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Gussone L, García de la Chica A, Fernandez-Duque E. Intergroup encounters in pair-living primates: Comparative analysis and a case study of pair-living and monogamous owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) of Argentina. Am J Primatol 2024; 86:e23572. [PMID: 37919869 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
The function of intergroup encounters (IGEs) may differ substantially among species of different group sizes and social organizations. Research in group-living primates has shown that the behavioral responses during IGEs can vary widely from affiliative to neutral or aggressive interactions; still, little is known about IGEs in pair-living taxa. We conducted a systematic literature review to find relevant studies on the functions of IGEs in pair-living nonhuman primates that could inform analyses of IGE data (n = 242 IGEs, 21 groups and 10 solitary individuals, 1997-2020) from wild owl monkeys, a pair-living, monogamous primate with extensive biparental care. We identified 1315 studies published between 1965 and 2021; only 13 of them (n = 10 species) contained raw data on the number of IGEs. Our review of those studies showed that IGEs are common, but highly variable in their nature and characteristics in pair-living primates. To examine the non-mutually exclusive hypotheses of resource-, and mate defense, and infanticide avoidance we analyzed data from the Owl Monkey Project 27-year long database to build first an a priori model set. To incorporate prior knowledge from the literature review, we conducted our analyses as a consecutive series of binomial logistic regressions. All IGEs including all biologically relevant parameters (N = 156) were codified into three different behavioral categories (Reaction, Agonism, and Physical Aggression). The analysis showed that owl monkeys regularly engaged in IGEs, most of which were agonistic. They showed more reaction when infants were present, but reactions were less physically aggressive when infants and pregnant females were involved. Overall, our results lend more support for the infant and mate defense hypotheses than they do for the resource defense one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonie Gussone
- Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Bonn University, Bonn, Germany
- Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Twin-Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - Alba García de la Chica
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Owl Monkey Project-Fundación ECO, Formosa, Argentina
| | - Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
- Owl Monkey Project-Fundación ECO, Formosa, Argentina
- Department of Anthropology and School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Formosa, Formosa, Argentina
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Perea-Rodríguez JP, Corley MK, de la Iglesia H, Fernandez-Duque E. Thermoenergetic challenges and daytime behavioural patterns of a wild cathemeral mammal. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Heymann EW. New sniffing at New World primates: recent advances in the study of platyrrhine olfactory communication. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.2015454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eckhard W. Heymann
- Leibniz-Institut für Primatenforschung, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany(E-mail: )
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Garcia de la Chica A, Wood DB, Rotundo M, Fernandez‐Duque E. Responses of a pair‐living, sexually monogamous primate to the simulated presence of solitary individuals: A field playback experiment. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - David Bechtel Wood
- Owl Monkey Project‐ Fundación ECO Formosa Argentina
- Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
| | | | - Eduardo Fernandez‐Duque
- Owl Monkey Project‐ Fundación ECO Formosa Argentina
- Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
- Universidad de Formosa Formosa Argentina
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Corley M, Perea-Rodriguez JP, Valeggia C, Fernandez-Duque E. Associations between fecal cortisol and biparental care in a pair-living primate. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:295-307. [PMID: 34272723 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We quantified variation in fecal cortisol across reproductive periods in Azara's owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) to examine physiological mechanisms that may facilitate biparental care. Specifically, we evaluated evidence for the explanation that owl monkeys have hormonal mechanisms to mobilize energy during periods when each sex is investing heavily in reproduction, that is, the gestation period for females and the infant care period for males. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between 2011 and 2015, we monitored 10 groups of Azara's owl monkeys from a wild population in Formosa, Argentina and collected fecal samples from 26 adults (13 males, 13 females). Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, we quantified fecal cortisol as a proxy for evaluating stress responses, including energetic demands, on both sexes during periods of reproduction and parental care. RESULTS Male cortisol was lowest during periods when they were caring for young infants (<3 months) compared with periods with older infants or no infant. Female cortisol was elevated during gestation compared with other periods. Mean fecal cortisol in both males and females was lower when an infant was present compared with when females were gestating. DISCUSSION Our results do not support the hypothesis that owl monkey males have elevated fecal cortisol during periods when they need to mobilize energy to provide intensive infant care. Our findings are also inconsistent with the Maternal Relief hypothesis. However, results from studies measuring fecal cortisol must be interpreted with care and alternative explanations, such as seasonal fluctuations in diet and thermoenergic demands, should be considered when drawing conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Corley
- Department of Anthropology and School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Juan Pablo Perea-Rodriguez
- Project Conservémonos, Limon, Costa Rica.,WELL-PRIM Project, Eco-Anthropologie Lab (UMR 7602), Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France
