Males with a mother living in their group have higher paternity success in bonobos but not chimpanzees

Surbeck, Martin; Boesch, Christophe; Crockford, Catherine; Thompson, Melissa Emery; Furuichi, Takeshi; Fruth, Barbara; Hohmann, Gottfried; Ishizuka, Shintaro; Machanda, Zarin; Muller, Martin N.; Pusey, Anne E.; Sakamaki, Tetsuya; Tokuyama, Nahoko; Walker, Kara K.; Wrangham, Richard W.; Wroblewski, Emily E.; Zuberbühler, Klaus; Vigilant, Linda; Langergraber, Kevin E.

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.03.040

Cited by 67 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…In bonobos, higher ranking males also have higher reproductive success, but male bonobos do not compete severely over social ranking: males seldom form coalitions within a group, and seldom injure their opponent (Surbeck et al, , c; Ishizuka et al, ; this study). Studies suggest that a male bonobo's social ranking and mating success are largely influenced by support from their mother and female mate choice rather than by direct competition among males (Furuichi, ; Surbeck et al, , ; Surbeck, Deschner, Schubert, Weltring, & Hohmann, ). Additionally, mating competition in male bonobos might be mitigated by prolonged female sexual receptivity (Furuichi, , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inter‐group aggressive interaction patterns indicate male mate defense and female cooperation across bonobo groups at Wamba, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tokuyama

Sakamaki

Furuichi

2019

American J Phys Anthropol

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Objectives: Although conflicts between groups over valuable resources are common in the animal kingdom, an individual's strategy toward out-group individuals may differ according to the benefits and costs received from inter-group interactions. Groups of bonobos encounter each other frequently and may mingle and range together from a few hours to a few days. During these inter-group associations, individuals across groups exhibit both aggressive and affiliative interactions. This study aimed to examine the strategies that bonobos employ with other groups, by comparing the patterns of within-and inter-group aggression. Materials and methods:We observed the aggressive interactions within a group of wild bonobos and between the group and three neighboring groups in Wamba, Luo Scientific Reserve, DR Congo.Results: Bonobos increased the level of cooperation to attack out-group individuals more than they do to attack within-group individuals. Additionally, they reduced the aggression between within-group members during inter-group associations, compared to that when not associated with other groups. Males selectively and cooperatively attacked out-group males. Inter-group aggression among females was rare. Furthermore, females sometimes formed coalitions with out-group individuals to attack a common target. Discussion: Our results support the hypothesis that inter-group competition occurs in bonobos, with males across groups competing over mates. Females across groups were tolerant and even cooperative with each other. Regardless of the ideal male strategy, female tolerant and cooperative relationships across groups and female within-group superiority over males could preserve tolerant inter-group relationships in bonobos. K E Y W O R D S agonistic interactions, cooperation, inter-group relationships, multigroup association, Pan paniscus

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inter‐group aggressive interaction patterns indicate male mate defense and female cooperation across bonobo groups at Wamba, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tokuyama

Sakamaki

Furuichi

2019

American J Phys Anthropol

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“…The species difference in the relationship between the dyad category and average relatedness value was significant (Table 1). Previous studies indicated that male reproductive skew was higher in bonobos than in chimpanzees 23,24 , which was mainly because reproductive success of males was largely affected by their mothers in bonobos but not in chimpanzees 34 . Higher male reproductive skew in bonobos is expected to increase relatedness among males within bonobo groups rather than within chimpanzee groups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Comparisons of between-group differentiation in male kinship between bonobos and chimpanzees

