Dominance relationships in male Nepal gray langurs ( S emnopithecus schistaceus )

Bibliographic Data

ID8312088
AuthorsRachel F Perlman (0000-0002-8129-122X, Stony Brook University, corresponding author), Carola Borries (0000-0001-5262-1405, Stony Brook University), Andreas Koenig (0000-0003-1494-9156, Stony Brook University)
Year2016
Volume160
Issue2
Pages208-219
Publication date2016-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/ajpa.22958
PMID26892185
OpenAlexW2278366785
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited94

OBJECTIVES: Reproductive skew is proposed to link to despotism in dominance hierarchies. While studies illustrating male skew are plentiful, demonstrating the link to despotism is rare. Likewise, it is often unknown which factors (e.g., resource holding potential, age, physical condition) affect a male's dominance rank. Here we investigated correlates of male rank and hierarchy characteristics in Nepal gray langurs (Semnopithecus schistaceus), a population with high male reproductive skew, and compared the results to other multi-male groups of nonhuman primates. METHODS: We collected dyadic displacement interactions from two groups (mean 3.0 and 4.1 adult males) for five years each. We assessed dominance ranks for demographically stable phases (n = 11, n = 28) and analyzed the effects of age and physical condition through linear mixed models (LMM). We analyzed hierarchy characteristics via the program MatMan. We used data from 27 primate groups (cercopithecines, colobines, hominoids) as a comparative sample. RESULTS: The highest ranks were attained by adults in one group (LMM, P 0.93) and linearity (mean >0.81) and were relatively steep (mean >0.66) when compared with other species. DISCUSSION: Dominance rank followed a pattern predicted by resource holding potential, but other individual attributes and group composition also seemed important. As predicted, hierarchy characteristics indicated a despotic system in line with the strong reproductive skew. Across primates, however, the degree of despotism did not appear to match the degree of reproductive skew. Am J Phys Anthropol 160:208-219, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Aggression · Biology · Dominance (genetics) · Dominance hierarchy · Population · Zoology · Demography · Ecology · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Genetics · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Psychology · Social Psychology

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