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Rasoloharijaona S, Randrianambinina B, Radespiel U. Evidence for female dominance in the Milne-Edwards' sportive lemur (Lepilemur edwardsi). Am J Primatol 2024:e23658. [PMID: 38924599 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 06/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Female dominance over males is more frequent in Malagasy lemurs than in other primate clades, but patterns of female-male dominance vary among species, and few data are available for one particularly species-rich genus, Lepilemur. We investigated the types, temporal distribution, and outcome of female-male agonistic conflicts in the Milne-Edwards' sportive lemur (Lepilemur edwardsi). Ten L. edwardsi belonging to five social units were equipped with radio collars and observed during 79 focal follows between May and November 1998. We quantified agonistic conflicts, monthly conflict rates, and documented the winner and context for all conflicts. Female-male agonistic conflicts (N = 162) occurred at a mean rate of 0.21 conflicts/hour within groups. Agonistic conflicts peaked during the birth season and occurred mostly in unknown or infant proximity contexts. Females won 96% of all decided agonistic conflicts (N = 154). Other outcomes occurred only when females were with infants during the birth season. In that context, one female sometimes withdrew from her pair partner, and another female withdrew or fled from an extra-group male whose attacks eventually led to infanticide. Our results suggest female dominance in pair-living L. edwardsi. We hypothesize that elevated female aggression may convey fitness benefits to female Lepilemur because it generally allows females to intervene quickly and efficiently on behalf of their infants against nonfather males who may approach the newborn infants when they are parked in vegetation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solofonirina Rasoloharijaona
- Faculté des Sciences de Technologies et de l'Environnement, University of Mahajanga, Mahajanga, Madagascar
- Ecole Doctorale sur les Ecosystèmes Naturels, University of Mahajanga, Mahajanga, Madagascar
| | - Blanchard Randrianambinina
- Faculté des Sciences de Technologies et de l'Environnement, University of Mahajanga, Mahajanga, Madagascar
- Ecole Doctorale sur les Ecosystèmes Naturels, University of Mahajanga, Mahajanga, Madagascar
| | - Ute Radespiel
- Institute of Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover Foundation, Hannover, Germany
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2
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Liu S, Tian H, Ren S, Sun W, Fan P, Xia D, Sun B, Li J, Wang X. Social risk to infant: The role of kin for maternal visual monitoring in Tibetan macaques. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11626. [PMID: 38919651 PMCID: PMC11196900 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Maternal monitoring of conspecifics is a crucial anti-predator strategy that also protects infants against risks within the social group. This study examines how maternal characteristics, infant characteristics, mother-infant distance, and the social environment affect maternal monitoring behaviors in free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana). We observed 12 females with infants and analyzed their visual monitoring patterns. Our findings indicate that maternal rank significantly influences the time allocated to maternal visual monitoring, higher-ranking mothers spending less time than lower-ranking mothers. Maternal experience also played a role in monitoring strategies. Differences in monitoring strategies were observed based on maternal experience: first-time mothers (primiparity) engaged in longer but less frequent monitoring sessions compared to experienced mothers (multiparity). The time and frequency of maternal monitoring decreased as infants aged, and mothers with male infants showed higher levels of monitoring than those with female infants. The distance between mother and infant also affected visual monitoring behavior, with mothers increasing their monitoring levels when infants were nearby (1-5 m), rather than within reach (0-1 m) or beyond nearby (>5 m). Additionally, the presence of kin and non-kin influenced monitoring: as the number of nearby kin increased, monitoring levels decreased, while the presence of more non-kin males led to an increase in monitoring time, and higher-ranking non-kin neighbors increased the frequency of monitoring. These results suggest that Tibetan macaque mothers can adapt their visual monitoring to the social risks faced by their infants, adjusting their strategies to their status and the needs of their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shen‐Qi Liu
- School of Resources and Environmental EngineeringAnhui UniversityHefeiChina
- International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral EcologyHefeiChina
| | - Hong‐Wei Tian
- International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral EcologyHefeiChina
- School of Life SciencesAnhui UniversityHefeiChina
| | - Sen Ren
- School of Resources and Environmental EngineeringAnhui UniversityHefeiChina
- International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral EcologyHefeiChina
| | - Wen‐Kai Sun
- School of Resources and Environmental EngineeringAnhui UniversityHefeiChina
- International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral EcologyHefeiChina
| | - Peng‐Lai Fan
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection (Guangxi Normal University)Ministry of EducationGuilinChina
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, College of Life SciencesGuangxi Normal UniversityGuilinChina
| | - Dong‐Po Xia
- International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral EcologyHefeiChina
- School of Life SciencesAnhui UniversityHefeiChina
| | - Bing‐Hua Sun
- School of Resources and Environmental EngineeringAnhui UniversityHefeiChina
- International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral EcologyHefeiChina
| | - Jin‐Hua Li
- School of Resources and Environmental EngineeringAnhui UniversityHefeiChina
- International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral EcologyHefeiChina
- School of Life SciencesHefei Normal UniversityHefeiChina
| | - Xi Wang
- School of Resources and Environmental EngineeringAnhui UniversityHefeiChina
- International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral EcologyHefeiChina
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3
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Beissinger SR, Berg KS. Eviction-driven infanticide and sexually selected adoption and infanticide in a neotropical parrot. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2317305121. [PMID: 38709919 PMCID: PMC11098109 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2317305121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Infanticide and adoption have been attributed to sexual selection, where an individual later reproduces with the parent whose offspring it killed or adopted. While sexually selected infanticide is well known, evidence for sexually selected adoption is anecdotal. We report on both behaviors at 346 nests over 27 y in green-rumped parrotlets (Forpus passerinus) in Venezuela. Parrotlets are monogamous with long-term pair bonds, exhibit a strongly male-biased adult sex ratio, and nest in cavities that are in short supply, creating intense competition for nest sites and mates. Infanticide attacks occurred at 256 nests in two distinct contexts: 1) Attacks were primarily committed by nonbreeding pairs (69%) attempting to evict parents from the cavity. Infanticide attacks per nest were positively correlated with population size and evicting pairs never adopted abandoned offspring. Competition for limited nest sites was a primary cause of eviction-driven infanticide, and 2) attacks occurred less frequently at nests where one mate died (31%), was perpetrated primarily by stepparents of both sexes, and was independent of population size. Thus, within a single species and mating system, infanticide occurred in multiple contexts due to multiple drivers. Nevertheless, 48% of stepparents of both sexes adopted offspring, and another 23% of stepfathers exhibited both infanticide and long-term care. Stepfathers were often young males who subsequently nested with widows, reaching earlier ages of first breeding than competitors and demonstrating sexually selected adoption. Adoption and infanticide conferred similar fitness benefits to stepfathers and appeared to be equivalent strategies driven by limited breeding opportunities, male-biased sex ratios, and long-term monogamy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven R. Beissinger
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA94720
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA94720
| | - Karl S. Berg
- School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX78520
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4
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Inada K. Neurobiological mechanisms underlying oxytocin-mediated parental behavior in rodents. Neurosci Res 2024:S0168-0102(24)00052-X. [PMID: 38642676 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2024.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
Parental behavior is essential for mammalian offspring to survive. Because of this significance, elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms that facilitate parental behavior has received strong interest. Decades of studies utilizing pharmacology and molecular biology have revealed that in addition to its facilitatory effects on parturition and lactation, oxytocin (OT) promotes the expression of parental behavior in rodents. Recent studies have also described the modulation of sensory processing by OT and the interaction of the OT system with other brain regions associated with parental behavior. However, the precise neurobiological mechanisms underlying the facilitation of caregiving behaviors by OT remain unclear. In this Review, I summarize the findings from rats and mice with a view toward integrating past and recent progress. I then review recent advances in the understanding of the molecular, cellular, and circuit mechanisms of OT-mediated parental behavior. Based on these observations, I propose a hypothetical model that would explain the mechanisms underlying OT-mediated parental behavior. Finally, I conclude by discussing some major remaining questions and propose potential future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kengo Inada
