Doctoral Dissertation Research: Cooperation, grooming exchange, and supply and demand among free-ranging primates

博士论文研究：自由放养灵长类动物的合作、毛发交换和供需

• 批准号: 1609114
• 负责人: Carol Berman
• 金额: $ 2.47万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Buffalo
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-09-01 至 2019-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1609114&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Cooperation; grooming

One defining characteristic of humans is their unusually cooperative nature, which is unparalleled among animals. An important goal for anthropology is to understand the nature and evolution of this "altruistic" behavior. This doctoral dissertation project will investigate cooperative exchanges among free-ranging rhesus macaques in order to test predictions from several competing evolutionary hypotheses about altruism. Studying cooperative exchanges among rhesus macaques will provide a comparative model for understanding the behavioral evolution of humans and our ancestors. The broader impacts of this project include the support of science education and outreach, through valuable field experience for research assistants, data analysis experience for undergraduates, and presentation of research results in various public formats, including local zoos and conferences.This study will observe grooming interactions among 50 adult female rhesus macaques from three social groups at Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, using focal animal sampling methodology, for eleven months (spanning both mating and birth seasons). Specifically, the project will examine how well reciprocal grooming exchanges resemble those predicted by several competing theoretical hypotheses (kin selection, reciprocal altruism, biological markets theory, and social bond investment), in one comprehensive and integrated analysis, via AIC model ranking. These exchanges will be examined across multiple time scales and across groups of variable sizes. Additionally, there will be a more detailed investigation of biological markets theory. By focusing on exchanges of grooming for mates or infant handling, this study will test a key prediction that such exchanges conform to supply and demand relationships. The extent to which apparent supply and demand relationships may be artifacts of, or mediated by, stress responses will be examined, with stress measured both behaviorally and via fecal glucocorticoid metabolite assays.

人类的一个决定性特征是他们不同寻常的合作性质，这在动物中是无与伦比的。人类学的一个重要目标是理解这种“利他”行为的本质和演变。这个博士论文项目将调查自由放养的恒河猴之间的合作交换，以检验几个关于利他主义的相互竞争的进化假说的预测。研究猕猴之间的合作交流将为理解人类和我们的祖先的行为进化提供一个比较模型。该项目的更广泛影响包括通过为研究助理提供宝贵的现场经验、为本科生提供数据分析经验以及以各种公共形式展示研究成果，包括当地动物园和会议，支持科学教育和外展。本研究将在波多黎各的卡约圣地亚哥，使用重点动物抽样方法，观察来自三个社会群体的50只成年雌性恒河猴的梳理互动，为期11个月(跨越交配季节和出生季节)。具体地说，该项目将通过AIC模型排名，在一个全面和综合的分析中，检验互惠美容交易所与几个相互竞争的理论假说(亲属选择、互惠利他主义、生物市场理论和社会债券投资)预测的相似程度。这些交易所将在多个时间尺度和不同规模的组之间进行审查。此外，还将对生物市场理论进行更详细的调查。这项研究将重点放在为配偶打扮或抚摸婴儿的交换上，以检验这样一个关键预测，即这种交换符合供求关系。表观的供需关系可能在多大程度上是应激反应的产物，或受应激反应的调节，将通过行为和粪便糖皮质激素代谢物分析来测量应激反应。