Doctoral Dissertation Research: Cooperation, grooming exchange, and supply and demand among free-ranging primates

博士论文研究：自由放养灵长类动物的合作、毛发交换和供需

• 批准号: 1609114
• 负责人: Carol Berman
• 金额: $ 2.47万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Buffalo
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-09-01 至 2019-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1609114&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Cooperation; grooming

One defining characteristic of humans is their unusually cooperative nature, which is unparalleled among animals. An important goal for anthropology is to understand the nature and evolution of this "altruistic" behavior. This doctoral dissertation project will investigate cooperative exchanges among free-ranging rhesus macaques in order to test predictions from several competing evolutionary hypotheses about altruism. Studying cooperative exchanges among rhesus macaques will provide a comparative model for understanding the behavioral evolution of humans and our ancestors. The broader impacts of this project include the support of science education and outreach, through valuable field experience for research assistants, data analysis experience for undergraduates, and presentation of research results in various public formats, including local zoos and conferences.This study will observe grooming interactions among 50 adult female rhesus macaques from three social groups at Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, using focal animal sampling methodology, for eleven months (spanning both mating and birth seasons). Specifically, the project will examine how well reciprocal grooming exchanges resemble those predicted by several competing theoretical hypotheses (kin selection, reciprocal altruism, biological markets theory, and social bond investment), in one comprehensive and integrated analysis, via AIC model ranking. These exchanges will be examined across multiple time scales and across groups of variable sizes. Additionally, there will be a more detailed investigation of biological markets theory. By focusing on exchanges of grooming for mates or infant handling, this study will test a key prediction that such exchanges conform to supply and demand relationships. The extent to which apparent supply and demand relationships may be artifacts of, or mediated by, stress responses will be examined, with stress measured both behaviorally and via fecal glucocorticoid metabolite assays.

人类的一个定义特征是它们异常合作的性质，在动物之间是无与伦比的。人类学的一个重要目标是了解这种“无私”行为的性质和演变。该博士学位论文项目将调查自由放养的恒河猕猴之间的合作交流，以测试关于利他主义的几种相互竞争的进化假设的预测。研究恒河猴之间的合作交流将提供一个比较模型，以理解人类和我们的祖先的行为演变。 The broader impacts of this project include the support of science education and outreach, through valuable field experience for research assistants, data analysis experience for undergraduates, and presentation of research results in various public formats, including local zoos and conferences.This study will observe grooming interactions among 50 adult female rhesus macaques from three social groups at Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, using focal animal sampling methodology, for eleven months （涵盖交配和出生季节）。具体而言，该项目将研究通过AIC模型排名在一个全面和综合的分析中，研究相互修饰交流的相似之处（亲戚选择，选择，互惠利他主义，生物市场理论和社会债券投资）所预测的方式。这些交换将在多个时间尺度和可变大小的组之间进行检查。此外，将对生物市场理论进行更详细的研究。通过专注于培训伴侣或婴儿处理的交换，本研究将测试此类交流符合供求关系的关键预测。将在行为和通过粪便糖皮质激素代谢物测定法测量应力的情况下检查或介导的压力反应的伪像反应或介导的明显供求关系的程度。