Endocrine changes in male stumptailed macaques (Macaca arctoides) as a response to odor stimulation with vaginal secretions

Cerda-Molina, Ana Lilia; Hernández-López, Leonor; Chavira, Roberto; Cárdenas, Mario; Páez-Ponce, D.L.; Luz, Harry Cervantes-De la; Mondrágón-Ceballos, Ricardo

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2005.04.014

Cited by 41 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Cerda-Molina et al, 2006a;Keverne, 2004;Ziegler et al, 2003], presumably represents the ancestral condition, suggests that the emergence of complex signaling is a gradual process, with increasing complexity arising as a consequence of more costly cues being incorporated into pre-existing signals. In the case of ovulatory signaling in primates, it would seem that this emergence was characterized by the addition of auditory and possibly subtle visual cuing to a pre-existing olfactory cue, after which an exaggeration of pre-existing visual cues eventually followed [see also Clarke et al, 2009b].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What role do olfactory cues play in chacma baboon mating?

Clarke

Barrett

Henzi

2009

American J Primatol

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The probability of ovulation in a number of primate species is associated with both visual and auditory cues. We use 18-month behavioral data from two chacma baboon troops to provide the first systematic assessment of the possibility that olfactory cues are also involved. Using variance in the rate of olfactory inspection by males as a proxy for changes in the intensity of female vaginal odor, we found that rates of inspection were broadly correlated with changes in female fertility. Males inspected cycling females significantly more than anovulatory, noncycling females and swelling females significantly more than nonswollen cycling females. Rates of inspection peaked around the time at which males first started guarding females and were sustained until the detumescence of the female's sexual skin. We conclude, therefore, that olfactory cues represent one component of a multimodal signal of ovulation in chacma baboons. The possible reasons for such a multimodal signal are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What role do olfactory cues play in chacma baboon mating?

Clarke

Barrett

Henzi

2009

American J Primatol

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“…the a male, may use other estrogen-dependent cues, such as tactile and olfactory cues, i.e. the vaginal secretion of volatile aliphatic acids, which may serve as sex pheromones [Cerda-Molina et al, 2006]. In line with this hypothesis, we reported frequent anogenital area inspection and sniffing by the a male (Garcia, unpublished data), allowing him to detect subtle changes in vaginal mucosity and suggesting that proximity and access to females may be important in determining the accuracy of male mating decisions.…”

Section: What Cues Do Males Use To Make Their Mating Decisions and Homentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between sexual interactions and the timing of the fertile phase in captive female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Garcia

Shimizu

Huffman

2009

American J Primatol

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Japanese macaques live in multi-male/multi-female social groups in which competition between males, female mate choice, and alternative male mating strategies are important determinants of mating and reproductive success. However, the extent to which adult males rely on female behavior to make their mating decisions as well as the effect of social rank on mating success are not clear as results are inconclusive, varying from study to study. In this study, we combined behavioral and endocrine data of 14 female Japanese macaques to examine the relationship between ovarian cycle phase and frequency of sexual behaviors, and to investigate how social rank influences sexual behavior in this species. We found that there was no increase in female proceptive behaviors during the fertile phase of the ovarian cycle, suggesting that female behaviors did not clearly signal the probability of conception. In spite of that, the frequencies of ejaculatory copulations were highest during this phase, indicating that the attractivity of females increased significantly during the period with higher probability of conception. Males, and especially the highest ranking male, were able to discriminate females nearing ovulation and to concentrate their mating effort, implying that the timing of ovulation was not concealed from them. The alpha male seemed able to monopolize most female matings, which is probably due in part to the low number of females simultaneously ovulating and to the limited number of inconspicuous places that the lower ranking males have to mate with females and avoid alpha male aggression. All together, these results suggest that different males may have access to different signals of ovulation and/or are differentially restrained as to how they can act on that information. The exact nature of the estrogen-related cues males use to recognize female reproductive status, and to what extent males use them warrants further investigation.

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“…Testosterone increases [following a luteinizing hormone (LH) surge] in male stump-tailed macaques exposed to the vaginal odors produced around the time of ovulation (14). Concerning human genitals, Michael et al (15), and more recently Levin (16) proposed that the role of female vaginal secretions in semiochemical communication is to explicitly induce sexual arousal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Men’s Salivary Testosterone and Cortisol Levels, and in Sexual Desire after Smelling Female Axillary and Vulvar Scents

et al. 2013

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Several studies have shown that a woman’s vaginal or axillary odors convey information on her attractivity. Yet, whether such scents induce psychoneuroendocrinological changes in perceivers is still controversial. We studied if smelling axillary and vulvar odors collected in the periovulatory and late luteal phases of young women modify salivary testosterone and cortisol levels, as well as sexual desire in men. Forty-five women and 115 men, all of them college students and unacquainted with each other, participated in the study. Female odors were collected on pads affixed to the axilla and on panty protectors both worn the entire night before experiments. Men provided five saliva samples, a basal one before the smelling procedure, and four more 15, 30, 60, and 75 min after exposure to odors. Immediately after smelling the odor source, men answered a questionnaire rating hedonic qualities of scents, and after providing the last saliva sample they answered questionnaire on sexual desire. We found that periovulatory axillary and vulvar odors increased testosterone and cortisol levels, with vulvar scents producing a more prolonged effect. Luteal axilla odors decreased testosterone and cortisol levels, while luteal vulva odors increased cortisol. Periovulatory axilla and vulva scents accounted for a general increase of interest in sex. These odors were also rated as more pleasant and familiar, while luteal vulvar odors were perceived as intense and unpleasant.

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Endocrine changes in male stumptailed macaques (Macaca arctoides) as a response to odor stimulation with vaginal secretions

Cited by 41 publications

References 34 publications

What role do olfactory cues play in chacma baboon mating?

What role do olfactory cues play in chacma baboon mating?

Relationship between sexual interactions and the timing of the fertile phase in captive female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Changes in Men’s Salivary Testosterone and Cortisol Levels, and in Sexual Desire after Smelling Female Axillary and Vulvar Scents

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