Friday, April 3, 2009
Old vs. New
One aspect of the book that I never really figured out was the difference between Old World and New World monkeys. They were mentioned a couple of times throughout the book. In the beginning of Chapter 4, Carroll mentions that Old World monkeys were African and Asian (p 92). Go into more detail about the difference between the Old and New World monkeys - where are they from, how are the classified, why are they called this, what do the eat, look like, etc. Use examples both from the book and outside sources.
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In the book there were two types of monkeys mentioned the New World and the Old World. The main difference between the two types is where they are form. The Old World moneys are found in Asia and Africa while the New monkeys are found in Central and South Americas. Both have the same Phylum; Chordata Class; Mammalia and Order; Primates but their family classifications are different. The New monkeys are separated into Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The Old Monkeys family is Cercopithecidae whoch is separated into Cercopithecinae, mainly African, and Colobinae, Asian. Another way that the two types of monkeys are different is that the Old World Monkeys have a down faced nose and nostrils that are close together, while the New World Monkeys have flat noses and nostrils that are far apart. Another difference between their appearances is that the Old World Monkeys have 2 premolars while the New World Monkeys have 3 premolars. Their behaviors are different as well. The Old monkeys have very little male involvement when dealing with infants care and the New World Monkeys have male involvement with infant care. In the book they give two examples of monkeys the chimpanzee and the colobus. Based on my research they are both Old World monkeys. It seems as if the Old World monkeys eat “tender young leaves” and “ripe yellow and red fruits”(91). The New World monkeys seem to have a similar diet, although the Old World monkey’s diet contains more foliage than the new world ones. Monkeys contain a special sense knows as trichromatic vision which is important in selecting the food they eat. They are able to choose the “younger leaves that are more nutritious and tender, and easier to digest” (92). However, the New World Monkeys are polymorphically trichromatic, meaning that only a small population of the New World Monkeys that have a specific polymorphic allele of a gene are trichromats while the Old World Monkeys are routinely trichromatic meaning that most of them are trichromatic. The difference in colour vision between these New and Old World primates results from differing arrangements of the pigment genes on the X chromosome. In Old World primates the three photopigments required for routine trichromatic colour vision are encoded by two or more X-chromosome pigment genes and an autosomal pigment gene. New World monkeys typically have only one X-chromosome pigment gene; multiple alleles allow different types of dichromatic colour vision and, in females heterozygous at this locus, variant forms of trichromatic colour vision.Monkeys with trichromatic have a selective advantage to obtain the more nutritious food.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v382/n6587/abs/382156a0.html
http://www.cabrillo.edu/~crsmith/monkeycomparisons.html
http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/prim_6.htm
“Old” and “New” world refer to two geographic locations that are distinguished by varying times of discovery and settlement. These terms date all the way back to the middle ages, when explorers discovered lands that were previously unthought-of and unknown in Eurasian culture. Before the 15th Century the only know areas of civilization were in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The mindset was that these were the only areas that humans had inhabited. In fact, most every day people thought that there were no habitable areas beyond the coast lines. Then, in 1493, on a mercantilist voyage intended for a trade route to Asia, Chrisopher Colombus landed on soil that had previously been touched by humans from his native Continent. Although he was not the first to make this discovery, he was the first to successfully report of this finding of a “New World”, thus creating the name for what would soon be known as North and South America and, later, Australia. Throughout Europe and Asia, there was a dominating buzz about this “new” territory and all of the exotic creatures and plants that it entailed. It is from these origins that the New World monkeys got their names, as they were discovered in this area that was “new” to the Europeans. For the monkeys and other animals that were native to the “original” civilizations in Asia, Europe, and Africa, they gave them the name “old world”.
ReplyDeleteThese are the origins of the names “old world” and “new world” monkeys.
I will not go into the details of what distinguishes the two physically as Julya has already enveloped all of their physical characteristics in her response.
All information was found in John Mccay's text, "A History of Western Society"
ReplyDeleteFirst off, old world and new world monkeys are classified as such due to their origins. Old world monkeys are monkeys from Asia, Africa, and Europe. New world monkeys are from the Americas. There are a multitude of physiological differences between the two types of monkeys. New world monkeys are flat nosed, with nostrils that are place far apart; where as old world monkeys have downturned noses with their nostrils close together. New world monkeys have three premolars, which are relatively large, where as old world monkeys have only two premolars, which are sectoral, meaning they’re specialized for sharpening the upper canine. In new world monkeys, the Tympanic membrane (eardrum) is connected to the external ear by a bony ring, whereas in Old World monkeys The Tympanic membrane is connected to the external ear by a bony tube , which can be seen on the outside of the skull. Old World monkeys have hard, bare “sitting pads” on the butt; new world monkeys lack these Some new world species have tails that are adapted for gripping (prehensile), however there is no such trait in old world monkeys. Finally, new world monkeys’ thumbs lie in alignment with their other fingers, whereas old world monkeys have developed an opposable thumb.
ReplyDeleteThere are some behavioral differences as well. For example new world monkey males are commonly involved with child rearing. This behavior is absent in old world monkeys. Also old world monkeys often live in a one male, multi-female group. In new world monkeys, the sexes are often mixed more equally among groups.
As for their preferred environments and dietary requirements, new world monkeys are almost exclusively arboreal, and live in tropical environments. Old world monkeys tolerate a much wider variety of terrain. New world monkeys consume more fruit, and old world monkeys consume more foliage.
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
http://www.cabrillo.edu/~crsmith/monkeycomparisons.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/389567/monkey/225158/Old-World-monkeys-versus-New-World-monkeys