Female Dominance Hierarchies: Are They Any Different from Males’?

2002 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Schmid Mast
Keyword(s):  
Female Dominance ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies

FEMALE DOMINANCE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG CAPTIVE WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS: COMPARISONS WITH THE WILD

Behaviour ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 136 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 1283-1310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Lockard ◽  
Jennifer Scott
Keyword(s):  
Natural Habitat ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Gorilla Gorilla ◽  
Female Dominance ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Mountain Gorillas ◽  
Dominance Relationships ◽  
Western Lowland Gorillas ◽  
Lowland Gorillas

AbstractFemale dominance relationships were studied among three family groups of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) housed in large enclosures at Howletts Wild Animal Park, in Kent, England. In common with gorillas in their natural habitat, the Howletts gorillas forage throughout the day on low nutrient foods. However, the latter differ, at least from mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei), in that they also have relatively frequent access to high nutrient, high energy novel food items which are patchily distributed in time and space, and defendable. It was predicted that, despite these differences, the Howletts females would resemble mountain gorillas in forming adult female dominance hierarchies (determined from supplant interactions) in which older females that have lived in the group the longest are dominant to younger females, more recent to the group. The comparison was made with mountain gorillas as they are the only gorilla subspecies for which such data exist for wild-living populations. As predicted, an age/tenure-based dominance hierarchy was found to be the case for those groups at Howletts where there was considerable variation between the females' ages and length of group tenure. As gorillas and chimpanzees resemble more closely each other in forming age/tenure-based dominance hierarchies than they do other female-transfer primate species, it is proposed that the gorilla-chimpanzee pattern may have common phylogenetic origins. In addition, the order of progression of gorillas into their indoor living quarters appears to be a good indicator of supplant-dominance relationships among adult group members. It was also found that, despite being removed from their natural habitat, dominant males in captivity still lead their groups during group travel in the same manner that do males in the wild: either at the head, or bringing up the rear. Though primate social behaviour may be flexible depending on immediate context and life history variables, this flexibility may well remain within evolutionarily defined parameters, leading to species-typical patterns in general social interactions.

scholarly journals Individualistic female dominance hierarchies with varying strength in a highly folivorous population of black-and-white colobus

Behaviour ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 150 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 295-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascale Sicotte ◽  
Eva C. Wikberg ◽  
Iulia Bădescu ◽  
Julie A. Teichroeb
Keyword(s):  
Female Dominance ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Black And White Colobus

Effects of age, reproductive state, and the number of competitors on the dominance dynamics of wild female Hanuman langurs

Behaviour ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 150 (5) ◽  
pp. 485-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Lu ◽  
Carola Borries ◽  
Anna Caselli ◽  
Andreas Koenig
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Female Dominance ◽  
Contest Competition ◽  
Reproductive State ◽  
Resource Holding Potential ◽  
Wild Female ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Group Contest

Female dominance hierarchies form as a result of individual differences in resource holding potential, social processes such as winner-loser effects or coalitions, and ecological conditions that favor contest competition. Contest competition is assumed to result in despotic, nepotistic, and stable hierarchies. However, female Hanuman langurs are exceptions to this pattern, with data from provisioned populations indicating despotic, yet individualistic (age-inversed) and unstable hierarchies despite strong within-group contest. We present data on hierarchical linearity, stability, and the determinants of female rank and rank change in a population of unprovisioned, wild Hanuman langurs (Ramnagar, Nepal). Based on 12 490 dyadic displacement interactions collected over 5 years from a medium-sized group (P group, mean = 6.9 adult females) and a large group (O group, mean = 13.6 adult females), stable periods (P group, ; O group, ) were identified and dominance hierarchies constructed with the program MatMan. In both groups, dominance hierarchies were linear (), with high directional consistency within dyads. Rank was negatively related with age, while the presence of maternal kin had no effect. Reproductive state affected dominance rank in the larger group, with females ascending the hierarchy prior to conception, and dropping in rank after birth. Ranks were unstable, with group size and the number of juvenile females driving the effect (GLMM, ). These results match earlier findings for provisioned populations. In female Hanuman langurs, competition seems most intense around conception and during gestation, creating rank instability, which is further exacerbated by the number of adult as well as maturing females.

scholarly journals The role of female dominance hierarchies in the mating behaviour of mosquitofish

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese Chen ◽  
Madeleine Beekman ◽  
Ashley J. W. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Mating Behaviour ◽  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Female Dominance ◽  
Male Mating ◽  
Female Size ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Male Mate

While studies of sexual selection focus primarily on female choice and male–male competition, males should also exert mate choice in order to maximize their reproductive success. We examined male mate choice in mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki , with respect to female size and female dominance. We found that the number of mating attempts made by a male was predicted by the dominance rank of females in a group, with dominant females attracting more mating attempts than subordinates. The number of mating attempts made by males was independent of the female size. The observed bias in the number of mating attempts towards dominant females may be driven either by straightforward male mate choice, since dominance and female fecundity are often closely related, or via the dominant females mediating male mating behaviour by restricting their access to subordinate females.

