Relatedness in Wild Primates

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9507423 This project will use genetic analysis to determine the patterns of paternity and male reproductive success in the chimpanzees and baboons of Gombe National Park, Tanzania. These populations have been studied under the direction of Dr. Jane Goodall for 35 and 28 years, respectively. In both species, females mate with many males, and males show a variety of mating strategies including mating at high frequencies, aggressive competition for access to females, possessive behavior, the formation of consortships, and the cultivation of special relationships with females. However, little is known of the relative effectiveness of these strategies in achieving paternity because genetic analysis has not been possible. This project will use a non-invasive procedure, the extraction of DNA from feces, to obtain genetic material for analysis. Samples from 250 baboons in five troops, and 20 chimpanzees in one community, have already been collected, and techniques for DNA extraction have been perfected. Samples will be collected from additional infants and unsampled potential parents in six baboon troops and two chimpanzee communities to yield total sample sizes of 150 infant baboons and 20 infant chimpanzees. Approximately 8 hypervariable regions of the nuclear DNA will be amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and paternity will be determined by comparing the genotypes of infants, their mothers, and potential fathers. In combination with the detailed behavioral records, knowledge of paternity will allow assessment of the effectiveness of different mating strategies. The study will provide new information about patterns mf relatedness within groups and will provide new insights into the evolution of competitive behavior and affiliative relationships in these species.