Female infanticide and female-directed lethal targeted aggression in a group of ring-tailed lemurs (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Lemur catta&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;)

Kittler, Klara; Dietzel, Silvio

doi:10.5194/pb-3-41-2016

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Additionally, intragroup female competition for access to resources increases during the nonbreeding season [39, 100]. During these social disputes, the killing of vulnerable infants, committed by both sexes, is a significant risk [19, 48, 53, 56, 60]. Signaling one’s health and vitality may reduce the likelihood of aggressive encounters that could lead to infanticide by competing females (reviewed in [116]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic variation at MHC class II loci influences both olfactory signals and scent discrimination in ring-tailed lemurs

et al. 2019

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Background Diversity at the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) is critical to health and fitness, such that MHC genotype may predict an individual’s quality or compatibility as a competitor, ally, or mate. Moreover, because MHC products can influence the components of bodily secretions, an individual’s body odors may signal its MHC composition and influence partner identification or mate choice. Here, we investigated MHC-based signaling and recipient sensitivity by testing for odor-gene covariance and behavioral discrimination of MHC diversity and pairwise dissimilarity in a strepsirrhine primate, the ring-tailed lemur ( Lemur catta ). Methods First, we coupled genotyping of the MHC class II gene, DRB, with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of genital gland secretions to investigate if functional genetic diversity is signaled by the chemical diversity of lemur scent secretions. We also assessed if the chemical similarity between individuals correlated with their MHC-DRB similarity. Next, we assessed if lemurs discriminated this chemically encoded, genetic information in opposite-sex conspecifics. Results We found that both sexes signaled overall MHC-DRB diversity and pairwise MHC-DRB similarity via genital secretions, but in a sex- and season-dependent manner. Additionally, the sexes discriminated absolute and relative MHC-DRB diversity in the genital odors of opposite-sex conspecifics, suggesting that lemur genital odors function to advertise genetic quality. Conclusions In summary, genital odors of ring-tailed lemurs provide honest information about an individual’s absolute and relative MHC quality. Complementing evidence in humans and Old World monkeys, we suggest that reliance on scent signals to communicate MHC quality may be important across the primate lineage. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-019-1486-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic variation at MHC class II loci influences both olfactory signals and scent discrimination in ring-tailed lemurs

et al. 2019

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“…For example, the free‐ranging ring‐tailed lemur colony located on St. Catherines Island, where natural predators can kill infants, has a first‐year mortality rate of only 24.5% (Parga & Lessnau, ). Besides natural predation and severe drought, infanticide by adult males is reported (Hood, ), while female indifference (Jolly, ) or female aggression (Kittler & Dietzel, ) are also a cause of infant mortality. During our study period, 40.7% of non‐surviving infants disappeared despite staff searches.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Affiliative and non‐affiliative relationships between the animals strengthen during the birth season when the females have higher nutritional needs. When troops encounter each other, there is a high risk of aggression, with females taking the most active part in fights (Kittler & Dietzel, ). Aggression also occurs within the troops, with dominant animals repeatedly targeting and attacking low‐ranked members of the same sex, leading to significant wounds, expulsion, and sometimes even death (Jolly, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Captive ring‐tailed lemur breeding in semi‐free ranging conditions and genetic parentage analysis

Breton

Thibault

Werts³

et al. 2019

Zoo Biology

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The ring‐tailed lemur (Lemur catta), one of the most iconic and widely recognized primates in the world, is threatened in its native range and classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The global conservation strategy for the species includes ex situ conservation efforts led by zoological institutions in the framework of regional captive breeding programs. To maximize the conservation of genetic diversity and optimize breeding programs, an accurate pedigree must be established in captive populations. Our study documents the formation and subsequent monitoring of a large ring‐tailed lemur group in a French zoological institution. Based on staff's behavioral observations and DNA analyses using 11 microsatellite markers, we were able to document the survival and reproduction rates of the lemurs in this situation and reconstruct the pedigree of infants born in the institution. In total, 22 of the 28 imported animals as well as 4 locally born individuals gave birth to 58 infants of which 28 survived. The consistent genotypes obtained from the 53 sampled animals allowed us to identify 25 of the sires and 27 of the dams for the 28 surviving infants. A total of 12 different females and 14 different males produced the 28 surviving infants, suggesting that no individual dominates reproduction. This pioneering study has practical applications for the captive management of the species, which can be raised to the individual level instead of the group level.

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“…Along with increased scent-marking activity by both sexes, intra-male and intersexual aggression peak during the breeding season 55 – 59 ; intra-female aggression also increases during the birthing and lactation seasons 56 , 60 – 63 . Physical aggression in ring-tailed lemurs is characterized by cuffs, lunges, chases and bites, occurring on the ground and in the trees 42 , 56 , 64 ; subsequent injuries, whether from conspecifics or from falls, may be severe or even lethal 65 (see Fig. 1b 60 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1b 60 ). Injured animals, most often males, may pay both physical costs (e.g., physiological stress, injury) and social costs (e.g., loss of dominance status, reduced reproductive access, eviction from the group 60 , 62 , 65 – 68 ). If olfactory signals are honest indicators of lemur condition that are costly to produce and maintain, then injured animals might be challenged to preserve normal scent signatures whilst their energetic resources are diverted towards recovery.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Costs of injury for scent signalling in a strepsirrhine primate

Harris

Boulet

Grogan

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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Honesty is crucial in animal communication when signallers are conveying information about their condition. Condition dependence implies a cost to signal production; yet, evidence of such cost is scarce. We examined the effects of naturally occurring injury on the quality and salience of olfactory signals in ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta). Over a decade, we collected genital secretions from 23 (13 male, 10 female) adults across 34 unique injuries, owing primarily to intra-group fights. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we tested for differences in the chemical composition of secretions across pre-injury, injury and recovery, in animals that did and did not receive antibiotics. Lemur genital secretions were significantly dampened and altered during injury, with patterns of change varying by sex, season and antibiotics. Using behavioural bioassays (excluding odorants from antibiotic-treated animals), we showed that male ‘recipients’ discriminated injury status based on scent alone, directing more competitive counter marking towards odorants from injured vs. uninjured male ‘signallers.’ That injured animals could not maintain their normal signatures provides rare evidence of the energetic cost to signal production. That conspecifics detected olfactory-encoded ‘weakness’ suggests added behavioural costs: By influencing the likelihood of intra- or inter-sexual conflict, condition-dependent signals could have important implications for socio-reproductive behaviour.

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Female infanticide and female-directed lethal targeted aggression in a group of ring-tailed lemurs (<i>Lemur catta</i>)

Cited by 9 publications

References 43 publications

Genetic variation at MHC class II loci influences both olfactory signals and scent discrimination in ring-tailed lemurs

Genetic variation at MHC class II loci influences both olfactory signals and scent discrimination in ring-tailed lemurs

Captive ring‐tailed lemur breeding in semi‐free ranging conditions and genetic parentage analysis

Costs of injury for scent signalling in a strepsirrhine primate

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