Abstract
In most social mammals, members of either one sex or both leave their natal group at sexual maturity. In catarrhine primates, male emigration is the predominant pattern. Female philopatry facilitates cooperation among kin, and female reproductive success is influenced by these relationships. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are unusual in that dispersal is almost exclusively by females. While plausible ultimate hypotheses can explain this dispersal pattern, the proximate causes of female dispersal are unknown and warrant examination due to variation in dispersal behaviour and the associated high costs of immigration. In this study, we examine the behavioural and hormonal context of female dispersal in chimpanzees of Kibale National Park, Uganda, in order to understand variation in dispersal patterns and gain insight into functional explanations. Using over 10 years of behavioural, endocrinological, and demographic records, we examined the significance of 5 potential predictors of the timing of dispersal: (1) maturational state; (2) association patterns; (3) mating patterns; (4) physiological stress; and (5) feeding ecology. Female dispersal was not strictly predicted by chronological or gynaecological age, and dispersal did not correlate with shifts in glucocorticoid levels. We found no evidence that females avoided mating in their natal group, even with known relatives, suggesting that inbreeding avoidance is not a sufficient proximate explanation for dispersal in chimpanzees. Instead, variation in social development and the availability of energy for dispersal were implicated and necessitate more intensive examination along with subtler variation in maturational trajectories.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 629-656 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | Behaviour |
| Volume | 146 |
| Issue number | 4-5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 1 2009 |
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Keywords
- Adolescence
- Dispersal
- Energetics
- Inbreeding
- Stress
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Cite this
The context of female dispersal in Kanyawara chimpanzees. / Stumpf, R. M.; Emery Thompson, M.; Muller, M. N.; Wrangham, R. W.
In: Behaviour, Vol. 146, No. 4-5, 01.04.2009, p. 629-656.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The context of female dispersal in Kanyawara chimpanzees
AU - Stumpf, R. M.
AU - Emery Thompson, M.
AU - Muller, M. N.
AU - Wrangham, R. W.
PY - 2009/4/1
Y1 - 2009/4/1
N2 - In most social mammals, members of either one sex or both leave their natal group at sexual maturity. In catarrhine primates, male emigration is the predominant pattern. Female philopatry facilitates cooperation among kin, and female reproductive success is influenced by these relationships. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are unusual in that dispersal is almost exclusively by females. While plausible ultimate hypotheses can explain this dispersal pattern, the proximate causes of female dispersal are unknown and warrant examination due to variation in dispersal behaviour and the associated high costs of immigration. In this study, we examine the behavioural and hormonal context of female dispersal in chimpanzees of Kibale National Park, Uganda, in order to understand variation in dispersal patterns and gain insight into functional explanations. Using over 10 years of behavioural, endocrinological, and demographic records, we examined the significance of 5 potential predictors of the timing of dispersal: (1) maturational state; (2) association patterns; (3) mating patterns; (4) physiological stress; and (5) feeding ecology. Female dispersal was not strictly predicted by chronological or gynaecological age, and dispersal did not correlate with shifts in glucocorticoid levels. We found no evidence that females avoided mating in their natal group, even with known relatives, suggesting that inbreeding avoidance is not a sufficient proximate explanation for dispersal in chimpanzees. Instead, variation in social development and the availability of energy for dispersal were implicated and necessitate more intensive examination along with subtler variation in maturational trajectories.
AB - In most social mammals, members of either one sex or both leave their natal group at sexual maturity. In catarrhine primates, male emigration is the predominant pattern. Female philopatry facilitates cooperation among kin, and female reproductive success is influenced by these relationships. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are unusual in that dispersal is almost exclusively by females. While plausible ultimate hypotheses can explain this dispersal pattern, the proximate causes of female dispersal are unknown and warrant examination due to variation in dispersal behaviour and the associated high costs of immigration. In this study, we examine the behavioural and hormonal context of female dispersal in chimpanzees of Kibale National Park, Uganda, in order to understand variation in dispersal patterns and gain insight into functional explanations. Using over 10 years of behavioural, endocrinological, and demographic records, we examined the significance of 5 potential predictors of the timing of dispersal: (1) maturational state; (2) association patterns; (3) mating patterns; (4) physiological stress; and (5) feeding ecology. Female dispersal was not strictly predicted by chronological or gynaecological age, and dispersal did not correlate with shifts in glucocorticoid levels. We found no evidence that females avoided mating in their natal group, even with known relatives, suggesting that inbreeding avoidance is not a sufficient proximate explanation for dispersal in chimpanzees. Instead, variation in social development and the availability of energy for dispersal were implicated and necessitate more intensive examination along with subtler variation in maturational trajectories.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Dispersal
KW - Energetics
KW - Inbreeding
KW - Stress
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=66749126768&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=66749126768&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1163/156853909X413853
DO - 10.1163/156853909X413853
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:66749126768
VL - 146
SP - 629
EP - 656
JO - Behaviour
JF - Behaviour
SN - 0005-7959
IS - 4-5
ER -