The Primate Anthology - Essays on Primate Behaviour, Ecology and Conservation from Natural History

Russell L. Ciochon and Richard A. Nisbett (Eds) Prentice Hall $27.00 ISBN 0.13.613845.4

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This volume contains a collection of essays previously published in the magazine Natural History. Its main premise is to introduce readers to a wide range of field studies on different free-ranging primate species. Taken as a whole this compilation encompasses twenty years of research and as such promises to provide a chronologically ordered guide to many aspects of primatology. An introductory forward by Karen Strier along with a preface by the editors Ciochon and Nisbett whet the appetite and outline the structure of the book. These are followed by a short 'backdrop' chapter which provides a brief synopsis of primate evolutionary history and a list of areas for further reading. Usefully, the editors have also included several diagrams from John Fleagle's book 'Primate Adaptation and Evolution' in this introduction which help new readers in primatology to quickly obtain an overview of the primate order. Essays are grouped in four main topical areas: (I) Social behaviour, cognition and intelligence, (II) Community Ecology, (III) Diet and Reproduction and (IV) Human-non human primate interactions and conservation. Each section is introduced by a small chapter orientated around primate functional ecology, which appertains to interactions of ecology, behaviour and phylogeny. In addition to this, each essay has a wonderful illustration by Stephen Nash of the primate species in question and also a brief explanatory line which provides the reader with an immediate overview of the subject to be covered.

Section one contains twelve individual essays which loosely relate to primate behaviour, cognition and intelligence. Individually the essays are easily accessible and provide the reader with many aspects of primate social interactions and how they have been studied to date. The nature of Natural History articles means that even the essays which have beep extracted from major landmark studies are easily digested. This gives a great advantage over other collections of primate papers as it allows the reader to quickly grasp the main issues presented in each study and relate them to one another in order to formulate a useful overview of the topic area. Additionally many different primate species are examined, from red howlers monkeys to baboons, bonobos and chimps. What is most striking about this first section is the ease with which the reader is provided with much information concerning ecological, anatomical and behavioural factors which affect social organisation. The different pieces strive to consider these factors at different levels. Some studies consider such complexities at an individual primate level, whereas others provide a more expansive viewpoint and it is this, i believe, that is the key advantage of this collection. The fact that it provides specific information beyond the generalist comments of an undergraduate textbook chapter on primates makes it a good bet for a reader wishing to augment their studies with more specific examples from the field.

Section two is concerned with the more adaptionist study of free ranging primates. The essays are again easily accessible but have a stronger focus upon theoretical considerations of natural selection and sexual selection. Adaptation and biological design are both well examined in the seven essays included, and draw the reader toward an understanding of further types of primates and study situations. As a collection the subject matter does jump around a little but, as in section one, this doesn't detract from the worth of the book. Indeed, the inclusion of pieces on adaptation to environment stresses, predation risk and the possible intelligence of primates who hunt in troops emphasises the enormity of possibilities in primate study.

Section three focuses on diet and reproduction and is, in my view, the most effective. Again we are introduced to further new types of primates and their habitats, but the selected essays readily combine providing a more complete overview of the topic area. This sections' collection begins with an excellent discussion considering how primates cope with survival in unstable environments. This is followed by an article considering food choice and specific avoidance of poisonous vegetation types. Discussion of diet in this manner is further complemented via consideration of feeding and mating systems and how their study can aid the identification of species types. Additional pieces also illustrate how primate field studies can aid our understanding of how certain species exploit even the most difficult environmental factors and adapt to certain niches. This is especially interesting and salient in the essay which considers nocturnality in owl monkeys. Overall this section succeeds because it's constituent essays go a long way to introducing this major subject area through in depth field observations and more holistic theoretical discussion.

The forth and final section contains essays which attempt to consider interactions between humans and non human primates with emphasis upon conservation and co-evolution. "Ecological communities" of humans and other primates are discussed at a number of levels. This includes assessment of key factors which influence survival (primarily size and range). The essays consider many primate species from the prosimian aye-ayes to bushbabies and macaques and provide insights into specific methods that can be utilised for assessing range and day to day activity. Findings from such studies are then discussed with reference to specific species types. Overall the essays in this section are a useful addition to the rest of the collection. However, the subject matter is rather wide ranging and as such the essays don't fit so well under the umbrella heading given. For example, discussion is given to the possible identification of new forms of femur and bushbaby alongside how human overexploitation of habitats have lead to significant problems for both rhesus and long-tailed macaques.

To conclude, the Primate Anthology provides readers with a collection of interesting and stimulating essays which introduce clearly and concisely many important issues in primatology. The manner in which they have been presented makes them very accessible and enables the reader, for the main part, to obtain a solid overview of the field work in primates.