1
|
Petersdorf M, Weyher AH, Heistermann M, Gunson JL, Govaerts A, Siame S, Mustill RL, Hillegas ME, Winters S, Dubuc C, Higham JP. Multimodal sexual signals are not precise indicators of fertility in female Kinda baboons. Horm Behav 2024; 165:105632. [PMID: 39244874 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2024] [Revised: 08/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/10/2024]
Abstract
Female fertility signals are found across taxa, and the precision of such signals may be influenced by the relative strength of different sexual selection mechanisms. Among primates, more precise signals may be found in species with stronger direct male-male competition and indirect female mate choice, and less precise signals in species with stronger indirect male-male competition (e.g. sperm competition) and direct female mate choice. We tested this hypothesis in a wild population of Kinda baboons in Zambia, combining data on female signals with reproductive hormones (estrogen and progesterone metabolites) and intra- and inter-cycle fertility. We predicted that Kinda baboons will exhibit less precise fertility signals than other baboon species, as they experience weaker direct and stronger indirect male-male competition. The frequency of copulation calls and proceptive behavior did not vary with hormones or intra- or inter-cycle fertility in almost all models. Sexual swelling size was predicted by the ratio of estrogen to progesterone metabolites, and was largest in the fertile phase, but differences in size across days were small. Additionally, there was variability in the timing of ovulation relative to the day of sexual swelling detumescence across cycles and swelling size did not vary with inter-cycle fertility. Our results suggest that female Kinda baboon sexual swellings are less precise indicators of fertility compared to other baboon species, while signals in other modalities do not reflect variation in intra- and inter-cycle fertility. Female Kinda baboon sexual signals may have evolved as a strategy to reduce male monopolizability, allowing for more female control over reproduction by direct mate choice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Megan Petersdorf
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Pl., New York, NY 10003, United States.
| | - Anna H Weyher
- Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 240 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA 01003, United States
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, Göttingen 37077, Germany.
| | - Jessica L Gunson
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Pl., New York, NY 10003, United States.
| | - Alison Govaerts
- Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Simon Siame
- Kasanka National Park, P.O. Box 850073, Serenje, Zambia
| | - Ruby L Mustill
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Pl., New York, NY 10003, United States; Department of Anthropology, Columbia University, 1200 Amsterdam Ave, Schermerhorn Extension, New York, NY 10027, United States.
| | - Madison E Hillegas
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Pl., New York, NY 10003, United States.
| | - Sandra Winters
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom.
| | - Constance Dubuc
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Pl., New York, NY 10003, United States
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Pl., New York, NY 10003, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lee DS, Knittel T, Deschner T, Heistermann M, Higham JP. Testing the role of testosterone versus estrogens in mediating reproductive transitions in female rhesus macaques. Horm Behav 2022; 139:105123. [PMID: 35149292 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In male vertebrates, testosterone is generally known to coordinate reproductive trade-offs, in part by promoting the transition to the next reproduction at the expense of current parental care. The role of testosterone in reproductive transitions has been little tested in female vertebrates, especially in mammals. The present study sought to fill this gap, by first undertaking an experimental study, in which we identified DHT, androstenediol, and in particular etiocholanolone, as fecal androgen metabolites which reflect serum testosterone concentration in female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Using concentrations of fecal etiocholanolone as proxy for circulating testosterone, we then conducted a field study on 46 free-ranging rhesus macaques of Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, to test if testosterone mediates the trade-off between reproductive transition (a higher chance of reproducing in the next year) and current reproduction (providing more care to current offspring). While the evidence for testosterone was weak, the testing of fecal immunoreactive estrogen metabolites suggested a potential role of estrogen in reproductive trade-offs. We found large individual differences in fecal etiocholanolone concentrations during the early postpartum period that were unexplained even after accounting for sociodemographic factors such as age and dominance rank. Further investigation is needed to understand this variation. Our study suggests that the actions of testosterone in females may not have evolved to fulfil the same role in primate reproductive transitions as it does in males, and we encourage more studies to consider the function of testosterone in reproductive behaviors and life history transitions in females of mammalian taxa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D Susie Lee
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York 10003, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York 10024, NY, USA.
| | - Tina Knittel
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Interim Group Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Interim Group Primatology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York 10003, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York 10024, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wojciechowski FJ, Kaszycka KA, Řeháková M. Social Behavior of a Reproducing Pair of the Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) in Captivity. J APPL ANIM WELF SCI 2019; 23:493-507. [DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2019.1689505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Filip J. Wojciechowski
- Department of Human Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Anthropology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
- Wings of Serenity Inc., Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines
| | - Katarzyna A. Kaszycka
- Department of Human Evolutionary Ecology, Institute of Anthropology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | | |
Collapse
|