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 2-2-3 Minatojima minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
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5
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Li W, Dong S, Niu F, Li N, Su Z, Wang C, Huang K, Zhao H, Pan R, Zhang P, Li B. Infanticide in golden snub-nosed monkeys with multilevel society. Curr Zool 2024; 70:273-275. [PMID: 38726253 PMCID: PMC11078054 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoad007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Shixuan Dong
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Fei Niu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Nianlong Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Ziyi Su
- Division of Expressive Therapies, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Chengliang Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an 710032, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Haitao Zhao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an 710032, China
| | - Ruliang Pan
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
- School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia, Western Australia 6907, Australia
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali 671003, China
| | - Pei Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an 710032, China
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali 671003, China
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6
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Miyamichi K. Neural basis for behavioral plasticity during the parental life-stage transition in mice. Front Neural Circuits 2024; 17:1340497. [PMID: 38298741 PMCID: PMC10829089 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2023.1340497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Parental care plays a crucial role in the physical and mental well-being of mammalian offspring. Although sexually naïve male mice, as well as certain strains of female mice, display aggression toward pups, they exhibit heightened parental caregiving behaviors as they approach the time of anticipating their offspring. In this Mini Review, I provide a concise overview of the current understanding of distinct limbic neural types and their circuits governing both aggressive and caregiving behaviors toward infant mice. Subsequently, I delve into recent advancements in the understanding of the molecular, cellular, and neural circuit mechanisms that regulate behavioral plasticity during the transition to parenthood, with a specific focus on the sex steroid hormone estrogen and neural hormone oxytocin. Additionally, I explore potential sex-related differences and highlight some critical unanswered questions that warrant further investigation.
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7
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Albery GF, Bansal S, Silk MJ. Comparative approaches in social network ecology. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14345. [PMID: 38069575 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Social systems vary enormously across the animal kingdom, with important implications for ecological and evolutionary processes such as infectious disease dynamics, anti-predator defence, and the evolution of cooperation. Comparing social network structures between species offers a promising route to help disentangle the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape this diversity. Comparative analyses of networks like these are challenging and have been used relatively little in ecology, but are becoming increasingly feasible as the number of empirical datasets expands. Here, we provide an overview of multispecies comparative social network studies in ecology and evolution. We identify a range of advancements that these studies have made and key challenges that they face, and we use these to guide methodological and empirical suggestions for future research. Overall, we hope to motivate wider publication and analysis of open social network datasets in animal ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory F Albery
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
| | - Shweta Bansal
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Matthew J Silk
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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8
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Dunbar RIM, Shultz S. Four errors and a fallacy: pitfalls for the unwary in comparative brain analyses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1278-1309. [PMID: 37001905 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Comparative analyses are the backbone of evolutionary analysis. However, their record in producing a consensus has not always been good. This is especially true of attempts to understand the factors responsible for the evolution of large brains, which have been embroiled in an increasingly polarised debate over the past three decades. We argue that most of these disputes arise from a number of conceptual errors and associated logical fallacies that are the result of a failure to adopt a biological systems-based approach to hypothesis-testing. We identify four principal classes of error: a failure to heed Tinbergen's Four Questions when testing biological hypotheses, misapplying Dobzhansky's Dictum when testing hypotheses of evolutionary adaptation, poorly chosen behavioural proxies for underlying hypotheses, and the use of inappropriate statistical methods. In the interests of progress, we urge a more careful and considered approach to comparative analyses, and the adoption of a broader, rather than a narrower, taxonomic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin I M Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Anna Watts Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Susanne Shultz
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michael Smith Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
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9
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Corona A, Choe J, Muñoz-Castañeda R, Osten P, Shea SD. A circuit from the locus coeruleus to the anterior cingulate cortex modulates offspring interactions in mice. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112771. [PMID: 37421626 PMCID: PMC10529180 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Social sensitivity to other individuals in distress is crucial for survival. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a structure involved in making behavioral choices and is influenced by observed pain or distress. Nevertheless, our understanding of the neural circuitry underlying this sensitivity is incomplete. Here, we reveal unexpected sex-dependent activation of ACC when parental mice respond to distressed pups by returning them to the nest ("pup retrieval"). We observe sex differences in the interactions between excitatory and inhibitory ACC neurons during parental care, and inactivation of ACC excitatory neurons increased pup neglect. Locus coeruleus (LC) releases noradrenaline in ACC during pup retrieval, and inactivation of the LC-ACC pathway disrupts parental care. We conclude that ACC maintains sex-dependent sensitivity to pup distress under LC modulation. We propose that ACC's involvement in parenting presents an opportunity to identify neural circuits that support sensitivity to the emotional distress of others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Corona
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA; Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Jane Choe
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | | | - Pavel Osten
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Stephen D Shea
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
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10
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Sarkar A, Wrangham RW. Evolutionary and neuroendocrine foundations of human aggression. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:468-493. [PMID: 37003880 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Humans present a behavioural paradox: they are peaceful in many circumstances, but they are also violent and kill conspecifics at high rates. We describe a social evolutionary theory to resolve this paradox. The theory interprets human aggression as a combination of low propensities for reactive aggression and coercive behaviour and high propensities for some forms of proactive aggression (especially coalitionary proactive aggression). These tendencies are associated with the evolution of groupishness, self-domestication, and social norms. This human aggression profile is expected to demand substantial plasticity in the evolved biological mechanisms responsible for aggression. We discuss the contributions of various social signalling molecules (testosterone, cortisol, oxytocin, vasopressin, serotonin, and dopamine) as the neuroendocrine foundation conferring such plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar Sarkar
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Richard W Wrangham
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Townsend C, Ferraro JV, Habecker H, Flinn MV. Human cooperation and evolutionary transitions in individuality. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210414. [PMID: 36688393 PMCID: PMC9869453 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
