1
|
Maya Lastra N, Rangel Negrín A, Coyohua Fuentes A, Dias PAD. Mantled howler monkey males assess their rivals through formant spacing of long-distance calls. Primates 2024; 65:183-190. [PMID: 38381271 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-024-01120-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Formant frequency spacing of long-distance vocalizations is allometrically related to body size and could represent an honest signal of fighting potential. There is, however, only limited evidence that primates use formant spacing to assess the competitive potential of rivals during interactions with extragroup males, a risky context. We hypothesized that if formant spacing of long-distance calls is inversely related to the fighting potential of male mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata), then males should: (1) be more likely and (2) faster to display vocal responses to calling rivals; (3) be more likely and (4) faster to approach calling rivals; and have higher fecal (5) glucocorticoid and (6) testosterone metabolite concentrations in response to rivals calling at intermediate and high formant spacing than to those with low formant spacing. We studied the behavioral responses of 11 adult males to playback experiments of long-distance calls from unknown individuals with low (i.e., emulating large individuals), intermediate, and high (i.e., small individuals) formant spacing (n = 36 experiments). We assayed fecal glucocorticoid and testosterone metabolite concentrations (n = 174). Playbacks always elicited vocal responses, but males responded quicker to intermediate than to low formant spacing playbacks. Low formant spacing calls were less likely to elicit approaches whereas high formant spacing calls resulted in quicker approaches. Males showed stronger hormonal responses to low than to both intermediate and high formant spacing calls. It is possible that males do not escalate conflicts with rivals with low formant spacing calls if these are perceived as large, and against whom winning probabilities should decrease and confrontation costs increase; but are willing to escalate conflicts with rivals of high formant spacing. Formant spacing may therefore be an important signal for rival assessment in this species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Maya Lastra
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Dr. Luis Castelazo Ayala S/N, CP 91190, Xalapa, México
| | - Ariadna Rangel Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Dr. Luis Castelazo Ayala S/N, CP 91190, Xalapa, México
| | - Alejandro Coyohua Fuentes
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Dr. Luis Castelazo Ayala S/N, CP 91190, Xalapa, México
| | - Pedro A D Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Dr. Luis Castelazo Ayala S/N, CP 91190, Xalapa, México.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Dias PAD, Gómez Espinosa EE, Chavira Ramírez DR, Rangel Negrín A. Noise intensity modulates the responses of mantled howler monkeys to anthropophony. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23568. [PMID: 37850516 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is a major global pollutant but its effects on primates are poorly understood, limiting our ability to develop mitigation actions that favor their welfare and conservation. In this study, we used an experimental approach to determine the impact of variation in noise intensity on mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). We conducted the study at Los Tuxtlas (México), where we studied the physiological stress (proxied via fecal glucocorticoid metabolites, fGCM) and behavioral responses of 16 males. We played back chainsaw noise at two intensities (40 and 80 dB) and used days in which groups were not exposed to noise as matched controls. With increased noise intensity fGCM increased, vigilance and vocalizations were longer, and vigilance, vocalizations, and flight occurred quicker. Physiological and behavioral responses occurred even after low-intensity noise playbacks (i.e., 40 dB). Therefore, noise intensity is a significant factor explaining the responses of mantled howler monkeys to anthropogenic noise. These results imply that management actions aimed at eradicating anthropogenic noise are required for the conservation and welfare of mantled howler monkeys at Los Tuxtlas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A D Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, México
| | | | - David Roberto Chavira Ramírez
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Ariadna Rangel Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, México
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Maya Lastra N, Rangel Negrín A, Dias PAD. Behavioral responses of mantled howler monkeys to neighbor long-distance vocalizations. Am J Biol Anthropol 2023; 182:59-68. [PMID: 37417878 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Long-distance vocalizations are used by primates in a variety of contexts and may have different functions. The long-distance vocalizations of howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) underlie the spatial regulation of neighboring groups and could be associated with the defense of food resources. Here, we test the hypothesis that the behavioral responses of mantled howler monkeys (A. palliata) to neighbor long-distance vocalizations are influenced by the potential for range defensibility while accounting for location within the home range and food availability. METHODS We studied two groups for 13 months and a total of 888 h at La Flor de Catemaco (Mexico). Group 1 had a 92-ha home range and Group 2 had a 24-ha home range. We recorded vocalizations (N = 178 calls) and movements (N = 74 movements) of focal groups following long-distance vocalizations produced by their neighbors. RESULTS Movement responses, but not vocal responses, were predicted by range defensibility, location, and food availability. As predicted, the group living in the smaller and more defendable range showed stronger movement responses than the group in the larger home range. These movement responses had a shorter latency and longer duration in more valuable spatial and temporal contexts (i.e., the core area and during periods of low food availability). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the tradeoff between the costs and benefits of range defense varies according to the interactions between home range size and both the spatial (core areas) and temporal (food availability) abundance of resources. Thus, the responses of mantled howler monkeys to neighbor long-distance vocalizations could be related to home range defensibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Maya Lastra
