title: Evolution and function of routine trichromatic vision in primates.
abstract: Evolution of the red-green visual subsystem in trichromatic primates has been linked to foraging advantages, namely the detection of either ripe fruits or young leaves amid mature foliage. We tested competing hypotheses globally for eight primate taxa: five with routine trichromatic vision, three without. Routinely trichromatic species ingested leaves that were "red shifted" compared to background foliage more frequently than species lacking this trait. Observed choices were not the reddest possible, suggesting a preference for optimal nutritive gain. There were no similar differences for fruits although red-greenness may sometimes be important in close-range fruit selection. These results suggest that routine trichromacy evolved in a context in which leaf consumption was critical.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Hong Kong, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China. pwlucas@hkucc.hku.hk
authors.forename: Peter W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Nathaniel J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Dominy
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riba-Hernandez
authors.forename: Kathryn E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Stoner
authors.forename: Nayuta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Esteban
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Loría-Calderón
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Petersen-Pereira
authors.forename: Yahaira
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rojas-Durán
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salas-Pena
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Solis-Madrigal
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Osorio
authors.forename: Brian W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Darvell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005638:Fruit; D018515:Plant Leaves; D011323:Primates / Q000502:physiology*