Reproductive seasonality is a poor predictor of receptive synchrony and male reproductive skew among nonhuman primates

Gogarten, Jan F.; Koenig, Andreas

doi:10.1007/s00265-012-1432-2

Cited by 48 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Should our hypothesis be true, we would expect to find outside takeovers in other primates with high reproductive skew, and many males per group as well. However, such species are probably rare in primates, because the number of males and reproductive skew are usually negatively correlated with each other [Gogarten & Koenig, 2012]. The reason why some species do not follow this pattern is still unclear and merits further study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alpha male replacements and delayed dispersal in crested macaques (Macaca nigra)

Marty

Hodges

Agil

et al. 2015

American J Primatol

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In species with a high male reproductive skew, competition between males for the top dominant position is high and escalated fights are common between competitors. As a consequence, challenges incur potentially high costs. Selection should favor males who time an alpha male challenge to maximize chances of a successful outcome minimizing costs. Despite the importance of alpha male replacements for individual males, we know little about the timing of challenges and the condition of the challenger. We investigated the timing and process of alpha male replacements in a species living in multi‐male groups with high male reproductive skew, the crested macaque. We studied four wild groups over 6 years in the Tangkoko Reserve, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, during which 16 alpha male replacements occurred. Although unusual for cercopithecines, male crested macaques delayed their natal dispersal until they attained maximum body mass and therefore fighting ability whereupon they emigrated and challenged the alpha male in another group. Accordingly, all observed alpha male replacements were from outside males. Ours is the first report of such a pattern in a primate species living in multi‐male groups. Although the majority of alpha male replacements occurred through direct male‐male challenges, many also took place opportunistically (i.e., after the alpha male had already been injured or had left the group). Furthermore, alpha male tenures were very short (averaging ca. 12 months). We hypothesize that this unusual pattern of alpha male replacements in crested macaques is related to the species‐specific combination of high male reproductive skew with a large number of males per group. Am. J. Primatol. 79:e22448, 2017. © 2015 The Authors. American Journal of Primatology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alpha male replacements and delayed dispersal in crested macaques (Macaca nigra)

Marty

Hodges

Agil

et al. 2015

American J Primatol

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“…Consistent with this prediction, males of primate species with large group sizes exhibit more sexually dimorphic and visually conspicuous secondary sexual ornaments than those living in small groups [35]. However, an increased number of males within breeding groups is also predicted to generate increased risk and intensity of sperm competition, with evolutionary consequences for male expenditure on ejaculates [37][38][39][40][41]. If males face a trade-off between ornamentation and ejaculate expenditure, post-mating sexual selection might constrain the independent evolution of ornamentation among primate species and contribute to the variation in ornamentation seen across the primate phylogeny.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Sexual ornaments but not weapons trade off against testes size in primates

2019

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Males must partition their limited reproductive investments between traits that promote access to females (sexual ornaments and weapons) and traits that enhance fertilization success, such as testes and ejaculates. Recent studies show that if the most weaponized males can monopolize access to females through contest competition, thereby reducing the risk of sperm competition, they tend to invest less in sperm production. However, how males invest in sexual ornaments relative to sperm production remains less clear. If male ornaments serve as badges of status, with high-ranking males attaining near-exclusive access to females, similar to monopolizing females through combat, their expression should also covary negatively with investment in post-mating traits. In a comparative study across primates, which exhibit considerable diversification in sexual ornamentation, male weaponry and testes size, we found relative testes size to decrease with sexual ornaments but increase with canine size. These contrasting evolutionary trajectories might be driven by differential selection, functional constraints or temporal patterns of metabolic investment between the different types of sexual traits. Importantly, however, our results indicate that the theory of relative investments between weapons and testes in the context of monopolizing females can extend to male ornaments.

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“…Recent studies have combined modeling and metaanalysis to better comprehend the factors driving this striking variation (Gogarten and Koenig, 2013;Kutsukake and Nunn, 2009;Ostner et al, 2008b;Port and Kappeler, 2010). Given that mate-guarding has been proven to significantly enhance mating and/or reproductive success in male primates (rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta, Berard et al, Hormones and Behavior 66 (2014) [637][638][639][640][641][642][643][644][645][646][647][648] 1994; Bercovitch, 1997, long-tailed macaques, M. fascicularis, de Ruiter et al, 1994Engelhardt et al, 2006; Japanese macaques, M. fuscata, Matsubara, 2003;and mandrills, Mandrillus sphinx, Setchell et al, 2005), this behavior is also likely to be one of the determinants of male reproductive skew.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Costs of mate-guarding in wild male long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis): Physiological stress and aggression

Girard‐Buttoz

Heistermann

Rahmi

et al. 2014

Hormones and Behavior

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Mate-guarding is an important determinant of male reproductive success in a number of species. However, it is known to potentially incur costs. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of mate-guarding on male physiological stress and aggression in long-tailed macaques, a species in which males mate-guard females to a lesser extent than predicted by the Priority of Access model (PoA). The study was carried out during two mating periods on three groups of wild long-tailed macaques in Indonesia by combining behavioral observations with non-invasive measurements of fecal glucocorticoid (fGC) levels. Mate-guarding was associated with a general rise in male stress hormone levels but, from a certain threshold of mate-guarding onwards, increased vigilance time was associated with a decrease in stress hormone output. Mate-guarding also increased male-male aggression rate and male vigilance time. Overall, alpha males were more physiologically stressed than other males independently of mating competition. Increased glucocorticoid levels during mate-guarding are most likely adaptive since it may help males to mobilize extra-energy required for mate-guarding and ultimately maintain a balanced energetic status. However, repeated exposure to high levels of stress over an extended period is potentially deleterious to the immune system and thus may carry costs. This potential physiological cost together with the cost of increased aggression mate-guarding male face may limit the male's ability to mate-guard females, explaining the deviance from the PoA model observed in long-tailed macaques. Comparing our results to previous findings we discuss how ecological factors, reproductive seasonality and rank achievement may modulate the extent to which costs of mate-guarding limit male monopolization abilities.

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Reproductive seasonality is a poor predictor of receptive synchrony and male reproductive skew among nonhuman primates

Cited by 48 publications

References 77 publications

Alpha male replacements and delayed dispersal in crested macaques (Macaca nigra)

Alpha male replacements and delayed dispersal in crested macaques (Macaca nigra)

Sexual ornaments but not weapons trade off against testes size in primates

Costs of mate-guarding in wild male long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis): Physiological stress and aggression

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