Patricia L Whitten
Biographic Data
| ID | 120090 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Patricia L Whitten |
| GIVEN NAMES | Patricia L |
| FAMILY NAME | Whitten |
| SIGNATURE | WHITTEN P L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Emory University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 9 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1983 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Measurement of testosterone in infant fecal samples
OBJECTIVES: This study reports the validation of a noninvasive method for repeated assessment of testosterone from infant fecal samples. METHODS: Fecal samples were collected from cotton diaper liners, subjected to methanol extraction, and assayed using a modified commercial testosterone RIA kit. RESULTS: Method validity was supported by a recovery near 100%, a sensitivity of 1.23 pg/ml, and inter- and intra-assay coefficients of variations less …
Endocrine mechanisms of primate life history trade‐offs: Growth and reproductive maturation in vervet monkeys
Life history theory predicts that the timing of maturation will result from a trade‐off between growth and the age of first reproduction. This trade‐off and its mechanisms of action are still poorly understood in many species and have not been well studied at the individual level. This study examined hypothesized trade‐offs between growth and reproductive maturation in wild populations of vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops ) from Kenya, East…
The influence of age on fecal steroid hormone levels in male Budongo Forest chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii )
Potential interactions between age and endocrinological functioning have been understudied in wild ape populations. Therefore, we examined the relationship between age and the secretion of androgens and glucocorticoids in 15 juvenile, subadult, and adult male chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii ) free ranging in the Budongo Forest of Uganda. One hundred and nine fecal samples were opportunistically collected, between 07:30 and 13:30 hr, …
Ecological and reproductive variance in serum leptin in wild vervet monkeys
Leptin was originally thought to be an antiobesity hormone, but increasing evidence suggests that its ancestral role was to mobilize neuroendocrine responses to starvation. Research on wild primates is critical for interpreting the high leptin values seen in Western human populations and captive animals. This study examined natural variation in serum leptin in wild vervet monkeys ( Chlorocebus aethiops ), testing the hypothesis that serum leptin …
Female testosterone, dominance rank, and aggression in an Ethiopian population of hybrid baboons
Studies on the relationship between female testosterone (T) measures and behavior, particularly in free‐ranging primate populations, remain scant. In this study we used fecal steroid analysis to examine the effects of seasonal, reproductive, and social factors on female T in a group of free‐ranging hybrid baboons ( Papio sp.) in the Awash National Park of Ethiopia. We collected behavioral and hormonal data from 25 adult females across an 11‐month…
Dominance rank and fecal testosterone levels in adult male Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii ) at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda
In an attempt to describe hormone–behavior interactions in a sample of wild male chimpanzees, we quantified testosterone in 67 fecal samples obtained from 22 adult male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. A mixed‐model methodology that controlled for age‐class identified a significant positive association between testosterone levels and dominance rank. The results are consistent with those reported from a separate, smaller chimpan…
Lake pigments facilitate analysis of fecal cortisol and behavior in group‐housed macaques
Fecal steroid analyses are becoming more popular among both field and laboratory scientists. The benefits associated with sampling procedures that do not require restraint, anesthesia, and blood collection include less risk to both subject and investigator, as well as the potential to obtain endocrine profiles that do not reflect the influence of stress. However, the utility of the fecal steroid method has been limited in field conditions because…
Response of fecal cortisol to stress in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
This study examined whether fecal cortisol could be used as an index of stress responses. The stress responsiveness of fecal cortisol was tested with a stressor known to stimulate adrenal activity, the stress of anesthesia. Daily fecal and urine samples were collected from four captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) before and after anesthetizations with Telazol®/Ketasat®. Tests of assay validity indicated that cortisol was measurable in chimpanze…
Response of fecal cortisol to stress in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
