework of ongoing studies searching for sfv-infected humans in south cameroon rainforest villages, we studied 38 sfv-infected hunters whose ...201223015714
quantifying lateral femoral condyle ellipticalness in chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans.articular surfaces of limb bones provide information for understanding animal locomotion because their size and shape are a reflection of habitual postures and movements. here we present a novel method for quantifying the ellipticalness (i.e., departure from perfectly circular) of the lateral femoral condyle (lfc), applying this technique to hominid femora. three-dimensional surface models were created for 49 homo sapiens, 34 pan troglodytes and 25 gorilla gorilla femora. software was developed ...201223042636
entodiniomorphid ciliates from the wild lowland gorilla with the description of a new genus and three new species.the entodiniomorphid ciliates in gorilla in gabon, west africa, were surveyed and observed by light and scanning electron microscopy. as a result, 4 species belonging to the families troglodytellidae and cycloposthiidae were identified, and 3 of them were new to science. these species were described as goriliophilus thoracatus n.g., n.sp., troglodytella gabonensis n.sp., and prototapirella gorillae n.sp. sem observations of goriliophilus and troglodytella revealed in particular the surface struc ...201123196284
extraversion predicts longer survival in gorillas: an 18-year longitudinal study.personality plays an important role in determining human health and risk of earlier death. however, the mechanisms underlying those associations remain unknown. we moved away from testing hypotheses rooted in the activities of modern humans, by testing whether these associations are ancestral and one side of a trade-off between fitness costs and benefits. we examined personality predictors of survival in 283 captive western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) followed for 18 years. we fou ...201323222443
seasonal effects on great ape health: a case study of wild chimpanzees and western gorillas.among factors affecting animal health, environmental influences may directly or indirectly impact host nutritional condition, fecundity, and their degree of parasitism. our closest relatives, the great apes, are all endangered and particularly sensitive to infectious diseases. both chimpanzees and western gorillas experience large seasonal variations in fruit availability but only western gorillas accordingly show large changes in their degree of frugivory. the aim of this study is to investigat ...201223227152
placental invasion, preeclampsia risk and adaptive molecular evolution at the origin of the great apes: evidence from genome-wide analyses.recent evidence from chimpanzees and gorillas has raised doubts that preeclampsia is a uniquely human disease. the deep extravillous trophoblast (evt) invasion and spiral artery remodeling that characterizes our placenta (and is abnormal in preeclampsia) is shared within great apes, setting homininae apart from hylobatidae and old world monkeys, which show much shallower trophoblast invasion and limited spiral artery remodeling. we hypothesize that the evolution of a more invasive placenta in th ...201223266291
comparison of laryngeal mask airway use with endotracheal intubation during anesthesia of western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).the laryngeal mask airway is an alternative to endotracheal intubation that achieves control of the airway by creating a seal around the larynx with an inflatable cuff. this study compared use of the laryngeal mask airway with endotracheal intubation in anesthetized western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla). eight adult gorillas were immobilized for routine and diagnostic purposes for a total of nine anesthetic events. during each anesthetic event, gorillas were either intubated (n = 4; ...201223272342
molecular anthropology and the subversion of paleoanthropology: an example of "the emperor's clothes" effect?although the birth of "molecular systematics" may date to the turn of the twentieth century, the discipline did not gain momentum until the 1960s, when most paleoanthropologists believed that humans were distantly related to a great ape group (chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan), within which the african apes were most closely related. from the beginning, interpretation of molecular data, initially protein immunoreactivity, conflicted with the interpretation of morphological data by favoring a human ...201223272601
ecological volatility and human evolution: a novel perspective on life history and reproductive strategy.humans are characterized by a suite of traits that seem to differentiate them profoundly from closely related apes such as the gorilla, chimpanzee, and orang-utan. these traits include longevity, cooperative breeding, stacking of offspring, lengthy maturation, and a complex life-course profile of adiposity. when, how, and why these traits emerged during our evolutionary history is currently attracting considerable attention. most approaches to life history emphasize dietary energy availability a ...201223280924
a new isolation with migration model along complete genomes infers very different divergence processes among closely related great ape species.we present a hidden markov model (hmm) for inferring gradual isolation between two populations during speciation, modelled as a time interval with restricted gene flow. the hmm describes the history of adjacent nucleotides in two genomic sequences, such that the nucleotides can be separated by recombination, can migrate between populations, or can coalesce at variable time points, all dependent on the parameters of the model, which are the effective population sizes, splitting times, recombinati ...201223284294
