2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists A ustin, Texas was alive with excitement on September 16 th , in part because of the start of the famous Austin City Limits music festival, as well as the onset of des- perately needed rain. But perhaps more importantly, the date also marked the start of the 34 th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. The following three days showcased a great diversity of podium presentations, posters, and symposia demonstrating the innova- tive and collaborative approach that primatological laboratory and field studies have adopted, with the key- note speakers reminding us how we, as a discipline, have arrived at this point in our history. DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS Richard Wrangham (Harvard) kicked things off with his keynote address pre- senting the self-domestication hypothe- sis for bonobo evolution. Wrangham described a suite of behavioral, physio- logical, and anatomical traits character- istic of domesticated animals. He and colleagues proposed that a similar set of often juvenile-like traits distinguish bonobos from chimpanzees. They sug- gested that certain ecological differen- ces within the bonobo range, such as the lack of gorilla competitors, likely led to selection against male aggressive- ness. Along with this decrease in aggres- sion came a group of genetically linked traits, including pedomorphic cranial morphology and the retention of juve- nile-like behaviors such as play and increased social tolerance during feeding. This year’s Past President’s address was given by Suzette Tardif (Univer- sity of Texas Health Sciences, San Antonio) on the importance of inter- disciplinary research, using marmo- sets as models. Tardif discussed exam- ples of how ‘‘cross-talk’’ among genetic, biomedical, and behavioral studies has greatly increased our understanding of both human and pri- mate biology. For example, she high- lighted marmosets’ uniquely derived reproduction, whereby they routinely give birth to twins or triplets. While numerous problems are associated with multiple births in humans, most of these are absent in the marmosets, perhaps due to derived features of the placenta. She further pointed to the contribution of the marmoset genome project to understanding callitrichid evolution. Comparative genetic research has found evidence that genes involved in growth and development have under- gone strong selection in marmosets. Tardif clearly illustrated the unique insights that can be obtained through an integrative approach and the impor- tant implications for human health that such interdisciplinary research can have. Karen Strier’s (University of Wiscon- sin, Madison) Distinguished Primatol- ogist address earned her an enthusias- tic standing ovation and told a tale that was both cautionary and uplift- ing. At a time when many species are living in disturbed and fragmented habitats, Strier reminded her audience of primates’ behavioral plasticity and cautioned against always interpreting behaviors as adaptive on an evolution- ary scale rather than as shorter-term functional shifts. After nearly 30 years of research on the northern muriqui in southeastern Brazil, Strier’s team has recently documented an increase in the time the monkeys spend on the ground. As the study population lives in a forest fragment surrounded by farmlands, she suggested that the mur- iquis may be at carrying capacity and are coming to the ground out of neces- sity in search of food. Although Strier pointed out that this ‘‘island’’ commu- nity represents one-third of the entire muriqui population, her sobering reminder had a hopeful twist. Research- ers recently discovered a few individu- als who had previously been presumed dead in small forest fragments outside of the study area. Given the risks of terrestrial dispersal between fragments, Strier and collaborators have begun planting tree corridors that they hope will facilitate future muriqui dispersal to new fragments. Strier’s work is an inspiring example of how one person’s scientific and conservation efforts can have a significant and lasting impact. LONG-TERM FIELD RESEARCH In addition to Strier’s long-term work in Brazil, several other prima- tologists are now able to synthesize more than a decade of field research to help us better understand funda- mental aspects of wild primate behavior and ecology, as well as the enormous potential for variation over time. This concept was well illustrated by Susan Perry (UCLA) and colleagues’ 20-year study of white-faced capuchins in Costa Rica. With data from 42 males in 11 groups, they detailed the numerous trajectories alpha male tenure might take, beginning with an inheritance or a fight for top rank, which in turn might last a single day or more than 17 years. Only after extended study of these long-reigning males was Perry’s team able to document an increase in reproductive skew over a male’s tenure. As older alpha males actively avoided inbreeding with daughters, as was confirmed by genetic data, subordinate males were allowed greater opportunities for mating. Anthony Di Fiore (University of Texas, Austin) presented a study of paternity in white-bellied spider mon- keys based on births spanning more than 10 years in Amazonian Ecuador. In keeping with the pattern of male philopatry characteristic of this ge- nus, Di Fiore’s team found that aggressive male mating competition was rare. While they found evidence of male reproductive skew during some periods of the study, overall most males did sire offspring. These NEWS Evolutionary Anthropology 21:3–4 (2012)