Parentage analysis within a semi‐free‐ranging group of Barbary macaques Macaca sylvanus

Abstract

This study of a group of semi-free-ranging Barbary macaques Macaca sylvanus aimed to determine paternity, to establish whether any individual male achieved prominent mating success and to assess genetic variability. Analyses involved electrophoresis of 15 blood protein systems and multilocus DNA fingerprinting (isotopic and nonisotopic). Genetic variability was low; only two blood protein systems were polymorphic. Although all DNA-fingerprints were individual-specific, they showed a high average band-sharing index value (0.67). Nevertheless, a combination of all methods permitted inference of paternity in 11 out of 15 (73%) cases tested. Several males from different age classes fathered infants.

Male and Female Reproductive Success in Macaca sylvanus in Gibraltar: No Evidence for Rank Dependence

“…Indeed, some authors found a positive correlation in some nonseasonal breeders: M. fascicularis (de Ruiter et al, 1994), M. arctoides (Bauers and Hearn, 1994), and M. sinica (Keane et al, 1997). By contrast, researchers did not detect a clear relationship between male rank and reproductive success in some seasonal breeders: M. fuscata (Takahata et al, 1999), M. mulatta (Berard et al, 1993), and M. sylvanus (Paul et al, 1993;von Segesser et al, 1995;and this study). However, for some of them results from different studies were inconsistent: M. mulatta (Berard et al, 1993;Smith, 1993), M. fuscata (Soltis et al, 1997(Soltis et al, , 2001) and M. fascicularis (de Ruiter et al, 1994;Shively and Smith, 1985).…”

“…Paul et al (1993) found correlations between male rank and male reproductive success in 3 of 4 mating seasons, but only when subadult males were included in the analysis. In a different study, von Segesser et al (1995) demonstrated that out of 10 adult and subadult males at least 5 and possibly as many as 8 fathered infants. However, in that study no quantitative data on rank relationships were available.…”

Reproductive success in relation to dominance rank in the absence of prime‐age males in Barbary macaques

“…In Gibraltar subadult and adult males between 5 and 7 years of age were the most successful, whereas males aged 10 years and above contributed to only 36% of total reproductive success. Such results have not been reported before for Macaca sylvanus and differ considerably from those found by other authors [Kuester et al, 1995;Kümmerli & Martin, 2005;Paul et al, 1993;von Segesser et al, 1995], reporting that reproductive success of males was highest at 11 years of age and above. Although Kümmerli and Martin [2005] studied the same group on Middle Hill, the authors used data before group fission in 1998, including a different set of males with a dominance structure strikingly different from that in the present population.…”

Genetic differentiation within and between isolated Algerian subpopulations of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus): evidence from microsatellites

“…Previous studies of Barbary macaques focused on variation in allozymes and in minisatellite DNA fingerprints and revealed a relatively low level of genetic variation (e.g. Küster et al 1992; Ménard et al 1992; Scheffrahn et al 1993; von Segesser et al 1995).…”

“…Dispersing males typically migrate over short distances, such that they usually join neighbouring social groups (Ménard & Vallet 1996). The Barbary macaque differs from most other macaque species in having a highly promiscuous mating system, such that several males achieve paternity in a group at any one time (Ménard et al 1992; von Segesser et al 1995). This will increase effective population size and thus mitigate the effects of genetic isolation.…”