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Polymorphic color vision in white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus): Is there foraging niche divergence among phenotypes?

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Abstract

Many species of platyrrhine primates are characterised by sex-linked color vision polymorphism. This presents an opportunity to study the biology and ecology of individuals with different phenotypes living in the same group. Several evolutionary processes could maintain polymorphic genes in populations. In this study, we evaluate the hypothesis that foraging niche divergence among monkeys explains the presence of multiple color vision phenotypes. Specifically, we test whether dichromats and trichromats differ in foraging time devoted to cryptic vs brightly colored resources. We did not find any differences in foraging time spent on different food types by dichromatic and trichromatic monkeys in two groups of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) living in a tropical dry forest. We conclude that in so far as these variables are concerned, niche divergence does not likely explain color vision polymorphism in our study population.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Drs. John Addicott, Filippo Aureli and Lawrence Harder for helpful advice. We are grateful to the following organizations for funding: Alberta Ingenuity Fund, NSERC, American Society of Primatologists, and the University of Calgary (AM); NSERC and the Canada Research Chairs Program (LF); Grant-in-Aid for Japan Society of the Promotion of Science Fellow (15-11926; CH); Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B; 1640515) of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (SK). We thank Roger Blanco and the Costa Rican Park Service for permission to work in ACG, Courtney Sendall, Fernando Campos and all other members of the capuchin and spider monkey research teams for their advice and contributions to the long-term database. All research protocols abide by national law and were approved by the Animal Care Committee (LESARC) of the University of Calgary.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive, N.W.Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada

    Amanda D. Melin & Linda M. Fedigan

  2. Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Seimeitou 502, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba, 277-8562, Japan

    Chihiro Hiramatsu & Shoji Kawamura

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  1. Amanda D. Melin
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Correspondence to Amanda D. Melin or Shoji Kawamura.

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Communicated by P. Kappeler

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Melin, A.D., Fedigan, L.M., Hiramatsu, C. et al. Polymorphic color vision in white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus): Is there foraging niche divergence among phenotypes?. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 62, 659–670 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-007-0490-3

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