Adolescent male chimpanzees do not form a dominance hierarchy with their peers

Sandel, Aaron A.; Reddy, Rachna B.; Mitani, John C.

doi:10.1007/s10329-016-0553-z

Cited by 20 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 65 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Finally, the relatively long process of rank acquisition in naturalistic populations is likely due to the slower process of ascension above older animals, rather than peers. Our results, and the results of other studies, suggest that hierarchies among peers develop first (although see Sandel, Reddy, & Mitani, in chimpanzees). Indeed, de Waal and Luttrell () also found that bared‐teeth displays (also known as fear grimaces), a formal signal of subordination, developed among peers relatively quickly, followed by the slower transition to older matriarchs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Rank acquisition in rhesus macaque yearlings following permanent maternal separation: The importance of the social and physical environment

Wooddell¹,

Kaburu

Murphy³

et al. 2017

Developmental Psychobiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rank acquisition is a developmental milestone for young primates, but the processes by which primate yearlings attain social rank in the absence of the mother remain unclear. We studied 18 maternally reared yearling rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) that differed in their social and physical rearing environments. We found that early social experience and maternal rank, but not individual traits (weight, sex, age), predicted dominance acquisition in the new peer-only social group. Yearlings also used coalitions to reinforce the hierarchy, and social affiliation (play and grooming) was likely a product, rather than a determinant, of rank acquisition. Following relocation to a familiar environment, significant rank changes occurred indicating that familiarity with a physical environment was salient in rank acquisition. Our results add to the growing body of literature emphasizing the role of the social and physical environment on behavioral development, namely social asymmetries among peers.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Rank acquisition in rhesus macaque yearlings following permanent maternal separation: The importance of the social and physical environment

Wooddell¹,

Kaburu

Murphy³

et al. 2017

Developmental Psychobiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Age also predicted subordinate male mating success, a result that was driven mostly by males that were at least 15 years old being more successful than males that were 12 to 14 years old (i.e. adults and adolescents, approximately [47]). That the age effect held after accounting for rank, which has an inverted-U relationship with age [48], suggests that adult males are more successful than adolescents at using alternative mating strategies (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incomplete control and concessions explain mating skew in male chimpanzees

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sexual selection theory predicts that because male reproductive success in mammals is limited by access to females, males will attempt to defend access to mates and exclude rivals from mating. In mammals, dominance rank is correlated with male reproductive success; however, the highestranking (alpha) male rarely monopolizes reproduction completely. To explain why, incomplete control models propose that alpha males simply cannot control other males' access to mates. If true, then dominance rank should be a key factor influencing subordinate (non-alpha) male mating success. Alternatively, the concession model states that alpha males can prevent other males from gaining access to mates but posits that they concede matings to subordinates in exchange for social favours. This predicts that a male's grooming interactions with the alpha should mediate his access to females. We test these predictions using 36 years of data, encompassing the tenures of eight alpha male chimpanzees at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Incomplete control models were most strongly supported. At a given copulation event, the probability that the alpha was the male that mated was negatively associated with the number of males and sexually receptive females in the party. Additionally, as the number of males increased, high dominance rank was associated with an increased likelihood that a particular non-alpha male mated. The concession model, however, was also supported. The amount of time a male spent grooming with the alpha was positively associated with his likelihood of mating when the alpha was present in the party. As grooming is a major affiliative component of male social relationships, our results suggest that social bonds with dominant individuals are leveraged for mating access, particularly in species in which males form coalitions.

show abstract

“…One is that bonds develop during adulthood when male chimpanzees forge social bonds with relatives and peers to help in the acquisition and maintenance of dominance rank (Nishida, 1983;Riss & Goodall, 1977). Adolescent male chimpanzees, however, do not form decided dominance relationships with their peers (Sandel, Reddy, & Mitani, 2017). As a consequence, male chimpanzees may wait to establish bonds with others until adulthood, when they begin competing for status.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescent male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) form social bonds with their brothers and others during the transition to adulthood

Sandel

Langergraber

Mitani

2020

American J Primatol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Social relationships play an important role in animal behavior. Bonds with kin provide indirect fitness benefits, and those with nonkin may furnish direct benefits. Adult male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) exhibit social bonds with maternal brothers as well as unrelated adult males, facilitating cooperative behavior, but it is unclear when these bonds develop. Prior studies suggest that social bonds emerge during adolescence. Alternatively, bonds may develop during adulthood when male chimpanzees can gain fitness benefits through alliances used to compete for dominance status. To investigate these possibilities and to determine who formed bonds, we studied the social relationships of adolescent and young adult male chimpanzees (N = 18) at Ngogo in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Adolescent male chimpanzees displayed social bonds with other males, and they did so as often as did young adult males. Adolescent and young adult males frequently joined subgroups with old males. They spent time in proximity to and grooming with old males, although they also did so with their age peers. Controlling for age and age difference, males formed strong association and proximity relationships with their maternal brothers and grooming relationships with their fathers. Grooming bonds between chimpanzee fathers and their adolescent and young adult sons have not been documented before and are unexpected because female chimpanzees mate with multiple males. How fathers recognize their sons and vice versa remains unclear but may be due to familiarity created by relationships earlier in development.

show abstract

Adolescent male chimpanzees do not form a dominance hierarchy with their peers

Cited by 20 publications

References 65 publications

Rank acquisition in rhesus macaque yearlings following permanent maternal separation: The importance of the social and physical environment

Rank acquisition in rhesus macaque yearlings following permanent maternal separation: The importance of the social and physical environment

Incomplete control and concessions explain mating skew in male chimpanzees

Adolescent male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) form social bonds with their brothers and others during the transition to adulthood

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About