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Ariadna Rangel Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Pedro A D Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuro-etología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dias PAD, Rangel Negrín A. One step forward, two steps backward: The frailty of howler monkey conservation in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. Am J Primatol 2022; 84:e23437. [PMID: 36128630 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Most primate taxa are threatened by extinction and their populations are decreasing. The persistence of primates is thus conditional on conservation actions aimed at protecting them and their habitat. Here, we focus on the conservation of mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) in the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. Following the creation of the reserve in 1998, habitat availability and howler monkey abundance increased, suggesting that progress was being made in terms of the conservation of this species. Recent events, however, suggest otherwise, as mantled howler monkey habitat within the biosphere reserve is being disturbed by mining operations endorsed by the Mexican government. We report this case to raise awareness about the challenges for primate and habitat conservation in protected areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A D Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Ariadna Rangel Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
de la Torre A, Coyohua Fuentes A, Rangel Negrín A, Velarde Garcéz DA, Canales Espinosa D, Cervantes Acosta P, Dias PAD. Maternal care according to offspring sex and maternal physical condition in mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). Primates 2021; 62:379-388. [PMID: 33523342 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-020-00883-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The Trivers-Willard hypothesis (TWH) posits that maternal care will be biased in favor of the sex that provides the greatest fitness returns per unit of investment, depending on maternal physical condition. Our aim was to examine the TWH in mantled howler monkeys living at Los Tuxtlas (Veracruz, Mexico). The biological attributes of mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) meet the assumptions of TWH better than those of other explanations, so we expected that females in better physical condition should bias maternal care toward sons, whereas mothers in worse physical condition should bias care toward daughters. Between December 2017 and March 2019, we studied mother-infant interactions in 20 dyads with focal-animal sampling and continuous recording (N = 204 h). We performed genetic analysis to determine offspring sex (N = 7 daughters and 13 sons) and measured C-peptide in urine samples of mothers to assess their physical condition (N = 46 samples). Mothers in better physical condition spent less time in contact with their sons but more time in contact with their daughters. For proximity behavior, mothers in better physical condition spent more time near their sons and less time near their daughters. These results suggest a bias in maternal care towards daughters, contrary to our predictions. In light of current models of maternal investment, our results support that mothers obtain higher fitness returns through daughters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amalia de la Torre
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México
- Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México
| | - Alejandro Coyohua Fuentes
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México
| | - Ariadna Rangel Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México
| | - Daniel A Velarde Garcéz
- Instituto iBIOTROP, Museo de Zoología and Laboratorio de Zoología Terrestre, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Domingo Canales Espinosa
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México
| | | | - Pedro Américo D Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, 91190, Xalapa, México.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rangel Negrín A, Coyohua Fuentes A, de la Torre Herrera A, Cano Huertes B, Reynoso Cruz E, Ceccarelli E, Gómez Espinosa EE, Chavira Ramírez DR, Moreno Espinoza DE, Canales-Espinosa D, Maya Lastra N, Cruz Miros P, Cañadas Santiago S, Garau S, Dias PAD. Female reproductive energetics in mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata): A follow-up study. Am J Phys Anthropol 2021; 174:396-406. [PMID: 33429455 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Reproduction entails several challenges to primate females, among which energetic costs are remarkable at certain stages of the reproductive cycle. Still, females may use behavioral and physiological strategies to cope with those challenges. We had previously reported covariation between female energetic condition through the reproductive cycle and time-budget adjustments in mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata). Accordingly, we suggested that behavioral flexibility allowed coping with the energetic challenges of reproduction. Subsequent evidence from the same population, however, suggested otherwise, so we performed a follow-up study on the variation in female