A major evolutionary transition in individuality involves the formation of a cooperative group and the transformation of that group into an evolutionary entity. Human cooperation shares principles with those of multicellular organisms that have undergone transitions in individuality: division of labour, communication, and fitness interdependence. After the split from the last common ancestor of hominoids, early hominins adapted to an increasingly terrestrial niche for several million years. We posit that new challenges in this niche set in motion a positive feedback loop in selection pressure for cooperation that ratcheted coevolutionary changes in sociality, communication, brains, cognition, kin relations and technology, eventually resulting in egalitarian societies with suppressed competition and rapid cumulative culture. The increasing pace of information innovation and transmission became a key aspect of the evolutionary niche that enabled humans to become formidable cooperators with explosive population growth, the ability to cooperate and compete in groups of millions, and emergent social norms, e.g. private property. Despite considerable fitness interdependence, the rise of private property, in concert with population explosion and socioeconomic inequality, subverts potential transition of human groups into evolutionary entities due to resurgence of latent competition and conflict. This article is part of the theme issue 'Human socio-cultural evolution in light of evolutionary transitions'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathryn Townsend
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
| | - Joseph V. Ferraro
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
| | - Heather Habecker
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
| | - Mark V. Flinn
- Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7334, USA
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The role of ciliopathy-associated type 3 adenylyl cyclase in infanticidal behavior in virgin adult male mice. iScience 2022; 25:104534. [PMID: 35754726 PMCID: PMC9218507 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104534] [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: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Virgin adult male mice often display killing of alien newborns, defined as infanticide, and this behavior is dependent on olfactory signaling. Olfactory perception is achieved by the main olfactory system (MOS) or vomeronasal system (VNS). Although it has been established that the VNS is crucial for infanticide in male mice, the role of the MOS in infanticide remains unknown. Herein, by producing lesions via ZnSO4 perfusion and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid stereotactic injection, we demonstrated that the main olfactory epithelium (MOE), anterior olfactory nucleus (AON), or ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is crucial for infanticide in adult males. By using CRISPR-Cas9 coupled with adeno-associated viruses to induce specific knockdown of type 3 adenylyl cyclase (AC3) in these tissues, we further demonstrated that AC3, a ciliopathy-associated protein, in the MOE and the expression of related proteins in the AON or VMH are necessary for infanticidal behavior in virgin adult male mice. MOE lesions and knockdown of AC3 in the MOE result in abnormal infanticidal behavior The infanticidal behavior of male mice is impaired by lesioning of the AON or VMH AC3 knockdown in the AON or VMH affects the infanticidal behavior of male mice
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13
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Daly M, Perry G. Sexual Selection and the Treatment of Predecessors' Progeny by Replacement Mates. Front Psychol 2022; 13:924238. [PMID: 35769745 PMCID: PMC9234565 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.924238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Darwin's theory of sexual selection provides a useful framework for understanding the behavior of stepparents. A non-human animal whose new mate has dependent young may kill, ignore, or adopt the predecessor's progeny. The third option has been interpreted as courtship ("mating effort"), and whether selection favors such investment over killing or ignoring the young apparently depends on aspects of the species-typical ecology and demography. The tripartite categorization of responses is a simplification, however, There is variability both within and between species along a continuum from rejection to "full adoption." The average stepparent invests less than the average birth parent, but more than nothing. Human stepparents have often been found to kill young children at higher rates than birth parents, but stepparental infanticide cannot plausibly be interpreted as a human adaptation, both because it is extremely rare and because it is almost certainly more likely to reduce the killer's fitness than to raise it. How sexual selection theory remains relevant to human stepparenting is by suggesting testable hypotheses about predictors of the variability in stepparental investment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Daly
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behavior, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Gretchen Perry
- Department of Sociology, Anthropology & Human Services, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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14
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Fuh T, Todd A, Feistner A, Donati G, Masi S. Group differences in feeding and diet composition of wild western gorillas. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9569. [PMID: 35688872 PMCID: PMC9187766 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13728-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The ecological-constraints model posits that living in larger groups is associated to higher travel costs and reduced nutritional intake due to within-group feeding competition setting upper group size limits. While this is critical for frugivorous mammals, the model is less ubiquitous for folivores who feed on more abundant and evenly distributed food. The seasonally frugivorous diet of western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla) provides the opportunity to study the ecological-constraints model in the largest primate species. We investigated how two groups of western gorillas of differing sizes (N = 9, N = 15) in Central African Republic, responded to seasonal variation in fruit availability in terms of activity and diet. We used continuous focal animal sampling during periods of high (July–August 2011) and low (October 2011–January 2012) fruit availability, measured by monthly phenological scores. While diet diversity, resting and moving time did not differ between groups, overall the smaller group spent more time feeding than the larger group although this became less evident when fruit was more available. The smaller group was more frugivorous than the larger group. However, the larger group increased more steeply fruit consumption when fruit was more available, and incorporated more insects, young leaves and bark when fruit was less available, when compared to the smaller group. Up to a certain limit, the flexibility of large, seasonal frugivores to survive on a more folivorous diet may buffer the upper limit group size, suggesting deviation from the ecological-constraints model as in some folivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terence Fuh
- Departement of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK. .,Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas, Bangui, Central African Republic. .,WWF Central African Republic Country Programme Office, B.P. 1053, Bangui, Central African Republic.
| | - Angelique Todd
- Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas, Bangui, Central African Republic.,Fauna & Flora International, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anna Feistner
- Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas, Bangui, Central African Republic.,Gabon Biodiversity Program, Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Gamba, Gabon
| | - Giuseppe Donati
- Departement of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Shelly Masi
- Unité Eco-Anthropologie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France
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East ML, Thierer D, Benhaiem S, Metzger S, Hofer H. Infanticide by Adult Females Causes Sexual Conflict in a Female-Dominated Social Mammal. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.860854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Infanticide by adult females includes any substantial contribution to the demise of young and inevitably imposes fitness costs on the victim’s genetic fathers, thereby generating sexual conflict with them. Few if any studies have quantified the impact of infanticide by females on male reproductive success, the magnitude of sexual conflict this causes and possible counterstrategies males use against infanticidal females. We examine these topics in spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) clans, where females socially dominate breeding males and strong female mate-choice is independent of male social status. We consider two causes of infanticide by females, violent attacks on cubs and fatal maternal neglect. Violent attacks are predicted during periods of social instability at the top of the female linear dominance hierarchy and victims are expected to predominantly have mothers above median rank. Fatal maternal neglect, when starving litters are abandoned, is associated with monopolization of food in clan territories by high-ranking females, and victims are predicted to have mothers below median rank. Female perpetrators of violent attacks are expected to reduce the reproductive success of the fathers of their victims more than perpetrators of fatal maternal neglect. We tested these predictions using 30 + years of data (54 recorded violent attacks, 43 cases of fatal maternal neglect, DNA profiling of 1,671 individuals). Using long-term observations at communal dens we investigated whether males use counterstrategies against infanticide reported in other mammals. Due to female social dominance over breeding males, strong female mate-choice and prolonged offspring dependence on lactation in spotted hyenas, we predicted that these counterstrategies were unlikely to be used by males against females, thus no incidences of them were likely to be observed. Our results revealed that breeding males lost cubs to violent attacks at all stages of their reproductive tenure and to perpetrators with whom they did not sire offspring. Amongst known sources of paternity loss, violent attacks comprised 12.2% and maternal neglect 9.8% of cases. Violent attacks significantly reduced offspring production rates of breeding males, suggesting that infanticide by females generates sexual conflict. As predicted, no evidence of males using counterstrategies against infanticide by females were observed.
