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Deacon F, Maqhashu A, Luther-Binoir I, Daffue W, Storbeck KH, Stander M, Bercovitch FB. Reproductive endocrinology, morphological traits, and sexual selection in a population of wild South African giraffes. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2024; 345:114383. [PMID: 37741470 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2023.114383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Sex steroids are pervasive in mammals and evolutionarily conserved, but differences in the nuances of endocrine profiles characterize distinct species. Two sex steroids, testosterone and progesterone, feature prominently in the life history of mammalian taxa, but neither one has been analyzed from wild giraffes. Our study was designed to address this gap in knowledge by examining how these sex steroids are related to biological features and giraffe life history. We conducted the research at Rooipoort Nature Reserve a 44,000 ha private nature reserve in South Africa on a population of South African giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa). Eleven adult giraffe cows and seven adult bulls were immobilized and various biological samples and morphological measurements were obtained. We analyzed both testosterone and progesterone using Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromotography - Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). We found that non-pregnant females had lower progesterone concentrations than pregnant females and that those in the last trimester of pregnancy showed a slight drop in progesterone, as well as an increase in testosterone. Among males, chronological age was correlated with testicle size, testosterone concentrations, and ossicone volume. We propose that the progesterone decline functions partly to accelerate resumption of ovulation because giraffes become pregnant while lactating, and that the testosterone elevation provides an endocrine mileu for female defense of neonatal calves, given that lion predation is a major threat to calf survival. We suggest that male reproductive strategies are mediated by the age-related impacts of testosterone on growth in both body mass and ossicone volume as a consequence of sexual selection. We conclude by noting that the robust and solid ossicones of male giraffes function in mate competition as wedges that are used to topple opponents by raising their legs and placing them in an off-balanced position that can seriously injure them when falling to the ground.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francois Deacon
- Department of Animal Science, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
| | - Ayanda Maqhashu
- Department of Animal Science, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Ilse Luther-Binoir
- Geosperm, Wildlife Reproductive and Biotechnology Services, Brits, South Africa
| | | | - Karl-Heinz Storbeck
- Department of Biochemistry, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Marietjie Stander
- Department of Biochemistry, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Fred B Bercovitch
- Department of Animal Science, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa; Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Anne Innis Dagg Foundation, Toronto, Canada.
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2
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van Noordwijk MA, LaBarge LR, Kunz JA, Marzec AM, Spillmann B, Ackermann C, Rianti P, Vogel ER, Atmoko SSU, Kruetzen M, van Schaik CP. Reproductive success of Bornean orangutan males: scattered in time but clustered in space. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023; 77:134. [PMID: 38076722 PMCID: PMC10700224 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-023-03407-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
Abstract The social and mating systems of orangutans, one of our closest relatives, remain poorly understood. Orangutans (Pongo spp.) are highly sexually dimorphic and females are philopatric and maintain individual, but overlapping home ranges, whereas males disperse, are non-territorial and wide-ranging, and show bimaturism, with many years between reaching sexual maturity and attaining full secondary sexual characteristics (including cheek pads (flanges) and emitting long calls). We report on 21 assigned paternities, among 35 flanged and 15 unflanged, genotyped male Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii), studied from 2003 to 2018 in Tuanan (Central Kalimantan, Indonesia). All 10 infants born since mid-2003 with an already identified sire were sired by flanged males. All adult males ranged well beyond the study area (c. 1000 ha), and their dominance relations fluctuated even within short periods. However, 5 of the 10 identified sires had multiple offspring within the monitored area. Several sired over a period of c. 10 years, which overlapped with siring periods of other males. The long-calling behavior of sires indicated they were not consistently dominant over other males in the area around the time of known conceptions. Instead, when they were seen in the area, the known sires spent most of their time within the home ranges of the females whose offspring they sired. Overall, successful sires were older and more often resident than others. Significance statement It is difficult to assess reproductive success for individuals of long-lived species, especially for dispersing males, who cannot be monitored throughout their lives. Due to extremely long interbirth intervals, orangutans have highly male-skewed operational sex ratios and thus intensive male-male competition for every conception. Paternity analyses matched 21 immature Bornean orangutans with their most likely sire (only 10 of 50 genotyped males) in a natural population. Half of these identified sires had multiple offspring in the study area spread over periods of at least 10 years, despite frequently ranging outside this area. Dominance was a poor predictor of success, but, consistent with female mating tactics to reduce the risk of infanticide, known "sires" tended to have relatively high local presence, which seems to contribute to the males' siring success. The results highlight the importance of large protected areas to enable a natural pattern of dispersal and ranging. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00265-023-03407-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A. van Noordwijk
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Comparative Socio-Ecology Group, May Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Laura R. LaBarge
- Comparative Socio-Ecology Group, May Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Julia A. Kunz
