In very general terms, "scaling" can be defined as the structural and
func- tional consequences of differences in size (or scale) among
organisms of more or less similar design. Interest in certain aspects of
body size and scaling in primate biology (e. g., relative brain size)
dates to the turn of the century, and scientific debate and dialogue on
numerous aspects of this general subject have continued to be a primary
concern of primatologists, physical an- thropologists, and other
vertebrate biologists up to the present. Indeed, the intensity and scope
of such research on primates have grown enormously in the past decade or
so. Information continues to accumulate rapidly from many different
sources, and the task of synthesizing the available data and theories on
any given topic is becoming increasingly formidable. In addition to the
formal exchange of new ideas and information among scientific experts in
specific areas of scaling research, two of the major goals of this
volume are an assessment of our progress toward understanding various
size-related phe- nomena in primates and the identification of future
prospects for continuing advances in this realm. Although the subject
matter and specific details of the issues considered in the 20 chapters
that follow are very diversified, all topics share the same fundamental
and unifying biological theme: body size variation in primates and its
implications for behavior and ecology, anatomy and physiology, and
evolution.
