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Berghaenel A, Stevens JMG, Hohmann G, Deschner T, Behringer V. Evidence for adolescent length growth spurts in bonobos and other primates highlights the importance of scaling laws. eLife 2023; 12:RP86635. [PMID: 37667589 PMCID: PMC10479963 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescent growth spurts (GSs) in body length seem to be absent in non-human primates and are considered a distinct human trait. However, this distinction between present and absent length-GSs may reflect a mathematical artefact that makes it arbitrary. We first outline how scaling issues and inappropriate comparisons between length (linear) and weight (volume) growth rates result in misleading interpretations like the absence of length-GSs in non-human primates despite pronounced weight-GSs, or temporal delays between length- and weight-GSs. We then apply a scale-corrected approach to a comprehensive dataset on 258 zoo-housed bonobos that includes weight and length growth as well as several physiological markers related to growth and adolescence. We found pronounced GSs in body weight and length in both sexes. Weight and length growth trajectories corresponded with each other and with patterns of testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 levels, resembling adolescent GSs in humans. We further re-interpreted published data of non-human primates, which showed that aligned GSs in weight and length exist not only in bonobos. Altogether, our results emphasize the importance of considering scaling laws when interpreting growth curves in general, and further show that pronounced, human-like adolescent length-GSs exist in bonobos and probably also many other non-human primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Berghaenel
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Jeroen MG Stevens
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology, Department of Biology, University of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of AntwerpAntwerpBelgium
- SALTO Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University of Applied SciencesSint-NiklaasBelgium
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Max-Planck-Institute of Animal BehaviourRadolfzellGermany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Comparative BioCognition, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of OsnabrückOsnabrückGermany
| | - Verena Behringer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
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2
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Negrey JD, Deschner T, Langergraber KE. Lean muscle mass, not aggression, mediates a link between dominance rank and testosterone in wild male chimpanzees. Anim Behav 2023; 202:99-109. [PMID: 37483564 PMCID: PMC10358427 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Testosterone promotes mating effort, which involves intraspecific aggression for males of many species. Therefore, males with higher testosterone levels are often thought to be more aggressive. For mammals living in multimale groups, aggression is hypothesized to link male social status (i.e. dominance rank) and testosterone levels, given that high status predicts mating success and is acquired partly through aggressive intragroup competition. In male chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, dominance rank has been repeatedly linked to interindividual variation in testosterone levels, but evidence directly linking interindividual variation in testosterone and aggression is lacking. In the present study, we test both aggression levels and lean muscle mass, as measured by urinary creatinine, as links between dominance rank and testosterone levels in a large sample of wild male chimpanzees. Multivariate analyses indicated that dominance rank was positively associated with total rates of intragroup aggression, average urinary testosterone levels and average urinary creatinine levels. Testosterone was positively associated with creatinine levels but negatively associated with total aggression rates. Furthermore, mediation analyses showed that testosterone levels facilitated an association between dominance rank and creatinine levels. Our results indicate that (1) adult male chimpanzees with higher average testosterone levels are often higher ranking but not more aggressive than males with lower testosterone and (2) lean muscle mass links dominance rank and testosterone levels in Ngogo males. We assert that aggression rates are insufficient to explain links between dominance rank and testosterone levels in male chimpanzees and that other social variables (e.g. male-male relationship quality) may regulate testosterone's links to aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob D. Negrey
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, U.S.A
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, U.S.A
- Department of Pathology/Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-
Salem, NC, U.S.A
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Comparative BioCognition, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück,
Germany
| | - Kevin E. Langergraber
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, U.S.A
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, U.S.A
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3
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Thierry B, Rebout N, Heistermann M. Hormonal responses to mating competition in male Tonkean macaques. Horm Behav 2023; 154:105395. [PMID: 37390781 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105395] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid and androgen hormones play a prominent role in male reproductive effort. Their production usually increases in non-human primates during mating competition, which may include rivalry for access to receptive females, struggles for high dominance rank, or social pressure on low-ranking individuals. It is generally assumed that glucocorticoids and androgens are associated with mating challenges rather than dominance status, but the involvement of multiple factors makes it difficult to disentangle the two. In this regard, Tonkean macaques provide a suitable model because they are characterized by relaxed dominance and year-round breeding, meaning that there is typically no more than one receptive female in a group, and thus first-ranking males can easily monopolize her. We studied two captive groups of Tonkean macaques over an 80-month period, recording the reproductive status of females, collecting urine from males and sampling behaviors in both sexes. Male urinary hormone concentrations could be affected by increased competition caused by the mating period, the number of males and the degree of female attractiveness. The highest increases in androgens were recorded in males performing female mate-guarding. Despite the importance of dominance status in determining which males can mate, we found no significant effect of male rank on glucocorticoids and only a marginal effect on androgens during mate-guarding. Both types of hormones were more directly involved in the mating effort of males than in their dominance status. Our results show that their function can be understood in light of the particular competitive needs generated by the species-specific social system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Thierry
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive, CNRS, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - Nancy Rebout
- UMR Herbivores, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
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4
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Abstract
We propose a dynamic production function of population health and mortality from birth onward. Our parsimonious model provides an excellent fit for the mortality and survival curves for primate and human populations since 1816. The model sheds light on the dynamics behind many phenomena documented in the literature. Simple extensions of the model can reproduce (1) the existence and evolution of mortality gradients across socioeconomic statuses documented in the literature, (2) nonmonotonic dynamic effects of in utero shocks, (3) persistent or scarring effects of wars, and (4) mortality displacement after large temporary shocks, such as extreme weather.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Lleras-Muney
- Department of Economics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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5
