<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id>1659-4266</journal-id>
<journal-title><![CDATA[Cuadernos de Investigación UNED]]></journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title><![CDATA[Cuadernos de Investigación UNED]]></abbrev-journal-title>
<issn>1659-4266</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name><![CDATA[Universidad Estatal a Distancia de Costa Rica]]></publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id>S1659-42662021000100015</article-id>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.22458/urj.v13i1.3438</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[Why sloths defecate on the ground: rejection of the mutualistic model]]></article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Monge-Najera]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Julian]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="Aff"/>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<aff id="Af1">
<institution><![CDATA[,Universidad Estatal a Distancia Laboratorio de Ecología Urbana ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[San José ]]></addr-line>
<country>Costa Rica</country>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="pub">
<day>00</day>
<month>06</month>
<year>2021</year>
</pub-date>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>00</day>
<month>06</month>
<year>2021</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>13</volume>
<numero>1</numero>
<copyright-statement/>
<copyright-year/>
<self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&amp;pid=S1659-42662021000100015&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&amp;pid=S1659-42662021000100015&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&amp;pid=S1659-42662021000100015&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="en"><p><![CDATA[ABSTRACT.  Introduction:  Sloths are arboreal mammals that defecate on the ground, increasing the risk of predation. There are several hypotheses that try to explain why they undergo this risk.  Objective:  To critically review all the hypotheses and to propose a new hypothesis that is compatible with all known data.  Methods:  I verified the assumptions and implications of five hypotheses against the literature available February, 2021.  Results:  Previous hypotheses either lack reliable supporting data, or are contradicted by published data. Here I propose that defecation on the ground is an ancestral behavior that persists in all sloth species because there has not been enough natural selection against it.  Conclusions:  Current knowledge of sloth biology is compatible with the hypothesis that there has not been enough selective pressure for sloths to abandon defecation on the ground.]]></p></abstract>
<abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="es"><p><![CDATA[RESUMEN. &#8220;Por qué los perezosos defecan en el suelo: rechazo del modelo mutualista&#8221;.  Introducción:  Varias hipótesis intentan explicar por qué los perezosos, siendo mamíferos arbóreos, defecan en el suelo, aumentando el riesgo de depredación. Objetivo: Revisar críticamente todas las hipótesis y proponer una nueva, compatible con todos los datos conocidos.  Métodos:  Verifiqué las bases e implicaciones de cinco hipótesis con la literatura disponible en febrero de 2021.  Resultados:  Las hipótesis anteriores carecen de datos confiables o son incompatibles datos publicados. Aquí propongo que la defecación en el suelo es un comportamiento ancestral que persiste en todas las especies de perezosos porque no ha habido suficiente presión selectiva en contra.  Conclusiones:  Lo que se sabe actualmente de la biología de los perezosos calza con la idea de que no ha habido suficiente presión selectiva para que los perezosos abandonen la defecación en el suelo.]]></p></abstract>
<kwd-group>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Evolution of sloth behavior]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[natural selection and defecation]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[algae]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[mutualism]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[moths]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[arboreal mammal evolution]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[Evolución del comportamiento de los perezosos]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[selección natural y defecación]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[algas]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[mutualismo]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[polillas]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="es"><![CDATA[evolución de mamíferos arbóreos]]></kwd>
</kwd-group>
</article-meta>
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