Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Balancing Offspring Production and Care: Behavioral and Endocrine Correlates in Male Baboons

NSF0851980 Altmann&Amp；Onyango摘要许多实地研究的背景，包括对灵长类的研究，都是由社会生态学模型提供的。在其基本形式中，该模型预测雌性的分布通常遵循生态资源的分布；雄性跟踪雌性的分布，从而使后代产量最大化。因此，通常认为，在多雄多雌的哺乳动物群体中，雄性通过与尽可能多的雌性交配以增加后代的数量来最大限度地适应环境。然而，最近的证据表明，这些群体中的一些男性也会照顾他们的后代。在这种情况下，男性对健康的看法应该包括其后代的存活率和质量，而不仅仅是产生的后代数量。缺乏关于男性在后代生产和父母照顾之间的投资平衡的经验证据，导致目前对男性生活史战略的理解存在很大差距。这项研究使用了一种基于个体的方法来收集行为和内分泌数据，以衡量雄性稀树草原狒狒(Papio Cynocephalus)的这种投资平衡。受试者包括肯尼亚五个野生动物研究小组的所有50名男性。具体地说，这项研究将考察男性的年龄和活着的未成熟后代的数量在多大程度上预测行为和生理，这些行为和生理影响(1)后代的生产和父母的照顾，以及(2)交配的强度。此外，将从长期的安博塞利浣熊研究项目数据库(3)中检索数据，以评估在不同群体之间转移的雄性在多大程度上提高了后代的产量，同时放弃了在其先前的群体中提供父亲照顾的健康后果。通过阐明男性的生活史策略，本研究将有助于建立一个更丰富的社会生态学模型。对肯尼亚的技术转让将包括非侵入性激素技术。将利用肯尼亚以前的K-12教学经验来扩大受众，传播研究成果和影响。

NSF0851980 Altmann&Onyango AbstractThe context for much field research, including that on primates, is provided by the socioecological model. In its basic form, this model predicts that the distribution of females typically follows that of ecological resources; and that males track the distribution of females, thereby maximizing offspring production. It is, therefore, generally assumed that mammalian males in multi-male multi-female groups maximize fitness by mating with as many females as possible so as to increase the number of offspring produced. However, recent evidence indicates that males in some of these groups also provide care to their offspring. In such cases, a male's perspective on fitness is expected to include the survival and quality of his offspring rather than simply the number of offspring produced. Empirical evidence on males' balance of investment between offspring production and parental care is lacking, resulting in a significant gap in current understanding of male life history strategies. This study uses an individual-based approach to collect behavioral and endocrine data to measure this investment balance in male savanna baboons (Papio cynocephalus). The subjects include all 50 males in five wild-living study groups in Kenya. Specifically, the study will examine the extent to which a male's age and number of living immature offspring predict behavior and physiology that impact on (1) offspring production and parental care, and (2) intensity of mating. In addition, data will be retrieved from the long-term Amboseli Baboon Research Project database (3) to evaluate the extent to which males transferring between groups improve offspring production while foregoing fitness consequences of providing paternal care in their prior group. By illuminating male life history strategies this study will contribute to the formulation of a more rich socioecological model. Technology transfer to Kenya will include noninvasive hormone techniques. Prior K-12 teaching experience in Kenya will be used to broaden the audience for dissemination of research results and implications.