Experimental increase in female mass during the fertile phase leads to enhanced extra-pair paternity in pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireia Plaza ◽  
Alejandro Cantarero ◽  
Juan Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Ficedula Hypoleuca ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Female Dominance ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Wing Loading ◽  
Potential Fecundity ◽  
Fertile Phase ◽  
Extra Pair Paternity

Female mass in most altricial birds reaches its maximum during breeding at egg-laying, which coincides temporally with the fertile phase when extra-pair paternity (EPP) is determined. Higher mass at laying may have two different effects on EPP intensity. On the one hand, it would lead to increased wing loading (body mass/wing area), which may impair flight efficiency and thereby reduce female’s capacity to resist unwanted extra-pair male approaches (sexual conflict hypothesis). On the other hand, it would enhance female condition, favouring her capacity to evade mate-guarding and to search for extra-pair mates (female choice hypothesis). In both cases, higher female mass at laying may lead to enhanced EPP. To test this prediction, we reduced nest building effort by adding a completely constructed nest in an experimental group of female pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca). Our treatment caused an increase in mass and thereby wing loading and this was translated into a significantly higher EPP in the manipulated group compared with the control group as expected. There was also a significant negative relationship between EPP and laying date and the extent of the white wing patch, an index of female dominance. More body reserves at laying mean not only a higher potential fecundity but a higher level of EPP as well. This interaction had not previously received due attention but should be considered in future studies of avian breeding strategies.

scholarly journals TO STUDY THE PREVALENCE AND CLINICAL PROFILE OF CHRONIC ATRIAL FIBRILLATION IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS

2014 ◽  
Vol 04 (02) ◽  
pp. 017-020
Author(s):  
Dharma Rao V. ◽  
Rajaneesh Reddy M. ◽  
Srikanth K. ◽  
Raj Kumar Prakash B. ◽  
Satya Prasad A. ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Chronic Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Hospitalized Patients ◽  
Clinical Profile ◽  
Female Dominance ◽  
Elderly Age ◽  
Female Ratio

Abstract: Objective: To determine the prevalence of chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) in a tertiary care center and to identify the clinical profile of chronic AF in hospitalized patients. Methods: All patients admitted to Mamata General Hospital in medicine/cardiology wards with chronic AF (persistent and permanent) during the period January 2012 to December 2012 were included into the study. The principal exclusion criteria were new onset AF and acute AF. Results: During the study period, 49 patients were admitted with chronic AF with an average of 45.44 years. A slight female dominance was seen with male: female ratio of 1:1.2. Half of the patients (51%) were below the age 50 years. The elderly age group comprised of only 16.3% of cases. The commonest presenting complaint was dyspnea followed by palpitation. Rheumatic valvular heart disease was seen more commonly in people below the age of 50 years whereas hypertension and ischemic heart disease after 50 years. Heart failure was the commonest condition associated with the chronic AF and was the cause of hospitalization in almost fifty percent of cases Conclusion: Chronic AF is still a cause of concern in India in people below the age of 50 years due to high prevalence of rheumatic fever inspite of advances in the medical field.

scholarly journals Understanding testosterone variation in a tropical lek-breeding bird

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas B. Ryder ◽  
Brent M. Horton ◽  
Ignacio T. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Breeding Birds ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Surprising Result ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Testosterone Levels ◽  
Male Display ◽  
Pipra Filicauda

Male reproductive coalitions, in which males cooperate to attract females, are a rare strategy among vertebrates. While some studies have investigated ultimate aspects of these relationships, little is known about the mechanistic role that hormones play in modulating cooperative behaviours. Here, we examined male testosterone variation in a tropical lekking bird, the wire-tailed manakin ( Pipra filicauda ), which exhibits cooperative male–male display coalitions. We found that testosterone levels in territorial males were comparable to those of temperate breeding birds, a surprising result given their environmental, social and reproductive dynamics. In addition, social status rather than plumage was a strong predictor of testosterone variation. Territorial males had significantly higher testosterone levels than did two other plumage classes of floater males, who do not hold territories. We hypothesize that testosterone variation plays an important role in the establishment of male dominance hierarchies (competition), while concurrently facilitating stable display partnerships (cooperation).

scholarly journals Prenatal Androgen Effects as a Proximate Mechanism Underpinning Variation in Social Behavior Among Female Nonhuman Primates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Howlett ◽  
Brandon C. Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Nonhuman Primates ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Female Dominance ◽  
Small Female ◽  
Proximate Mechanism ◽  
Cooperative Behaviors ◽  
Androgen Effects ◽  
Prenatal Androgen

AbstractWhile the role of ecological factors in shaping primate social systems has been a central focus for decades, less attention has been given to phylogenetic relationships and the potential role of underlying proximate mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between one such proximate mechanism, prenatal androgen effects (PAEs), and aspects of social behavior in female nonhuman primates using the 2D:4D ratio as a proxy for PAEs and phylogenetically controlled methods. In general, female 2D:4D ratios were highest in monogamous species (low inferred PAEs) and lowest in polygynandrous and polygynous species (high inferred PAEs). 2D:4D ratios also varied with the form of polygyny/polygynandry, potentially with regard to the need for competitive over cooperative behaviors and the intensity of female reproductive competition. Species characterized by female dominance had lower 2D:4D ratios than species characterized by male dominance or codominance. There were no significant relationships between 2D:4D ratio and either degree of frugivory or group size. Relationships between 2D:4D ratios and the directional consistency index and 2D:4D ratios and rates of female–female agonism were also nonsignificant although sample sizes for both of these variables were small. Female social relationships are a manifestation of complex competitive and cooperative behaviors and the results suggest that PAEs may act as a proximate mechanism underlying the expression of certain aspects of behavior in female primates in ways that are adaptive to their social system.

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