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Beehner JC, Alfaro J, Allen C, Benítez ME, Bergman TJ, Buehler MS, Carrera SC, Chester EM, Deschner T, Fuentes A, Gault CM, Godoy I, Jack KM, Kim JD, Kolinski L, Kulick NK, Losch T, Ordoñez JC, Perry SE, Pinto F, Reilly OT, Johnson ET, Wasserman MD. Using an on-site laboratory for fecal steroid analysis in wild white-faced capuchins. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2022; 329:114109. [PMID: 36007549 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Hormone laboratories located "on-site" where field studies are being conducted have a number of advantages. On-site laboratories allow hormone analyses to proceed in near-real-time, minimize logistics of sample permits/shipping, contribute to in-country capacity-building, and (our focus here) facilitate cross-site collaboration through shared methods and a shared laboratory. Here we provide proof-of-concept that an on-site hormone laboratory (the Taboga Field Laboratory, located in the Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica) can successfully run endocrine analyses in a remote location. Using fecal samples from wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) from three Costa Rican forests, we validate the extraction and analysis of four steroid hormones (glucocorticoids, testosterone, estradiol, progesterone) across six assays (DetectX® and ISWE, all from Arbor Assays). Additionally, as the first collaboration across three long-term, wild capuchin field sites (Lomas Barbudal, Santa Rosa, Taboga) involving local Costa Rican collaborators, this laboratory can serve as a future hub for collaborative exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacinta C Beehner
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - José Alfaro
- School for the Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Cloe Allen
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Marcela E Benítez
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Thore J Bergman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Margaret S Buehler
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA; Santa Rosa Primate Project, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica; Tulane National Primate Research Center, Tulane University, Covington, LA 70433, USA
| | - Sofia C Carrera
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Emily M Chester
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Comparative BioCognition, University of Osnabrück, Artilleriestrasse 34, 49076 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Alexander Fuentes
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Colleen M Gault
- Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project, Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Irene Godoy
- Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project, Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Animal Behavior, Bielefeld University, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Katharine M Jack
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA; Santa Rosa Primate Project, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
| | - Justin D Kim
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Lev Kolinski
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Nelle K Kulick
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA; Santa Rosa Primate Project, Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica
| | - Teera Losch
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | | | - Susan E Perry
- Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project, Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Fernando Pinto
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica
| | - Olivia T Reilly
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA; Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
| | - Elizabeth Tinsley Johnson
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Michael D Wasserman
- Capuchins at Taboga Research Project, Taboga Forest Reserve, Costa Rica; Department of Anthropology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
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6
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Bortolato T, Mundry R, Wittig RM, Girard-Buttoz C, Crockford C. Slow development of vocal sequences through ontogeny in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus). Dev Sci 2022:e13350. [PMID: 36440660 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The development of the unique, hierarchical, and endless combinatorial capacity in a human language requires neural maturation and learning through childhood. Compared with most non-human primates, where combinatorial capacity seems limited, chimpanzees present a complex vocal system comprising hundreds of vocal sequences. We investigated how such a complex vocal system develops and the processes involved. We recorded 10,929 vocal utterances of 98 wild chimpanzees aged 0-55 years, from Taï National Park, Ivory Coast. We developed customized Generalized non-Linear Models to estimate the ontogenetic trajectory of four structural components of vocal complexity: utterance length, diversity, probability of panting (requiring phonation across inhalation and exhalation), and probability of producing two adjacent panted units. We found chimpanzees need 10 years to reach adult levels of vocal complexity. In three variables, the steepest increase coincided with the age of first non-kin social interactions (2-5 years), and plateaued in sub-adults (8-10 years), as individuals integrate into adult social life. Producing two adjacent panted units may require more neuromuscular coordination of the articulators, as its emergence and steepest increase appear later in development. These results suggest prolonged maturational processes beyond those hitherto thought likely in species that do not learn their vocal repertoire. Our results suggest that multifaceted ontogenetic processes drive increases in vocal structural complexity in chimpanzees, particularly increases in social complexity and neuro-muscular maturation. As humans live in a complex social world, empirical support for the "social complexity hypothesis" may have relevance for theories of language evolution. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Chimpanzees need around 10 years to develop the vocal structural complexity present in the adult repertoire, way beyond the age of emergence of every single vocal unit. Multifaceted ontogenetic processes may drive increases in vocal structural complexity in chimpanzees, particularly increases in social complexity and neuro-muscular maturation. Non-linear increases in vocal complexity coincide with social developmental milestones. Vocal sequences requiring rapid articulatory change emerge later than other vocal sequences, suggesting neuro-muscular maturational processes continue through the juvenile years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Bortolato
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS, Bron, France.,Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Swiss des Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Roger Mundry
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.,Department for Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University, Göttingen, Germany.,Leibniz Science Campus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS, Bron, France.,Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Swiss des Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Cédric Girard-Buttoz
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS, Bron, France.,Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Swiss des Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Catherine Crockford
- The Ape Social Mind Lab, Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS, Bron, France.,Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Swiss des Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
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7
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Puberty initiates a unique stage of social learning and development prior to adulthood: Insights from studies of adolescence in wild chimpanzees. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 58:101176. [PMID: 36427434 PMCID: PMC9699942 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, puberty initiates a period of rapid growth, change, and formative neurobehavioral development. Brain and behavior changes during this maturational window contribute to opportunities for social learning. Here we provide new insights into adolescence as a unique period of social learning and development by describing field studies of our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. Like humans, chimpanzees have a multiyear juvenile life stage between weaning and puberty onset followed by a multiyear adolescent life stage after pubertal onset but prior to socially-recognized adulthood. As they develop increasing autonomy from caregivers, adolescent chimpanzees explore and develop many different types of social relationships with a wide range of individuals in a highly flexible social environment. We describe how adolescent social motivations and experiences differ from those of juveniles and adults and expose adolescents to high levels of uncertainty, risk, and vulnerability, as well as opportunities for adaptive social learning. We discuss how these adolescent learning experiences may be shaped by early life and in turn shape varied adult social outcomes. We outline how future chimpanzee field research can contribute in new ways to a more integrative interdisciplinary understanding of adolescence as a developmental window of adaptive social learning and resilience.
