Type
Text
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Doran-Sheehy, Diane M | Borries, Carola | Fleagle, John | Wright, Patricia | Ehardt, Carolyn | Brown, Janine.
Date
2013-12-01
Keywords
Animal behavior | Mate choice, Ovarian hormones, Ovulation, Reproductive strategies, Sexual conflict, Udzungwa Mountains
Department
Department of Anthropology.
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/76888
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
Inter-sexual conflict, or the opposing reproductive strategies of males and females, has become a primary structural factor in current models of social organization as it drives an evolutionary arms-race between the sexes. In many primates living in polygynandrous groups, the mating strategy of dominant males is to guard fertile females, while females develop sexual swellings that provide males with information regarding the approximate, but not exact, timing of ovulation. This allows females to mate promiscuously, confusing paternity, while concentrating paternity on males with the best competitive ability, i.e. | those that are able to mate guard during the peak swelling period. My study aims to examine inter-sexual conflict in Sanje mangabeys (Cercocebus sanjei) by examining (1) ovarian endocrinology and reproductive characteristics; (2) changes in sexual swellings during menstrual cycles; and (3) whether males can detect ovulation and females of differing fertility. This study was conducted in an habituated group inhabiting the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania, over a 23-month period. Data collected include (a) demography; (b) changes in sexual swelling tumescence and appearance; (c) fecal samples for estradiol analysis (fE); (d) socio-sexual behavioral data from all-day receptive female focal follows; and (e) all occurrences of male agonism. Fluctuations of fE during the menstrual cycle and reproductive characteristics were within the expected range of other cercopithecines. Sexual swellings provided information on female fertility and timing of ovulation as it occurred when the swelling was at maximum tumescence, and particularly when the appearance of the swelling skin became brighter ('the shiny phase'). Dominant males guarded and mated more frequently with females during ovulation and the shiny phase, as well as during conceptive cycles, suggesting that they can detect ovulation and female fertility. Females, however, were still able to mate promiscuously while displaying swellings. This study demonstrates the occurrence of inter-sexual conflict in Sanje mangabeys, as males concentrated their mating efforts with the most fertile females, while females managed to overcome mate-guarding to mate with multiple males. Paternity analysis will ultimately demonstrate how effective males were at guarding females and the role of female behavior in male mating success. | 243 pages
Recommended Citation
Fernandez Sobrado, David, "Reproduction, sexual swellings and mating behavior in Sanje mangabeys (Cercocebus sanjei)" (2013). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 2762.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/2762