Behavioral Ecology Advance Access originally published online on August 29, 2008
Behavioral Ecology 2008 19(6):1150-1158; doi:10.1093/beheco/arn093
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Female reproductive synchrony predicts skewed paternity across primates
a Integrative Primate Socio-Ecology Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany b Courant Research Center Evolution of Social Behavior, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077 Göttingen, Germany c Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 d Department of Anthropology, Peabody Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 e Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Address correspondence to J. Ostner. E-mail: ostner{at}eva.mpg.de.
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Abstract |
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Recent studies have uncovered remarkable variation in paternity within primate groups. To date, however, we lack a general understanding of the factors that drive variation in paternity skew among primate groups and across species. Our study focused on hypotheses from reproductive skew theory involving limited control and the use of paternity "concessions" by investigating how paternity covaries with the number of males, female estrous synchrony, and rates of extragroup paternity. In multivariate and phylogenetically controlled analyses of data from 27 studies on 19 species, we found strong support for a limited control skew model, with reproductive skew within groups declining as female reproductive synchrony and the number of males per group increase. Of these 2 variables, female reproductive synchrony explained more of the variation in paternity distributions. To test whether dominant males provide incentives to subordinates to resist matings by extragroup males, that is, whether dominants make concessions of paternity, we derived a novel prediction that skew is lower within groups when threat from outside the group exists. This prediction was not supported as a primary factor underlying patterns of reproductive skew among primate species. However, our approach revealed that if concessions occur in primates, they are most likely when female synchrony is low, as these conditions provide alpha male control of paternity that is assumed by concessions models. Collectively, our analyses demonstrate that aspects of male reproductive competition are the primary drivers of reproductive skew in primates.
Key words: limited control, paternity, primates, reproductive skew, reproductive synchrony.
Received 14 November 2007; revised 25 May 2008; accepted 11 June 2008.
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