Doctoral Dissertation Research: Examining causes and consequences of variation in male reproductive success in wild primates

博士论文研究：检查野生灵长类动物雄性繁殖成功率变异的原因和后果

• 批准号: 2018489
• 负责人: Jacinta Beehner
• 金额: $ 2.77万
• 依托单位: Regents of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-09-01 至 2023-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2018489&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Examining; causes

In nonhuman primates a range of male behaviors are observed that relate to male success in siring offspring. This doctoral dissertation research project examines reproductive payoffs of different male strategies (aggressive versus affiliative) in wild geladas (primates). Results from this study provide valuable insights about the evolution of male reproductive strategies and will enhance understanding about the adaptive significance of male-female social bonds in a long-lived primate species. While conducting the proposed research, the doctoral student will continue to work with K-12 students from underrepresented communities to foster excitement about science and research and give talks about primate behavior and evolution at local elementary schools. Additionally, the doctoral student will continue training undergraduate students in the laboratory throughout her dissertation research and mentor women from groups underrepresented in primatology.This research investigates how different male behavioral strategies affect reproductive success in geladas. Male geladas gain reproductive opportunities by becoming the dominant leader over a family of multiple females and their offspring. Male reproduction is thus a function of the number of fertile females in the group combined with how long he remains the dominant leader (tenure length). The proposed project will use long term data (collected over 13 years) in combination with detailed behavioral, hormonal, and paternity data from individually known leader males to assess which factors contribute to male reproductive success. First, the investigators will measure reproductive success by assigning paternity through genotyping all leader males and infants in the project. Second, they will quantify physical attributes that could affect reproductive success in geladas. These include: i) body size (measured through laser photogrammetry), ii) chest patch redness (measured by comparing photos of gelada chest patch against a standard color checker chart), and iii) testosterone levels using fecal samples collected from individual leader males (measured through a biotin labelled enzyme-immunoassay). Third, the investigators will assess what social strategies males employ to increase reproductive success by quantifying male-female social relationships through behavioral observations and recording the occurrence of infanticide.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在非人类灵长类动物中，观察到一系列与雄性成功繁衍后代相关的雄性行为。该博士论文研究项目研究了野生狒狒（灵长类动物）中不同雄性策略（攻击性与亲和性）的生殖收益。这项研究的结果提供了有关雄性生殖策略进化的宝贵见解，并将增强对长寿灵长类动物中男女社会关系的适应性意义的理解。在进行拟议的研究时，博士生将继续与来自代表性不足社区的 K-12 学生合作，激发人们对科学和研究的兴趣，并在当地小学就灵长类动物的行为和进化进行演讲。此外，博士生将在整个论文研究过程中继续在实验室培训本科生，并指导灵长类动物学中代表性不足的群体中的女性。这项研究调查了不同的雄性行为策略如何影响狒狒的繁殖成功。雄性狒狒通过成为一个由多个雌性狒狒及其后代组成的家庭中的主导领导者来获得繁殖机会。因此，雄性的繁殖取决于群体中可生育雌性的数量以及他保持主导地位的时间（任期长度）。拟议的项目将使用长期数据（收集了 13 年多的数据），并结合已知的雄性领袖的详细行为、荷尔蒙和亲子关系数据，来评估哪些因素有助于雄性生殖成功。首先，研究人员将通过对项目中所有领先雄性和婴儿进行基因分型来确定亲子关系，从而衡量生殖成功率。其次，他们将量化可能影响狒狒繁殖成功率的身体特征。其中包括：i) 体型（通过激光摄影测量测量），ii) 胸部斑块发红程度（通过将狒狒胸部斑块的照片与标准颜色检查图进行比较来测量），以及 iii) 使用从雄性领头羊身上收集的粪便样本来测量睾酮水平（通过生物素标记的酶免疫测定法测量）。第三，研究人员将通过行为观察量化男女社会关系并记录杀婴事件的发生，评估男性采用哪些社会策略来提高生殖成功率。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的评估进行评估，认为值得支持。智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

项目成果

Social correlates of androgen levels and dispersal age in juvenile male geladas

幼年雄性狒狒雄激素水平与分散年龄的社会相关性

• DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105264
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Hormones and Behavior
• 影响因子: 3.5
• 作者: Sen, Sharmi;Carrera, Sofia C.;Heistermann, Michael;Potter, Caitlin Barale;Baniel, Alice;DeLacey, Patricia M.;Petrullo, Lauren;Lu, Amy;Beehner, Jacinta C.
• 通讯作者: Beehner, Jacinta C.