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Dunbar RIM. Female Dispersion Is Necessary, but Not Sufficient, for Pairbonded Monogamy in Mammals. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.905298] [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
Explanations for the evolution of social monogamy in mammals typically emphasise one of two possibilities: females are overdispersed (such that males cannot defend access to more than one female at a time) or males provide a service to the female. However, the first claim has never been formally tested. I test it directly at three levels using population-level data from primates and ungulates. First, I show that the females of monogamous genera do not have territories that are significantly larger, either absolutely or relatively, than those of polygynous genera. Second, using two indices of territorial defendability, I show that, given their typical day journey lengths, males of most monogamous species could easily defend an area large enough to allow them to monopolise as many as 5–10 females if they ranged solitarily. Finally, I use a model of male mate searching strategies to show that the opportunity cost incurred by pairbonded males is typically 5–10 times the reproductive success they actually obtain by being obligately monogamous. This suggests that the selection pressure dissuading them from pursuing a roving male strategy must be very considerable. At present, the evidence is undecided as to whether mitigating predation or infanticide risk is the primary function, but estimates of their impacts suggest that both are in fact plausible.
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17
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Riesch R, Araújo MS, Bumgarner S, Filla C, Pennafort L, Goins TR, Lucion D, Makowicz AM, Martin RA, Pirroni S, Langerhans RB. Resource competition explains rare cannibalism in the wild in livebearing fishes. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8872. [PMID: 35600676 PMCID: PMC9109233 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rüdiger Riesch
- Department of Biological Sciences Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour Royal Holloway University of London Egham UK
| | - Márcio S. Araújo
- Instituto de Biociências Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Rio Claro Brazil
| | - Stuart Bumgarner
- Department of Biological Sciences North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
| | - Caitlynn Filla
- Department of Biological Sciences North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
- Department of Anthropology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Laura Pennafort
- Department of Biological Sciences Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour Royal Holloway University of London Egham UK
| | - Taylor R. Goins
- Department of Biological Sciences North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
| | - Darlene Lucion
- Department of Biological Sciences Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour Royal Holloway University of London Egham UK
| | - Amber M. Makowicz
- Department of Biological Sciences Florida State University Tallahassee Florida USA
| | - Ryan A. Martin
- Department of Biology Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio USA
| | - Sara Pirroni
- Department of Biological Sciences Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour Royal Holloway University of London Egham UK
| | - R. Brian Langerhans
- Department of Biological Sciences North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
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18
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Davidian E, Surbeck M, Lukas D, Kappeler PM, Huchard E. The eco-evolutionary landscape of power relationships between males and females. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:706-718. [PMID: 35597702 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In animal societies, control over resources and reproduction is often biased towards one sex. Yet, the ecological and evolutionary underpinnings of male-female power asymmetries remain poorly understood. We outline a comprehensive framework to quantify and predict the dynamics of male-female power relationships within and across mammalian species. We show that male-female power relationships are more nuanced and flexible than previously acknowledged. We then propose that enhanced reproductive control over when and with whom to mate predicts social empowerment across ecological and evolutionary contexts. The framework explains distinct pathways to sex-biased power: coercion and male-biased dimorphism constitute a co-evolutionary highway to male power, whereas female power emerges through multiple physiological, morphological, behavioural, and socioecological pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Davidian
- Ngorongoro Hyena Project, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Arusha, Tanzania.
| | - Martin Surbeck
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Dieter Lukas
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter M Kappeler
- German Primate Center, Behavioral Ecology Unit, Leibniz Institute of Primate Biology, Göttingen, Germany; Department of Sociobiology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Elise Huchard
- Anthropologie Évolutive, Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Montpellier, France.
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19
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Bartoš L, Putman R, Pluháček J, Dušek A, Bartošová J. Bruce effect, pregnancy block and disruption or feticide: proposal of a new term ‘effect of nonsire male's presence’. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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20
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Frankenhuis WE, Amir D. What is the expected human childhood? Insights from evolutionary anthropology. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:473-497. [PMID: 34924077 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In psychological research, there are often assumptions about the conditions that children expect to encounter during their development. These assumptions shape prevailing ideas about the experiences that children are capable of adjusting to, and whether their responses are viewed as impairments or adaptations. Specifically, the expected childhood is often depicted as nurturing and safe, and characterized by high levels of caregiver investment. Here, we synthesize evidence from history, anthropology, and primatology to challenge this view. We integrate the findings of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and cross-cultural investigations on three forms of threat (infanticide, violent conflict, and predation) and three forms of deprivation (social, cognitive, and nutritional) that children have faced throughout human evolution. Our results show that mean levels of threat and deprivation were higher than is typical in industrialized societies, and that our species has experienced much variation in the levels of these adversities across space and time. These conditions likely favored a high degree of phenotypic plasticity, or the ability to tailor development to different conditions. This body of evidence has implications for recognizing developmental adaptations to adversity, for cultural variation in responses to adverse experiences, and for definitions of adversity and deprivation as deviation from the expected human childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem E Frankenhuis
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Germany
| | - Dorsa Amir
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
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21
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Kappeler PM, Fichtel C, Radespiel U. The Island of Female Power? Intersexual Dominance Relationships in the Lemurs of Madagascar. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.858859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The extant primates of Madagascar (Lemuriformes) represent the endpoints of an adaptive radiation following a single colonization event more than 50 million years ago. They have since evolved a diversity of life history traits, ecological adaptations and social systems that rivals that of all other living primates combined. Their social systems are characterized by a unique combination of traits, including the ability of adult females to dominate adult males. In fact, there is no other group of mammals in which female dominance is so widespread. Yet, recent research has indicated that there is more interspecific variation in lemur intersexual relationships than previously acknowledged. Here, we therefore review and summarize the relevant literature, quantifying the extent of sex-bias in intersexual dominance relations documented in observational and experimental studies in captivity and the wild. Female dominance is often, but not always, implemented by spontaneous male submission in the absence of female aggression and linked to female sexual maturation. We connect the available evidence to the hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the evolution of female dominance among lemurs. The occurrence of female dominance in all lemur families and the interspecific variation in its extent indicate that it has evolved soon after lemurs colonized Madagascar – presumably in response to particular ecological challenges – and that it has since been reduced in magnitude independently in some taxa. Our study contributes important comparative information on sex roles from an independent primate radiation and provides general insights into the conditions, opportunities and obstacles in the evolution of female-biased power.
