2009 Vol 99.pdf (2.45mb) - Primate Society of Great Britain

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The shorter talks, comprising the majority of the meeting, were on a variety
of topics, not restricted to form and function. Jacklyn Ellis presented results
on stress and anxiety responses in the olive baboons of Gashaka, Lauren
Brent demonstrated the application of social network analysis to rhesus
macaques, and, despite technological problems, Denise Bailey from the
Jane Goodall Institute gave an enthusiastic presentation on their current
work and need for continued financial support. Katharine Balolia examined
the relationships between extended cranial growth and social behaviour in
the great apes, Lisa Riley advocated the necessity of cognitive enrichment
in captive chimpanzees, Nick Davis looked at the effect of various stressors
on captive spider monkeys, and Erica Kempf summarised the nature of
primate interactions with aquatic environments (in no way associated with
the widely derided aquatic ape hypothesis).
Marina Kenyon argued that variation in communication between whitecheeked
gibbons was linked to numerous factors, Emma Nelson inferred an
association between 2D:4D digit ratios and dominance rank for rhesus
macaques, Bill McGrew tested competing hypotheses on factors influencing
allo-parental caretaking in captive cotton-top tamarins, and Mark Harrison
provided evidence that energetic pressures are a driving factor in orangutan
body size evolution. In recognition of the dedication and inspiration that
paleoanthropologist and former Council member Charlie Lockwood
provided to students, this year saw the first Charles A. Lockwood Student
Prize. The deserved winner of the specially designed medal was Claire
Santorelli from the University of Chester, who gave a deeply interesting talk
on vocal traditions and acoustic variation in wild spider monkeys from two
geographically disparate communities in Mexico and Costa Rica.
Over the two days of the conference, several posters, mostly by students,
were exhibited. These covered a range of topics, some of which addressed
the theme of form and function, with others examining behavioural ecology,
conservation and potential research opportunities. Of particular interest was
the mix of work at differing stages: that is, completed, ongoing, exploratory
and future research. The Student Poster Prize was awarded to Emma Nelson
for her study on predicting the social systems of extinct hominid taxa using
digit ratios.
A highlight of the meeting was the public lecture, given by Professor Jan
A.R.A.M. van Hoff from Utrecht University, exploring the shared history of
Darwinian understanding of the natural world and behavioural investigation
of primate facial expressions. Throughout the talk, Professor van Hoff
brought his talk to life with a range of animated facial expressions that
served to illustrate his underlying scientific arguments. As one of the
‘characters’ in primatology, Jan A.R.A.M. van Hoff delighted in amusing
and entertaining his audience with his animation.