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- Title
Sex Differences in Kin Bias at Maturation: Male Rhesus Macaques Prefer Paternal Kin Prior to Natal Dispersal.
- Authors
Widdig, Anja; Langos, Doreen; Kulik, Lars
- Abstract
Dispersal and mating patterns are known to affect the availability of both maternal and paternal kin within social groups, with important effects on the evolution of sociality. It is generally assumed that the philopatric sex forms stronger social bonds than the dispersing sex, possibly as a result of reduced kin availability for the dispersing sex after departure. However, few primate studies have directly compared whether sex differences in association patterns, particular with kin, are already present prior to dispersal when kin availability should be the same for both sexes. Here, we compared affiliative and aggressive interactions in a female philopatric species, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), to test whether sex differences in kin bias already occur around the age of maturation, when both sexes still live together with kin intheir natal group. Our data confirmed that kin availabilitywas the samefor both sexes prior tomale dispersal. Similar kin availability was partially reflected by comparable association patterns, as both females and males preferentially interacted with maternal kin.However, females had stronger affiliative bonds withmaternal kin thanmales of the same age, indicating that kin associations not only depended upon kin availability, but were also sex-specific. Similarly, maleswere significantly more likely to affiliate with paternal kin than non-kin, as compared to females, suggesting that males discriminated paternal kin from non-kin earlier in life than females. Males might have a stronger need than females to affiliate with paternal kin due to a reduced integration in the matrilineal family prior to dispersal and the high availability of paternally related age-peers, with whom males could potentially migrate. Females, in contrast, formstronger affiliations withmaternal kin, whichmay enhance their offspring's survival.More comparative studies are needed to understand the impact of different dispersal regimes on patterns of kin associations.
- Subjects
SEX differences (Biology); SOCIAL bonds; PRIMATE behavior; RHESUS monkeys; PATRILINEAL kinship; MATRILINEAL kinship; MAMMAL dispersal
- Publication
American Journal of Primatology, 2016, Vol 78, Issue 1, p78
- ISSN
0275-2565
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/ajp.22401