Ishizuka

Takemoto

Sakamaki

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Patterns of kinship among individuals in different groups have been rarely examined in animals. Two closest living relatives of humans, bonobos and chimpanzees share many characteristics of social systems including male philopatry, whereas one major difference between the two species is the nature of intergroup relationship. Intergroup relationship is basically antagonistic and males sometimes kill individuals of other groups in chimpanzees, whereas it is much more moderate in bonobos and copulations between individuals of different groups are often observed during intergroup encounters. Such behavioural differences may facilitate more frequent between-group male gene flow and greater between-group differentiation in male kinship in bonobos than in chimpanzees. Here we compared differences between average relatedness among males within groups and that among males of neighbouring groups, and between-group male genetic distance between bonobos and chimpanzees. Contrary to expectation, the differences between average relatedness among males within groups and that among males of neighbouring groups were significantly greater in bonobos than in chimpanzees. There were no significant differences in autosomal and Y-chromosomal between-group male genetic distance between the two species. Our results showed that intergroup male kinship is similarly or more differentiated in bonobos than in chimpanzees. Kinship is one of key factors to affect affinity among animals 1. It has been clarified that reciprocity and cooperation in animals have been attributed to kin selection, a process whereby individuals cooperate with relatives and gain indirect fitness benefits through the reproduction of kin 2. Researchers have clarified that kin selection can occur within social groups of each species. However, patterns of kinship among individuals in different groups have been rarely examined in especially large mammalian species (e.g. chimpanzee 3 , western lowland gorilla 4), since it is tough to examine them in the wild. For a better understanding of the influences of kinship on social interactions in animals, patterns of kinship among individuals in different groups should be investigated with references about patterns of social interactions among them. Comparisons between bonobos and chimpanzees are effective in examining the relationships between intergroup interactions and kinship among individuals in different groups. These two species share many characteristics of their social system including male philopatry, multi-male/multi-female group composition, and fission-fusion dynamics 5-7. Despite these similarities, the nature of intergroup relationship largely differs between the two species. Intergroup relationship in chimpanzees is basically antagonistic and male chimpanzees sometimes make lethal coalitionary attacks and kill males of different groups 8-11. Contrary to chimpanzees, bonobos show much more moderate intergroup relationships. Although intergroup male-male relationships are antagonistic, male bonobos rarely show lethal...

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“…In orcas, living mothers continue to influence their adult son’s survival, potentially due to maternal knowledge of ephemeral food sources ( 8 ). In primates, for sons, mothers’ presence at the time of siring increases the reproductive success of sexually mature male muriquis ( Brachyteles arachnoides ) ( 49 ) and bonobos ( Pan paniscus ) but not of chimpanzees ( 22 ). In each case, the reported influence is during adolescence or adulthood, whereby mothers who maintain bonds with their sons gain indirect fitness benefits in the form of grandoffspring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, mothers who survive longer may do so, because they are better quality, and the genes responsible may produce better quality sons who gain higher reproductive success than rivals. This potential confound is common to studies of this type ( 22 ) and is difficult to address with the genomic and genealogical data available from slow life-history wild animals. Although hereditary factors may play a role in driving the patterns we observe, we argue that the particular structure of chimpanzee society featuring male philopatry and life-long associations between males and mothers makes our inference regarding the importance of the prolonged mother and offspring relationship highly plausible.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postweaning maternal care increases male chimpanzee reproductive success

et al. 2020

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Humans are unusual among animals for continuing to provision and care for their offspring until adulthood. This “prolonged dependency” is considered key for the evolution of other notable human traits, such as large brains, complex societies, and extended postreproductive lifespans. Prolonged dependency must therefore have evolved under conditions in which reproductive success is gained with parental investment and diminished with early parental loss. We tested this idea using data from wild chimpanzees, which have similarly extended immature years as humans and prolonged mother-offspring associations. Males who lost their mothers after weaning but before maturity began reproducing later and had lower average reproductive success. Thus, persistent mother-immature son associations seem vital for enhancing male reproductive success, although mothers barely provision sons after weaning. We posit that these associations lead to social gains, crucial for successful reproduction in complex social societies, and offer insights into the evolution of prolonged dependency.

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Males with a mother living in their group have higher paternity success in bonobos but not chimpanzees

Cited by 67 publications

References 8 publications

Inter‐group aggressive interaction patterns indicate male mate defense and female cooperation across bonobo groups at Wamba, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Inter‐group aggressive interaction patterns indicate male mate defense and female cooperation across bonobo groups at Wamba, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Comparisons of between-group differentiation in male kinship between bonobos and chimpanzees

Postweaning maternal care increases male chimpanzee reproductive success

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