Maintenance of Multifemale Social Organization in a Group of Nomascus concolor at Wuliang Mountain, Yunnan, China

Fan, Peng‐Fei; Jiang, Xuelong

doi:10.1007/s10764-009-9375-9

Cited by 36 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…This differs from previous research, which reported that two females maintained similar spatial distance from the adult male in the neighboring group (Fan & Jiang, 2009). This variance may be due to different analysis methods as we defined 1 m as a proximity distance while Fan & Jiang (2009) used mean spatial distance for measuring the relationship. Considering the group history and different reproductive status of the two females (infant-carrying or not), we can give two possible explanations for our results.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…However, the proximity association between different individuals was uneven. Only ten dyads exhibited preferred proximity, and the sub-adult (SAM2) obviously exhibited peripheral clustering in the study group, as has been shown in previous research (Fan & Jiang, 2009). Four clustering units were identified and kinship was a good explanation for the observed pattern (Furuichi, 1984;Matsumura & Okamoto, 1997), as females preferred to keep proximity with offspring.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

“…Polygynous groups generally have more individuals (Jiang et al, 1994b;Fan et al, 2006;Zhou et al, 2008), and studying social relationships in such groups (e.g. N. concolor : Fan & Jiang, 2009) can aid understanding of the social system evolution mechanism in gibbons. However, no research on the influence of ecological factors to spatial proximity in gibbons has been conducted to date, though Fan et al ( , 2012 found black crested gibbons and Cao Vit gibbons were more likely to stay together in cold seasons during the night.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Proximity association in polygynous western black crested gibbons ( Nomascus concolor jingdongensis ): network structure and seasonality

Guo¹,

Huang²,

Ning³

et al. 2013

Zoological Research

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Abstract:We investigated the structure and seasonality of the proximity network in a group of polygynous western black crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor) using social network analysis. The spatial proximity changed seasonally and was affected by temperature and rainfall. Preferred proximity association was not distributed randomly among individuals. Kinship was one explanation for the social structure, as offspring preferred to maintain close proximity with their mothers. The proximity of infants to mothers decreased with age, and independent offspring had lower proximity to mothers than dependent ones. We found that the adult male had different proximity relationships with two different adult females. The frequency of proximity between the male and the infant-carrying female was significantly higher than that between the male and the female who had immigrated carrying one offspring of uncertain paternity into the group. Infanticide avoidance and/or predation protection for dependent infants might explain the proximity relationship differences. Temperature influenced group proximity association, with individual proximity increasing in the cold months and decreasing in the hot months. Group proximity decreased in months with higher anthropogenic disturbance.Keywords: Proximity; Nomascus concolor; Polygynous; Social network Spatial distance between individuals exists in all group living animals; however, variances occur among different species and among individuals within the same group. It is reported that spatial distance among individuals is correlated with social relationships (Sade, 1965(Sade, , 1972 and social organization (Kummer, 1968); therefore spatial proximity between group members is important for studying social structure. Early research reported on a correlation between inter-individual distance and social relationship in Macaca mulatta (Sade, 1965), with further studies using spatial data to represent social structure in different primates (e.g. Symphalangus syndactylus: Chivers, 1971; Papio cynocephalus and Saimiri sciureus: Fairbanks, 1976). In recent years, spatial distance has also been used in species with different social structures, such as multi-male-multifemale groups (e.g. Social structure in animal groups can be affected by many factors, such as kinship (Furuichi, 1984;Matsumura & Okamoto, 1997;Silk, 2002), age classes (de Waal & Luttrell, 1986), resource holding potential (Barrett & Henzi, 2006), and resource availability (Henzi et al, 2009). A number of studies have also investigated the relationship between ecological factors and social behavior (Emlen & Oring, 1977;Terborgh, 1986;Sterck et al, 1997;Kappeler & Van Schaik, 2002) and shown that social relationships may change in different seasons (Shimooka, 2003) and habitats (Pruetz & Isbell, 2000). However, compared to numerous studies on the effects of seasonal ecological factors on animal behavior (Dunbar, , 1997), and the development of appropriate measures for spatial proximity can express qualitative variation and assess the...