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22
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Frogge H, Jones RA, Angedakin S, Busobozi R, Kabagambe P, Angwela FO, Thompson González N, Brown M. Constraints on population growth of blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. BEHAVIOUR 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Changes in population size are driven by environmental and social factors. In spite of repeated efforts to identify the constraints on an unusually low-density population of blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis), it remains unclear why this generalist species fails to thrive in Kibale National Park in Uganda. While an unidentified disease may occasionally obstruct conception, it does not seem to limit overall reproductive rates. Infanticide at this site is infrequent due to the long tenures of resident males. Our analyses indicate that the single biggest constraint on blue monkey densities may be feeding competition with grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena): across Kibale, the densities of these two species are strongly and negatively correlated. Though further analysis is needed to understand the timing and strength of feeding competition between them, we conclude that blue monkeys at Ngogo experience competitive exclusion from grey-cheeked mangabeys, possibly resolving the 50-year mystery surrounding this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Frogge
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Revee A. Jones
- Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samuel Angedakin
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Prime Kabagambe
- Makerere University Biological Field Stations, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Felix O. Angwela
- Makerere University Biological Field Stations, Kampala, Uganda
- School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Mountains of the Moon University, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | | | - Michelle Brown
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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23
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Rosenbaum S, Silk JB. Pathways to paternal care in primates. Evol Anthropol 2022; 31:245-262. [PMID: 35289027 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Natural selection will favor male care when males have limited alternative mating opportunities, can invest in their own offspring, and when care enhances males' fitness. These conditions are easiest to fulfill in pair-bonded species, but neither male care nor stable "breeding bonds" that facilitate it are limited to pair-bonded species. We review evidence of paternal care and extended breeding bonds in owl monkeys, baboons, Assamese macaques, mountain gorillas, and chimpanzees. The data, which span social/mating systems and ecologies, suggest that there are multiple pathways by which conditions conducive to male care can arise. This diversity highlights the difficulty of making inferences about the emergence of male care in early hominins based on single traits visible in the fossil record. We discuss what types of data are most needed and the questions yet to be answered about the evolution of male care and extended breeding bonds in the primate order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacy Rosenbaum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Joan B Silk
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.,Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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24
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25
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Autry AE, O'Connell LA. The Parental Dilemma: How Evolution of Diverse Strategies for Infant Care Informs Social Behavior Circuits. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:734474. [PMID: 34867211 PMCID: PMC8636452 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.734474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anita E Autry
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
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26
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Kunz JA, Duvot GJ, Willems EP, Stickelberger J, Spillmann B, Utami Atmoko SS, van Noordwijk MA, van Schaik CP. The context of sexual coercion in orang-utans: when do male and female mating interests collide? Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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27
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Walker KK, Foerster S, Murray CM, Mjungu D, Pusey AE. Evaluating adaptive hypotheses for female-led infanticide in wild chimpanzees. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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28
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Gómez JM, Verdú M, González-Megías A. Killing conspecific adults in mammals. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211080. [PMID: 34284635 PMCID: PMC8292775 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammals kill both conspecific infants and adults. Whereas infanticide has been profusely studied, the killing of non-infants (adulticide) has seldom attracted the attention of researchers. Mammals kill conspecific adults by at least four, non-exclusive reasons: during intrasexual aggression for mating opportunities, to defend valuable resources, to protect their progeny and to prey upon conspecifics. In this study, we test which reason is most likely to explain male and female adulticide in mammals. For this, we recorded the presence of adulticide, the ecological and behavioural traits, and the phylogenetic relationship for more than 1000 species. Adulticide has been recorded in over 350 species from the most important Mammalian clades. Male adulticide was phylogenetically correlated with the presence of size dimorphism and intrasexually selected weapons. Female adulticide was phylogenetically associated with the occurrence of infanticide. These results indicate that the evolutionary pathways underlying the evolution of adulticide differ between sexes in mammals. Whereas males commit adulticide to increase breeding opportunities and to compete with other males for mating, females commit adulticide mainly to defend offspring from infanticidal conspecifics.
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Affiliation(s)
- José María Gómez
- Dpto de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Carretera de Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, 0-4120 Almería, Spain
| | - Miguel Verdú
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CSIC-UV-GV), Ctra Moncada-Náquera km 4.5, 46113 Moncada (Valencia), Spain
| | - Adela González-Megías
- Dpto de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avda Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
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29
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Britnell J, Vorster L, Shultz S. Evidence of infanticide in the Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra). BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Infanticide has been described across mammal species. Infanticide is thought to be a tactic which increases reproductive opportunities or reduces competition over local resources. Species of the genus Equus exhibit life history traits such as expensive young, long gestation, lactation and dependency, extended inter-birth interval when there is a foal at foot and strong male reproductive skew. These traits suggest infanticide may be present throughout the genus. However, most documented cases of infanticide attempts come from captive populations and rely heavily on indirect accounts in free-roaming populations. Here, we report an infanticide attempt in Cape mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra). The aggression was perpetrated by multiple bachelor males on two foals belonging to the same family group. The foals were separated from the parent group, chased and harried for a total of 45 minutes before the mothers and herd stallion were able to regain their offspring. We also report three cases of infanticide from necropsy. The injuries sustained by the foals are consistent with infanticide-based injuries documented in other equids species. The timing of these deaths occurs after a stallion turnover. These two cases provide the most conclusive evidence to date that infanticide takes place within mountain zebra.
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Affiliation(s)
- J.A. Britnell
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, UK
- North of England Zoological Society (Chester Zoo), Caughall Road, Upton-by-Chester CH2 1LH, UK
| | - L. Vorster
- Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, Barrydale 6720, South Africa
| | - S. Shultz
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9NT, UK
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30
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da Silva V, Silva P, Schlichta F, do Carmo N, Olson G, Hintermayer B, Araujo M, Martin A. Aggression towards neonates and possible infanticide in the boto, or Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis). BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Recent observed attacks by male Amazon river dolphins on conspecific calves, together with post-mortem examinations, indicate that infanticide occurs in this species but that not all attacked calves are killed. If mortality occurs, it might therefore be an inadvertent consequence of the behaviour rather than the motive for it. Our observations suggest that males who commit infanticide are unlikely to gain direct fitness benefits. Evidence does not fit the sexual selection hypothesis. Aggression towards calves usually ‘drew a crowd’ and may represent socio-sexual display or simply be a form of social pathology, as found in other infanticidal mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- V.M.F. da Silva
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia: Av. André Araújo, 2.936 — Petrópolis CEP 69067-375 — Manaus/AM, Brazil
- AMPA-Friends of Manatee Association, Rua Jaú 17, Waimiri, CEP 69736-000 Balbina/AM, Brazil
| | - P.M. Silva
- AMPA-Friends of Manatee Association, Rua Jaú 17, Waimiri, CEP 69736-000 Balbina/AM, Brazil
| | - F. Schlichta
- AMPA-Friends of Manatee Association, Rua Jaú 17, Waimiri, CEP 69736-000 Balbina/AM, Brazil
| | - N.A.S. do Carmo
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia: Av. André Araújo, 2.936 — Petrópolis CEP 69067-375 — Manaus/AM, Brazil
- AMPA-Friends of Manatee Association, Rua Jaú 17, Waimiri, CEP 69736-000 Balbina/AM, Brazil
| | - G.L. Olson
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia: Av. André Araújo, 2.936 — Petrópolis CEP 69067-375 — Manaus/AM, Brazil
- AMPA-Friends of Manatee Association, Rua Jaú 17, Waimiri, CEP 69736-000 Balbina/AM, Brazil
| | - B.G. Hintermayer
- AMPA-Friends of Manatee Association, Rua Jaú 17, Waimiri, CEP 69736-000 Balbina/AM, Brazil
| | - M.C. Araujo
- AMPA-Friends of Manatee Association, Rua Jaú 17, Waimiri, CEP 69736-000 Balbina/AM, Brazil
| | - A.R. Martin
- Centre for Remote Environments, University of Dundee, 152 Nethergate, Dundee DD1 4DY, UK
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31
