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Poirier-Poulin S, Teichroeb JA. The vocal repertoire of an African colobine, Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii: a multi-level society compared to congeners in stable groups. BEHAVIOUR 2020. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Vocal behaviour offers a window into understanding the social life and evolution of animals. Colobine monkeys show great interspecific and interpopulation variation in their social organization and behaviour. Recent research has shown that Rwenzori Angolan colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) differ substantially from other black-and-white colobus in forming a multi-level society. No previous research has been conducted on the communication of C. a. ruwenzorii, but the social complexity hypothesis for communication suggests that more complex societies should evolve more complex communication repertoires. Our objective was to catalogue the vocal repertoire of C. a. ruwenzorii at Nabugabo, Uganda, and to compare it with the data available on congeners regarding intergroup tolerance, vocal repertoire size, and acoustic and behavioural features of vocal communication. Vocalizations were subject to spectrographic and behavioural analysis, and a descriptive analysis of each vocalization type was made. The influence of a few environmental and social factors on calling rates was also examined. We describe five vocalizations (i.e., the snort, roar, squeak, scream and pok) and one non-vocal signal (i.e., the tongue click) in this subspecies and their contexts. Distinct alarm calls are made for dogs, and these are given more often near the edge of the forest where humans frequent. We did not find that C. a. ruwenzorii showed a greater vocal repertoire than C. guereza or C. polykomos, which do not live in multi-level societies. Further, preliminary data do not indicate greater calling rates in larger core units of C. a. ruwenzorii compared to smaller units. These findings support the view that these primates’ vocalizations tend to be relatively conserved despite large differences in social organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Poirier-Poulin
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Julie A. Teichroeb
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
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Baker RR, Shackelford TK. Paternity data and relative testes size as measures of level of sperm competition in the Cercopithecoidea. Am J Primatol 2018; 80:e22937. [PMID: 30499120 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Revised: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Historically, the empirical study of the role of sperm competition in the evolution of sexual traits has been problematic through an enforced reliance on indirect proxy measures. Recently, however, a procedure was developed that uses paternity data to measure sperm competition level directly in terms of males/conception (i.e., the number of males that have sperm present in a female's ampulla at conception). When tested on apes and humans (Hominoidea) this measure proved not only to correlate significantly with the traditionally used measure of relative testes size but also to offer a number of advantages. Here we provide a second test of the procedure, this time using paternity data for the Old World monkeys (Cercopithecoidea). We calculate sperm competition levels (males/conception) for 17 species of wild and free-ranging cercopithecoids and then analyze the data against measures of relative testes size. Calculated sperm competition levels correlate strongly with relative testes size both with and without phylogenetic control at both the species and generic levels. The signal-to-noise ratios inherent in both the past measure of relative testes size and the new measure of sperm competition level from paternity data are discussed. We conclude that although both measures are appropriate for the future study of the role of sperm competition in the evolution of sexual traits, when paternity data are available they provide the more direct and meaningful analytical tool. Not least, they potentially allow a first empirical analysis of the role of sperm competition in the evolution of relative testes size that could then be compared with the wealth of theoretical analyses that already exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Robin Baker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Cascading competition: the seasonal strength of scramble influences between-group contest in a folivorous primate. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2418-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Teichroeb JA, Jack KM. Alpha male replacements in nonhuman primates: Variability in processes, outcomes, and terminology. Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [PMID: 28543783 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 04/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Alpha male replacements occur in all primates displaying a dominance hierarchy but the process can be extremely variable. Here, we review the primate literature to document differences in patterns of alpha male replacements, showing that group composition and dispersal patterns account for a large proportion of this variability. We also examine the consequences of alpha male replacements in terms of sexual selection theory, infanticide, and group compositions. Though alpha male replacements are often called takeovers in the literature, this term masks much of the variation that is present in these processes. We argue for more concise terminology and provide a list of terms that we suggest more accurately define these events. Finally, we introduce the papers in this special issue on alpha male replacements in the American Journal of Primatology and discuss areas where data are still lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A Teichroeb
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Katharine M Jack
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
