High temperatures dampen immune systems of wild capuchins

A capuchin mother carries a baby on her back. The study found that the immune systems of juveniles were most impacted by high temperatures. (Capuchins de Taboga)

High temperatures lower the immune performance of wild capuchin monkeys in Costa Rica, especially in young individuals, finds a new study published by Science Advances. The work, led by scientists at Emory University and the University of Michigan, provides some of the first data on the relationship between the immune system and ambient temperature in a wild mammal. 

“Capuchin monkeys are super intelligent, highly adaptive primates that do well in diverse ecosystems,” says Marcela Benítez, Emory assistant professor of anthropology and co-senior author of the paper. “The fact that we’re seeing their immune responses affected by high temperatures suggests that many mammalian species that are less adaptive may be experiencing even worse effects as average temperatures warm globally.” 

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