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Hart LA, Hart BL. How Does the Social Grouping of Animals in Nature Protect Against Sickness? A Perspective. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:672097. [PMID: 34305545 PMCID: PMC8292637 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.672097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Sickness behavior is broadly represented in vertebrates, usually in association with the fever response in response to acute infections. The reactions to sickness behavior in a group member or potential group member in humans is quite variable, depending upon circumstances. In animals, the reactions to sickness behavior in a group member or potential group member evoke a specific response that reflects the species-specific lifestyle. Groups of animals can employ varied strategies to reduce or address exposure to sickness. Most of these have scarcely been studied in nature from a disease perspective: (1) adjusting exposure to sick conspecifics or contaminated areas; (2) caring for a sick group member; (3) peripheralization and agonistic behaviors to strange non-group conspecifics; and (4) using special strategies at parturition when newborn are healthy but vulnerable. Unexplored in this regard is infanticide, where newborn that are born with very little immunity until they receive antibody-rich colostrum, could be a target of maternal infanticide if they manifest signs of sickness and could be infectious to littermates. The strategies used by different species are highly specific and dependent upon the particular circumstances. What is needed is a more general awareness and consideration of the possibilities that avoiding or adapting to sickness behavior may be driving some social behaviors of animals in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynette A Hart
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Benjamin L Hart
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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32
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Fedigan LM, Hogan JD, Campos FA, Kalbitzer U, Jack KM. Costs of male infanticide for female capuchins: When does an adaptive male reproductive strategy become costly for females and detrimental to population viability? AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:349-360. [PMID: 34196391 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Infanticide in white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus imitator) typically occurs in association with alpha male replacements (AMRs). Although infanticide is likely adaptive for males, it imposes costs on females that are difficult to quantify without long-term demographic data. Here we investigate effects of AMRs and infanticide on female reproductive success and how these costs affect capuchin groups. We investigate (1) effects of AMR frequency on the production of surviving infants; (2) energetic and (3) temporal "opportunity costs" of infant loss; and (4) how AMR frequency impacts capuchin group sizes. MATERIALS AND METHODS We censused six groups (7-33 years/group, 74 adult females). We modeled surviving infant production in relation to AMR. We estimated a female's energy requirements for lost infants and the temporal cost relative to the median reproductive window. We simulated how varying AMR rates would affect future capuchin group sizes. RESULTS Females exposed to more frequent AMR tended to produce fewer surviving offspring. We estimate the average lost infant requires approximately 33% additional energy intake for its mother and represents 10% of the average reproductive opportunity window available to females. Simulated populations remain viable at the observed rate of AMR occurrence but decrease in size at even slightly higher rates. DISCUSSION While infanticide is adaptive for males, for females it affects lifetime reproductive success and imposes energetic and opportunity costs. Although capuchin populations have evolved with AMRs and infanticide, small increases in AMR frequency may lead to population decline/extinction. Infanticide likely plays a large role in population maintenance for capuchins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda M Fedigan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jeremy D Hogan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Fernando A Campos
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Urs Kalbitzer
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Katharine M Jack
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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33
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Vitet C, Duncan P, Ganswindt A, Mabika C, Chamaillé-Jammes S. Do infanticides occur in harem-forming equids? A test with long-term sociodemographic data in wild plains zebras. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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34
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Miller CM, Snyder-Mackler N, Nguyen N, Fashing PJ, Tung J, Wroblewski EE, Gustison ML, Wilson ML. Extragroup paternity in gelada monkeys, Theropithecus gelada, at Guassa, Ethiopia and a comparison with other primates. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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35
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Abstract
Abstract
During migration, humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) adult females and their calves use acoustic calling to help maintain contact. The signals produced by these pairs, however, may unintentionally attract nearby breeding males, which can result in interactions that have negative physical and physiological effects on the calf. Therefore, maternal females must choose the vocal and/or behavioral strategy that most effectively balances intra-pair communication with male avoidance. Here, we analyzed differences in adult female-calf vocal activity and movement behavior according to the presence of, and distance to, singing whales and other groups likely to contain males. The results of this study found that these pairs make only minimal changes to their vocal behavior in response to nearby males, suggesting that they have instead evolved calls that are naturally difficult to detect (i.e., produced at significantly lower rates and acoustic levels than other whale groups, resulting in a restricted active space). In addition, they maintain spatial separation from nearby groups by moving to shallower, inshore waters, increasing their proportion of time spent near the surface, and favoring a direct migratory course. This combination of cryptic strategies balances avoidance of unwanted conspecific interaction with the necessity of continued contact between maternal female humpback whales and their calves.
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36
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Yang X, Berman CM, Hu H, Hou R, Huang K, Wang X, Zhao H, Wang C, Li B, Zhang P. Female preferences for male golden snub-nosed monkeys vary with male age and social context. Curr Zool 2021; 68:133-142. [PMID: 35355945 PMCID: PMC8962732 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Age is a key factor affecting sexual selection, as many physical and social traits are age-related. Although studies of primate mate choice often consider particular age-related traits, few consider the collective effects of male age. We tested the hypothesis that female golden snub-nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus roxellana prefer prime aged males (10–15 years) over younger and older males. We examined a habituated, provisioned troop during a 3-year study in the Qinling Mountains, China. Prime age males were more likely to be resident males of 1-male units (OMUs) than males of other ages. Since females are free to transfer between OMUs, the number of females per OMU can be indicative of female preferences. We examined the number of females per OMU, and found that it increased with resident male age up to 7–8 years, and declined after 12 years, such that prime age resident males had more females than other resident males. Females also initiated extra-unit copulations with high-ranking prime age males at significantly higher rates than with other males. Nevertheless, females tended to transfer from OMUs with high-ranking, older resident males to those with low-ranking, younger resident males. Thus, females appear to use different strategies when choosing social mates and extra-unit mates (i.e., different social contexts). We speculate that females may perceive early signs of aging in males and trade off the benefits and costs of high rank versus male senescence. This study lays the groundwork for future studies that examine possible direct and indirect benefits of such strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Carol M Berman
- Department of Anthropology and Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, State University of New York at Buffalo, NY 14261, USA
| | - Hanyu Hu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Rong Hou
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Kang Huang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Xiaowei Wang
- Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710032, China
| | - Haitao Zhao
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
- Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710032, China
| | - Chengliang Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
- Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Shaanxi Province Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710032, China
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Pei Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
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37
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Städele V, Vigilant L, Strum SC, Silk JB. Extended male–female bonds and potential for prolonged paternal investment in a polygynandrous primate (Papio anubis). Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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38
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Contrasting effects of male immigration and rainfall on rank-related patterns of miscarriage in female olive baboons. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4042. [PMID: 33597555 PMCID: PMC7889879 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83175-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammalian species with prolonged maternal investment in which high-ranking males gain disproportionate numbers of mating opportunities, males that quickly ascend the hierarchy may benefit from eliminating the dependent offspring of their competitors. In savanna baboons, high-ranking females are the most profitable targets of infanticide or feticide, because their offspring have higher survival rates and their daughters reach sexual maturity at a younger age. However, such patterns may be obscured by environmental stressors that are known to exacerbate fetal losses, especially in lower-ranking females. Using 30 years of data on wild olive baboons (Papio anubis) in Gombe National Park, Tanzania, we found evidence that rapidly-rising immigrant males induced miscarriages in high-ranking females outside of drought conditions. However, miscarriage rates were largely reversed during prolonged periods of low rainfall, suggesting that low-ranking females are particularly vulnerable to low food availability and social instability. Infanticide did not emerge as a recurrent male strategy in this population, likely because of the protective behavior of resident males towards vulnerable juveniles.