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Breuer T, Robbins AM, Robbins MM. Sexual coercion and courtship by male western gorillas. Primates 2016; 57:29-38. [PMID: 26483073 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-015-0496-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sexual coercion and courtship are possible explanations for why male primates may direct agonistic behavior towards females. If so, then in species where females exhibit mate choice by transferring between males: (a) females who are not lactating (potential migrants) should receive more agonistic behavior than other females, (b) males should exhibit more agonistic behavior towards females during intergroup encounters than when no rival males are nearby, and (c) males should show more herding behavior when their group contains potential migrant females. We tested those hypotheses in a population of approximately 150 western gorillas at Mbeli Bai, northern Congo. We also tested whether difference in male phenotypic traits influenced their rates of agonistic behavior towards females. Of the 332 observed cases of male agonistic behavior towards females, 29% represented feeding competition, 7 % involved interventions in conflicts between females, and the remaining 64 % were considered potential evidence of sexual coercion and/or courtship. After excluding the cases of feeding competition and intervention, a multivariate analysis indicated that potential migrant females received agonistic behavior at a statistically significantly higher rate than other adult females. Females also received agonistic behavior at a significantly higher rate during intergroup encounters than at other times. Herding occurred during 22% of the 292 dyadic interunit encounters, and was significantly more likely to occur when the group contained a potential migrant female, but was not influenced by the number of adult females or the type of group encountered. Males with shorter body lengths had significantly higher rates of aggression, but phenotypic traits were not significantly correlated with herding. Collectively, our results are consistent with sexual coercion and/or courtship as an explanation for male-to-female agonistic behavior, but we are unable to distinguish between those two male mating strategies. Both types of behavior are likely due to a combination of perceived risks of female transfer and opportunity to advertise protector ability.
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Erb WM, Ziegler T, Lestari NS, Hammerschmidt K. Are simakobu (Simias concolor) loud calls energetically costly signals? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 161:44-52. [PMID: 27154468 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2015] [Revised: 01/09/2016] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Male vocal displays play an important role in sexual selection in many species. If there are costs or constraints, calls may convey honest information about the caller. We studied the loud calls of male simakobu (Simias concolor), a sexually dimorphic primate that resides in one-male groups, on Siberut Island, Indonesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS We combined behavioral and ecological data with acoustic analysis to determine the influence of energy costs and status on calling effort. Based on all-day follows (n = 107) and loud-call recordings (n = 186), we determined how calling rates and durations varied in relation to short-term (time of day, temperature, travel distance) and long-term (fruit availability, physical condition) measures of energy availability and expenditure. RESULTS We found that males avoided calling at the hottest times of the day, and produced shorter calls at higher temperatures, supporting the hypothesis that calls are influenced by thermoregulation costs. A peak of longer duration calls just before sunrise, however, could not be explained by energy constraints, but we hypothesize that this pattern is related to the fact that dawn calls occur in choruses, motivating males to call longer than their neighbors. Contrary to predictions, calling rates increased with decreasing fruit availability and did not appear to be energetically costly. DISCUSSION We hypothesize that calling rates instead reflect strategies involving feeding and/or mate competition, signaling the motivation, rather than fighting ability, of the caller. Overall, results only weakly support the hypothesis that the timing and duration-but not rate-of simakobu loud calls are influenced by energy costs. Am J Phys Anthropol 161:44-52, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy M Erb
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794.,Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901
| | - Thomas Ziegler
- Leipniz Institute for Primate Research, German Primate Center, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Nurul S Lestari
- Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Forestry Research and Development Agency, Samarinda, 75119, Indonesia
| | - Kurt Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory German Primate Center, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
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Sicotte P, Teichroeb JA, Vayro JV, Fox SA, Bădescu I, Wikberg EC. The influence of male takeovers on female dispersal in Colobus vellerosus. Am J Primatol 2015; 79. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2014] [Revised: 05/21/2015] [Accepted: 05/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pascale Sicotte
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology; University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
| | - Julie A. Teichroeb
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology; Duke University; Durham North Carolina
- Department of Anthropology; University of Toronto Scarborough; Toronto ON Canada
| | - Josie V. Vayro
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology; University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
| | - Stephanie A. Fox
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology; University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
| | - Iulia Bădescu