the cross river gorillas (gorilla gorilla diehli) at mawambi hills, south-west cameroon: habitat suitability and vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbance.only about 300 individuals of the cross river gorilla (crg; gorilla gorilla diehli) survive today. the subspecies is endemic to approximately 12-14 sites at the cameroon-nigeria border, and is critically endangered. to understand survival prospects of the crg at mawambi hills, cameroon, a maximum entropy (maxent) distribution model was used to predict the distribution of gorillas. overall, 24% of the study area was predicted to be suitable for gorillas. the most important predictors of gorilla d ...201323307035
human-associated staphylococcus aureus strains within great ape populations in central africa (gabon).the risk of serious infections caused by staphylococcus aureus is well-known. however, most studies regarding the distribution of (clinically relevant) s. aureus among humans and animals took place in the western hemisphere and only limited data are available from (central) africa. in this context, recent studies focused on s. aureus strains in humans and primates, but the question of whether humans and monkeys share related s. aureus strains or may interchange strains remained largely unsolved. ...201223398468
genetic diversity of north american captive-born gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) are designated as critically endangered and wild populations are dramatically declining as a result of habitat destruction, fragmentation, diseases (e.g., ebola) and the illegal bushmeat trade. as wild populations continue to decline, the genetic management of the north american captive western lowland gorilla population will be an important component of the long-term conservation of the species. we genotyped 26 individuals from the north americ ...201223403930
distribution of a community of mammals in relation to roads and other human disturbances in gabon, central africa.we present the first community-level study of the associations of both roads and other human disturbances with the distribution of mammals in gabon (central africa). our study site was in an oil concession within a littoral mosaic landscape. we conducted surveys along 199 line transects and installed camera traps on 99 of these transects to document mammal presence and abundance. we used generalized linear mixed-effect models to document associations between variables related to the ecosystem (l ...201323410077
bushmeat hunting changes regeneration of african rainforests.to assess ecological consequences of bushmeat hunting in african lowland rainforests, we compared paired sites, with high and low hunting pressure, in three areas of southeastern nigeria. in hunted sites, populations of important seed dispersers-both small and large primates (including the cross river gorilla, gorilla gorilla diehli)-were drastically reduced. large rodents were more abundant in hunted sites, even though they are hunted. hunted and protected sites had similar mature tree communit ...201323516245
food washing and placer mining in captive great apes.sweet potato washing and wheat placer mining in japanese macaques (macaca fuscata) are among the most well known examples of local traditions in non-human animals. the functions of these behaviors and the mechanisms of acquisition and spread of these behaviors have been debated frequently. prompted by animal caretaker reports that great apes [chimpanzees (pan troglodytes), bonobos (pan paniscus), gorillas (gorilla gorilla), and orangutans (pongo abelii)] at leipzig zoo occasionally wash their fo ...201323665925
plant selection for nest building by western lowland gorillas in cameroon.we examined 834 nests built by western lowland gorillas in cameroon between july 2008 and july 2011 to identify the plant species used in their construction. preference for each plant species for nesting was assessed using a 'preference index' calculated by combining information on the occurrence of each species in the forest and in the nests. forty-six plant species representing about 15 % of the total number of species in the forest and 26 % of species used for nest building were frequently us ...201423732768
observational monitoring of clinical signs during the last stage of habituation in a wild western gorilla group at bai hokou, central african republic.anthropozoonotic disease transmission to great apes is a critical conservation concern, and has raised ethical doubts regarding ape habituation. we monitored over a 3-year period clinical signs within a group of wild western gorillas (g. gorilla) undergoing habituation at bai hokou, central african republic. the majority of observations consisted of singular coughs and sneezes among the gorillas. these were the only clinical signs that significantly and positively increased over the years. no ch ...201323736676
a genome-wide survey of genetic variation in gorillas using reduced representation sequencing.all non-human great apes are endangered in the wild, and it is therefore important to gain an understanding of their demography and genetic diversity. whole genome assembly projects have provided an invaluable foundation for understanding genetics in all four genera, but to date genetic studies of multiple individuals within great ape species have largely been confined to mitochondrial dna and a small number of other loci. here, we present a genome-wide survey of genetic variation in gorillas us ...201323750230
enamel microwear texture properties of igf 11778 (oreopithecus bambolii) from the late miocene of baccinello, italy.late miocene oreopithecus bambolii has been posited as a folivore from its pronounced molar shearing crests. however, scanning electron microscopy yields conflicting results with one study of oreopithecus showing folivory and another indicating a coarser diet was consumed. to address this debate, the dietary proclivities of the well-known igf 11778 oreopithecus bambolii specimen are reconstructed by comparing the enamel texture properties of this specimen to extant alouatta palliata (n = 11), ce ...201323833018
