Dissertation Research: Female Mate Selection in Chimpanzees of the Tai Forest, Cote d'Ivoire

最近对象牙海岸泰森林黑猩猩的遗传研究表明，研究社区中有一半的后代是另一个群体的雄性后代。这是值得注意的，因为雌性被认为主要留在自己的领地内，而群体外的雄性很少与这些雌性交配。这些令人惊讶的结果挑战了我们之前对黑猩猩繁殖成功的许多预期，并表明雌性黑猩猩对父子关系的影响可能比之前认为的更大。这项对泰森林黑猩猩进行的为期24个月的拟议研究将直接解决雌性在多大程度上表现出对特定雄性的配偶偏好，2)影响性行为的结果，以及3)在它们最有可能怀孕的时期对性行为的结果表现出更大的影响。通过跟踪雌性在整个发情周期的持续时间，这项研究将检查发情的不同阶段的雌性生殖行为。它将根据男性和女性交配策略之间的内在冲突，阐明影响女性影响性互动结果的能力的最大因素。这项研究的结果将有助于我们了解黑猩猩在野外的遗传和行为繁殖模式，有助于阐明导致黑猩猩不同繁殖成功的因素，并为保护和维持该物种的遗传多样性提供必要的信息。

Recent genetic research on chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) of the Tai forest, Ivory Coast reveals that half of the offspring in the study community were sired by males from another group. This is remarkable because females are thought to Remain primarily within their own territory, and extra- group males are rarely seen to mate with these females. These surprising results have challenged many of our prior expectations regarding chimpanzee reproductive success and suggest that females may have more influence on paternity than previously thought. The proposed 24 month study of chimpanzees in the Tai forest will directly address the extent to which females 1) express mate preference for particular males, 2) influence the outcome of sexual interactions, and 3) demonstrate greater influence on the outcome of sexual interactions during the time when they are most likely to conceive. By following females throughout the duration of their estrous cycles, this study will examine female reproductive behavior at various stages of estrous. It will elucidate factors that most influence a female's ability to affect the outcome of a sexual interaction, in light of the inherent conflicts between male and female mating strategies. Results from this study will contribute to our understanding of the genetic and behavioral reproductive patterns of chimpanzees in the wild, assist in elucidating the factors responsible for differential reproductive success in chimpanzees, and provide essential information for informed decision-making regarding the conservation and maintenance of the genetic diversity of this species.