This study examined whether fecal cortisol could be used as an index of stress responses. The stress responsiveness of fecal cortisol was tested with a stressor known to stimulate adrenal activity, the stress of anesthesia. Daily fecal and urine samples were collected from four captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) before and after anesthetizations with Telazol/Ketasat. Tests of assay validity indicated that cortisol was measurable in chimpanzee …
Reproduction in free-ranging male Propithecus verreauxi: The hormonal correlates of mating and aggression
Endocrine studies of captive strepsirrhine primates suggest that physical environment and social factors mediate inter-individual variations in testicular function and serum testosterone (sT) in males. While these studies have made major contributions to our understanding of the individual proximate mechanisms influencing androgen activity in male strepsirrhines, none have investigated how these mechanisms work coincidentally in free-ranging popu…
Recent advances in noninvasive techniques to monitor hormone-behavior interactions
This paper reviews recent advances in field endocrinology, a focus as well as a method in primatology and behavioral ecology that permits the examination of social behavior and life history through hormonal investigations in natural settings. Endocrine data complements the traditional behavioral data collected by field scientists by providing quantitative measures for the examination of adaptive tradeoffs, costs of social strategies, and reproduc…
Reproduction in free-ranging malePropithecus verreauxi: The hormonal correlates of mating and aggression
Endocrine studies of captive strepsirrhine primates suggest that physical environment and social factors mediate inter-individual variations in testicular function and serum testosterone (sT) in males. While these studies have made major contributions to our understanding of the individual proximate mechanisms influencing androgen activity in male strepsirrhines, none have investigated how these mechanisms work coincidentally in free-ranging popu…
Information content of sexual swellings and fecal steroids in sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus atys)
The accuracy and precision of sexual swellings and fecal steroids as measures of ovarian function and the periovulatory period were compared in 4 sexually mature, individually housed, sooty mangabey females. Fecal samples were collected daily over a 10-week period during the normal breeding season. Serum was collected 3×/week, daily during peak swelling, and sex skin was rated 5×/week on a 0–5 relative scale. Both fecal estradiol (fE2) and proges…
Information content of sexual swellings and fecal steroids in sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus atys)
Reproduction in free-rangingPropithecus verreauxi: Estrus and the relationship between multiple partner matings and fertilization
Female sifaka mate selectively with one or more resident and/or non-resident males during the breeding season. Various adaptive explanations have been advanced to explain why female primates mate with multiple males including that 1) females seek to confuse paternity and thereby forestall male infanticide and/or ensure male infant care or 2) females seek to ensure fertilization. Assessing the power of fertilization insurance to explain mating pat…
Reproduction in free-ranging Propithecus verreauxi: Estrus and the relationship between multiple partner matings and fertilization
Female sifaka mate selectively with one or more resident and/or non-resident males during the breeding season. Various adaptive explanations have been advanced to explain why female primates mate with multiple males including that 1) females seek to confuse paternity and thereby forestall male infanticide and/or ensure male infant care or 2) females seek to ensure fertilization. Assessing the power of fertilization insurance to explain mating pat…
Technical note: Sex determination of prehistoric human paleofeces
Analysis of 12 prehistoric human paleofecal specimens from the Mammoth Cave System, Kentucky has produced the first estimate of biological sex using fecal material from ancient humans. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating indicates that the specimens range in age from ca. 2700 B.P. to 2300 B.P. Dietary contents and steroids were extracted and analyzed. Chromatography and radioimmunoassay were used to measure levels of testostero…
Fecal steroid analysis of ovarian cycles in free‐ranging baboons
This paper reports field and laboratory tests of serial sampling, solid phase extraction, and microradioimmunoassay methods for the collection, preservation, and analysis of fecal steroids. The field study was conducted in a troop of 87 yellow baboons ( Papio cynocephalus ) in the Tana River Primate Reserve, Kenya. Serial samples of four focal females and opportunistic sampling of 18 additional females over 22 days of sampling yielded a total of …
Application of fecal steroid techniques to the reproductive endocrinology of female verreaux's Sifaka ( Propithecus verreauxi )