close association between paralogous multiple isomirs and paralogous/orthologues mirna sequences implicates dominant sequence selection across various animal species.micrornas (mirnas) are crucial negative regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. next-generation sequencing technologies have identified a series of mirna variants (named isomirs). in this study, paralogous isomir assemblies (from the mirna locus) were systematically analyzed based on data acquired from deep sequencing data sets. evolutionary analysis of paralogous (members in mirna gene family in a specific species) and orthologues (across different animal species) mirna ...201323856130
male genetic structure and paternity in western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).the male dispersal patterns of western lowland gorillas (wlgs, gorilla gorilla gorilla) are not well understood. to determine whether most silverbacks stay close to their relatives, we analyzed autosomal and y-chromosomal microsatellites (strs) in wild wlgs at moukalaba, gabon. we obtained str genotypes for 38 individuals, including eight silverbacks and 12 adult females in an approximately 40 km(2) area. among them, 20 individuals were members of one identified group (group gentil; gg), includi ...201323868171
postnatal temporal bone ontogeny in pan, gorilla, and homo, and the implications for temporal bone ontogeny in australopithecus afarensis.assessments of temporal bone morphology have played an important role in taxonomic and phylogenetic evaluations of fossil taxa, and recent three-dimensional analyses of this region have supported the utility of the temporal bone for testing taxonomic and phylogenetic hypotheses. but while clinical analyses have examined aspects of temporal bone ontogeny in humans, the ontogeny of the temporal bone in non-human taxa is less well documented. this study examines ontogenetic allometry of the tempora ...201323868175
alzheimer's disease pathology in the neocortex and hippocampus of the western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).the two major histopathologic hallmarks of alzheimer's disease (ad) are amyloid beta protein (aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (nft). aβ pathology is a common feature in the aged nonhuman primate brain, whereas nft are found almost exclusively in humans. few studies have examined ad-related pathology in great apes, which are the closest phylogenetic relatives of humans. in the present study, we examined aβ and tau-like lesions in the neocortex and hippocampus of aged male and female weste ...201323881733
manual pressure distribution patterns of knuckle-walking apes.differences in how the hands of gorillas and chimpanzees contact the ground while knuckle walking have been noted but generally not quantified. it is widely believed that gorillas maintain a pronated arm and contact the ground with digits 2-5 consistently, while chimpanzees have variable arm position and digit contact. to further test these generalizations, distribution of pressure across the manus, peak digital pressures, and hand position were quantified using a pressure mat in eight captive c ...201323907752
assessment of landscape-scale distribution of sympatric great apes in african rainforests: concurrent use of nest and camera-trap surveys.information on the distribution and abundance of sympatric great apes (pan troglodytes troglodytes and gorilla gorilla gorilla) are important for effective conservation and management. although much research has been done to improve the precision of nest-surveys, trade-offs between data-reliability and research-efficiency have not been solved. in this study, we used different approaches to assess the landscape-scale distribution patterns of great apes. we conducted a conventional nest survey and ...201323907925
rna-dna differences in human mitochondria restore ancestral form of 16s ribosomal rna.rna transcripts are generally identical to the underlying dna sequences. nevertheless, rna-dna differences (rdds) were found in the nuclear human genome and in plants and animals but not in human mitochondria. here by deep sequencing of human mitochondrial dna (mtdna) and rna, we identified three rdd sites at mtdna positions 295 (c-to-u), 13710 (a-to-u, a-to-g) and 2617 (a-to-u, a-to-g). position 2617, within the 16s rrna, harbored the most prevalent rdds (more than 30% a-to-u and ~15% a-to-g of ...201323913925
variable temporoinsular cortex neuroanatomy in primates suggests a bottleneck effect in eastern gorillas.we describe an atypical neuroanatomical feature present in several primate species that involves a fusion between the temporal lobe (often including heschl's gyrus in great apes) and the posterior dorsal insula, such that a portion of insular cortex forms an isolated pocket medial to the sylvian fissure. we assessed the frequency of this fusion in 56 primate species (including apes, old world monkeys, new world monkeys, and strepsirrhines) by using either magnetic resonance images or histologica ...201423939630
bilateral asymmetry of humeral torsion and length in african apes and humans.few studies have directly compared human and african ape upper limb skeletal asymmetries despite the potential such comparisons have for understanding the origins of functional lateralization in humans and non-human primates. here, we report the magnitude and direction of asymmetries in humeral torsion and humeral length in paired humeri of 40 gorilla gorilla, 40 pan troglodytes and 40 homo sapiens. we test whether absolute and directional asymmetries differ between measurements, species and sex ...201323942111
