Abstract
Ovarian cycles in catarrhine primates are uniquely characterized by prolonged periods of sexual activity in which the timings of ovulation and copulation do not necessarily correspond. According to current hypotheses of primate social evolution, extended sexuality in multi-male groups might represent part of a female strategy to confuse paternity in order to reduce the risk of infanticide by males. We test this hypothesis by examining mating behaviour in relation to timing of ovulation and paternity outcome in a multi-male group of free-living Hanuman langurs. Using faecal progestogen measurements, we first document that female langurs have extended receptive periods in which the timing of ovulation is highly variable. Next, we demonstrate the capacity for paternity confusion by showing that ovulation is concealed from males and that copulations progressively decline throughout the receptive phase. Finally, we demonstrate multiple paternity, and show that despite a high degree of monopolization of receptive females by the dominant male, non-dominant males father a substantial proportion of offspring. We believe that this is the first direct evidence that extended periods of sexual activity in catarrhine primates may have evolved as a female strategy to confuse paternity.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (168.2 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Austin C. R. Ageing and reproduction: post-ovulatory deterioration of the egg. J Reprod Fertil Suppl. 1970 Mar;12:39–53. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Borries C., Launhardt K., Epplen C., Epplen J. T., Winkler P. DNA analyses support the hypothesis that infanticide is adaptive in langur monkeys. Proc Biol Sci. 1999 May 7;266(1422):901–904. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1999.0721. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Domb L. G., Pagel M. Sexual swellings advertise female quality in wild baboons. Nature. 2001 Mar 8;410(6825):204–206. doi: 10.1038/35065597. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- German J. Mongolism, delayed fertilization and human sexual behaviour. Nature. 1968 Feb 10;217(5128):516–518. doi: 10.1038/217516a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hausfater G. Dominance and reproduction in Baboons (Papio cynocephalus). Contrib Primatol. 1975;7:1–150. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Launhardt K., Epplen C., Epplen J. T., Winkler P. Amplification of microsatellites adapted from human systems in faecal DNA of wild Hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus). Electrophoresis. 1998 Jun;19(8-9):1356–1361. doi: 10.1002/elps.1150190826. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Launhardt Kristin, Borries Carola, Hardt Cornelia, Epplen Jörg T., Winkler Paul. Paternity analysis of alternative male reproductive routes among the langurs (Semnopithecus entellus) of Ramnagar. Anim Behav. 2001 Jan;61(1):53–64. doi: 10.1006/anbe.2000.1590. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lohiya N. K., Sharma R. S., Puri C. P., David G. F., Anand Kumar T. C. Reproductive exocrine and endocrine profile of female langur monkeys, Presbytis entellus. J Reprod Fertil. 1988 Mar;82(2):485–492. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0820485. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Nunn CL. The evolution of exaggerated sexual swellings in primates and the graded-signal hypothesis. Anim Behav. 1999 Aug;58(2):229–246. doi: 10.1006/anbe.1999.1159. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Whitten P. L., Brockman D. K., Stavisky R. C. Recent advances in noninvasive techniques to monitor hormone-behavior interactions. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1998;Suppl 27:1–23. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8644(1998)107:27+<1::aid-ajpa2>3.0.co;2-h. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ziegler T., Hodges K., Winkler P., Heistermann M. Hormonal correlates of reproductive seasonality in wild female hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus). Am J Primatol. 2000 Jun;51(2):119–134. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2345(200006)51:2<119::AID-AJP2>3.0.CO;2-O. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]