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Jänig S, Kücklich M, Kulik L, Zetzsche M, Weiß BM, Widdig A. Olfactory Inspection of Female Reproductive States in Chimpanzees. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.884661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In mammalian species, olfactory cues are important for within and between species communication. These cues can be part of multimodal signals indicating, for example, female fertility potentially perceived by male conspecifics. However, a large gap exists in our understanding of multimodal signaling in non-human catarrhines. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) live in fission-fusion societies, mate promiscuously and express high levels of male-male competition. Females show a striking visual signal, an exaggerated sexual swelling, known to be a proxy of ovulation, while the maximum swelling is not matching the exact time of ovulation. The question remains if males use additional olfactory cues when being able to approach females closely. This would allow males to pinpoint the exact timing of ovulation and could be one reason why high-ranking males sire offspring more successfully than other males. Here, we present the first systematic test of such multimodal signaling by investigating male sniffing behavior directed to females in relation to their fertility in a group of 13 captive chimpanzees. Our results show that male sniffing behavior significantly increased with female swelling size, with female age as well as when fewer male competitors were present. Hence, odors might be part of a multimodal fertility cue, supporting the idea that males monitor both visual and olfactory cues to gain comprehensive information on female fertility.
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Kücklich M, Jänig S, Kulik L, Birkemeyer C, Weiß BM, Widdig A. Towards an understanding of multimodal traits of female reproduction in chimpanzees. Primates 2022; 63:365-376. [PMID: 35763106 PMCID: PMC9273533 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-00995-1] [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: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Although primates have long been regarded as microsmatic, recent studies indicate that olfaction is an important sensory mode of primate communication, e.g., in the context of reproduction. However, large gaps remain in our understanding of primate olfactory traits, especially in the great apes. Female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) possess an exaggerated sexual swelling, which is an imprecise signal of fertility that is thought to serve to confuse paternity. However, some high-ranking males that copulate most frequently on the days when females are most fertile seem to have more precise information on the timing of ovulation, which suggests the existence of an olfactory fertility trait. In order to examine, and provide evidence for, fertility-related chemical information in female chimpanzees, we used gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze the chemical composition of female body odor collected across the menstrual cycle during various stages of sexual swelling (97 samples of six females). The chemical composition was significantly affected by swelling stage, and eight substances were detected that were strongly related to the latter. The existence of an additional, olfactory, fertility trait may help males to fine-tune their sexual behavior or allow females to strengthen concealment of the exact timing of ovulation, and needs to be further investigated in follow-up studies. The results of our study provide much-needed evidence for the existence of an olfactory cue related to reproduction in chimpanzees, and form a basis for future studies on the interplay between visual and olfactory information on female fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlen Kücklich
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Talstraße 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. .,Primate Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Susann Jänig
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Talstraße 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Primate Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lars Kulik
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Talstraße 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Primate Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Claudia Birkemeyer
- Mass Spectrometry Research Group, Institute of Analytical Chemistry, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 3, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Brigitte M Weiß
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Talstraße 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Primate Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anja Widdig
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Leipzig, Talstraße 33, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.,Primate Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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Rigaill L, Vaglio S, Setchell JM, Suda-Hashimoto N, Furuichi T, Garcia C. Chemical cues of identity and reproductive status in Japanese macaques. Am J Primatol 2022; 84:e23411. [PMID: 35757843 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23411] [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: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Olfactory communication plays an important role in the regulation of socio-sexual interactions in mammals. There is growing evidence that both human and nonhuman primates rely on odors to inform their mating decisions. Nevertheless, studies of primate chemical ecology remain scarce due to the difficulty of obtaining and analyzing samples. We analyzed 67 urine samples from five captive female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) and 30 vaginal swabs from three of these females using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and examined the relationship between odor (compounds identified, richness, intensity, and diversity) and female identity as well as cycle phase. We found a total of 36 urine compounds of which we identified 31, and 68 vaginal compounds of which we identified 37. Our results suggest that urine and vaginal odor varied more between individuals than within cycle phases. However, we found that within a female cycle, urine samples from similar phases may cluster more than samples from different phases. Our results suggest that female odor may encode information about identity (vaginal and urine odor) and reproductive status (urine odor). The question of how conspecifics use female urine and vaginal odor remains open and could be tested using bioassays. Our results and their interpretation are constrained by our limited sample size and our study design. Nonetheless, our study provides insight into the potential signaling role of female odor in sexual communication in Japanese macaques and contributes to our understanding of how odors may influence mating strategies in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Rigaill
- EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine), CNRS, Université de Rennes 1, Normandie Université, Rennes, France.,Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Stefano Vaglio
- School of Sciences, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK
| | - Joanna M Setchell
- Department of Anthropology & Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Naoko Suda-Hashimoto
- Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Takeshi Furuichi
- Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Cécile Garcia
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
