Doctoral Dissertation Research: The reproductive ecology of the Kinda baboon

许多灵长类动物行为和进化的模型都严重依赖于研究得很好的狒狒属。然而，相对研究不足的金达狒狒表现出独特的身体和社会特征相比，其他狒狒物种，建议更广泛的各种生殖策略，应考虑在狒狒模型。 该项目将收集关于Kinda狒狒的新数据，以了解它们不寻常的生物学进化，促进未来对灵长类动物（包括我们自己的人类谱系）交配系统多样性进化的比较研究。该项目将促进研究生和本科生在研究的多个方面的培训，包括现场数据收集和处理，计算方法和实验室工作。该项目将支持国际研究合作，向学生和当地社区推广科学，保护工作以及通过各种媒体传播数据。狒狒是唯一一种我们缺乏详细生物学数据的物种，也是检验灵长类动物学进化模型预测的绝佳物种。类狒狒有一套独特的特征，包括减少性二态性和男性驱动的两性社会关系，这表明狒狒在生殖策略上表现出比以前认为的更多的变化。该项目将测试一个假设，即与其他狒狒相比，金达狒狒进化出的特征表明直接竞争较弱，间接竞争较强。该项目有两个主要目标：1）描述在金达狒狒种群中观察到的交配系统和生殖竞争类型; 2）描述这些特征对雌性性信号的影响。我们将通过以下方式实现这一目标：i）女性生殖生活史的表征; ii）生殖概况的激素评估; iii）女性生殖同步和男性生殖偏斜的计算;以及iv）女性性信号在广告女性生育力中的可靠性。由于这些参数的数据存在其他狒狒种群，我们将能够比较我们的结果与其他狒狒类群。该项目将产生关于野生Kinda狒狒繁殖的第一个详细的纵向数据集，特别是与生理和性信号有关的数据集。该项目将促进未来对灵长类动物和其他动物交配系统多样性进化的比较研究。此外，探索行为和生活史的相关性减少性二态性，观察到的特点，在金达狒狒，也在人类，将提供重要的见解人类生殖策略的进化和选择压力，导致现代人类的特征。

Many models of primate behavior and evolution have relied heavily on the generally well-studied baboon genus. However, the relatively understudied Kinda baboon exhibits unique physical and social traits compared to other baboon species, suggestion a wider variety of reproductive strategies that should be considered in baboon models. This project will collect new data on the Kinda baboon to understand the evolution of their unusual biology, facilitating future comparative studies into the evolution of mating system diversity among primates including our own hominin lineage. This project will facilitate the training of graduate and undergraduate students in multiple aspects of research including field data collection and processing, computational methods, and laboratory work. The project will support international research collaborations, science outreach to students and local communities, conservation efforts, and data dissemination through various media. Kinda are the only baboon species for which we lack detailed biological data, and are an excellent species on which to test predictions of evolutionary models in primatology. Kinda baboons have a unique suite of characteristics, including reduced sexual dimorphism and male-driven intersexual social relationships, suggesting that baboons exhibit more variation in their reproductive strategies than previously thought. This project will test the hypothesis that compared to other baboons, Kinda baboons evolved traits indicative of weaker direct, and stronger indirect, male-male competition. This project has two major objectives, to: 1) characterize the mating system and types of reproductive competition observed in a population of Kinda baboons; and 2) characterize the consequences of these characteristics for female sexual signaling. We will achieve this through: i) the characterization of female reproductive life-history; ii) hormonal assessment of reproductive profiles; iii) the calculation of female reproductive synchrony and male reproductive skew; and iv) the reliability of female sexual signals in advertising female fertility. Since data on these parameters exist for other baboon populations, we will be able to compare our results to those of other baboon taxa. This project will result in the first detailed longitudinal dataset on wild Kinda baboon reproduction, particularly in relation to physiology and sexual signaling. The project will facilitate future comparative studies into the evolution of mating system diversity among primates and other animals. Further, exploring the behavioral and life-history correlates of reduced sexual dimorphism, a characteristic observed in Kinda baboons and also in hominins, will provide important insights into the evolution of hominin reproductive strategies and the selective pressures leading to the derived suite of modern human traits.