| | - Claudia Valeggia
- Department of Anthropology and School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
- Department of Anthropology and School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Formosa, Formosa, Argentina
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Bustamante-Manrique S, Botero-Henao N, Castaño JH, Link A. Activity budget, home range and diet of the Colombian night monkey (Aotus lemurinus) in peri-urban forest fragments. Primates 2021; 62:529-536. [PMID: 33599820 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00895-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Forest fragmentation and deforestation are major threats to primates at a global scale. The survival of primates in forest fragments largely depends on their behavioral and dietary flexibility, as well as their ability to use a modified matrix in anthropogenic landscapes, hence the importance of determining these ecological parameters in habitats with strong anthropic interventions. This paper aims to describe the activity budget and diet of two groups of the Colombian night monkey (Aotus lemurinus) and to estimate their home range in two peri-urban forest fragments in the city of Manizales, Colombia. We combined scan sampling and handheld GPS fixes in order to determine the behavioral, dietary and spatial patterns of the study groups. Night monkeys spent most of their time resting and traveling and were mainly frugivorous relying on at least 26 plant species in their diet. The most consumed plants included Persea americana, Cecropia angustifolia, Musa x paradisiaca, Cecropia telenitida, and Croton cf. mutisianus. Two of these plants are cultivated species and can provide important resources for populations in small forest fragments. Home range sizes were estimated at 1.7 to 1.8 hectares, using a grid count method. Our results suggest the potential adaptability that these primates have when exposed to anthropogenic habitat disturbances and habitat degradation. Nonetheless, future studies should evaluate the influence of demographic factors and resource availability on the behavioral, dietary and spatial patterns of A. lemurinus in peri-urban forests, in order to further understand their ability to cope with the pervasive processes of habitat fragmentation in the northern Andes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastián Bustamante-Manrique
- Semillero de Investigación en Primatología y Conservación de sus Ecosistemas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia. .,Laboratório de Primatologia, Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brasil.
| | - Nicolás Botero-Henao
- Semillero de Investigación en Primatología y Conservación de sus Ecosistemas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Caldas, Manizales, Colombia
| | - John Harold Castaño
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología de la Conservación y Biotecnología, Corporación Universitaria Santa Rosa de Cabal-UNISARC, Km 4 vía Santa Rosa de Cabal, Risaralda, Colombia
| | - Andrés Link
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
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Van Belle S, Porter AM, Fernandez-Duque E, Di Fiore A. Ranging behavior and the potential for territoriality in pair-living titi monkeys (Plecturocebus discolor). Am J Primatol 2020; 83:e23225. [PMID: 33368565 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Patterns of ranging behavior and space use are key for evaluating current ideas about the evolution and maintenance of pair-living and sexual monogamy as they provide insights into the dispersion of females, the potential for territoriality, and whether males are limited to defending an area that can support only one female and her offspring. We examined ranging behavior and space use to evaluate the potential for territoriality in five groups of red titi monkeys (Plecturocebus discolor) during a 10-year study in Ecuadorian Amazonia. Mean home range size, calculated using a time-sensitive local convex hull estimation procedure, was 4.0 ± 1.4 ha. Annual home ranges of neighboring groups overlapped, on average, 0%-7%. Mean daily path length was 670 ± 194 m, resulting in defendability indices of 2.2-3.6 across groups. Groups visited, on average, 4 of 12 sections of their home range border area per day, but that was not more often than would be expected by chance, and intergroup encounters were infrequent. We did not find evidence of active monitoring for intruders in border areas, in that groups did not travel either faster or slower when at the border than when in central areas of their range. The absence of overt monitoring might be compensated for by engaging in loud calls, which the study groups did throughout their home ranges; these calls may serve as an advertisement of occupancy and a deterrent to intruding conspecifics. Our finding that red titis have a high potential for territoriality is consistent with several of the main hypotheses proposed to explain pair-living in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarie Van Belle
- Department of Anthropology and Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Amy M Porter
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
- Department of Anthropology and School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Formosa, Formosa, Argentina.,College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Cumbayá, Ecuador
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology and Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.,College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Cumbayá, Ecuador
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Fernandez-Duque E, Huck M, Van Belle S, Di Fiore A. The evolution of pair-living, sexual monogamy, and cooperative infant care: Insights from research on wild owl monkeys, titis, sakis, and tamarins. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 171 Suppl 70:118-173. [PMID: 32191356 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