Solid phase extraction, high performance liquid chromatography, and radioimmunoassay were used to test the validity of fecal steroid analysis for assessing ovarian function in sifaka ( Propithecus verreauxi ). Daily fecal samples were collected over a 4 month period from two cycling female sifaka, and single samples were collected from females during normal gestation and males while housed at the Duke University Primate Center. Tests of radioimmu…
Preliminary observations on the role of Acacia gum chemistry in Acacia utilization by Galago senegalensis in Kenya
A census and preliminary observations on the ranging and feeding behavior of Galago senegalensis were made in a savannah‐woodland site in Kenya. Population densities in three slightly different habitats were all approximately 1.5 animals/ha. Ranging patterns suggested the existence of territorial behavior. The diet of the galagos was exclusively insects and gums of two species of Acacia . The gum of A. drepanolobium appeared to be preferred to th…
Biological Anthropology: Primate Social Systems . Robin I. M. Dunbar
Triadic interactions in Savanna-dwelling baboons
Pregnancy outcome in free‐ranging vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops )
A preliminary assessment of individual female differences in conception rate and fetal wastage has been determined for a population of wild vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops ). One of three troops of vervet monkeys, the subjects of a long‐term behavioral study, was trapped and blood was obtained for electrophoretic analysis. Pregnant females exhibited a distinctive serum aminopeptidase phenotype allowing a conclusive determination of pregna…
Patterns of wounding in stumptail macaques (macaca arctoides)
Diet and dominance among female vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops )
Behavioral observations of free‐ranging female vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops ) suggest that priority of access to food enhances individual fitness. Seventeen adult females living in two social groups were observed for 26 months in the Samburu/Isiolo Game Reserves, northern Kenya. Priority of access to feeding and sitting sites was associated with significant differences in diet and reproduction. Food species distribution altered rank‐re…
Ecological and reproductive variance in serum leptin in wild vervet monkeys
Leptin was originally thought to be an antiobesity hormone, but increasing evidence suggests that its ancestral role was to mobilize neuroendocrine responses to starvation. Research on wild primates is critical for interpreting the high leptin values seen in Western human populations and captive animals. This study examined natural variation in serum leptin in wild vervet monkeys ( Chlorocebus aethiops ), testing the hypothesis that serum leptin …
Triadic interactions in Savanna-dwelling baboons
Lake pigments facilitate analysis of fecal cortisol and behavior in group‐housed macaques
Fecal steroid analyses are becoming more popular among both field and laboratory scientists. The benefits associated with sampling procedures that do not require restraint, anesthesia, and blood collection include less risk to both subject and investigator, as well as the potential to obtain endocrine profiles that do not reflect the influence of stress. However, the utility of the fecal steroid method has been limited in field conditions because…
Diet and dominance among female vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops )
Behavioral observations of free‐ranging female vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops ) suggest that priority of access to food enhances individual fitness. Seventeen adult females living in two social groups were observed for 26 months in the Samburu/Isiolo Game Reserves, northern Kenya. Priority of access to feeding and sitting sites was associated with significant differences in diet and reproduction. Food species distribution altered rank‐re…
Patterns of wounding in stumptail macaques (macaca arctoides)
Pregnancy outcome in free‐ranging vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops )
A preliminary assessment of individual female differences in conception rate and fetal wastage has been determined for a population of wild vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops ). One of three troops of vervet monkeys, the subjects of a long‐term behavioral study, was trapped and blood was obtained for electrophoretic analysis. Pregnant females exhibited a distinctive serum aminopeptidase phenotype allowing a conclusive determination of pregna…
Triadic interactions in Savanna-dwelling baboons
Preliminary observations on the role of Acacia gum chemistry in Acacia utilization by Galago senegalensis in Kenya
A census and preliminary observations on the ranging and feeding behavior of Galago senegalensis were made in a savannah‐woodland site in Kenya. Population densities in three slightly different habitats were all approximately 1.5 animals/ha. Ranging patterns suggested the existence of territorial behavior. The diet of the galagos was exclusively insects and gums of two species of Acacia . The gum of A. drepanolobium appeared to be preferred to th…
Biological Anthropology: Primate Social Systems . Robin I. M. Dunbar
Fecal steroid analysis of ovarian cycles in free‐ranging baboons