- Department of Anthropology; University of Toronto; Toronto ON Canada
| | - Eva C. Wikberg
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology; University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
- Department of Integrated Biosciences; University of Tokyo; Kashiwa Chiba Japan
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Teichroeb JA, Wikberg EC, Ting N, Sicotte P. Factors influencing male affiliation and coalitions in a species with male dispersal and intense male–male competition, Colobus vellerosus. BEHAVIOUR 2014. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Male Colobus vellerosus compete intensely for access to females, which sometimes leads to mortal wounding. Yet, males often form cooperative relationships to overtake prime-aged males and immigrate into bisexual groups. We investigated the factors that predicted the presence of coalitions and affiliative relationships among males in this species. Interactions among males in 292 dyads from six groups were examined from 2004 to 2010 at Boabeng-Fiema, Ghana. Affiliation rates among males were higher and aggression rates lower when one or both males in the dyad were subadult, compared to adult male dyads. Affiliation rates tended to be higher among males that were kin but no other aspect of male relationships predicted affiliation. Coalitions among males were rarely observed and primarily occurred in the context of joint defense against extra-group males (93.5% of events). Adult males were more likely to provide coalitionary support than subadults and coalitions occurred significantly more often when both males were high ranking, since these males probably benefited most in terms of reproductive success from excluding extra-group males. Rank-changing and leveling coalitions among low-ranking males appear to be quite rare or absent in C. vellerosus. The costs of these types of coalitions may be too high or male group size too small on average for these types of coalitions to have been selected for. The overall low rates of affiliation and coalitions among male C. vellerosus are likely influenced by male-biased dispersal and the high level of male–male competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie A. Teichroeb
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Department of Anthropology, McGill University, 855 Sherbrooke Street W., Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 2T7
| | - Eva C. Wikberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. N.W., Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, University of Tokyo, Seimeitou 502, 5-5-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
| | - Nelson Ting
- Department of Anthropology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, 308 Condon Hall, 1218 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Pascale Sicotte
- Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. N.W., Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 1N4
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Erb WM, Hodges JK, Hammerschmidt K. Individual, contextual, and age-related acoustic variation in Simakobu (Simias concolor) loud calls. PLoS One 2013; 8:e83131. [PMID: 24376651 PMCID: PMC3871870 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2013] [Accepted: 10/31/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Primate loud calls have the potential to encode information about the identity, arousal, age, or physical condition of the caller, even at long distances. In this study, we conducted an analysis of the acoustic features of the loud calls produced by a species of Asian colobine monkey (simakobu, Simias concolor). Adult male simakobu produce loud calls spontaneously and in response to loud sounds and other loud calls, which are audible more than 500 m. Individual differences in calling rates and durations exist, but it is unknown what these differences signal and which other acoustic features vary among individuals. We aimed to describe the structure and usage of calls and to examine acoustic features that vary within and among individuals. We determined the context of 318 loud calls and analyzed 170 loud calls recorded from 10 adult males at an undisturbed site, Pungut, Siberut Island, Indonesia. Most calls (53%) followed the loud call of another male, 31% were spontaneous, and the remaining 16% followed a loud environmental disturbance. The fundamental frequency (F0) decreased while inter-unit intervals (IUI) increased over the course of loud call bouts, possibly indicating caller fatigue. Discriminant function analysis indicated that calls were not well discriminated by context, but spontaneous calls had higher peak frequencies, suggesting a higher level of arousal. Individual calls were distinct and individuals were mainly discriminated by IUI, call duration, and F0. Loud calls of older males had shorter IUI and lower F0, while middle-aged males had the highest peak frequencies. Overall, we found that calls were individually distinct and may provide information about the age, stamina, and arousal of the calling male, and could thus be a way for males and females to assess competitors and mates from long distances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy M. Erb
- Department of Anthropology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - J. Keith Hodges
- Reproductive Biology Unit, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kurt Hammerschmidt
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
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Teichroeb JA, Wikberg EC, Bădescu I, Macdonald LJ, Sicotte P. Infanticide risk and male quality influence optimal group composition for Colobus vellerosus. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Sexual size dimorphism predicts rates of sequence evolution of SPerm Adhesion Molecule 1 (SPAM1, also PH-20) in monkeys, but not in hominoids (apes including humans). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2012; 63:52-63. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2010] [Revised: 12/01/2011] [Accepted: 12/06/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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