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Urlacher SS, Kim EY, Luan T, Young LJ, Adjetey B. Minimally invasive biomarkers in human and non-human primate evolutionary biology: Tools for understanding variation and adaptation. Am J Hum Biol 2022; 34:e23811. [PMID: 36205445 PMCID: PMC9787651 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 08/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of minimally invasive biomarkers (MIBs - physiological biomarkers obtained from minimally invasive sample types) has expanded rapidly in science and medicine over the past several decades. The MIB approach is a methodological strength in the field of human and non-human primate evolutionary biology (HEB). Among humans and our closest relatives, MIBs provide unique opportunities to document phenotypic variation and to operationalize evolutionary hypotheses. AIMS This paper overviews the use of MIBs in HEB. Our objectives are to (1) highlight key research topics which successfully implement MIBs, (2) identify promising yet under-investigated areas of MIB application, and (3) discuss current challenges in MIB research, with suggestions for advancing the field. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS A range of MIBs are used to investigate focal topics in HEB, including energetics and life history variation/evolution, developmental plasticity, and social status and dominance relationships. Nonetheless, we identify gaps in existing MIB research on traits such as physical growth and gut function that are central to the field. Several challenges remain for HEB research using MIBs, including the need for additional biomarkers and methods of assessment, robust validations, and approaches that are standardized across labs and research groups. Importantly, researchers must provide better support for adaptation and fitness effects in hypothesis testing (e.g., by obtaining complementary measures of energy expenditure, demonstrating redundancy of function, and performing lifetime/longitudinal analyses). We point to continued progress in the use of MIBs in HEB to better understand the past, present, and future of humans and our closest primate relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel S. Urlacher
- Department of AnthropologyBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
- Child and Brain Development ProgramCIFARTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Elizabeth Y. Kim
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
- Department of BiologyBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | - Tiffany Luan
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | - Lauren J. Young
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | - Brian Adjetey
- Human Evolutionary Biology and Health LabBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
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9
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Behringer V, Berghänel A, Deschner T, Lee SM, Fruth B, Hohmann G. Transition to siblinghood causes a substantial and long-lasting increase in urinary cortisol levels in wild bonobos. eLife 2022; 11:77227. [PMID: 36040310 PMCID: PMC9489214 DOI: 10.7554/elife.77227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In animals with slow ontogeny and long-term maternal investment, immatures are likely to experience the birth of a younger sibling before reaching maturity. In these species, the birth of a sibling marks a major event in an offspring’s early life as the older siblings experience a decrease in maternal support. The transition to siblinghood (TTS) is often considered to be stressful for the older offspring, but physiological evidence is lacking. To explore the TTS in wild bonobos, we investigated physiological changes in urinary cortisol (stress response), neopterin (cell-mediated immunity), and total triiodothyronine (T3, metabolic rate), as well as changes in behaviors that reflect the mother–offspring relationship. Following a sibling’s birth, urinary cortisol levels of the older offspring increased fivefold, independent of their age, and remained elevated for 7 months. The cortisol level increase was associated with declining neopterin levels; however, T3 levels and behavioral measures did not change. Our results indicate that the TTS is accompanied by elevated cortisol levels and that this change does not coincide with nutritional weaning and attainment of physical independence. Our results suggest that bonobos and humans experience TTS in similar ways and that this developmental event may have emerged in the last common ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Behringer
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Berghänel
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Sean M Lee
- Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, United States
| | - Barbara Fruth
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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10
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Sonnweber R, Stevens JMG, Hohmann G, Deschner T, Behringer V. Plasma Testosterone and Androstenedione Levels Follow the Same Sex-Specific Patterns in the Two Pan Species. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11091275. [PMID: 36138754 PMCID: PMC9495489 DOI: 10.3390/biology11091275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary Generally male mammals are more aggressive than their female peers. In these males, aggressive behavior is linked to levels of androgens; higher levels of testosterone are predictive of higher aggression rates or more severe aggression. There are some species where the pattern of sex-specific aggression is reversed, and it was hypothesized that high levels of androgens may be responsible for social dominance and aggressiveness in these females. Studies so far found that females of species with sex-reversed aggression patterns (e.g., spotted hyenas and ring-tailed lemurs) had lower plasma testosterone levels than their male peers, but a precursor of testosterone, androstenedione, was comparable or even higher in females than in males. This supported the idea that selection for female aggressiveness may be facilitated through augmented androgen secretion. Here we show that in two sister species, bonobos and chimpanzees, that differ in terms of sex-specific aggression patterns, females have lower plasma testosterone levels and higher plasma androstenedione levels than their male peers. Thus, our data do not support a theory of a role of female androgen levels on the expression of sex-specific patterns of aggression. Abstract In most animals, males are considered more aggressive, in terms of frequency and intensity of aggressive behaviors, than their female peers. However, in several species this widespread male-biased aggression pattern is either extenuated, absent, or even sex-reversed. Studies investigating potential neuro-physiological mechanisms driving the selection for female aggression in these species have revealed an important, but not exclusive role of androgens in the expression of the observed sex-specific behavioral patterns. Two very closely related mammalian species that markedly differ in the expression and degree of sex-specific aggression are the two Pan species, where the chimpanzee societies are male-dominated while in bonobos sex-biased aggression patterns are alleviated. Using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods, we measured levels of plasma testosterone and androstenedione levels in male and female zoo-housed bonobos (N = 21; 12 females, 9 males) and chimpanzees (N = 41; 27 females, 14 males). Our results show comparable absolute and relative intersexual patterns of blood androgen levels in both species of Pan. Plasma testosterone levels were higher in males (bonobos: females: average 0.53 ± 0.30 ng/mL; males 6.70 ± 2.93 ng/mL; chimpanzees: females: average 0.40 ± 0.23 ng/mL; males 5.84 ± 3.63 ng/mL) and plasma androstenedione levels were higher in females of either species (bonobos: females: average 1.83 ± 0.87 ng/mL; males 1.13 ± 0.44 ng/mL; chimpanzees: females: average 1.84 ± 0.92 ng/mL; males 1.22 ± 0.55 ng/mL). The latter result speaks against a role of androstenedione in the mediation of heightened female aggression, as had been suggested based on studies in other mammal species where females are dominant and show high levels of female aggressiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Sonnweber
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Correspondence:
| | - Jeroen M. G. Stevens
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Building D, D1.21, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell/Konstanz, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Comparative BioCognition, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Artilleriestrasse 34, 49090 Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Verena Behringer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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11
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Jänig S, Kücklich M, Kulik L, Zetzsche M, Weiß BM, Widdig A. Olfactory Inspection of Female Reproductive States in Chimpanzees. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.884661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In mammalian species, olfactory cues are important for within and between species communication. These cues can be part of multimodal signals indicating, for example, female fertility potentially perceived by male conspecifics. However, a large gap exists in our understanding of multimodal signaling in non-human catarrhines. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) live in fission-fusion societies, mate promiscuously and express high levels of male-male competition. Females show a striking visual signal, an exaggerated sexual swelling, known to be a proxy of ovulation, while the maximum swelling is not matching the exact time of ovulation. The question remains if males use additional olfactory cues when being able to approach females closely. This would allow males to pinpoint the exact timing of ovulation and could be one reason why high-ranking males sire offspring more successfully than other males. Here, we present the first systematic test of such multimodal signaling by investigating male sniffing behavior directed to females in relation to their fertility in a group of 13 captive chimpanzees. Our results show that male sniffing behavior significantly increased with female swelling size, with female age as well as when fewer male competitors were present. Hence, odors might be part of a multimodal fertility cue, supporting the idea that males monitor both visual and olfactory cues to gain comprehensive information on female fertility.
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Toda K, Mouri K, Ryu H, Sakamaki T, Tokuyama N, Yokoyama T, Shibata S, Poiret ML, Shimizu K, Hashimoto C, Furuichi T. Do female bonobos (Pan paniscus) disperse at the onset of puberty? Hormonal and behavioral changes related to their dispersal timing. Horm Behav 2022; 142:105159. [PMID: 35462131 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Natal dispersal is a milestone in an animal's life history, but its timing in developmental trajectories may differ between species. Although the two Pan species exhibit a similar pattern of female-biased dispersal, female bonobos (P. paniscus) leave their natal groups at an earlier age than female chimpanzees (P. troglodytes). As a preliminary step to explore the dispersal strategies of female bonobos, this study aimed to determine the relations of sexual swelling development, behavioral and hormonal activation, and first ovulation relative to dispersal timing. We measured levels of urinary estrone conjugates (E1C) and pregnanediol glucuronide (PdG) from 14 nulliparous females in wild bonobo groups at Wamba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and recorded their copulations with mature males. When close to dispersal, female bonobos exhibited swelling of the sexual skin (labia minora and perianal region) that did not reach the mature stage. Urinary E1C levels and copulation rates increased slightly before dispersal and greatly increased after dispersal. Ovulatory or gestatory signs implied by daily hormone profiles were not detected until one to two years after dispersal. Our findings indicate that female bonobos disperse at an early pubertal stage before ovulatory cycling is established. This earlier dispersal than sexual maturation could allow female bonobos to postpone reproduction-related energy costs until they become familiar with their new group or gain more time finding the group more suitable for successful reproduction in the future before actually settling. Further demographic and genetic data from dispersal to reproduction will help clarify their dispersal strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuya Toda
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan.