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Institute des Sciences de l’Evolution Montpellier, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Anna M. Marzec
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Brigitte Spillmann
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Corinne Ackermann
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Puji Rianti
- Division of Animal Biosystematics and Ecology, Department of Biology, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
- Primate Research Center, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Erin R. Vogel
- Department of Anthropology, Center for Human Evolution Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA
| | | | - Michael Kruetzen
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Carel P. van Schaik
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Comparative Socio-Ecology Group, May Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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3
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Bernstein-Kurtycz LM, Dunham NT, Evenhuis J, Brown MB, Muneza AB, Fennessy J, Dennis PM, Lukas KE. Evaluating the effects of giraffe skin disease and wire snare wounds on the gaits of free-ranging Nubian giraffe. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1959. [PMID: 36737637 PMCID: PMC9898309 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28677-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Giraffe skin disease (GSD), a condition that results in superficial lesions in certain giraffe (Giraffa spp.) populations, has emerged as a potential conservation threat. Preliminary findings suggested that individuals with GSD lesions move with greater difficulty which may in turn reduce their foraging efficiency or make them more vulnerable to predation. A current known threat to some giraffe populations is their mortality associated with entrapment in wire snares, and the morbidity and potential locomotor deficiencies associated with wounds acquired from snares. The goal of our study was to quantify the locomotor kinematics of free-ranging Nubian giraffe (G. camelopardalis camelopardalis) in Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP), Uganda, and compare spatiotemporal limb and neck angle kinematics of healthy giraffe to those of giraffe with GSD lesions, snare wounds, and both GSD lesions and snare wounds. The presence of GSD lesions did not significantly affect spatiotemporal limb kinematic parameters. This finding is potentially because lesions were located primarily on the necks of Nubian giraffe in MFNP. The kinematic parameters of individuals with snare wounds differed from those of healthy individuals, resulting in significantly shorter stride lengths, reduced speed, lower limb phase values, and increased gait asymmetry. Neck angle kinematic parameters did not differ among giraffe categories, which suggests that GSD neck lesions do not impair normal neck movements and range of motion during walking. Overall, MFNP giraffe locomotor patterns are largely conservative between healthy individuals and those with GSD, while individuals with snare wounds showed more discernible kinematic adjustments consistent with unilateral limb injuries. Additional studies are recommended to assess spatiotemporal limb kinematics of giraffe at sites where lesions are found predominantly on the limbs to better assess the potential significance of GSD on their locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Bernstein-Kurtycz
- Division of Conservation and Science, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 4200 Wildlife Way, Cleveland, OH, 44109, USA.,Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.,Little Rock Zoo, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - N T Dunham
- Division of Conservation and Science, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 4200 Wildlife Way, Cleveland, OH, 44109, USA. .,Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
| | - J Evenhuis
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.,College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - M B Brown
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 86099, Eros, Namibia.,Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences Program in Ecology, Evolution, Ecosystems, and Society, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
| | - A B Muneza
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 86099, Eros, Namibia
| | - J Fennessy
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 86099, Eros, Namibia
| | - P M Dennis
- Division of Conservation and Science, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 4200 Wildlife Way, Cleveland, OH, 44109, USA.,Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.,Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - K E Lukas
- Division of Conservation and Science, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 4200 Wildlife Way, Cleveland, OH, 44109, USA.,Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
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Using spot pattern recognition to examine population biology, evolutionary ecology, sociality, and movements of giraffes: a 70-year retrospective. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00261-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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5
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Siracusa ER, Higham JP, Snyder-Mackler N, Brent LJN. Social ageing: exploring the drivers of late-life changes in social behaviour in mammals. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210643. [PMID: 35232274 PMCID: PMC8889194 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions help group-living organisms cope with socio-environmental challenges and are central to survival and reproductive success. Recent research has shown that social behaviour and relationships can change across the lifespan, a phenomenon referred to as 'social ageing'. Given the importance of social integration for health and well-being, age-dependent changes in social behaviour can modulate how fitness changes with age and may be an important source of unexplained variation in individual patterns of senescence. However, integrating social behaviour into ageing research requires a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of age-based changes in social behaviour. Here, we provide an overview of the drivers of late-life changes in sociality. We suggest that explanations for social ageing can be categorized into three groups: changes in sociality that (a) occur as a result of senescence; (b) result from adaptations to ameliorate the negative effects of senescence; and/or (c) result from positive effects of age and demographic changes. Quantifying the relative contribution of these processes to late-life changes in sociality will allow us to move towards a more holistic understanding of how and why these patterns emerge and will provide important insights into the potential for social ageing to delay or accelerate other patterns of senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin R Siracusa
