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Título del libro: Biological Clocks: Effects On Behavior, Health And Outlook
Título del capítulo: Chronoecology of neotropical primates: The spider monkey ateles geoffroyi

Autores UNAM:
MARIA ASUNCION DEL CARMELO CORSI CABRERA;
Autores externos:

Idioma:
Inglés
Año de publicación:
2011
Palabras clave:

Behavior; Biological rhythms; Evolution; Geophysical variables


Resumen:

The emerging discipline denominated "chronoecology of behavior" is the result of the interaction between the work of behavioral ecologists-those who study behavioral phenomena in the natural environment-and chronobiologists, who explain biological rhythms on the basis of experimental studies carried out in the laboratory. Since the beginning of this century, this interaction has generated interest in understanding how biological rhythms behave in organisms living in their natural habitat. This approach requires field studies of rest/activity rhythms in order to obtain detailed hour/hour and day/day information about the possible effects of the modulation of certain environmental variables, such as photoperiod, temperature and the lunar sky, which may synchronize and/or mask behavioral activity. As a model for the study, a neotropical monkey species was chosen, the spider monkey, which is characterized by being widespread in America, from Mexico to southern Bolivia, and by its fusion-fission society and vast behavioral and vocal repertoire. In carrying out the studies, motor activity was registered using Actiwatch accelerometers during 24 continuous hours for 12 months, in combination with focal recordings of behavior and geophysical variables. On the basis of the results, the role of geophysical (astronomical and meteorological) variations as zeitgeber and/or the masking of the circadian rhythm, contributed valuable information for understanding alterations in physiology and behavior introduced by temporal adaptations to environmental changes. Finally, it is well-known that behavioral variations in non-human primates and Homo sapiens are influenced by astronomical and meteorological factors and by social, vocal, verbal and non-verbal conspecific interactions; therefore, it is essential to dissect these variations in order to study them and find out how the circadian rhythm modulates behavior and in what way social interaction influences the rhythms of circadian activity. © 2010 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.


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