Reproductive seasonality in primates: patterns, concepts and unsolved questions

Heldstab, Sandra A.; Schaik, Carel P. van; Müller, Dennis; Rensch, Eberhard; Lackey, Laurie Bingaman; Zerbe, Philipp; Hatt, Jean‐Michel; Clauss, Marcus; Matsuda, Ikki

doi:10.1111/brv.12646

Cited by 38 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 213 publications

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“…2a). This is a situation that has been tentatively described for primates (Heldstab et al 2020). Such a mechanism has also been reported for domestic sheep (Robinson et al 1985;Nicholls et al 1989) and goats (Delgadillo et al 2011) exposed to different experimental light regimes.…”

Section: Photoperiod-controlled Reproductionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…Species with photoperiod-controlled reproduction are likely to maintain their reproductive seasonality when kept in zoos at latitudes that provide detectable photoperiodic cues. This has been shown repeatedly in various mammal groups (demonstrated and reviewed in Zerbe et al 2012;Heldstab et al 2018Heldstab et al , 2020.…”

Section: Environments With Regular Fluctuations: Unpredictable or Presupporting

confidence: 53%

“…b Within the respective half of the year, the absolute daylength is the trigger, leading to systematic shifts in the Julian day of the onset of mating activity; the direction of the shift depends on the latitude of origin and zoo, and the position of the absolute daylength in relation to the equinox. A situation similar to a has been described in primates (Heldstab et al 2020), and a situation similar to b in ruminants (Zerbe et al 2012) apparently are characterized by comparatively short gestation periods for their body size.…”

Section: Seasonal Reproduction and Life Historymentioning

confidence: 57%

“…And if gestation periods are of a duration that allow births in this same period, the condition-threshold mechanism might be interpreted to have evolved as a particular adaptation to habitat seasonality. But the fact that animals reacting to this mechanism are rather characterized by longer rather than shorter gestation periods (Heldstab et al 2020) that would make coinciding of births in the same period more likely, speaks against this interpretation.…”

Section: Constrained Environments: Irregular or Regular?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Without making the distinction between the temporal predictability of seasons and the predictability of the magnitude of the seasonal resources, the concept that species with a photoperiod-controlled seasonal reproduction live in 'highly unpredictable environments' (Blanco et al 2015) appears self-contradictory. Madagascar, while located in the tropics, is home to a large number of highly seasonal species (Heldstab et al 2020). Whether Madagascar, or any other particular habitat, is peculiar due to a higher regularity in the temporal onset of the seasonal change of resources than other tropical seasonal environments, remains to be documented in this context.…”

Section: Environments With Predictable Fluctuations: Predictable Tempmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Basic considerations on seasonal breeding in mammals including their testing by comparing natural habitats and zoos

et al. 2020

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Seasonal reproduction is common in mammals. Whereas specific conditions triggering a seasonal response can only be identified in controlled experiments, large-scale comparisons of reproduction in natural habitats and zoos can advance knowledge for taxa unavailable for experimentation. We outline how such a comparison can identify species whose seasonal physiology is linked to photoperiodic triggers, and those whose perceived seasonality in the wild is the consequence of fluctuating resources without a photoperiodic trigger. This concept groups species into those that do not change their aseasonal pattern between natural habitats and zoos because they are not constrained by resources in the wild, those that do not change a seasonal pattern between natural habitats and zoos because they are triggered by photoperiod irrespective of resources, and those that change from a more seasonal pattern in the natural habitat to an aseasonal pattern in zoos because the zoo environment alleviates resource limitations experienced in the wild. We explain how detailed comparisons of mating season timing in both environments can provide clues whether a specific daylength or a specific number of days after an equinox or solstice is the likely phototrigger for a taxon. We outline relationships between life history strategies and seasonality, with special focus on relative shortening of gestation periods in more seasonal mammals. Irrespective of whether such shortening results from the adaptive value of fitting a reproductive cycle within one seasonal cycle (minimizing ‘lost opportunity’), or from benefits deriving from separating birth and mating (to optimize resource use, or to reduce infanticide), reproductive seasonality may emerge as a relevant driver of life history acceleration. Comparisons of data from natural habitats and zoos will facilitate testing some of the resulting hypotheses.