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.,School for Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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Abstract
Dispersal is a critical process that shapes the structure of wild animal populations. In species that form multi‐level societies, natal dispersal might be social (associating with a different social community while remaining near the natal area), spatial (moving away from the natal area while continuing to associate with the same community) or both social and spatial (associating with a different community and moving away from the natal area). For such species, classical spatial measures of dispersal, such as distance moved, might not capture social dispersal. We examined dispersal outcomes for 67 male and 70 female giraffe calves over 7 years in a large, unfenced, ecologically heterogeneous landscape. We tested predictions about the influence of sex, food availability, low‐ and high‐impact human settlements, and local giraffe population density on social or spatial dispersal, dispersal distance, and age of dispersal. We found that dispersal is sex‐specific, with females being predominately philopatric. When dispersing, both sexes did so at a mean of 4 years of age. Most (69% of total) young males dispersed, with 84% of male dispersers associating with a different adult female social community than that of their mother, but one in four of these dispersers remained spatially near to their natal area. For adolescent males that dispersed socially but not spatially, overlapping female social communities may represent a potential pool of unrelated mating partners without the risks of travelling to unfamiliar areas. Just 26% of young females dispersed and half of these continued to associate with the adult female social community into which they were born, confirming the importance of maintaining ties among females from calf to adulthood. Furthermore, individuals born farther from high‐impact human settlements were more likely to spatially or socially‐and‐spatially disperse, move greater distances from their natal areas, and disperse at a younger age. Our study highlights the potential importance of social structure in dispersal decisions, and of tracking social structure when studying dispersal in multi‐level societies, as effective dispersal can be attained without large‐scale spatial displacements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
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Lavista Ferres JM, Lee DE, Nasir M, Chen YC, Bijral AS, Bercovitch FB, Bond ML. Social connectedness and movements among communities of giraffes vary by sex and age class. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Muller Z, Harris S. A review of the social behaviour of the giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
: a misunderstood but socially complex species. Mamm Rev 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zoe Muller
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue Bristol BS8 1TQ UK
| | - Stephen Harris
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue Bristol BS8 1TQ UK
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9
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Granweiler J, Thorley J, Rotics S. Sparring dynamics and individual laterality in male South African giraffes. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Granweiler
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Manchester Manchester UK
| | - Jack Thorley
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- Department of Earth, Oceans and Ecological Sciences University of Liverpool Liverpool UK
| | - Shay Rotics
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
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11
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Saito M, Idani G. Giraffe diurnal recumbent behavior and habitat utilization in Katavi National Park, Tanzania. J Zool (1987) 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Saito
- Wildlife Research Center Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - G. Idani
- Wildlife Research Center Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
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Saito M, Bercovitch FB, Idani G. The impact of Masai giraffe nursery groups on the development of social associations among females and young individuals. Behav Processes 2020; 180:104227. [PMID: 32853714 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Fission-fusion social systems involve the splitting and merging of subgroups with frequent changes in membership occurring as a result of a number of ecological and social factors, such as demographic processes including birth, movement, or death. Giraffe reside in fission-fusion social systems, and we studied how reproductive status influence associations among females, as well as how associations differ between calves and juveniles. Data were collected in Katavi National Park, Tanzania, during five study periods. We used social network analysis to identify whether reproductive status and developmental stages predict differences in giraffe social association. We found that females with offspring maintain stronger associations than females without offspring. We also revealed that calves and juveniles had similar network association patterns. Our results suggest that the presence of dependent offspring influences the social associations of females and individuals less than 1.5 years of age are still maintaining strong social associations with nursery group members. We conclude that nursery groups among giraffe are co-operative rearing units that probably reduce the costs of rearing to mothers, and may provide a group structure for animals to begin to develop skills useful for their future life in a fission-fusion social system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miho Saito
- Department of Ethology, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, 1-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, 565-0871, Japan; Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, 2-24 Tanaka-Sekiden-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8203, Japan.
| | - Fred B Bercovitch
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, 2-24 Tanaka-Sekiden-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8203, Japan
| | - Gen'ichi Idani
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, 2-24 Tanaka-Sekiden-cho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 606-8203, Japan
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