"Monogamy" and pair bonding have long been of interest to anthropologists and primatologists. Their study contributes to our knowledge of human evolutionary biology and social evolution without the cultural trappings associated with studying human societies directly. Here, we first provide an overview of theoretical considerations, followed by an evaluation of recent comparative studies of the evolution of "social monogamy"; we are left with serious doubts about the conclusions of these studies that stem from the often poor quality of the data used and an overreliance on secondary sources without vetting the data therein. We then describe our field research program on four "monogamous" platyrrhines (owl monkeys, titis, sakis, and tamarins), evaluate how well our data support various hypotheses proposed to explain "monogamy," and compare our data to those reported on the same genera in comparative studies. Overall, we found a distressing lack of agreement between the data used in comparative studies and data from the literature for the taxa that we work with. In the final section, we propose areas of research that deserve more attention. We stress the need for more high-quality natural history data, and we urge researchers to be cautious about the uncritical use of variables of uncertain internal validity. Overall, it is imperative that biological anthropologists establish and follow clear criteria for comparing and combining results from published studies and that researchers, reviewers, and editors alike comply with these standards to improve the transparency, reproducibility, and interpretability of causal inferences made in comparative studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.,Owl Monkey Project, Fundación ECO, Formosa, Argentina.,Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Formosa, Formosa, Argentina.,College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Maren Huck
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Derby, Derby, UK
| | - Sarie Van Belle
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.,Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador.,Department of Anthropology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.,Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, University of Texas, Austin, Texas
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Huck M, Di Fiore A, Fernandez-Duque E. Of Apples and Oranges? The Evolution of “Monogamy” in Non-human Primates. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
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Sexual dimorphism in the loud calls of Azara's owl monkeys (Aotus azarae): evidence of sexual selection? Primates 2019; 61:309-319. [PMID: 31729621 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-019-00773-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Primates use different types of vocalizations in a variety of contexts. Some of the most studied types have been the long distance or loud calls. These vocalizations have been associated with mate defense, mate attraction, and resource defense, and it is plausible that sexual selection has played an important role in their evolution. Focusing on identified individuals of known sex and age, we evaluated the sexual dimorphism in a type of loud calls (hoots) in a population of wild owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) in Argentina. We found evidence of sexual dimorphism in call structure, with females and males only emitting one type of call, each differing in dominant frequency and Shannon entropy. In addition, both age-related and sex-specific differences in call usage were also apparent in response to the removal of one group member. Future acoustic data will allow us to assess if there are individual characteristics and if the structure of hoot calls presents differences in relation to the social condition of owl monkeys or specific sex responses to variants of hoot calls' traits. This will provide deeper insights into the evolution of vocal mechanisms regulating pair bonding and mate choice strategies in this and other primate species.
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Van Belle S, Porter A, Fernandez-Duque E, Di Fiore A. Ranging behavior and potential for territoriality in equatorial sakis (Pithecia aequatorialis) in Amazonian Ecuador. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:701-712. [PMID: 30276790 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2017] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Territoriality refers to the consistent defense of an area within the home range (HR) against intrusions of conspecifics. It implies exclusive space use with low degree of overlap among neighboring groups, high site fidelity, specific ranging behavior such as high mobility relative to HR size and frequent visits of territory borders, and monitoring behavior. We examined ranging behavior and use of space to evaluate territoriality in Pithecia aequatorialis in Ecuador. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between 2005 and 2015, we monitored one main study group continuously and five additional groups for shorter periods (5 months to 2.5 years) at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station, in eastern Ecuador. We scored the location of the study groups at 20 min intervals during, on average, 5 days per month. We estimated saki HRs and core areas (CAs) using the fixed kernel density method (95 and 50%, respectively). RESULTS The average HR size was 57 ha and the average CA 14 ha. The degree of overlap between HRs of neighboring groups was low (2-9%). For the main study group, the average overlap between annual HRs was 82%. Mean daily path length across groups was 1,151 m; the defensibility index varied between 1.1 and 2.3 (values >1 are suggestive of territoriality), and the fractional monitoring rate varied between 0.06 and 0.15 (values >0.08 are suggestive of territoriality). Groups did not visit their HR borders (100 m inner buffer) more often than would be expected by chance. Travel speed and directness were comparable between the borders and the centers of groups' HRs. DISCUSSION Our multiyear study suggests that equatorial sakis show low degree of range overlap and high site fidelity and have the potential to be territorial, given their high mobility relative to HR size that allows for frequent border monitoring. Nevertheless, their movement patterns in border areas did not reveal evidence for monitoring behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarie Van Belle
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
| | - Amy Porter
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Eduardo Fernandez-Duque
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.,Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Formosa, Formosa, Argentina
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
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