| | - Keiko Mouri
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Heungjin Ryu
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan; School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, UNIST-gil 50, Eonyang-eup, Ulju, Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Tetsuya Sakamaki
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan; Antwerp Zoo Foundation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Nahoko Tokuyama
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan; Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Tanaka-Sekiden-cho 2-24, Sakyo, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takumasa Yokoyama
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Shohei Shibata
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Marie-Laure Poiret
- Department of Psychology, Durham University, Upper Mountjoy, South Rd, United Kingdom
| | - Keiko Shimizu
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science, Okayama 700-0005, Japan
| | - Chie Hashimoto
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Takeshi Furuichi
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kanrin 41, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
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De Gregorio C, Carugati F, Estienne V, Valente D, Raimondi T, Torti V, Miaretsoa L, Ratsimbazafy J, Gamba M, Giacoma C. Born to sing! Song development in a singing primate. Curr Zool 2021; 67:585-596. [PMID: 34805535 PMCID: PMC8598991 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In animal vocal communication, the development of adult-like vocalization is fundamental to interact appropriately with conspecifics. However, the factors that guide ontogenetic changes in the acoustic features remain poorly understood. In contrast with a historical view of nonhuman primate vocal production as substantially innate, recent research suggests that inheritance and physiological modification can only explain some of the developmental changes in call structure during growth. A particular case of acoustic communication is the indris' singing behavior, a peculiar case among Strepsirrhine primates. Thanks to a decade of intense data collection, this work provides the first long-term quantitative analysis on song development in a singing primate. To understand the ontogeny of such a complex vocal output, we investigated juvenile and sub-adult indris' vocal behavior, and we found that young individuals started participating in the chorus years earlier than previously reported. Our results indicated that spectro-temporal song parameters underwent essential changes during growth. In particular, the age and sex of the emitter influenced the indris' vocal activity. We found that frequency parameters showed consistent changes across the sexes, but the temporal features showed different developmental trajectories for males and females. Given the low level of morphological sexual dimorphism and the marked differences in vocal behavior, we hypothesize that factors like social influences and auditory feedback may affect songs' features, resulting in high vocal flexibility in juvenile indris. This trait may be pivotal in a species that engages in choruses with rapid vocal turn-taking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara De Gregorio
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Filippo Carugati
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Vittoria Estienne
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Daria Valente
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Teresa Raimondi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Valeria Torti
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Longondraza Miaretsoa
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Jonah Ratsimbazafy
- Groupe d’Etude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar (GERP), BP 779 – Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
| | - Marco Gamba
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10125, Italy
| | - Cristina Giacoma
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, Torino 10125, Italy
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14
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Sonnweber R, Stevens JMG, Hohmann G, Deschner T, Behringer V. Blood testosterone levels in sickness and in health: Male chimpanzee testosterone levels decrease in face of an immune challenge. Am J Primatol 2021; 84:e23334. [PMID: 34662432 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
As an integral part of the immune response, testosterone secretion is inhibited when an individual is confronted with an immune challenge. Testosterone-mediated physiological, morphological, and behavioral traits are compromised at times of impaired health. Nevertheless, males of some species seem to maintain high levels of testosterone when confronted with an immune challenge, upholding competitive strength but compromising their immune response. It has been argued that this phenomenon will occur only in species living in social systems with high degrees of male-male competition over mating opportunities. Male chimpanzees contest over access to fertile females and dominants sire the majority of offspring. This male mating pattern makes chimpanzees a candidate species where we could expect males to maintain high testosterone levels, compromising their immune response, to ensure immediate reproductive success. We measured blood testosterone levels in male and female chimpanzees, who expressed clinical symptoms (symptomatic) or showed no evidence of clinical disease on assessment (asymptomatic). For females, we expected to find lower testosterone levels in symptomatic individuals than in asymptomatic subjects. In males, we would predict lower testosterone levels in symptomatic individuals than in asymptomatic males, if the immune response leads to a decrease in testosterone secretion. Alternatively, males could have equal levels of testosterone when symptomatic and asymptomatic, upholding competitive strength. Our results show that male chimpanzees exhibit lower levels of testosterone when confronted with an immune challenge than when being asymptomatic. This suggests that male testosterone secretion is suppressed as part of the immune response, which potentially increases survival and lifetime reproductive success. It will, however, negatively impact momentary competitive ability. Also, males may employ different mating strategies, some of which are less testosterone-driven (e.g., affiliative strategies). Consequently, in some individuals, the costs of maintaining high testosterone levels may not outweigh the potential gain in reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Sonnweber
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jeroen M G Stevens
- Department of Biology, Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium.,SALTO, Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University College, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Interim Group Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Verena Behringer
- Interim Group Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
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15
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Behringer V, Deimel C, Stevens JMG, Kreyer M, Lee SM, Hohmann G, Fruth B, Heistermann M. Cell-Mediated Immune Ontogeny Is Affected by Sex but Not Environmental Context in a Long-Lived Primate Species. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.629094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecoimmunology conceptualizes the role of immunity in shaping life history in a natural context. Within ecoimmunology, macroimmunology is a framework that explains the effects of habitat and spatial differences on variation in immune phenotypes across populations. Within these frameworks, immune ontogeny—the development of the immune system across an individual life span—has received little attention. Here, we investigated how immune ontogeny from birth until adulthood is affected by age, sex, and developmental environment in a long-lived primate species, the bonobo. We found a progressive, significant decline of urinary neopterin levels, a marker for the cell-mediated immune response, from birth until 5 years of age in both sexes. The overall pattern of age-related neopterin changes was sex-specific, with males having higher urinary neopterin levels than females in the first 3 years of life, and females having higher levels than males between 6 and 8 years. Environmental condition (zoo-housed vs. wild) did not influence neopterin levels, nor did age-related changes in neopterin levels differ between environments. Our data suggest that the post-natal development of cell-mediated immune ontogeny is sex-specific but does not show plasticity in response to environmental conditions in this long-lived primate species. This indicates that cell-mediated immune ontogeny in the bonobo follows a stereotypic and maybe a genetically determined pattern that is not affected by environmental differences in pathogen exposure and energy availability, but that sex is an important, yet often overlooked factor shaping patterns of immune ontogeny. Investigating the causes and consequences of variation in immunity throughout life is critical for our understanding of life-history evolution and strategies, mechanisms of sexual selection, and population dynamics with respect to pathogen susceptibility. A general description of sex-specific immune ontogeny as done here is a crucial step in this direction, particularly when it is considered in the context of a species’ ecology and evolutionary history.
