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Oztan O, Del Rosso LA, Simmons SM, Nguyen DKK, Talbot CF, Capitanio JP, Garner JP, Parker KJ. Naturally occurring low sociality in female rhesus monkeys: A tractable model for autism or not? Mol Autism 2024; 15:8. [PMID: 38291493 PMCID: PMC10829375 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-024-00588-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent social interaction impairments and is male-biased in prevalence. We have established naturally occurring low sociality in male rhesus monkeys as a model for the social features of ASD. Low-social male monkeys exhibit reduced social interactions and increased autistic-like trait burden, with both measures highly correlated and strongly linked to low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentration. Little is known, however, about the behavioral and neurochemical profiles of female rhesus monkeys, and whether low sociality in females is a tractable model for ASD. METHODS Social behavior assessments (ethological observations; a reverse-translated autistic trait measurement scale, the macaque Social Responsiveness Scale-Revised [mSRS-R]) were completed on N = 88 outdoor-housed female rhesus monkeys during the non-breeding season. CSF and blood samples were collected from a subset of N = 16 monkeys across the frequency distribution of non-social behavior, and AVP and oxytocin (OXT) concentrations were quantified. Data were analyzed using general linear models. RESULTS Non-social behavior frequency and mSRS-R scores were continuously distributed across the general female monkey population, as previously found for male monkeys. However, dominance rank significantly predicted mSRS-R scores in females, with higher-ranking individuals showing fewer autistic-like traits, a relationship not previously observed in males from this colony. Females differed from males in several other respects: Social behavior frequencies were unrelated to mSRS-R scores, and AVP concentration was unrelated to any social behavior measure. Blood and CSF concentrations of AVP were positively correlated in females; no significant relationship involving any OXT measure was found. LIMITATIONS This study sample was small, and did not consider genetic, environmental, or other neurochemical measures that may be related to female mSRS-R scores. CONCLUSIONS Dominance rank is the most significant predictor of autistic-like traits in female rhesus monkeys, and CSF neuropeptide concentrations are unrelated to measures of female social functioning (in contrast to prior CSF AVP findings in male rhesus monkeys and male and female autistic children). Although preliminary, this evidence suggests that the strong matrilineal organization of this species may limit the usefulness of low sociality in female rhesus monkeys as a tractable model for ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozge Oztan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Rd., MSLS P-104, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Laura A Del Rosso
- California National Primate Research Center, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Sierra M Simmons
- California National Primate Research Center, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Duyen K K Nguyen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Rd., MSLS P-104, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Catherine F Talbot
- California National Primate Research Center, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- School of Psychology, Florida Institute of Technology, 150 W. University Blvd., Melbourne, FL, 32901, USA
| | - John P Capitanio
- California National Primate Research Center, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, 95616, USA
| | - Joseph P Garner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Rd., MSLS P-104, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Dr., Edwards R348, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Karen J Parker
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, 1201 Welch Rd., MSLS P-104, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Stanford University, 300 Pasteur Dr., Edwards R348, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- California National Primate Research Center, 1 Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
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Cooper EB, Brent LJN, Snyder-Mackler N, Singh M, Sengupta A, Khatiwada S, Malaivijitnond S, Qi Hai Z, Higham JP. The natural history of model organisms: the rhesus macaque as a success story of the Anthropocene. eLife 2022; 11:78169. [PMID: 35801697 PMCID: PMC9345599 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Of all the non-human primate species studied by researchers, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is likely the most widely used across biological disciplines. Rhesus macaques have thrived during the Anthropocene and now have the largest natural range of any non-human primate. They are highly social, exhibit marked genetic diversity, and display remarkable niche flexibility (which allows them to live in a range of habitats and survive on a variety of diets). These characteristics mean that rhesus macaques are well-suited for understanding the links between sociality, health and fitness, and also for investigating intra-specific variation, adaptation and other topics in evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve B Cooper
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States
| | | | | | - Mewa Singh
- Biopsychology Laboratory, University of Mysore, Mysuru, India
| | | | - Sunil Khatiwada
- Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Garbatka, Poland
| | | | - Zhou Qi Hai
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, United States
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Bliss-Moreau E, Santistevan AC, Beisner B, Moadab G, Vandeleest J, McCowan B. Monkey's Social Roles Predict Their Affective Reactivity. AFFECTIVE SCIENCE 2021; 2:230-240. [PMID: 36042947 PMCID: PMC9382983 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-021-00048-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 10/29/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the number of social connections an individual has predicts health and wellbeing outcomes in people and nonhuman animals. In this report, we investigate the relationship between features of an individuals' role within his social network and affective reactivity to ostensibly threatening stimuli, using a highly translatable animal model - rhesus monkeys. Features of the social network were quantified via observations of one large (0.5 acre) cage that included 83 adult monkeys. The affective reactivity profiles of twenty adult male monkeys were subsequently evaluated in two classic laboratory-based tasks of negative affective reactivity (human intruder and object responsiveness). Rhesus monkeys who had greater social status, characterized by age, higher rank, more close social partners, and who themselves have more close social partners, and who played a more central social role in their affiliative network were less reactive on both tasks. While links between social roles and social status and psychological processes have been demonstrated, these data provide new insights about the link between social status and affective processes in a tractable animal model of human health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza Bliss-Moreau
- Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Anthony C. Santistevan
- Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Brianne Beisner
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA USA
| | - Gilda Moadab
- Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Jessica Vandeleest
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA USA
| | - Brenda McCowan
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA USA
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Milich KM, Ruiz-Lambides A, Maldonado E, Maestripieri D. Age negatively impacts reproduction in high-ranking male rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13044. [PMID: 32747726 PMCID: PMC7398901 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69922-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Based on sexual selection theory, the reproductive potential of male primates is expected to be limited by access to fertile females. Alpha males, the highest ranking males in a social group, are predicted to have better access to mates and produce more offspring until they are no longer dominant, which usually corresponds with age. Little is known about male reproductive senescence independent of rank changes in nonhuman primates. Here, we examine variation in the reproductive success of high-ranking male rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago. We recorded behavioral data for 21 adult males across 9 social groups during the 2013 mating season. Additionally, we used paternity data from the long-term database to determine the number of offspring each subject sired over his lifetime and during the study period. Older high-ranking males in stable groups had fewer offspring than younger high-ranking males in stable groups in 2013. The low reproductive output for the older males was not a result of lower mating effort, and reproductive output in 2013 was not predicted by total prior reproductive success. Our results provide novel evidence of post-copulatory reproductive senescence in high-ranking male nonhuman primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista M Milich
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA. .,Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | | | - Elizabeth Maldonado
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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Milich KM, Georgiev AV, Petersen RM, Emery Thompson M, Maestripieri D. Alpha male status and availability of conceptive females are associated with high glucocorticoid concentrations in high-ranking male rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) during the mating season. Horm Behav 2018; 97:5-13. [PMID: 28954215 PMCID: PMC6180231 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2016] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between male mating opportunities, stress, and glucocorticoid concentrations is complicated by the fact that physiological stress and glucocorticoid concentrations can be influenced by dominance rank, group size, and the stability of the male dominance hierarchy, along with ecological factors. We studied the three highest-ranking males in nine different social groups within the same free-ranging population of rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, during the mating season, to examine variation in glucocorticoid concentrations in relation to number of females that conceived each month, alpha status, number of adult males in a group, and male rank hierarchy stability. We found that glucocorticoid concentrations were highest in the early mating season period when more females conceived in each group and declined linearly as the mating season progressed and the number of conceptive females decreased. Alpha males had significantly higher mean monthly glucocorticoid concentrations than other high-ranking males throughout the study period. Male age, number of adult males in a group, and hierarchy stability were not significantly associated with glucocorticoid concentrations. Our findings suggest that alpha males may experience significantly higher levels of physiological stress than their immediate subordinates and that this stress coincides with the period of the mating season when most conceptions occur.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krista M Milich
- Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, USA; Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, USA.
| | - Alexander V Georgiev
- Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, USA; School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, UK
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The prospect of rising in rank is key to long-term stability in Tibetan macaque society. Sci Rep 2017; 7:7082. [PMID: 28765545 PMCID: PMC5539219 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-07067-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the most fundamental questions in behavioural biology is why societies can persist for a long period of time. While researchers in animal behaviour have been hindered by a lack of an aggregate measure (such as social mobility) to quantify the dynamics of animal societies, researchers in social sciences have been challenged by the complexity and diversity of human societies. As a result, direct empirical evidence is still lacking for the hypothesized causal relationship between social mobility and social stability. Here we attempt to fill the void by examining a much simpler society in the Tibetan macaque (Macaca thibetana), which we have tracked for 30 consecutive years. By testing two group-level hypotheses based on benefit-cost analysis and social stratification, we show the first quantitative evidence that an annual 2-to-1 stay/change ratio in the hierarchy with a 3-to-1 upward/downward ratio in intragenerational social mobility provides a substantive expected benefit for adult members to stay in the group and wait for their chances to advance. Furthermore, using a Markov transition matrix constructed from empirical data, we demonstrate that the 3-to-1 upward/downward ratio could lead to long-term structural stability in Tibetan macaque society.
