Behavioral, endocrine, and immunological correlates of immigration by an aggressive male into a natural primate group

Alberts, Susan C.; Sapolsky, Robert M.; Altmann, Jeanne

doi:10.1016/0018-506x(92)90040-3

Cited by 160 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Second, although two studies of East African baboons have reported an increase in abortion rates in some early pregnant females following male immigration (Pereira 1983, Alberts et al 1992, no cases of abortion following male immigration have been observed in our study group. Instead, infant mortality is due to infanticide that occurs largely during the first few months after the immigrant male starts to challenge the alpha position.…”

Section: Events During the Time Of Male Rank Instabilitycontrasting

confidence: 82%

Focused grooming networks and stress alleviation in wild female baboons

Wittig

Crockford

Lehmann

et al. 2008

Hormones and Behavior

240

215

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We examine the relationship between glucocorticoid (GC) levels and grooming behavior in wild female baboons during a period of instability in the alpha male rank position. All females' GC levels rose significantly at the onset of the unstable period, though levels in females who were at lower risk of infanticide began to decrease sooner in the following weeks. Three factors suggest that females relied on a focused grooming network as a coping mechanism to alleviate stress. First, all females' grooming networks became less diverse in the weeks following the initial upheaval. Second, females whose grooming had already focused on a few predictable partners showed a less dramatic rise in GC levels than females whose grooming network had been more diverse. Third, females who contracted their grooming network the most experienced a greater decrease in GC levels in the following week. We conclude that close bonds with a few preferred partners allow female baboons to alleviate the stress associated with social instability.

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Section: Events During the Time Of Male Rank Instabilitycontrasting

confidence: 82%

Focused grooming networks and stress alleviation in wild female baboons

Wittig

Crockford

Lehmann

et al. 2008

Hormones and Behavior

240

215

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Together, these correlates of high rank, especially alpha status, may suppress immune function. In support, previous research has found that high-ranking male baboons have higher parasite loads, and one highly aggressive alpha male had a low white blood cell count (48,49).…”

supporting

confidence: 68%

“…These results are somewhat surprising in the context of other studies on status-related differences in health in male vertebrates, including research on baboons in Amboseli (48,49). In several species, testosterone has been proposed to mediate the tradeoff between reproductive effort, survival, and immune function (17,61).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 43%

Social status predicts wound healing in wild baboons

Archie

Altmann

Alberts

2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

140

147

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Social status can have striking effects on health in humans and other animals, but the causes often are unknown. In male vertebrates, status-related differences in health may be influenced by correlates of male social status that suppress immune responses. Immunosuppressive correlates of low social status may include chronic social stress, poor physical condition, and old age; the immunosuppressive correlates of high status may include high testosterone and energetic costs of reproduction. Here we test whether these correlates could create status-related differences in immune function by measuring the incidence of illness and injury and then examining healing rates in a 27-y data set of natural injuries and illnesses in wild baboon males. We found no evidence that the high testosterone and intense reproductive effort associated with high rank suppress immune responses. Instead, high-ranking males were less likely to become ill, and they recovered more quickly than low-ranking males, even controlling for differences in age. Notably, alpha males, who experience high glucocorticoids, as well as the highest testosterone and reproductive effort, healed significantly faster than other males, even other high-ranking males. We discuss why alpha males seem to escape from the immunosuppressive costs of glucocorticoids but low-ranking males do not, including the idea that glucocorticoids' effects depend on an individual's physiological and social context.

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“…For instance, in water striders hyper-aggressive males cause a breakdown of mating activity in the whole population compared with populations without extreme individuals under laboratory conditions (Sih & Watters 2005). In yellow baboons, one hyperaggressive male immigrant caused various deleterious effects on other group members, such as abortions by three pregnant females following constant harassment and a considerable increase in stress hormone levels in all group members (Alberts et al 1992). In humans, extremely non-cooperative individuals that relentlessly exploit others often fall into the category of 'sociopaths' or 'psychopaths' (Blair 2006;Blair et al 2006;Hare & Neumann 2008).…”

Section: How Does Personality Affect the Evolution And Maintenance Ofmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary causes and consequences of consistent individual variation in cooperative behaviour

Bergmüller

Schürch

Hamilton

2010

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

111

104

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Behaviour is typically regarded as among the most flexible of animal phenotypic traits. In particular, expression of cooperative behaviour is often assumed to be conditional upon the behaviours of others. This flexibility is a key component of many hypothesized mechanisms favouring the evolution of cooperative behaviour. However, evidence shows that cooperative behaviours are often less flexible than expected and that, in many species, individuals show consistent differences in the amount and type of cooperative and non-cooperative behaviours displayed. This phenomenon is known as 'animal personality' or a 'behavioural syndrome'. Animal personality is evolutionarily relevant, as it typically shows heritable variation and can entail fitness consequences, and hence, is subject to evolutionary change. Here, we review the empirical evidence for individual variation in cooperative behaviour across taxa, we examine the evolutionary processes that have been invoked to explain the existence of individual variation in cooperative behaviour and we discuss the consequences of consistent individual differences on the evolutionary stability of cooperation. We highlight that consistent individual variation in cooperativeness can both stabilize or disrupt cooperation in populations. We conclude that recognizing the existence of consistent individual differences in cooperativeness is essential for an understanding of the evolution and prevalence of cooperation.

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Behavioral, endocrine, and immunological correlates of immigration by an aggressive male into a natural primate group

Cited by 160 publications

References 31 publications

Focused grooming networks and stress alleviation in wild female baboons

Focused grooming networks and stress alleviation in wild female baboons

Social status predicts wound healing in wild baboons

Evolutionary causes and consequences of consistent individual variation in cooperative behaviour

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