long-term monitoring of microsporidia, cryptosporidium and giardia infections in western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at different stages of habituation in dzanga sangha protected areas, central african republic.infectious diseases pose one of the greatest threats to endangered species, and a risk of gastrointestinal parasite transmission from humans to wildlife has always been considered as a major concern of tourism. increased anthropogenic impact on primate populations may result in general changes in communities of their parasites, and also in a direct exchange of parasites between humans and primates.201323951255
new evidence for diet and niche partitioning in rudapithecus and anapithecus from rudabánya, hungary.rudabánya is rare among eurasian miocene fossil primate localities in preserving both a hominid and pliopithecoid, and as such provides the unique opportunity to reconstruct the nature of sympatry and niche partitioning in these taxa. rudapithecus and anapithecus have similar locomotor and positional behavior and overlapping body mass ranges. while prior analyses of molar occlusal anatomy and microwear identify rudapithecus as a soft-object frugivore, reconstructing the dietary behavior of anapi ...201324034983
matching based on biological categories in orangutans (pongo abelii) and a gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).following a series of experiments in which six orangutans and one gorilla discriminated photographs of different animal species in a two-choice touch screen procedure, vonk & macdonald (2002) and vonk & macdonald (2004) concluded that orangutans, but not the gorilla, seemed to learn intermediate level category discriminations, such as primates versus non-primates, more rapidly than they learned concrete level discriminations, such as orangutans versus humans. in the current experiments, four of ...201324058886
endowment effects in gorillas (gorilla gorilla).reports of endowment effects in nonhuman primates have received considerable attention in the comparative literature in recent years. however, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these effects. continuing to explore endowment effects across different species of primate may reveal subtle differences in behavior that can help formulate specific hypotheses about the relevant mechanisms and the social and ecological factors that have shaped them. in this study, we use a paradigm that has ...201324060245
effective sociodemographic population assessment of elusive species in ecology and conservation management.wildlife managers are urgently searching for improved sociodemographic population assessment methods to evaluate the effectiveness of implemented conservation activities. these need to be inexpensive, appropriate for a wide spectrum of species and straightforward to apply by local staff members with minimal training. furthermore, conservation management would benefit from single approaches which cover many aspects of population assessment beyond only density estimates, to include for instance so ...201324101982
monitoring ovarian cycle activity via progestagens in urine and feces of female mountain gorillas: a comparison of eia and lc-ms measurements.understanding the reproductive biology of endangered mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) is essential for optimizing conservation strategies, determining any demographic impact of socioecological changes, and providing information for comparative studies of primates. non-invasive techniques have been used to assess the reproductive function of many primates and the importance of validating the measurements of hormones metabolites is widely recognized because they may vary even within c ...201424123105
ontogenetic changes in limb bone structural proportions in mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei).behavioral studies indicate that adult mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei) are the most terrestrial of all nonhuman hominoids, but that infant mountain gorillas are much more arboreal. here we examine ontogenetic changes in diaphyseal strength and length of the femur, tibia, humerus, radius, and ulna in 30 virunga mountain gorillas, including 18 immature specimens and 12 adults. comparisons are also made with 14 adult western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla), which are known to be mor ...201324129040
sexual dimorphism in relative sacral breadth among catarrhine primates.as the sacrum contributes to the size and shape of the birth canal, the sexually dimorphic sacrum of humans is frequently interpreted within obstetric contexts. however, while the human sacrum has been extensively studied, comparatively little is known about sacral morphology in nonhuman primates. thus, it remains unclear whether sacral sexual dimorphism exists in other primates, and whether potential dimorphism is primarily related to obstetrics or other factors such as body size dimorphism. in ...201324132790
bifidobacterium moukalabense sp. nov., isolated from the faeces of wild west lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).gram-staining-positive anaerobic rods were isolated from the faeces of a wild lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) in moukalaba-doudou national park, gabon, and strain gg01(t) was taxonomically investigated. based on phylogenetic analyses and specific phenotypic characteristics, the strain belonged to the genus bifidobacterium. phylogenetic analysis of its 16s rrna gene sequence revealed that strain gg01(t) formed a single monophyletic cluster and had a distinct line of descent. based on 16 ...201424158945
tooth cusp sharpness as a dietary correlate in great apes.mammalian molars have undergone heavy scrutiny to determine correlates between morphology and diet. here, the relationship between one aspect of occlusal morphology, tooth cusp radius of curvature (roc), and two broad dietary categories, folivory and frugivory, is analyzed in apes. the author hypothesizes that there is a relationship between tooth cusp roc and diet, and that folivores have sharper teeth than frugivores, and further test the correlation between tooth cusp roc and tooth cusp size. ...201424227163