This paper reports field and laboratory tests of serial sampling, solid phase extraction, and microradioimmunoassay methods for the collection, preservation, and analysis of fecal steroids. The field study was conducted in a troop of 87 yellow baboons ( Papio cynocephalus ) in the Tana River Primate Reserve, Kenya. Serial samples of four focal females and opportunistic sampling of 18 additional females over 22 days of sampling yielded a total of …
Application of fecal steroid techniques to the reproductive endocrinology of female verreaux's Sifaka ( Propithecus verreauxi )
Solid phase extraction, high performance liquid chromatography, and radioimmunoassay were used to test the validity of fecal steroid analysis for assessing ovarian function in sifaka ( Propithecus verreauxi ). Daily fecal samples were collected over a 4 month period from two cycling female sifaka, and single samples were collected from females during normal gestation and males while housed at the Duke University Primate Center. Tests of radioimmu…
Information content of sexual swellings and fecal steroids in sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus atys)
The accuracy and precision of sexual swellings and fecal steroids as measures of ovarian function and the periovulatory period were compared in 4 sexually mature, individually housed, sooty mangabey females. Fecal samples were collected daily over a 10-week period during the normal breeding season. Serum was collected 3×/week, daily during peak swelling, and sex skin was rated 5×/week on a 0–5 relative scale. Both fecal estradiol (fE2) and proges…
Information content of sexual swellings and fecal steroids in sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus atys)
Reproduction in free-rangingPropithecus verreauxi: Estrus and the relationship between multiple partner matings and fertilization
Female sifaka mate selectively with one or more resident and/or non-resident males during the breeding season. Various adaptive explanations have been advanced to explain why female primates mate with multiple males including that 1) females seek to confuse paternity and thereby forestall male infanticide and/or ensure male infant care or 2) females seek to ensure fertilization. Assessing the power of fertilization insurance to explain mating pat…
Reproduction in free-ranging Propithecus verreauxi: Estrus and the relationship between multiple partner matings and fertilization
Female sifaka mate selectively with one or more resident and/or non-resident males during the breeding season. Various adaptive explanations have been advanced to explain why female primates mate with multiple males including that 1) females seek to confuse paternity and thereby forestall male infanticide and/or ensure male infant care or 2) females seek to ensure fertilization. Assessing the power of fertilization insurance to explain mating pat…
Technical note: Sex determination of prehistoric human paleofeces
Analysis of 12 prehistoric human paleofecal specimens from the Mammoth Cave System, Kentucky has produced the first estimate of biological sex using fecal material from ancient humans. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating indicates that the specimens range in age from ca. 2700 B.P. to 2300 B.P. Dietary contents and steroids were extracted and analyzed. Chromatography and radioimmunoassay were used to measure levels of testostero…
Response of fecal cortisol to stress in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
This study examined whether fecal cortisol could be used as an index of stress responses. The stress responsiveness of fecal cortisol was tested with a stressor known to stimulate adrenal activity, the stress of anesthesia. Daily fecal and urine samples were collected from four captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) before and after anesthetizations with Telazol®/Ketasat®. Tests of assay validity indicated that cortisol was measurable in chimpanze…
Response of fecal cortisol to stress in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
This study examined whether fecal cortisol could be used as an index of stress responses. The stress responsiveness of fecal cortisol was tested with a stressor known to stimulate adrenal activity, the stress of anesthesia. Daily fecal and urine samples were collected from four captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) before and after anesthetizations with Telazol/Ketasat. Tests of assay validity indicated that cortisol was measurable in chimpanzee …
Reproduction in free-ranging male Propithecus verreauxi: The hormonal correlates of mating and aggression
Endocrine studies of captive strepsirrhine primates suggest that physical environment and social factors mediate inter-individual variations in testicular function and serum testosterone (sT) in males. While these studies have made major contributions to our understanding of the individual proximate mechanisms influencing androgen activity in male strepsirrhines, none have investigated how these mechanisms work coincidentally in free-ranging popu…
Recent advances in noninvasive techniques to monitor hormone-behavior interactions