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Westerhausen R, Fjell AM, Kompus K, Schapiro SJ, Sherwood CC, Walhovd KB, Hopkins WD. Comparative morphology of the corpus callosum across the adult lifespan in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and humans. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:1584-1596. [PMID: 32978976 PMCID: PMC7987726 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The human corpus callosum exhibits substantial atrophy in old age, which is stronger than what would be predicted from parallel changes in overall brain anatomy. To date, however, it has not been conclusively established whether this accentuated decline represents a common feature of brain aging across species, or whether it is a specific characteristic of the aging human brain. In the present cross-sectional study, we address this question by comparing age-related difference in corpus callosum morphology of chimpanzees and humans. For this purpose, we measured total midsagittal area and regional thickness of the corpus callosum from T1-weighted MRI data from 213 chimpanzees, aged between 9 and 54 years. The results were compared with data drawn from a large-scale human sample which was age-range matched using two strategies: (a) matching by chronological age (human sample size: n = 562), or (b) matching by accounting for differences in longevity and various maturational events between the species (i.e., adjusted human age range: 13.6 to 80.9 years; n = 664). Using generalized additive modeling to fit and compare aging trajectories, we found significant differences between the two species. The chimpanzee aging trajectory compared with the human trajectory was characterized by a slower increase from adolescence to middle adulthood, and by a lack of substantial decline from middle to old adulthood, which, however, was present in humans. Thus, the accentuated decline of the corpus callosum found in aging humans is not a universal characteristic of the aging brain, and appears to be human-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- René Westerhausen
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition (LCBC), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders M. Fjell
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition (LCBC), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
| | - Kristiina Kompus
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway
- Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Estonia
| | - Steven J. Schapiro
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michael E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, Texas, USA
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kristine B. Walhovd
- Center for Lifespan Changes in Brain and Cognition (LCBC), Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
| | - William D. Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michael E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, Texas, USA
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Jenikejew J, Wauters J, Dehnhard M, Scheumann M. The female effect-how female receptivity influences faecal testosterone metabolite levels, socio-positive behaviour and vocalization in male Southern white rhinoceroses. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 9:coab026. [PMID: 33959291 PMCID: PMC8084027 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coab026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Testosterone is known to be essential for sexual maturation as well as for the display of behavioural traits linked to reproduction. At the same time, external factors such as the presence of receptive females may affect testosterone levels, stressing the hormone's substantial role in reproductive success. It is therefore of major interest to investigate the links between androgens, behaviour and the social environment especially in species that rely on a resilient reproduction rate, such as the white rhinoceros (WR). We collected faecal samples of 16 male Southern WR (Ceratotherium simum simum) aged between 1 and 44 years from 11 European zoos. Audio and video recordings were simultaneously taken from five of the study males that were sexually mature and had direct contact with receptive females. Our results showed a positive correlation of faecal testosterone metabolite (fTM) concentrations and progressing age up until adulthood followed by a decline in older males. While previous reproductive success did not show any effect, the access to receptive females resulted in higher fTM levels. Thereby, fTM concentrations remained at the same level regardless of the receptivity phase, while social cohesion with respective females, affiliative behaviour as well as call rates of Pant and Hiss distinctly peaked during the receptive compared to the non-receptive periods. Conclusively, the immediate presence of receptive females poses a female effect that enhances the overall androgen levels in males and, thus, might facilitate their reproductive success. However, androgens do not seem to be the main driver of behavioural changes during courtship or mating. By linking endocrinological and socio-behavioural factors, we were able to provide an applicable basis for non-invasive monitoring of reproductive behaviour in male WR in captivity, thereby contributing to deeper understanding of potential reproduction impairments in a species whose population in captivity remains not fully self-sustaining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Jenikejew
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Jella Wauters
- Department of Reproduction Biology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Martin Dehnhard
- Department of Reproduction Biology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Marina Scheumann
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
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18
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Sabbi KH, Emery Thompson M, Machanda ZP, Otali E, Wrangham RW, Muller MN. Sex differences in early experience and the development of aggression in wild chimpanzees. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2017144118. [PMID: 33727418 PMCID: PMC8000022 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2017144118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex differences in physical aggression occur across human cultures and are thought to be influenced by active sex role reinforcement. However, sex differences in aggression also exist in our close evolutionary relatives, chimpanzees, who do not engage in active teaching, but do exhibit long juvenile periods and complex social systems that allow differential experience to shape behavior. Here we ask whether early life exposure to aggression is sexually dimorphic in wild chimpanzees and, if so, whether other aspects of early sociality contribute to this difference. Using 13 y of all-occurrence aggression data collected from the Kanyawara community of chimpanzees (2005 to 2017), we determined that young male chimpanzees were victims of aggression more often than females by between 4 and 5 (i.e., early in juvenility). Combining long-term aggression data with data from a targeted study of social development (2015 to 2017), we found that two potential risk factors for aggression-time spent near adult males and time spent away from mothers-did not differ between young males and females. Instead, the major risk factor for receiving aggression was the amount of aggression that young chimpanzees displayed, which was higher for males than females throughout the juvenile period. In multivariate models, sex did not mediate this relationship, suggesting that other chimpanzees did not target young males specifically, but instead responded to individual behavior that differed by sex. Thus, social experience differed by sex even in the absence of explicit gender socialization, but experiential differences were shaped by early-emerging sex differences in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kris H Sabbi
- Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155;
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131
| | - Melissa Emery Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - Zarin P Machanda
- Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - Emily Otali
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - Richard W Wrangham
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 87131
| | - Martin N Muller
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
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19
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Group-level cooperation in chimpanzees is shaped by strong social ties. Nat Commun 2021; 12:539. [PMID: 33483482 PMCID: PMC7822919 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20709-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans maintain extensive social ties of varying preferences, providing a range of opportunities for beneficial cooperative exchange that may promote collective action and our unique capacity for large-scale cooperation. Similarly, non-human animals maintain differentiated social relationships that promote dyadic cooperative exchange, but their link to cooperative collective action is little known. Here, we investigate the influence of social relationship properties on male and female chimpanzee participations in a costly form of group action, intergroup encounters. We find that intergroup encounter participation increases with a greater number of other participants as well as when participants are maternal kin or social bond partners, and that these effects are independent from one another and from the likelihood to associate with certain partners. Together, strong social relationships between kin and non-kin facilitate group-level cooperation in one of our closest living relatives, suggesting that social bonds may be integral to the evolution of cooperation in our own species.