fatty acids in mountain gorilla diets: implications for primate nutrition and health.little is known about the fatty acid composition of foods eaten by wild primates. a total of 18 staple foods that comprise 97% of the annual dietary intake of the mountain gorilla (gorilla beringei) were analyzed for fatty acid concentrations. fruits and herbaceous leaves comprise the majority of the diet, with fruits generally having a higher mean percentage of fat (of dry matter; dm), as measured by ether extract (ee), than herbaceous leaves (13.0% ± sd 13.0% vs. 2.3 ± sd 0.8%). the mean daily ...201424243235
analysis of western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) specific alu repeats.research into great ape genomes has revealed widely divergent activity levels over time for alu elements. however, the diversity of this mobile element family in the genome of the western lowland gorilla has previously been uncharacterized. alu elements are primate-specific short interspersed elements that have been used as phylogenetic and population genetic markers for more than two decades. alu elements are present at high copy number in the genomes of all primates surveyed thus far. the aluy ...201324262036
quantity estimation and comparison in western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).we investigated the quantity judgment abilities of two adult male western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) by presenting discrimination tasks on a touch-screen computer. both gorillas chose the larger quantity of two arrays of dot stimuli. on some trials, the relative number of dots was congruent with the relative total area of the two arrays. on other trials, number of dots was incongruent with area. the gorillas were first tested with static dots, then with dots that moved within the ...201424271957
gorilla mothers also matter! new insights on social transmission in gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) in captivity.the present paper describes two distinct behaviors relating to food processing and communication that were observed in a community of five separately housed groups of lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) in captivity during two study periods one decade apart: (1) a food processing technique to separate wheat from chaff, the so-called puff-blowing technique; and (2) a male display used to attract the attention of visitors, the so-called throw-kiss-display. we investigated (a) whether the be ...201324312184
hemorrhagic colitis associated with salmonella enterica serotype infantis infection in a captive western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) in brazil.enteric diseases are among the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in gorillas, and it is often caused by bacteria.201424359673
niche differentiation and dietary seasonality among sympatric gorillas and chimpanzees in loango national park (gabon) revealed by stable isotope analysis.the feeding ecology of sympatric great ape species yields valuable information for palaeodietary reconstructions in sympatric early hominin species. however, no isotopic references on sympatrically living apes and their feeding ecology are currently available. here we present the first isotopic study on sympatric great apes, namely western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) and central chimpanzees (pan troglodytes troglodytes) from loango national park, gabon. we successfully analyzed th ...201424373257
ecological divergence and talar morphology in gorillas.gorillas occupy a variety of habitats from the west coast to eastern central africa. these habitats differ considerably in altitude, which has a pronounced effect on forest ecology. although all gorillas are obligate terrestrial knuckle-walking quadrupeds, those that live in lowland habitats eat fruits and climb more often than do those living in highland habitats. here we test the hypothesis that gorilla talus morphology falls along a morphocline that tracks locomotor function related to a more ...201424374860
does sympathy motivate prosocial behaviour in great apes?prosocial behaviours such as helping, comforting, or sharing are central to human social life. because they emerge early in ontogeny, it has been proposed that humans are prosocial by nature and that from early on empathy and sympathy motivate such behaviours. the emerging question is whether humans share these abilities to feel with and for someone with our closest relatives, the great apes. although several studies demonstrated that great apes help others, little is known about their underlyin ...201424416212
the influence of body posture on the kinematics of prehension in humans and gorillas (gorilla gorilla).much of our current understanding of human prehension in a comparative context is based on macaque models in a sitting, constrained body posture. in a previous study, we clearly showed differences in the amplitude of the forelimb joints between five primate species (lemur, capuchin, chimpanzee, gorilla and human) during unconstrained grasping where the animals were free to choose their body posture. one of our interrogations was to know if these differences could be due to the body posture. to a ...201424430026
applying clinically proven human techniques for contraception and fertility to endangered species and zoo animals: a review.reversible contraception that does not alter natural behavior is a critical need for managing zoo populations. in addition to reversible contraception, other fertility techniques perfected in humans may be useful, such as in vitro fertilization (ivf) or oocyte and embryo banking for endangered species like amphibians and mexican wolves (canis lupus baileyi). furthermore, the genetics of human fertility can give a better understanding of fertility in more exotic species. collaborations were estab ...201324437091
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