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Molecular markers provide powerful means to analyze relationships of descent both among individuals and among taxa. Microsatellite loci have become the standard for studies of paternity and kinship (allowing analysis of mating systems) because they are highly polymorphic and codominant. Phylogenetic comparative methods are intended to separate instances of convergent or parallel evolution from shared evolutionary history by analyzing the phylogenetic distributions of traits. They have been criticized for the assumptions they make about how traits evolve, although not all of these methods make the same assumptions. Most assume that an accurate phylogeny is known. However, crustacean phylogenies have mostly been based on small numbers of sequences that do not have the most desirable properties for phylogenetic inference. This situation is likely to be remedied by the ongoing development of PCR primers that amplify additional independently segregating nuclear loci.

This chapter discusses the study of the evolution of growth rates. It covers comparing growth rates; selecting the best skeletal elements to derive growth rates; phylogenetic comparison of growth; and the evolution of the onset of sexual maturity.

We illustrate the central role the bonobo plays in testing evolutionary hypotheses regarding ape minds (including our own). The importance of bonobos has become apparent only recently with sustained fieldwork at multiple sites in the Congo Basin as well as the first direct quantitative comparisons between bonobos, chimpanzees and humans. This recent work has revealed a number of traits in which bonobos and chimpanzees are more similar to humans than they are to each other. This means that bonobos are crucial to determining the evolutionary processes by which cognitive traits evolved in our own lineage. Based on the evidence within, it becomes clear that one can no longer know chimpanzees or humans without also knowing bonobos. We argue this makes investing in bonobo research and improved protection for bonobos in captivity and the wild an even higher priority. Nous illustrons le rôle central joué par le bonobo pour tester les hypothèses relatives à l’évolution de l’esprit des grands singes (y compris le nôtre). L’importance des bonobos n’est apparue que récemment grâce à un travail de terrain soutenu sur de multiples sites dans le bassin du Congo ainsi qu’aux premières comparaisons quantitatives directes entre les bonobos, les chimpanzés et les humains. Ces récents travaux ont révélé un certain nombre de caractéristiques pour lesquelles les bonobos et les chimpanzés présentent plus de similarités avec les humains que l’un envers l’autre. Cela signifie que les bonobos sont essentiels pour déterminer les processus d’évolution par lesquels les caractéristiques cognitives ont évolué dans notre propre lignée. Sur la base des preuves contenues dans ce document, il devient clair que l’on ne peut plus connaître les chimpanzés ou les humains sans connaître les bonobos. Cela rend donc d’autant plus primordiaux l’investissement dans la recherche sur les bonobos et l’amélioration de la protection des bonobos en captivité comme à l’état sauvage.