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20
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Tkaczynski PJ, Behringer V, Ackermann CY, Fedurek P, Fruth B, Girard-Buttoz C, Hobaiter C, Lee SM, Löhrich T, Preis A, Samuni L, Zommers Z, Zuberbühler K, Deschner T, Wittig RM, Hohmann G, Crockford C. Patterns of urinary cortisol levels during ontogeny appear population specific rather than species specific in wild chimpanzees and bonobos. J Hum Evol 2020; 147:102869. [PMID: 32866765 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Compared with most mammals, postnatal development in great apes is protracted, presenting both an extended period of phenotypic plasticity to environmental conditions and the potential for sustained mother-offspring and/or sibling conflict over resources. Comparisons of cortisol levels during ontogeny can reveal physiological plasticity to species or population specific socioecological factors and in turn how these factors might ameliorate or exaggerate mother-offspring and sibling conflict. Here, we examine developmental patterns of cortisol levels in two wild chimpanzee populations (Budongo and Taï), with two and three communities each, and one wild bonobo population (LuiKotale), with two communities. Both species have similar juvenile life histories. Nonetheless, we predicted that key differences in socioecological factors, such as feeding competition, would lead to interspecific variation in mother-offspring and sibling conflict and thus variation in ontogenetic cortisol patterns. We measured urinary cortisol levels in 1394 samples collected from 37 bonobos and 100 chimpanzees aged up to 12 years. The significant differences in age-related variation in cortisol levels appeared population specific rather than species specific. Both bonobos and Taï chimpanzees had comparatively stable and gradually increasing cortisol levels throughout development; Budongo chimpanzees experienced declining cortisol levels before increases in later ontogeny. These age-related population differences in cortisol patterns were not explained by mother-offspring or sibling conflict specifically; instead, the comparatively stable cortisol patterns of bonobos and Taï chimpanzees likely reflect a consistency in experience of competition and the social environment compared with Budongo chimpanzees, where mothers may adopt more variable strategies related to infanticide risk and resource availability. The clear population-level differences within chimpanzees highlight potential intraspecific flexibility in developmental processes in apes, suggesting the flexibility and diversity in rearing strategies seen in humans may have a deep evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Tkaczynski
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
| | - Verena Behringer
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Corinne Y Ackermann
- Université de Neuchâtel, Institut de Biologie, Cognition Comparée, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Pawel Fedurek
- Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK
| | - Barbara Fruth
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, L3 3AF, Liverpool, UK; Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Cédric Girard-Buttoz
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Catherine Hobaiter
- Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Sean M Lee
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Therese Löhrich
- World Wide Fund for Nature, Dzanga Sangha Protected Areas, BP 1053, Bangui Central African Republic; Robert Koch Institute, Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms, Seestraße 10, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Preis
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Liran Samuni
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Havard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Zinta Zommers
- United Nations Environment Programme, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Université de Neuchâtel, Institut de Biologie, Cognition Comparée, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Roman M Wittig
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
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21
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Abstract
Adrenarche, the post-natal rise of DHEA and DHEAS, is unique to humans and the African Apes. Recent findings have linked DHEA in humans to the development of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDPFC) between the ages of 4-8 years and the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) from 7 to 12 years of age. Given the association of the LDLPFC with the 5-to-8 transition and the rTPJ with mentalizing during middle childhood DHEA may have played an important role in the evolution of the human brain. I argue that increasing protein in the diet over the course of human evolution not only increased levels of DHEAS, but linked meat consumption with brain development during the important 5- to-8 transition. Consumption of animal protein has been associated with IGF-1, implicated in the development of the adrenal zona reticularis (ZR), the site of DHEAS production. In humans and chimps, the zona reticularis emerges at 3-4 years, along with the onset of DHEA/S production. For chimps this coincides with weaning and peak synaptogenesis. Among humans, weaning is completed around 2 ½ years, while synaptogenesis peaks around 5 years. Thus, in chimpanzees, early cortical maturation is tied to the mother; in humans it may be associated with post-weaning provisioning by others. I call for further research on adrenarche among the African apes as a critical comparison to humans. I also suggest research in subsistence populations to establish the role of nutrition and energetics in the timing of adrenarche and the onset of middle childhood.
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22
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Sabbi KH, Muller MN, Machanda ZP, Otali E, Fox SA, Wrangham RW, Emery Thompson M. Human-like adrenal development in wild chimpanzees: A longitudinal study of urinary dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate and cortisol. Am J Primatol 2019; 82:e23064. [PMID: 31709585 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The development of the adrenal cortex varies considerably across primates, being most conspicuous in humans, where a functional zona reticularis-the site of dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA/S) production-does not develop until middle childhood (5-8 years). Prior reports suggest that a human-like adrenarche, associated with a sharp prepubertal increase in DHEA/S, may only occur in the genus Pan. However, the timing and variability in adrenarche in chimpanzees remain poorly described, owing to the lack of longitudinal data, or data from wild populations. Here, we use urine samples from East African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) collected over 20 years at Kanyawara in Kibale National Park, Uganda, to trace the developmental trajectories of DHEAS (n = 1,385 samples, 53 individuals) and cortisol (n = 12,726 samples, 68 individuals). We used generalized additive models (GAM) to investigate the relationship between age, sex, and hormone levels. Adrenarche began earlier in chimpanzees (~2-3 years) compared with what has been reported in humans (6-8 years) and, unlike humans, male and female chimpanzees did not differ significantly in the timing of adrenarche nor in DHEAS concentrations overall. Similar to what has been reported in humans, cortisol production decreased through early life, reaching a nadir around puberty (8-11 years), and a sex difference emerged with males exhibiting higher urinary cortisol levels compared with females by early adulthood (15-16 years). Our study establishes that wild chimpanzees exhibit a human-like pattern of cortisol production during development and corroborates prior reports from captive chimpanzees of a human-like adrenarche, accompanied by significant developmental increases in DHEAS. While the role of these developmental hormone shifts are as yet unclear, they have been implicated in stages of rapid behavioral development once thought unique to humans, especially in regard to explaining the divergence of female and male social behavior before pubertal increases in gonadal hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kris H Sabbi
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Martin N Muller
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- The Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - Zarin P Machanda
- The Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
- Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, Massachusetts
| | - Emily Otali
- The Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - Stephanie A Fox
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
| | - Richard W Wrangham
- The Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Melissa Emery Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- The Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
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23
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Tombak KJ, Wikberg EC, Rubenstein DI, Chapman CA. Reciprocity and rotating social advantage among females in egalitarian primate societies. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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24
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Martin JS, Staes N, Weiss A, Stevens JMG, Jaeggi AV. Facial width-to-height ratio is associated with agonistic and affiliative dominance in bonobos (Pan paniscus). Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190232. [PMID: 31455170 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is associated with social dominance in human and non-human primates, which may reflect the effects of testosterone on facial morphology and behaviour. Given that testosterone facilitates status-seeking motivation, the association between fWHR and behaviour should be contingent on the relative costs and benefits of particular dominance strategies across species and socioecological contexts. We tested this hypothesis in bonobos (Pan paniscus), who exhibit female dominance and rely on both affiliation and aggression to achieve status. We measured fWHR from facial photographs, affiliative dominance with Assertiveness personality scores and agonistic dominance with behavioural data. Consistent with our hypothesis, agonistic and affiliative dominance predicted fWHR in both sexes independent of age and body weight, supporting the role of status-seeking motivation in producing the link between fWHR and socioecologically relevant dominance behaviour across primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- J S Martin
