Determinants of Male Dominance and Reproductive Success in Wild Primates

题目：野生灵长类动物雄性优势和繁殖成功的决定因素雄性黑猩猩和狒狒竞争优势地位和获得接受性雌性的机会。该项目的最终目标是确定雄性繁殖成功是如何受到体型、犬齿长度和形态对称等身体特征以及社会支配、联盟形成、父权照顾和培养与雌性的长期关系等行为策略的影响。普西博士的研究将在贡贝国家公园的黑猩猩和狒狒身上进行，这些种群已经被研究了近40年。这是一个非凡的数据库，在此基础上可以锚定对该项目结果的解释。目前的目标是通过从粪便样本和头发中提取DNA来完善排除父子关系的技术。样本将在坦桑尼亚贡贝国家公园收集，作为长期研究的一部分。将测试各种提取技术，并筛选人类MapPairTM引物，以确定黑猩猩和狒狒的遗传标记，这些标记表现出必要的杂合水平，但其等位基因与人类有足够的区别，以尽量减少与污染相关的问题。测量身体实力、对称性、支配地位和繁殖成功之间的关系，将增加对两性二态性进化的理解，以及对称在表明“质量”方面的重要性。测量行为策略的影响将揭示雄性交配竞争在多大程度上推动了复杂社会行为的进化。由于这些基因技术是非侵入性的，该项目将大大提高监测濒危种群近亲繁殖水平的能力。

Animal Behavior ProgramNontechnical AbstractProposal #: 9817588PI: Pusey, AnneTitle: Determinants of male dominance and reproductive success in wild primatesMale chimpanzees and baboons compete for dominance rank and for access to receptive females. The ultimate goal of the project is to determine how male reproductive success is influenced by such physical traits as body size, canine length and morphological symmetry and by such behavioral strategies as social dominance, alliance formation, paternal care and the cultivation of long-term relationships with females. Dr. Pusey's research will be carried out on the chimpanzees and baboons of Gombe National Park on populations that have been studied for nearly 40 years. This is an extraordinary database upon which to anchor interpretations of the results from this project. The immediate goal is to perfect techniques for paternity exclusions by extracting DNA from fecal samples and hair. Samples will be collected as part of the long-term studies at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Various extraction techniques will be tested, and human MapPairTM primers will be screened to identify genetic markers in chimpanzees and baboons that exhibit necessary levels of heterozygosity yet whose alleles are sufficiently distinguishable from humans to minimize problems associated with contamination.Measuring the relationship between physical prowess, symmetry, dominance rank, and reproductive success will increase understanding of the evolution of sexual dimorphism and the importance of symmetry in indicating "quality." Measuring the effects of behavioral strategies will reveal the extent to which male mating competition has driven the evolution of complex social behavior. Because these genetic techniques are non-invasive, the project will greatly enhance the ability to monitor levels of inbreeding in endangered populations.