Are Dominant Males More Successful Reproductively?
Authors: Beziers, P., Hobeika, S. and Korstjens, A.H.
Conference: 3rd Congress of the European Federation for Primatology
Dates: 12-15 August 2009
Journal: Folia Primatologica
Volume: 80
Pages: 151-152
ISSN: 0015-5713
DOI: 10.1159/000225941
Abstract:It is viewed that a high ranking position in group-living animals confers certain advantages over other individuals. Red colobus (Procolobus tephrosceles) live in multimale mating systems in which males are ranked in a dominance hierarchy that determines access to receptive females. Females develop extended conspicuous ovulatory and postconception swellings which arouse sexual interest in males and, consequently, promote male-male competition. Since females copulate with several males during their cycle, sperm competition may be another form of male-male competition in this species. Moreover, red colobus are considered as multiple mounters; therefore, sexual selection may have favoured morphological or copulatory patterns that increase reproductive success. In this study, we linked male social rank and sexual behaviour with data on female swelling morphology and reproductive states in a population of 39 wild living red colobus (Procolobus tephrosceles). We found that the priority of access to receptive female, as measured by the monopolisation and the mating frequency, was correlated to the male’s status in the hierarchy. However we found that subordinate males ejaculated more frequently after mounting a female than dominant males, thus, subordinate males use the few available opportunities to their best.
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Source: Manual
Preferred by: Amanda Korstjens