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Melin AD, Hogan JD, Campos FA, Wikberg E, King‐Bailey G, Webb S, Kalbitzer U, Asensio N, Murillo‐Chacon E, Cheves Hernandez S, Guadamuz Chavarria A, Schaffner CM, Kawamura S, Aureli F, Fedigan L, Jack KM. Primate life history, social dynamics, ecology, and conservation: Contributions from long‐term research in Área de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda D. Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
- Verhaltensökologie & Soziobiologie Deutsches Primatenzentrum – Leibniz‐Institut für Primatenforschung Göttingen Germany
| | - Jeremy D. Hogan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
| | | | - Eva Wikberg
- Department of Anthropology Tulane University New Orleans LA USA
| | | | - Shasta Webb
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
| | - Urs Kalbitzer
- Department of Anthropology McGill University Montreal QC Canada
| | - Norberto Asensio
- Departamento de Psicología Social y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento Universidad del País Vasco Bilbao Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated Biosciences The University of Tokyo Kashiwa Japan
| | - Filippo Aureli
- Instituto de Neuroetología Universidad Veracruzana Xalapa Mexico
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool UK
| | - Linda Fedigan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology University of Calgary Calgary AB Canada
| | - Katharine M. Jack
- Department of Anthropology University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio TX USA
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40
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Clauss M, Zerbe P, Bingaman Lackey L, Codron D, Müller DWH. Basic considerations on seasonal breeding in mammals including their testing by comparing natural habitats and zoos. Mamm Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-020-00078-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSeasonal reproduction is common in mammals. Whereas specific conditions triggering a seasonal response can only be identified in controlled experiments, large-scale comparisons of reproduction in natural habitats and zoos can advance knowledge for taxa unavailable for experimentation. We outline how such a comparison can identify species whose seasonal physiology is linked to photoperiodic triggers, and those whose perceived seasonality in the wild is the consequence of fluctuating resources without a photoperiodic trigger. This concept groups species into those that do not change their aseasonal pattern between natural habitats and zoos because they are not constrained by resources in the wild, those that do not change a seasonal pattern between natural habitats and zoos because they are triggered by photoperiod irrespective of resources, and those that change from a more seasonal pattern in the natural habitat to an aseasonal pattern in zoos because the zoo environment alleviates resource limitations experienced in the wild. We explain how detailed comparisons of mating season timing in both environments can provide clues whether a specific daylength or a specific number of days after an equinox or solstice is the likely phototrigger for a taxon. We outline relationships between life history strategies and seasonality, with special focus on relative shortening of gestation periods in more seasonal mammals. Irrespective of whether such shortening results from the adaptive value of fitting a reproductive cycle within one seasonal cycle (minimizing ‘lost opportunity’), or from benefits deriving from separating birth and mating (to optimize resource use, or to reduce infanticide), reproductive seasonality may emerge as a relevant driver of life history acceleration. Comparisons of data from natural habitats and zoos will facilitate testing some of the resulting hypotheses.
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41
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Yu ZX, Li XY, Xu XH. Neural Circuit Mechanisms That Underlie Parental Care. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1284:49-62. [PMID: 32852740 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-15-7086-5_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
In mammals, parental care is essential for the survival of the young; therefore, it is vitally important to the propagation of the species. These behaviors, differing between the two sexes, are innate, stereotyped, and are also modified by an individual's reproductive experience. These characteristics suggest that neural mechanisms underlying parental behaviors are genetically hardwired, evolutionarily conserved as well as sexually differentiated and malleable to experiential changes. Classical lesion studies on neural control of parental behaviors, mostly done in rats, date back to the 1950s. Recent developments of new methods and tools in neuroscience, which allow precise targeting and activation/inhibition of specific populations of neurons and their projections to different brain structures, have afforded fresh opportunities to dissect and delineate the detailed neural circuit mechanisms that govern distinct components of parental behaviors in the genetically tractably organism, the laboratory mouse (Mus musculus). In this review, we summarize recent discoveries using modern neurobiological tools within the context of traditional lesion studies. In addition, we discuss interesting cross talk between neural circuits that govern parent care with those that regulate other innate behaviors such as feeding and mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Xian Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xing-Yu Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. .,Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China.
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42
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Infant survival in western lowland gorillas after voluntary dispersal by pregnant females. Primates 2020; 61:743-749. [PMID: 32720106 PMCID: PMC7599133 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-020-00844-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
In many social species, after the alpha male has been replaced or the group disintegrates, a female’s infant is at risk of infanticide by a male. Female gorillas have developed the rare strategy of secondary dispersal in which they transfer between reproductive groups during the limited time period between weaning an infant and conceiving the next one (voluntary dispersal). By doing so they leave a weaker silverback near the end of his tenure and join a stronger silverback at an earlier stage of his own tenure, thereby mitigating the risk of infanticide if the former dies. If females are pregnant or have unweaned offspring when the only male in the group dies, their offspring are vulnerable to infanticide by the new silverback that they join (via involuntary dispersal). In the few known cases of female gorillas transferring when pregnant (mainly after group disintegration), their offspring were killed. We report here on three adult females that transferred voluntarily while pregnant multiple times between two groups yet their offspring were not killed by the new group’s silverback. The gorillas were observed from 1995 to 2015 at the Mbeli Bai research site in northern Republic of the Congo. The females gave birth 5–6 months (gestation period 8.5 months) after their last transfer. To our knowledge, these observations are the first to show that wild female western lowland gorillas can transfer voluntarily while pregnant without incurring infanticide by a new silverback. These observations highlight the behavioural plasticity shown by female gorillas in response to sexual coercion by males.
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43
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Fighting for what it’s worth: participation and outcome of inter-group encounters in a pair-living primate, the Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02879-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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44
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Smith K, Facka A, Powell R. Using reintroduction to elucidate breeding system, breeding phenology, and infanticide for a solitary carnivore (fisher, Pekania pennanti). CAN J ZOOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2019-0234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Breeding systems affect the timing of reproduction, spacing patterns and social organization, individual fitnesses, and population sizes. For many species, information on breeding systems and mating is limited or untested in wild populations, resulting in management actions that are incompletely informed. We used photographic data collected on a reintroduced fisher (Pekania pennanti (Erxleben, 1777)) population in northern California, USA, to test hypotheses about the breeding system, the timing of breeding, and the potential for male infanticide. We documented fishers of both sexes breeding with multiple partners in the same year, demonstrating polygynandry. We use logistic and linear regression to evaluate the timing and frequency of male visitation at 262 reproductive dens used by 50 individual females. Of 46 documented copulations and 577 male visits, 100% and 95%, respectively, occurred while females had kits in their natal dens. Seventy-five percent of documented male visits occurred before 31 March and 95% occurred before 17 April. Observed breeding occurred within 3.1 ± 1.6 days (mean ± SD) of locating females’ natal dens. We found no evidence for male-directed infanticide. Our results add precision to the timing of the reproductive cycle and provide the first descriptions of male–female interactions for wild fishers.
