Reproduction in captive lion tamarins (Leontopithecus): Seasonality, infant survival, and sex ratios

Abstract

Cristavao RJ, B r a dDiversity in reproductive and social systems characterizes the primate family Callitrichidae. This paper contributes to our appreciation of this diversity by presenting the first detailed comparative analysis of captive breeding in three species of lion tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysomelas, L. chrysopygus, and L. rosalia) housed at the Centro de Primatologia do Rio de Janeiro. The annual pattern of reproduction in all three species of Leontopithecus was markedly seasonal, with births occurring during the spring, summer, and fall months from August through March. While modal number of litters produced per female per year was 1, approximately 20% of breeding females produced two litters per year. The onset of breeding activity in years when two litters are produced was significantly earlier than in years when only one litter was produced. The cumulative number of offspring surviving to 3 months of age did nut differ between years with one vs. two breeding attempts. Like other callitrichids, postnatal mortality was highest during the first week of life, and there were pronounced species differences in offspring survival h u g h 1 year, with significantly lower survivorship in L . chrysornelas. Infant survivorship was affected by a number of experiential factors. Survivorship up to 30 days of life was higher in groups in which the breeding female had previous experience with infants as a nonbreeding helper than in groups in which the female lacked previous helping experience. Likewise, survivorship to 30 days of life was higher for infants born to multiparous females than for infants born to primiparous females. When parity and previous helping experience were analyzed concurrently, the lowest survivorship was associated with offspring produced by inexperienced primiparous females. Genus-wide, there was no significant departure from a 5050 sex ratio at any point during the first year of life, nor was there evidence for differential mortality for male and female infants. Hawever, L. chrysopygus produced significantly more male infants at birth (6544) and had male-biased litters (approximately 60% males) throughout the first year of life, while L . chrysomelas showed a nonsignificant tendency toward female-biased litters. o

Opportunistic mothers: female marmosets (Callithrix kuhlii) reduce their investment in offspring when they have to, and when they can

“…Experiential factors are known to exert longlasting, if not permanent, enhancement effects on female primates' motivation to care for offspring (see review in Coe, 1990), and callitrichid females are no exception. Parturient and sibling-rearing experience have been shown to positively impact the expression of competent and nurturing maternal care and greatly improve infant survivorship in a variety of callitrichid species (e.g., black lion tamarins, Leontopithecus chrysopygus: French et al, 1996b; common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus: Tardif et al, 1984; cotton-top tamarins, Saguinus oedipus: Kirkwood et al, 1983;Tardif et al, 1984;Bardi et al, 2001; golden lion tamarins, L. rosalia: Hoage, 1978;French et al, 1996b;golden-headed lion tamarins, L. chrysomelas: French et al, 1996b;saddleback tamarins, S. fuscicollis: Epple, 1975). Once the prerequisite experience is gained, however, experiential factors appear to exert little impact on future variability in the expression of infant caregiving behavior.…”

Different Sex Allocations in Two Related Species: The Case of the Extant Hippopotamus

“…Nevertheless, numerous other studies report significant deviations from an equal sex ratio for individual parents (Clutton‐Brock & Iason ; French et al. ; Landete‐Castillejos et al. ; Cameron & Linklater ; Dušek et al.…”