The Evolution of Monogamy: Hypotheses and Evidence

Wittenberger, James F.; Tilson, Ronald L.

doi:10.1146/annurev.es.11.110180.001213

Cited by 458 publications

(262 citation statements)

References 131 publications

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“…Monogamy requires the maintenance of pair bonds during periods of separation and usually implies that females do not form simultaneous pair bonds with more than one male (20). Differential corticosterone responses in paired vs. naive animals (Table 1) could be part of a proximate mechanism by which social bond formation is restricted to unpaired animals and through which pair bonds are maintained during periods of separation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modulation of pair bonding in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) by corticosterone.

DeVries

Taymans

et al. 1995

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

160

142

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Glucocorticoid levels in animals may respond to and influence the development of social attachments. This hypothesis was tested in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), monogamous rodents that form long-term heterosexual pair bonds. In socially naive female prairie voles, cohabitation with an unfamiliar male resulted in a dramatic decline in serum corticosterone levels. When corticosterone levels were reduced via adrenalectomy, females developed partner preferences after 1 h of cohabitation, while sham-operated and untreated females required 3 h or more of nonsexual cohabitation to establish a partner preference. In adrenalectomized and intact females, exogenous injections of corticosterone, given prior to social exposure, prevented the development of preferences for the cohabitating male. Although corticosterone inhibited the development of partner preferences, it did not interfer:e with the expression of previously established social preferences. These results suggest that social stimuli can modulate adrenal activity and that adrenal activity, in turn, is capable of influencing the formation of adult social preferences in female prairie voles. The involvement of the adrenal axis in the formation of partner preferences and the subsequent development of pair bonds provides a mechanism through which environmental and social factors may influence social organization in this species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modulation of pair bonding in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) by corticosterone.

DeVries

Taymans

et al. 1995

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

160

142

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“…The hypotheses largely relate to two types of monogamy, obligate and facultative (Kleiman 1977). Obligate monogamy is generally considered to evolve in response to a need for male care (Wittenberger & Tilson 1980;CluttonBrock 1989;Gubernick et al 1993). By contrast, facultative monogamy is thought to evolve when males are unable to monopolize more than one female because females are solitary and highly dispersed (Emlen & Oring 1977;Wickler & Seibt 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female space use is the best predictor of monogamy in mammals

Komers

Brotherton

1997

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

275

157

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Monogamy is typically considered to have evolved either because biparental care is important for o¡spring survival, or because males are unable to monopolize more than one female due to females being too dispersed. Here, in the ¢rst phylogenetic analysis of the evolution of monogamy in mammals, we show that neither of these explanations is consistent with the distribution of monogamy across mammal species. Monogamy evolved signi¢cantly more often in the absence of paternal care than in its presence. Furthermore, monogamy does not normally occur in species where female ranges are large. Rather, the most common feature of mammalian monogamy is that it evolved where females were solitary and occupied small, exclusive ranges, enabling males to monopolize them.

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“…Only one anuran species, Ranitomeya imitator, is admittedly monogamous, an evolutionarily rare trait (Wittenberger 1980) and related to biparental care (Brown et al 2010). Among anuran species, male parental care is typically primitive and the evolution of maternal care must have been critical to the evolution of biparental care (Summers and Earn 1999).…”

Section: Courtship and Spawningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive biology of a bromeligenous frog endemic to the Atlantic Forest: Aparasphenodon arapapa Pimenta, Napoli and Haddad, 2009 (Anura: Hylidae)

Lantyer-Silva

Solé

Zina

2014

An. Acad. Bras. Ciênc.

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The genus Aparasphenodon is restricted to South America and comprises five poorly studied species which present a straight relationship with bromeliads. Herein we present the reproductive biology of the species Aparasphenodon arapapa. Our observations indicate that A. arapapa is a prolonged breeder, reproducing throughout the year using bromeliads as a calling and breeding site. The tadpoles complete their development inside those plants. Males, females and juveniles may also use the bromeliads as a shelter. We also describe the courtship behavior and the parental care of the species with an evidence of temporary fidelity between male and female and propose a new reproductive mode.

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The Evolution of Monogamy: Hypotheses and Evidence

Cited by 458 publications

References 131 publications

Modulation of pair bonding in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) by corticosterone.

Modulation of pair bonding in female prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) by corticosterone.

Female space use is the best predictor of monogamy in mammals

Reproductive biology of a bromeligenous frog endemic to the Atlantic Forest: Aparasphenodon arapapa Pimenta, Napoli and Haddad, 2009 (Anura: Hylidae)

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