This paper reviews recent advances in field endocrinology, a focus as well as a method in primatology and behavioral ecology that permits the examination of social behavior and life history through hormonal investigations in natural settings. Endocrine data complements the traditional behavioral data collected by field scientists by providing quantitative measures for the examination of adaptive tradeoffs, costs of social strategies, and reproduc…
Reproduction in free-ranging malePropithecus verreauxi: The hormonal correlates of mating and aggression
Endocrine studies of captive strepsirrhine primates suggest that physical environment and social factors mediate inter-individual variations in testicular function and serum testosterone (sT) in males. While these studies have made major contributions to our understanding of the individual proximate mechanisms influencing androgen activity in male strepsirrhines, none have investigated how these mechanisms work coincidentally in free-ranging popu…
Lake pigments facilitate analysis of fecal cortisol and behavior in group‐housed macaques
Fecal steroid analyses are becoming more popular among both field and laboratory scientists. The benefits associated with sampling procedures that do not require restraint, anesthesia, and blood collection include less risk to both subject and investigator, as well as the potential to obtain endocrine profiles that do not reflect the influence of stress. However, the utility of the fecal steroid method has been limited in field conditions because…
Dominance rank and fecal testosterone levels in adult male Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii ) at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda
In an attempt to describe hormone–behavior interactions in a sample of wild male chimpanzees, we quantified testosterone in 67 fecal samples obtained from 22 adult male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. A mixed‐model methodology that controlled for age‐class identified a significant positive association between testosterone levels and dominance rank. The results are consistent with those reported from a separate, smaller chimpan…
Female testosterone, dominance rank, and aggression in an Ethiopian population of hybrid baboons
Studies on the relationship between female testosterone (T) measures and behavior, particularly in free‐ranging primate populations, remain scant. In this study we used fecal steroid analysis to examine the effects of seasonal, reproductive, and social factors on female T in a group of free‐ranging hybrid baboons ( Papio sp.) in the Awash National Park of Ethiopia. We collected behavioral and hormonal data from 25 adult females across an 11‐month…
The influence of age on fecal steroid hormone levels in male Budongo Forest chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii )
Potential interactions between age and endocrinological functioning have been understudied in wild ape populations. Therefore, we examined the relationship between age and the secretion of androgens and glucocorticoids in 15 juvenile, subadult, and adult male chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii ) free ranging in the Budongo Forest of Uganda. One hundred and nine fecal samples were opportunistically collected, between 07:30 and 13:30 hr, …
Ecological and reproductive variance in serum leptin in wild vervet monkeys
Leptin was originally thought to be an antiobesity hormone, but increasing evidence suggests that its ancestral role was to mobilize neuroendocrine responses to starvation. Research on wild primates is critical for interpreting the high leptin values seen in Western human populations and captive animals. This study examined natural variation in serum leptin in wild vervet monkeys ( Chlorocebus aethiops ), testing the hypothesis that serum leptin …
Endocrine mechanisms of primate life history trade‐offs: Growth and reproductive maturation in vervet monkeys
Life history theory predicts that the timing of maturation will result from a trade‐off between growth and the age of first reproduction. This trade‐off and its mechanisms of action are still poorly understood in many species and have not been well studied at the individual level. This study examined hypothesized trade‐offs between growth and reproductive maturation in wild populations of vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops ) from Kenya, East…
Measurement of testosterone in infant fecal samples
OBJECTIVES: This study reports the validation of a noninvasive method for repeated assessment of testosterone from infant fecal samples. METHODS: Fecal samples were collected from cotton diaper liners, subjected to methanol extraction, and assayed using a modified commercial testosterone RIA kit. RESULTS: Method validity was supported by a recovery near 100%, a sensitivity of 1.23 pg/ml, and inter- and intra-assay coefficients of variations less …
Biology (24 works) · Primate Behavior and Ecology (16 works) · Animal Behavior and Reproduction (13 works) · Zoology (13 works) · Ecology (12 works) · Ecology (11 works) · Feces (11 works) · Medicine (10 works) · Endocrinology (9 works) · Psychology (8 works)