- Behavioral Ecology Lab, Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Anthropology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - N Staes
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Center for Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - A Weiss
- Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,The Scottish Primate Research Group, UK
| | - J M G Stevens
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - A V Jaeggi
- Behavioral Ecology Lab, Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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25
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Han S, Andrés AM, Marques-Bonet T, Kuhlwilm M. Genetic Variation in Pan Species Is Shaped by Demographic History and Harbors Lineage-Specific Functions. Genome Biol Evol 2019; 11:1178-1191. [PMID: 30847478 PMCID: PMC6482415 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evz047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus) are the closest living relatives of humans, but the two species show distinct behavioral and physiological differences, particularly regarding female reproduction. Despite their recent rapid decline, the demographic histories of the two species have been different during the past 1–2 Myr, likely having an impact on their genomic diversity. Here, we analyze the inferred functional consequences of genetic variation across 69 individuals, making use of the most complete data set of genomes in the Pan clade to date. We test to which extent the demographic history influences the efficacy of purifying selection in these species. We find that small historical effective population sizes (Ne) correlate not only with low levels of genetic diversity but also with a larger number of deleterious alleles in homozygosity and an increased proportion of deleterious changes at low frequencies. To investigate the putative genetic basis for phenotypic differences between chimpanzees and bonobos, we exploit the catalog of putatively deleterious protein-coding changes in each lineage. We show that bonobo-specific nonsynonymous changes are enriched in genes related to age at menarche in humans, suggesting that the prominent physiological differences in the female reproductive system between chimpanzees and bonobos might be explained, in part, by putatively adaptive changes on the bonobo lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sojung Han
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aida M Andrés
- Department of Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.,CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain.,Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Martin Kuhlwilm
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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26
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Nye J, Laayouni H, Kuhlwilm M, Mondal M, Marques-Bonet T, Bertranpetit J. Selection in the Introgressed Regions of the Chimpanzee Genome. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 10:1132-1138. [PMID: 29635458 PMCID: PMC5905441 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evy077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
During the demographic history of the Pan clade, there has been gene-flow between species, likely >200,000 years ago. Bonobo haplotypes in three subspecies of chimpanzee have been identified to be segregating in modern-day chimpanzee populations, suggesting that these haplotypes, with increased differentiation, may be a target of natural selection. Here, we investigate signatures of adaptive introgression within the bonobo-like haplotypes in chimpanzees using site frequency spectrum-based tests. We find evidence for subspecies-specific adaptations in introgressed regions involved with male reproduction in central chimpanzees, the immune system in eastern chimpanzees, female reproduction and the nervous system in Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzees. Furthermore, our results indicate signatures of balancing selection in some of the putatively introgressed regions. This might be the product of long-term balancing selection resulting in a similar genomic signature as introgression, or possibly balancing selection acting on alleles reintroduced through gene flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Nye
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Hafid Laayouni
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Bioinformatics Studies, ESCI-UPF, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Martin Kuhlwilm
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Mayukh Mondal
- Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Estonian Biocentre, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain.,Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jaume Bertranpetit
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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27
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Nurmi NO, Hohmann G, Goldstone LG, Deschner T, Schülke O. The “tolerant chimpanzee”—towards the costs and benefits of sociality in female bonobos. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Niina O Nurmi
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, JFB Institute for Zoology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
| | - Lucas G Goldstone
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians University, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
| | - Oliver Schülke
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, JFB Institute for Zoology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group Social Evolution in Primates, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
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28
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Tsegai ZJ, Skinner MM, Pahr DH, Hublin JJ, Kivell TL. Ontogeny and variability of trabecular bone in the chimpanzee humerus, femur and tibia. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:713-736. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zewdi J. Tsegai
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | - Matthew M. Skinner
- Skeletal Biology Research Center; School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent; Canterbury United Kingdom
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | - Dieter H. Pahr
- Institute for Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics; Vienna University of Technology; Wien Austria
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
| | - Tracy L. Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Center; School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent; Canterbury United Kingdom
- Department of Human Evolution; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig Germany
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29
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Jaeggi AV, Trumble BC, Brown M. Group-level competition influences urinary steroid hormones among wild red-tailed monkeys, indicating energetic costs. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22757. [PMID: 29635811 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Various theories emphasize that intergroup competition should affect intragroup cooperation and social relationships, especially if the cost of intergroup competition outweighs that of intragroup competition. This cost of intergroup competition may be quantified by changes in physiological status, such as in the steroid hormones cortisol (C) and testosterone (T), which rise or are depressed during periods of energetic stress, respectively. Here we tested for changes in urinary C and T after intergroup encounters (IGEs) among wild red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius), a species that experiences frequent intergroup feeding competition, at the Ngogo station in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We assayed 108 urine samples, of which 36 were collected after IGEs, from 23 individuals in four social groups. Bayesian multilevel models controlling for various confounds revealed that IGEs increased C and decreased T relative to baseline, consistent with an energetic cost to IGEs. The C change was more apparent in samples collected early after IGEs, suggesting an anticipatory increase, whereas the T change was stronger in later samples, suggesting sustained energetic trade-offs. Hormone responses were not affected by the IGE outcome. This cost to intergroup competition, together with little evidence for intragroup competition in redtails and other guenons, establishes an interesting test case for theories emphasizing the effect of intergroup competition on intragroup cooperation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian V Jaeggi
- Departmentof Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Benjamin C Trumble
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
| | - Michelle Brown
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California
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30
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Tsegai ZJ, Skinner MM, Pahr DH, Hublin J, Kivell TL. Systemic patterns of trabecular bone across the human and chimpanzee skeleton. J Anat 2018; 232:641-656. [PMID: 29344941 PMCID: PMC5835784 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspects of trabecular bone architecture are thought to reflect regional loading of the skeleton, and thus differ between primate taxa with different locomotor and postural modes. However, there are several systemic factors that affect bone structure that could contribute to, or be the primary factor determining, interspecific differences in bone structure. These systemic factors include differences in genetic regulation, sensitivity to loading, hormone levels, diet, and activity levels. Improved understanding of inter-/intraspecific variability, and variability across the skeleton of an individual, is required to interpret properly potential functional signals present within trabecular structure. Using a whole-region method of analysis, we investigated trabecular structure throughout the skeleton of humans and chimpanzees. Trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV), degree of anisotropy (DA) and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) were quantified from high resolution micro-computed tomographic scans of the humeral and femoral head, third metacarpal and third metatarsal head, distal tibia, talus and first thoracic vertebra. We found that BV/TV is, in most anatomical sites, significantly higher in chimpanzees than in humans, suggesting a systemic difference in trabecular structure unrelated to local loading regime. Differences in BV/TV between the forelimb and hindlimb did not clearly reflect differences in locomotor loading in the study taxa. There were no clear systemic differences between the taxa in DA and, as such, this parameter might reflect function and relate to differences in joint loading. This systemic approach reveals both the pattern of variability across the skeleton and between taxa, and helps identify those features of trabecular structure that may relate to joint function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zewdi J. Tsegai