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Dezecache G, Wilke C, Richi N, Neumann C, Zuberbühler K. Skin temperature and reproductive condition in wild female chimpanzees. PeerJ 2017; 5:e4116. [PMID: 29230360 PMCID: PMC5721906 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Infrared thermal imaging has emerged as a valuable tool in veterinary medicine, in particular for evaluating reproductive processes. Here, we explored differences in skin temperature of twenty female chimpanzees in Budongo Forest, Uganda, four of which were pregnant during data collection. Based on previous literature in other mammals, we predicted increased skin temperature of maximally swollen reproductive organs of non-pregnant females when approaching peak fertility. For pregnant females, we made the same prediction because it has been argued that female chimpanzees have evolved mechanisms to conceal pregnancy, including swellings of the reproductive organs, conspicuous copulation calling, and solicitation of male mating behaviour, to decrease the infanticidal tendencies of resident males by confusing paternity. For non-pregnant females, we found slight temperature increases towards the end of the swelling cycles but no significant change between the fertile and non-fertile phases. Despite their different reproductive state, pregnant females had very similar skin temperature patterns compared to non-pregnant females, suggesting little potential for males to use skin temperature to recognise pregnancies, especially during maximal swelling, when ovulation is most likely to occur in non-pregnant females. We discuss this pattern in light of the concealment hypothesis, i.e., that female chimpanzees have evolved physiological means to conceal their reproductive state during pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Dezecache
- Institute of Biology, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
| | - Claudia Wilke
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Nathalie Richi
- Institute of Biology, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
| | - Christof Neumann
- Institute of Biology, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Institute of Biology, Université de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom
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Testing for Links Between Female Urine Odor and Male Sexual Behaviors in Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata). INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-9980-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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Drea CM. D'scent of man: a comparative survey of primate chemosignaling in relation to sex. Horm Behav 2015; 68:117-33. [PMID: 25118943 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2014] [Revised: 07/29/2014] [Accepted: 08/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue (Chemosignals and Reproduction). As highly visual animals, primates, in general, and Old World species (including humans), in particular, are not immediately recognized for reliance in their daily interactions on olfactory communication. Nevertheless, views on primate olfactory acuity and the pervasiveness of their scent signaling are changing, with increased appreciation for the important role of body odors in primate social and sexual behavior. All major taxonomic groups, from lemurs to humans, are endowed with scent-producing organs, and either deposit or exude a wealth of volatile compounds, many of which are known semiochemicals. This review takes a comparative perspective to illustrate the reproductive context of primate signaling, the relevant information content of their signals, the sexually differentiated investigative responses generated, and the behavioral or physiological consequences of message transmission to both signaler and receiver. Throughout, humans are placed alongside their relatives to illustrate the evolutionary continuum in the sexual selection of primate chemosignals. This ever-growing body of evidence points to a critical role of scent in guiding the social behavior and reproductive function throughout the primate order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M Drea
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0383, USA; Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0383, USA.
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Abstract
Individual discrimination is likely a prerequisite for most primate social interactions. Olfactory cues are one set of stimuli used by primates to discriminate between individuals. Despite the importance of these olfactory signatures, there is little published research assessing the existence or function of individually unique odors among primates. This review systematically assesses behavioral and biochemical aspects of individual odors in a New World primate, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). There are three objectives to this review: First, behavioral evidence for odors unique to the individual is evaluated in the context of results demonstrating that marmosets are able to discriminate between the scents from a familiar and a novel individual conspecific in behavioral bioassays under a variety of conditions. Second, biochemical evidence for individual scent signatures is debated with reference to studies examining qualitative and quantitative differences between the chemical compositions of scent-mark pools from adult females. A combined gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis demonstrated that each female had a unique ratio of highly volatile chemicals in the scent mark that could affect individual discrimination. Finally, the possible adaptive significance of individual odors in marmosets is debated. Individual odors may play a key role in regulating both female intrasexual competition and intersexual communication by providing a basis for the assessment of individual quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tessa Smith
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Chester, United Kingdom.
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Laska M, Teubner P. Odor structure-activity relationships of carboxylic acids correspond between squirrel monkeys and humans. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY 1998; 274:R1639-45. [PMID: 9608018 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.1998.274.6.r1639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
With use of a conditioning paradigm, the ability of four squirrel monkeys to distinguish n-valeric acid from n-forms and isoforms of other carboxylic acids (acetic acid to octanoic acid) was investigated. All four animals were clearly able to discriminate between all odor pairs tested and showed a significant negative correlation between discrimination performance and structural similarity of odorants in terms of differences in carbon chain length of the carboxylic acids. Branching of the carbon chain was also found to affect odorant quality because all animals performed better in discriminating n-valeric acid from isoforms of other carboxylic acids compared with the corresponding n-forms of these substances. With use of a triple forced-choice procedure, 10 human subjects were tested on the same tasks in parallel and showed a very similar pattern of discrimination performance compared with the squirrel monkeys. Thus the results of this study provide evidence of well-developed olfactory discrimination ability in squirrel monkeys for carboxylic acids and support the assumption that human and nonhuman primates may share common principles of odor quality perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Laska
- Department of Medical Psychology, University of Munich Medical School, D-80336 Munich, Germany
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Identification of vertebrate volatiles stimulating olfactory receptors on tarsus I of the tick Amblyomma variegatum Fabricius (Ixodidae). J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 1994. [DOI: 10.1007/bf00192004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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11
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Hradeck� P. Volatile fatty acids in urine and vaginal secretions of cows during reproductive cycle. J Chem Ecol 1986; 12:187-96. [DOI: 10.1007/bf01045602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/1985] [Accepted: 06/13/1985] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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12
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Wallis J. Synchrony of estrous swelling in captive group-living chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). INT J PRIMATOL 1985. [DOI: 10.1007/bf02745505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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