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Section: Photoperiod-controlled Reproductionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Environments With Regular Fluctuations: Unpredictable or Presupporting

confidence: 53%

Section: Seasonal Reproduction and Life Historymentioning

confidence: 57%

Section: Constrained Environments: Irregular or Regular?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environments With Predictable Fluctuations: Predictable Tempmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Basic considerations on seasonal breeding in mammals including their testing by comparing natural habitats and zoos

et al. 2020

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Seasonality of reproduction in wild cotton‐top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) in Colombia

Wheaton

Feilen

Soto

et al. 2022

American J Primatol

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Seasonal availability of resources can influence the timing and success of reproduction in primates. This study examines the annual pattern of conceptions, mid‐term (13 weeks) and full‐term (26 weeks) pregnancy losses, births, and infant survivorship of the Critically Endangered cotton‐top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) at Proyecto Tití's long‐term field site in Santa Catalina, Colombia. Using 18 years of behavior, physical exam, and fecal steroid data (N = 51 females, 168 conceptions, 121 liters), fecal estrone conjugate (E1C) and pregnanediol‐3‐glucuronide (PdG) or progesterone (P4) profiles were examined to investigate the relationships between female reproductive patterns and reproductive success with feeding and climatic data. Cotton‐top tamarins demonstrated seasonal patterns of reproduction and pregnancy losses. We found positive correlations between peak conception and nectarivory, births and rainfall, and mid‐lactation and frugivory. High body mass mothers reproducing during the peak season were more likely to have infants survive. Overall, these results suggest that tamarins use a “relaxed income‐breeder” strategy. Cotton‐top tamarins appear to maximize reproductive output at the time of ovulation, and can reduce their investment in the current reproductive effort at many stages. Changes in food availability due to habitat loss and climate change will require the Critically Endangered cotton‐top tamarins to alter their reproductive strategies to survive.

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On the evolution of distinctive natal coat coloration in primates

Caro

Brockelsbury

Ferrari

et al. 2022

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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Objectives: Neonates of several primate species are born with very different pelage coloration from their parents but then assume adult coat color within weeks or months of birth. We set out to test the three conventional functional hypotheses for this distinctive transient natal coat coloration in primates (infanticide, allomothering, and confusion of paternity) as well as solicitation of maternal care, and across all neonate primates, background matching, and Gloger's rule (dark coats being associated with humid environments). Materials and Methods:To examine the functional significance of neonate pelage coloration, we employed five different measures of distinctive coat coloration, new updated information on primate life histories, and a complete primate phylogeny of 286 species to control for shared ancestry.Results: Across primates, we found a strong association between distinctive natal coats and the prevalence of infanticide but no support for allomothering or confusing paternity. We also found that species in which young have distinct natal coats have relatively shorter interbirth intervals, as well as a tendency to be weaned earlier which is unrelated to allomothering. Darker primate natal coats (whether distinctive or not) are not found in shadier, warmer, or wetter habitats.Discussion: While distinct natal coats in primates are generally found in infanticidal species, we argue on logical grounds that this is not an advertisement to incoming males but instead neonate coloration solicits greater maternal care. This enables infants to pass through this infanticide-induced mortality-prone infant phase more rapidly. Conspicuous neonate coats in comparison to adults appear to act as a supernormal stimulus for mothers to hasten post-natal development of their offspring.

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Reproductive seasonality in primates: patterns, concepts and unsolved questions

Abstract: Primates, like other mammals, exhibit an annual reproductive pattern that ranges from strictly seasonal breeding to giving birth in all months of the year, but factors mediating this variation are not fully understood. We applied both a categorical description and quantitative measures

Cited by 38 publications

References 213 publications

Basic considerations on seasonal breeding in mammals including their testing by comparing natural habitats and zoos

Basic considerations on seasonal breeding in mammals including their testing by comparing natural habitats and zoos

Seasonality of reproduction in wild cotton‐top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) in Colombia

On the evolution of distinctive natal coat coloration in primates

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