- Department of Human EvolutionMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Matthew M. Skinner
- Department of Human EvolutionMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Skeletal Biology Research CentreSchool of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
| | - Dieter H. Pahr
- Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural BiomechanicsVienna University of TechnologyViennaAustria
| | - Jean‐Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human EvolutionMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Tracy L. Kivell
- Department of Human EvolutionMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
- Skeletal Biology Research CentreSchool of Anthropology and ConservationUniversity of KentCanterburyUK
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31
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Tsegai ZJ, Skinner MM, Gee AH, Pahr DH, Treece GM, Hublin JJ, Kivell TL. Trabecular and cortical bone structure of the talus and distal tibia in Pan and Homo. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 163:784-805. [PMID: 28542704 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Revised: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Internal bone structure, both cortical and trabecular bone, remodels in response to loading and may provide important information regarding behavior. The foot is well suited to analysis of internal bone structure because it experiences the initial substrate reaction forces, due to its proximity to the substrate. Moreover, as humans and apes differ in loading of the foot, this region is relevant to questions concerning arboreal locomotion and bipedality in the hominoid fossil record. MATERIALS AND METHODS We apply a whole-bone/epiphysis approach to analyze trabecular and cortical bone in the distal tibia and talus of Pan troglodytes and Homo sapiens. We quantify bone volume fraction (BV/TV), degree of anisotropy (DA), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), bone surface to volume ratio (BS/BV), and cortical thickness and investigate the distribution of BV/TV and cortical thickness throughout the bone/epiphysis. RESULTS We find that Pan has a greater BV/TV, a lower BS/BV and thicker cortices than Homo in both the talus and distal tibia. The trabecular structure of the talus is more divergent than the tibia, having thicker, less uniformly aligned trabeculae in Pan compared to Homo. Differences in dorsiflexion at the talocrural joint and in degree of mobility at the talonavicular joint are reflected in the distribution of cortical and trabecular bone. DISCUSSION Overall, quantified trabecular parameters represent overall differences in bone strength between the two species, however, DA may be directly related to joint loading. Cortical and trabecular bone distributions correlate with habitual joint positions adopted by each species, and thus have potential for interpreting joint position in fossil hominoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zewdi J Tsegai
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Matthew M Skinner
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew H Gee
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Dieter H Pahr
- Institute for Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, Wien, Austria
| | - Graham M Treece
- Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jean-Jacques Hublin
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tracy L Kivell
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
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32
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Behringer V, Deschner T. Non-invasive monitoring of physiological markers in primates. Horm Behav 2017; 91:3-18. [PMID: 28202354 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Revised: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The monitoring of endocrine markers that inform about an animal's physiological state has become an invaluable tool for studying the behavioral ecology of primates. While the collection of blood samples usually requires the animal to be caught and immobilized, non-invasively collected samples of saliva, urine, feces or hair can be obtained without any major disturbance of the subject of interest. Such samples enable repeated collection which is required for matching behavioral information over long time periods with detailed information on endocrine markers. We start our review by giving an overview of endocrine and immune markers that have been successfully monitored in relation to topics of interest in primate behavioral ecology. These topics include reproductive, nutritional and health status, changes during ontogeny, social behavior such as rank relationships, aggression and cooperation as well as welfare and conservation issues. We continue by explaining which hormones can be measured in which matrices, and potential problems with measurements. We then describe different methods of hormone measurements and address their advantages and disadvantages. We finally emphasize the importance of thorough validation procedures when measuring a specific hormone in a new species or matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Behringer
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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33
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Gruber T, Clay Z. A Comparison Between Bonobos and Chimpanzees: A Review and Update. Evol Anthropol 2016; 25:239-252. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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34
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Clay Z, Furuichi T, de Waal FB. Obstacles and catalysts to peaceful coexistence in chimpanzees and bonobos. BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
As our closest living relatives, comparisons of the social lives and behavioural ecologies of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus) provide relevant insights into the evolutionary constraints of peaceful coexistence in Hominid societies. In this review, we compare and contrast findings from the two Pan species in order to examine some of the obstacles and catalysts for peaceful behaviour in our ape relatives. Through comparing the social structures, behavioural mechanisms and ecological drivers for peaceful behaviours in Pan, we develop hypotheses regarding the evolutionary constraints of peaceful co-existence in hominid societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zanna Clay
- aSchool of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Takeshi Furuichi
- bPrimate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
| | - Frans B.M. de Waal
- cLiving Links Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Psychology Department, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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35
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Intimate Relationships Then and Now: How Old Hormonal Processes are Influenced by Our Modern Psychology. ADAPTIVE HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND PHYSIOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s40750-015-0021-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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36
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Markham AC, Lonsdorf EV, Pusey AE, Murray CM. Maternal rank influences the outcome of aggressive interactions between immature chimpanzees. Anim Behav 2015; 100:192-198. [PMID: 25624528 PMCID: PMC4304065 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
For many long-lived mammalian species, extended maternal investment has a profound effect on offspring integration in complex social environments. One component of this investment may be aiding young in aggressive interactions, which can set the stage for offspring social position later in life. Here we examined maternal effects on dyadic aggressive interactions between immature (<12 years) chimpanzees. Specifically, we tested whether relative maternal rank predicted the probability of winning an aggressive interaction. We also examined maternal responses to aggressive interactions to determine whether maternal interventions explain interaction outcomes. Using a 12-year behavioural data set (2000-2011) from Gombe National Park, Tanzania, we found that relative maternal rank predicted the probability of winning aggressive interactions in male-male and male-female aggressive interactions: offspring were more likely to win if their mother outranked their opponent's mother. Female-female aggressive interactions occurred infrequently (two interactions), so could not be analysed. The probability of winning was also higher for relatively older individuals in male-male interactions, and for males in male-female interactions. Maternal interventions were rare (7.3% of 137 interactions), suggesting that direct involvement does not explain the outcome for the vast majority of aggressive interactions. These findings provide important insight into the ontogeny of aggressive behaviour and early dominance relationships in wild apes and highlight a potential social advantage for offspring of higher-ranking mothers. This advantage may be particularly pronounced for sons, given male philopatry in chimpanzees and the potential for social status early in life to translate more directly to adult rank.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Catherine Markham
- Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., U.S.A
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, U.S.A
| | - Elizabeth V. Lonsdorf
- Department of Psychology and Biological Foundations of Behavior Program, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, U.S.A
| | - Anne E. Pusey
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
| | - Carson M. Murray
- Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., U.S.A
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