Doctoral Dissertation Research: Examining causes and consequences of variation in male reproductive success in wild primates

博士论文研究：检查野生灵长类动物雄性繁殖成功率变异的原因和后果

• 批准号: 2018489
• 负责人: Jacinta Beehner
• 金额: $ 2.77万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-09-01 至 2023-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2018489&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Examining; causes

In nonhuman primates a range of male behaviors are observed that relate to male success in siring offspring. This doctoral dissertation research project examines reproductive payoffs of different male strategies (aggressive versus affiliative) in wild geladas (primates). Results from this study provide valuable insights about the evolution of male reproductive strategies and will enhance understanding about the adaptive significance of male-female social bonds in a long-lived primate species. While conducting the proposed research, the doctoral student will continue to work with K-12 students from underrepresented communities to foster excitement about science and research and give talks about primate behavior and evolution at local elementary schools. Additionally, the doctoral student will continue training undergraduate students in the laboratory throughout her dissertation research and mentor women from groups underrepresented in primatology.This research investigates how different male behavioral strategies affect reproductive success in geladas. Male geladas gain reproductive opportunities by becoming the dominant leader over a family of multiple females and their offspring. Male reproduction is thus a function of the number of fertile females in the group combined with how long he remains the dominant leader (tenure length). The proposed project will use long term data (collected over 13 years) in combination with detailed behavioral, hormonal, and paternity data from individually known leader males to assess which factors contribute to male reproductive success. First, the investigators will measure reproductive success by assigning paternity through genotyping all leader males and infants in the project. Second, they will quantify physical attributes that could affect reproductive success in geladas. These include: i) body size (measured through laser photogrammetry), ii) chest patch redness (measured by comparing photos of gelada chest patch against a standard color checker chart), and iii) testosterone levels using fecal samples collected from individual leader males (measured through a biotin labelled enzyme-immunoassay). Third, the investigators will assess what social strategies males employ to increase reproductive success by quantifying male-female social relationships through behavioral observations and recording the occurrence of infanticide.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在非人灵长类动物中，观察到一系列与雄性成功繁衍后代有关的雄性行为。这个博士论文研究项目探讨了野生狮尾狒狒（灵长类动物）不同雄性策略（攻击性与亲和性）的生殖回报。这项研究的结果提供了有价值的见解男性生殖策略的进化，并将提高对男性-女性社会债券的适应意义的长寿灵长类动物物种的理解。在进行拟议的研究时，博士生将继续与来自代表性不足的社区的K-12学生合作，以培养对科学和研究的热情，并在当地小学进行有关灵长类动物行为和进化的讲座。此外，博士生将继续在实验室培训本科生在她的论文研究和指导妇女从群体在灵长类动物学代表性不足。这项研究调查了不同的男性行为策略如何影响狒狒的繁殖成功。雄性狒狒通过成为多个雌性及其后代的家庭的主导领导者来获得生殖机会。因此，男性生殖是群体中有生育能力的女性数量的函数，同时也是他保持主导地位的时间（任期长度）。拟议的项目将使用长期数据（收集超过13年），结合详细的行为，激素和亲子关系数据，从个别已知的领导男性，以评估哪些因素有助于男性生殖成功。首先，研究人员将通过对项目中所有领导雄性和婴儿进行基因分型来确定父子关系，从而衡量生殖成功率。其次，他们将量化可能影响狮尾狒狒繁殖成功的物理属性。其中包括：i）体型（通过激光摄影测量法测量），ii）胸斑发红（通过将狮尾狒狒胸斑的照片与标准颜色检查表进行比较来测量），和iii）使用从个体首领雄性收集的粪便样品的睾酮水平（通过生物素标记的酶免疫测定法测量）。第三，研究人员将通过行为观察和记录杀精行为来量化男女社会关系，从而评估男性采用何种社会策略来提高生殖成功率。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Social correlates of androgen levels and dispersal age in juvenile male geladas

幼年雄性狒狒雄激素水平与分散年龄的社会相关性

• DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105264
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Hormones and Behavior
• 影响因子: 3.5
• 作者: Sen, Sharmi;Carrera, Sofia C.;Heistermann, Michael;Potter, Caitlin Barale;Baniel, Alice;DeLacey, Patricia M.;Petrullo, Lauren;Lu, Amy;Beehner, Jacinta C.
• 通讯作者: Beehner, Jacinta C.