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Proximity association in polygynous western black crested gibbons ( Nomascus concolor jingdongensis ): network structure and seasonality

Guo¹,

Huang²,

Ning³

et al. 2013

Zoological Research

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“…Dooley and Judge (2007) showed, however, that duet calls were important in intergroup communication. Territorial disputes are probably similar to those described for N. concolor (Fan and Jiang 2010;Fan et al 2007 and N. hainanus (Zhou et al 2008a).…”

Section: Ecologysupporting

confidence: 68%

“…In N. concolor, polygyny has been demonstrated by close observation of a group with 1 adult male and 2 adult females over 6 years, during which time both females gave birth (Fan and Jiang 2010). The authors suggest that this arose from unusual ecological and social circumstances: a large territory that provided adequate resources for the females and their offspring, and no other groups present (Fan and Jiang 2010).…”

Section: Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Nomascus leucogenys (Primates: Hylobatidae)

Harding

2012

Mammalian Species

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Nomascus leucogenys (Ogilby, 1840) is a crested gibbon of northern Vietnam, northern Laos, and southern China. Males are black with white cheeks and females are a rich buff color with a dark brown sagittal crest. It is among the largest of hylobatids (except siamang) and has unusually long arms for a hylobatid. Its diet includes fruits, leaves, small animals, and flowers. It is territorial and lives with stable pair-bonds in nuclear families consisting of a male and female and their offspring. It is "Critically Endangered," possibly extirpated from China with only isolated populations remaining in Laos and Vietnam.

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Significance of grooming behavior in two polygynous groups of western black crested gibbons: Implications for understanding social relationships among immigrant and resident group members

Guo¹,

Huang

Ning³

et al. 2013

American J Primatol

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In primates, grooming is considered among the most common behaviors for maintaining social bonds; however, to date, few studies have examined grooming behavior in gibbon species in detail. We used both a 5-min interval scan method and social network analysis to study grooming in two groups of polygynous western black-crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor) in Wuliang Mountain, Central Yunnan, China. Individuals in both groups spent little time in social grooming (1.45% and 1.97% of active time). We compared the two groups' grooming networks and found that the group that maintained a more stable social unit had a more complex grooming network while the group with new immigrants had a grooming network characterized by fewer grooming pairs. Females in both groups played important roles in the grooming network. A newly immigrant female spent the most time grooming others and chose the resident adult female as her main adult grooming partner. Other females from both groups chose the adult male as their primary grooming partner (except their offspring). A sub-adult male who had resided in his natal group for 2 years after maturing into an adult also groomed more and was at the center of the network. This male finally replaced the breeding male in his group 3 years after our data collection period ended. We hypothesize that the immigrant female and the resident young adult male engaged in more extensive grooming interactions as a behavioral strategy to gain tolerance from long-term residents. Our results suggest that female gibbons in polygynous groups actively cooperate in maintaining social relationships rather than co-exist through tolerance or avoidance. Our observations indicate that grooming networks in crested gibbons reflect individual dynamics and partly support the social cohesion hypothesis for primate grooming. In this regard, we suggest that changes in gibbon grooming networks can be used to predict social change.

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Maintenance of Multifemale Social Organization in a Group of Nomascus concolor at Wuliang Mountain, Yunnan, China

Cited by 36 publications

References 27 publications

Proximity association in polygynous western black crested gibbons ( Nomascus concolor jingdongensis ): network structure and seasonality

Proximity association in polygynous western black crested gibbons ( Nomascus concolor jingdongensis ): network structure and seasonality

Nomascus leucogenys (Primates: Hylobatidae)

Significance of grooming behavior in two polygynous groups of western black crested gibbons: Implications for understanding social relationships among immigrant and resident group members

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