Primate Mating Systems in Relation to Environmental Resources and Reproductive Success

这笔赠款允许Dietz博士继续他对金狮绒猴(Leontopithecus Rosalia)的研究。这是一种濒临灭绝的物种，仅限于巴西东南海岸一条狭窄地带的孤立森林碎片。Poco das Antas保护区有许多这样的绒猴部队。Dietz和他的团队将监测20到30个小组的领土的组成、繁殖和大小、质量和重叠。绒猴和罗望子猴是生物学家特别感兴趣的物种，因为它们有几个不同的社会群体。一些部队是一夫一妻制的；另一些部队以一名男性为中心，伴随着几名女性；另一些军队是围绕着一名女性和几名男性组成的。迪茨博士正在研究这种变异性，以确定其原因。他还将尝试确定每一类群体中个体的相对生殖适合度。他的预测是，环境质量的差异会导致不同种类的群体组成，而一夫一妻制是对糟糕的资源质量的回应。这项研究将检验这一想法。这项研究之所以重要，有两个原因。首先，金狮猴是濒临灭绝的物种，目前正在努力在几个动物园繁殖它们。迪茨博士收集的数据将有助于实现这一目标。其次，不同种类的灵长类动物表现出不同的社会组织，造成这些差异的原因尚不清楚。因为这些动物在一个物种内有如此广泛的社会行为，它们提供了一个特别宝贵的机会来理解这个问题。

This grant permits Dr. Dietz to continue his study of the golden lion marmoset (Leontopithecus rosalia). This marmoset, which is an endangered species, is confined to isolated fragments of forest in a narrow strip along the southeast coast of Brazil. The Poco das Antas Reserve contains a number of these marmoset troops. Dietz and his team will monitor the composition, reproduction and size, quality and overlap of territories for between 20 and 30 groups. Marmosets and tamarins are of particular interest to biologists because they have several distinct kinds of social groupings. Some troops are monogamous; other are centered about a male accompanied by several females; others are organized around a focal female accompanied by several males. Dr. Dietz is examining this variability in order to determine its cause. He will also attempts to determine the relative reproductive fitness for individuals in each type of group. His prediction is that differences in environmental quality lead to different kinds of group composition, and that monogamy is a response to poor resource quality. This research will test that idea. This research is important for two reasons. First, the golden lion marmoset is an endangered species, and efforts are underway to breed them in several zoological parks. The data collected by Dr. Dietz will aid in this goal. Second, different species of primates exhibit different kinds of social organization and the reasons for these differences are not clear. Because these animals have such a wide range of social behavior within a single species, they offer a particularly valuable opportunity to understand this issue.