reproductive energetics based on a larger sample of females. METHODS We studied 48 free-ranging adult females at Los Tuxtlas (Mexico). We assessed energy balance via urinary C-peptide concentrations (2717 urine samples), behavioral energy intake and expenditure (5728 sampling hours), and physiological energy expenditure via fecal triiodothyronine metabolites (fTH3; 3138 fecal samples). RESULTS We found that energy balance varied among reproductive states: (a) cycling was a period of low C-peptide concentrations; (b) the highest C-peptide concentrations occurred during gestation; and (c) the beginning of lactation marked a notable decrease in C-peptide concentrations, which then improved at mid-lactation to again decline at lactation offset. These peaks and valleys in energy balance did not seem to be associated with variation in energy acquisition but were rather mirrored by activity levels and fTH3 during lactation. DISCUSSION Energy balance was not preserved through the reproductive cycle, supporting previous contentions that the reproductive performance of female mantled howler monkeys may be energetically constrained. The contrast between these and results that we have previously reported, highlights the importance of conducting follow-up studies to continually improve our understanding of the reproductive energetics of primate females.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ariadna Rangel Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | | | - Amalia de la Torre Herrera
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Beatriz Cano Huertes
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Eduardo Reynoso Cruz
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Enrico Ceccarelli
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Eugenia E Gómez Espinosa
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - David R Chavira Ramírez
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Diana E Moreno Espinoza
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Domingo Canales-Espinosa
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Natalia Maya Lastra
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Pamela Cruz Miros
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Samuel Cañadas Santiago
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Sociedad Mexicana Forense del Documento y la Escritura S.C., Xalapa, Mexico.,Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Sara Garau
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Posgrado en Neuroetología, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Pedro A D Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Dias PAD, Montero Domínguez IL, Rangel Negrín A. Factors influencing infant sex ratio in howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.): A literature review and analysis. Am J Phys Anthropol 2020; 172:48-57. [PMID: 32141069 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Frequency-dependent selection is expected to maintain infant sex ratios around parity over evolutionary time. However, over ecological time periods, infant sex ratios vary, and it has been proposed that this variation may reflect adaptive processes. In primates, there are consistent patterns of variation in infant sex ratios, although their adaptive significance remains contentious. In addition to design issues, contrasting results could have derived across primates from variation in the fitness benefits accrued through sons or daughters associated with the specific social, ecological, and demographic context of populations. Thus, different sex allocation tactics could occur within species over time and space. METHODS We reviewed the literature to describe variation in infant sex ratio in howler monkeys (genus Alouatta) and to examine whether such a variation could be associated with adaptive sex allocation. We found 26 studies that provided data for this review. These studies yielded 96 infant sex reports, corresponding to 1,477 sexed infants. RESULTS Infant sex ratio across howler monkey species tends to parity, but females produce more sons under high group densities and more daughters when rainfall increases. DISCUSSION Based on these results, as well as on information on howler monkey dispersal patterns, demography, and within-group genetic relatedness, we speculate that, depending on population growth stage, sex allocation is explained by (a) local resource enhancement, that is, more cooperative philopatric daughters are produced when populations are growing; and (b) local resource competition, that is, more dispersing sons are produced when populations are saturated. Thus, there is evidence suggestive of adaptive variation in infant sex ratios in howler monkeys.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A D Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Irma L Montero Domínguez
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Ariadna Rangel Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Ceccarelli E, Rangel Negrín A, Coyohua‐Fuentes A, Canales‐Espinosa D, Dias PAD. Sex differences in leadership during group movement in mantled howler monkeys (
Alouatta palliata
). Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23099. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Ceccarelli
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de NeuroetologíaUniversidad VeracruzanaXalapa México
| | - Ariadna Rangel Negrín
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de NeuroetologíaUniversidad VeracruzanaXalapa México
| | | | | | - Pedro Américo D. Dias
- Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Instituto de NeuroetologíaUniversidad VeracruzanaXalapa México
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Ceccarelli E, Negrín AR, Coyohua-Fuentes A, Canales-Espinosa D, Dias PAD. An Exploration of the Factors Influencing the Spatial Behavior of Mantled Howler Monkeys (Alouatta palliata). INT J PRIMATOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-018-0075-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
|