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Teichroeb JA, Jack KM. Alpha male replacements in nonhuman primates: Variability in processes, outcomes, and terminology. Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [PMID: 28543783 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 04/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Alpha male replacements occur in all primates displaying a dominance hierarchy but the process can be extremely variable. Here, we review the primate literature to document differences in patterns of alpha male replacements, showing that group composition and dispersal patterns account for a large proportion of this variability. We also examine the consequences of alpha male replacements in terms of sexual selection theory, infanticide, and group compositions. Though alpha male replacements are often called takeovers in the literature, this term masks much of the variation that is present in these processes. We argue for more concise terminology and provide a list of terms that we suggest more accurately define these events. Finally, we introduce the papers in this special issue on alpha male replacements in the American Journal of Primatology and discuss areas where data are still lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Teichroeb
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Katharine M Jack
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
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9
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Weiß BM, Kulik L, Ruiz-Lambides AV, Widdig A. Individual dispersal decisions affect fitness via maternal rank effects in male rhesus macaques. Sci Rep 2016; 6:32212. [PMID: 27576465 PMCID: PMC5006056 DOI: 10.1038/srep32212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Natal dispersal may have considerable social, ecological and evolutionary consequences. While species-specific dispersal strategies have received much attention, individual variation in dispersal decisions and its fitness consequences remain poorly understood. We investigated causes and consequences of natal dispersal age in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), a species with male dispersal. Using long-term demographic and genetic data from a semi-free ranging population on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, we analysed how the social environment such as maternal family, group and population characteristics affected the age at which males leave their natal group. While natal dispersal age was unrelated to most measures of group or population structure, our study confirmed earlier findings that sons of high-ranking mothers dispersed later than sons of low-ranking ones. Natal dispersal age did not affect males’ subsequent survival, but males dispersing later were more likely to reproduce. Late dispersers were likely to start reproducing while still residing in their natal group, frequently produced extra-group offspring before natal dispersal and subsequently dispersed to the group in which they had fathered offspring more likely than expected. Hence, the timing of natal dispersal was affected by maternal rank and influenced male reproduction, which, in turn affected which group males dispersed to.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte M Weiß
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Germany.,Junior Research Group of Primate Kin Selection, Department of Primatology, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
| | - Lars Kulik
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Germany.,Junior Research Group of Primate Kin Selection, Department of Primatology, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
| | - Angelina V Ruiz-Lambides
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Germany.,Junior Research Group of Primate Kin Selection, Department of Primatology, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany.,Caribbean Primate Research Center Cayo Santiago, University of Puerto Rico, Punta Santiago, USA
| | - Anja Widdig
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Germany.,Junior Research Group of Primate Kin Selection, Department of Primatology, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
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11
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Georgiev A, Christie D, Rosenfield K, Ruiz-Lambides A, Maldonado E, Emery Thompson M, Maestripieri D. Breaking the succession rule: the costs and benefits of an alpha-status take-over by an immigrant rhesus macaque on Cayo Santiago. BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Explaining intraspecific variation in reproductive tactics hinges on measuring associated costs and benefits. Yet, this is difficult if alternative (purportedly less optimal) tactics remain unobserved. We describe a rare alpha-position take-over by an immigrant male rhesus macaque in a population where males typically gain rank via succession. Unusually, male aggressiveness after the take-over correlated with rank and mating success. The new alpha achieved the highest mating and reproductive success. Nevertheless, he sired only 4 infants due to high extra-group paternity (59.3%). The costs of his immigration tactic were high: after the mating season ended, unable to deter coalitionary attacks by resident males, he was overthrown. The following year he had the highest relative annual weight loss and levels of immune activation among males in the group. Succession-based rank-acquisition in large, provisioned groups of macaques thus appears to be actively maintained by resident males, who impose high costs on challengers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V. Georgiev
- Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, 940 E57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, 1810 Hinman Avenue, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Diana Christie
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, 1321 Kincaid Street, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Kevin A. Rosenfield
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Roehampton, Holybourne Avenue, London SW15 4JD, UK
| | - Angelina V. Ruiz-Lambides
- Caribbean Primate Research Center–Cayo Santiago, University of Puerto Rico, Punta Santiago, PR 00741, Puerto Rico
| | - Elizabeth Maldonado
- Caribbean Primate Research Center–Cayo Santiago, University of Puerto Rico, Punta Santiago, PR 00741, Puerto Rico
| | - Melissa Emery Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, 500 University Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Dario Maestripieri
- Institute for Mind and Biology, The University of Chicago, 940 E57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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Takahashi H. Changes of dominance rank, age, and tenure of wild Japanese macaque males in the Kinkazan a troop during seven years. Primates 2002; 43:133-8. [PMID: 12082302 DOI: 10.1007/bf02629673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Male age-rank and tenure-rank relationships were studied for seven years in unprovisioned Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata fuscata) troop on Kinkazan Island, Japan. Males whose estimated ages were between 15 and 19 yr old monopolized the highest ranks, while older males whose estimated ages were > or = 20 yr old tended to decline in rank, resulting in a humped age-rank curve. The ranks of males tended to rise as their tenure in the troop increased. The departure of higher-ranking males was the social mechanism for changes in rank, suggesting that the disappearance of higher-ranking males plays an important role in determining rank dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Takahashi
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan.
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