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Affiliation(s)
- K.P. Smith
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617 USA
| | - A.N. Facka
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617 USA
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617 USA
| | - R.A. Powell
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617 USA
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7617, Raleigh, NC 27695-7617 USA
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45
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Abstract
Killing of unrelated young by sexually naïve male mammals is taxonomically widespread, but in many species, males subsequently show paternal care or at least do not harm their own young. This dramatic and important change is due to a shift in paternal state rather than to recognition of young, the mother or the location in which mating occurred. This transition from infanticidal to paternal behaviour is timed so that the inhibition of infanticide is synchronized with the birth of their own young. Ejaculation followed by cohabitation with the pregnant female causes this transition, but the precise stimuli from the female remain elusive. However, changes in social status also cause changes in infanticide. The switch from infanticide is accompanied by physiological change in the male that can be detected by both females and pups. Hormonal changes have been implicated in the switch but establishing causal links has been difficult. Recent neuroanatomical studies show that pup odours activate the vomeronasal organ and its efferent projections to induce infanticide. The emergence of paternal care depends on the inability of the vomeronasal organ to detect pup odours. In the absence of vomeronasal input, pup odours activate a conserved parental circuit and induce caregiving behaviour. An emerging picture is of complex, antagonistic circuits competing for behavioural expression, which allow for males to commit infanticide when they may benefit from such activity but ensure that they do not damage their fitness by killing their own young. However, we stress the need for more work on the neural mechanisms that mediate this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W. Elwood
- Queen’s University Belfast, School of Biological Sciences, Belfast, U.K
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46
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47
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Jaworska J, Jaworski Z, McDonnell SM, Górecka-Bruzda A. Harem stallion changes are not associated with diminished reproductive performance of females in semi-feral Konik polski horses (Equus caballus). Theriogenology 2020; 151:1-6. [PMID: 32251935 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2020.03.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Infanticide, related to a stallion's aggression toward a foal sired by another stallion, and feticide related to a new stallion's aggression and/or pheromonal influence (the Bruce effect) inducing loss of a fetus sired by another stallion, a female's counteraction to infanticide, have been proposed for domestic horses (Equus caballus) in human-managed conditions. The aim of the present study was, in conditions close to natural, to investigate the influence of the natural succession of a harem stallion on the mares' subsequent reproductive performance. In a population of semi-feral Konik polski horses observed for 31 years (reproductive seasons) in 8 bands, harem stallion changed 10 times. These changes involved 26 out of 48 mares and 60 out of 609 observed mare-seasons (MS, a year in which a mare experienced a reproductive event). Binary distribution and log link function were assumed. The marginal model included the classification variable (SCH) and the continuous variables (age of the mare and calendar year of reproductive event (birth of a live foal, abortion, foals lost or barrenness) in a given MS was analyzed with generalized linear mixed model. The reproductive fitness of mares and their reproductive success (foal surviving ≥ 1 year), did not differ between MS with and without SCH. Older females were more likely to stay barren, with chances increasing by 21% with each successive year; and less likely to give birth to a foal (13% decrease of chance), and rear a foal to one year of age (12% decrease of chance). The age did not affect the probability of abortions. Of the 26 MS when mares were pregnant when the stallion had changed, there were 25 healthy foals born. For the entire 31 years of monitoring, no aggression toward any foal was observed and all foals that were born in the harem of a new, succeeding stallion successfully reached adulthood. Due to the lack of incidents of infanticide and the lack of evidence suggesting that the presence of a new harem stallion leads to the termination of pregnancies sired by another stallion, the Bruce effect was not confirmed as a biological strategy to reduce investment in pregnancy and potential infanticide in studied population of semi-feral horses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Jaworska
- Department of Gamete and Embryo Biology, Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Olsztyn, Poland.
| | - Zbigniew Jaworski
- University of Warmia and Mazury, Department of Horse Breeding, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Sue M McDonnell
- Havemeyer Equine Behavior Laboratory, Section of Reproduction and Behavior, Department of Clinical Studies, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center, Kennett Square, PA, 19348, USA
| | - Aleksandra Górecka-Bruzda
- Department of Animal Behavior, Institute of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Polish Academy of Sciences, Magdalenka, Poland
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48
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Fernandez-Duque E, Huck M, Van Belle S, Di Fiore A. The evolution of pair-living, sexual monogamy, and cooperative infant care: Insights from research on wild owl monkeys, titis, sakis, and tamarins. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 171 Suppl 70:118-173. [PMID: 32191356 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
"Monogamy" and pair bonding have long been of interest to anthropologists and primatologists. Their study contributes to our knowledge of human evolutionary biology and social evolution without the cultural trappings associated with studying human societies directly. Here, we first provide an overview of theoretical considerations, followed by an evaluation of recent comparative studies of the evolution of "social monogamy"; we are left with serious doubts about the conclusions of these studies that stem from the often poor quality of the data used and an overreliance on secondary sources without vetting the data therein. We then describe our field research program on four "monogamous" platyrrhines (owl monkeys, titis, sakis, and tamarins), evaluate how well our data support various hypotheses proposed to explain "monogamy," and compare our data to those reported on the same genera in comparative studies. Overall, we found a distressing lack of agreement between the data used in comparative studies and data from the literature for the taxa that we work with. In the final section, we propose areas of research that deserve more attention. We stress the need for more high-quality natural history data, and we urge researchers to be cautious about the uncritical use of variables of uncertain internal validity. Overall, it is imperative that biological anthropologists establish and follow clear criteria for comparing and combining results from published studies and that researchers, reviewers, and editors alike comply with these standards to improve the transparency, reproducibility, and interpretability of causal inferences made in comparative studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.,Owl Monkey Project, Fundación ECO, Formosa, Argentina.,Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Formosa, Formosa, Argentina.,College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Maren Huck
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - Sarie Van Belle
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.,Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.,Department of Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.,Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
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49
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Qi XG, Grueter CC, Fang G, Huang PZ, Zhang J, Duan YM, Huang ZP, Garber PA, Li BG. Multilevel societies facilitate infanticide avoidance through increased extrapair matings. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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50
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Kohl J. Parenting - a paradigm for investigating the neural circuit basis of behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2020; 60:84-91. [PMID: 31830690 PMCID: PMC7005672 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2019.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Parenting is essential for survival and wellbeing in many species. Since it can be performed with little prior experience and entails considerable sacrifices without immediate benefits for the caregiver, this behavior is likely orchestrated by evolutionarily shaped, hard-wired neural circuits. At the same time, experience, environmental factors and internal state also make parenting highly malleable. These characteristics have made parenting an attractive paradigm for linking complex, naturalistic behavior to its underlying neural mechanisms. Recent work - based on the identification of critical neuronal populations and improved tools for dissecting neural circuits - has uncovered novel functional principles and challenged simplistic models of parenting control. A better understanding of the neural basis of parenting will provide crucial clues to how complex behaviors are organized at the level of cells, circuits and computations. Here I review recent progress, discuss emerging functional principles of parental circuits, and outline future opportunities and challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Kohl
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Rd., London NW1 1AT, UK.
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