THE SEXUAL "PLAY ALL OUT" STRATEGY OF FEMALE MOOR MACAQUE (MACACA MAURA) Lavinia Germani1, Michael Heistermann2, Putu Oka Ngakan3, Monica Carosi1 1 Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy, 2 Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany, 3 Faculty of Forestry, Hasanuddin University, Makassar , Indonesia Reproduction is no straightforward activity. Female primates have to cyclically face behavioral, hormonal and physiological changes in any phase of reproduction, including mating. In particular, some Old World species advertise ovulation with "exaggerated" ano-genital swelling, a unique morphological signal which, especially due to its conspicuousness and cyclical renewal, might encompass energetic costs. Yet, little is known about the female actual energetic burden during this phase. We investigated in wild Macaca maura potential energetic costs swollen females may face by comparing them with females during (a) a potentially low cost energetic state (cycling/not swollen) and (b) a potentially high cost energetic state (lactating). We compared activity budget, nutrient/energy intake, agonism and physiological stress levels (by fecal glucocorticoid metabolite, FGCM, analysis). While lactating females showed behavioral strategies aimed at increasing feeding, nutrient and energy inputs - as a likely strategy to balance out the energetic cost of lactation - swollen females did not. The latter rather redirected their time towards interactions with males experiencing a severe decrease of nutrient/energy intake. In addition, swollen females experienced a higher aggression rate than in any other phase of the cycle. Furthermore, swollen (similarly to lactating) females, experienced higher FGCM levels than cycling/not swollen females, suggesting body energetic distress during this phase. It appears that swollen female sexual imperative overcame that for food intake in a "play all out" strategy, suggesting sexual swelling to be an energetically costly phase of M. maura reproduction.
Germani, L., Heistermann, M., Oka Ngakan, P., Carosi, M. (2019). The sexual "play all out" strategy of female moor macaque (Macaca maura). In 16th Conference of the Gesellschaft für Primatologie - GfP2019 Book of Abstracts (pp.37-37).
The sexual "play all out" strategy of female moor macaque (Macaca maura)
Lavinia Germani;Monica Carosi
2019-01-01
Abstract
THE SEXUAL "PLAY ALL OUT" STRATEGY OF FEMALE MOOR MACAQUE (MACACA MAURA) Lavinia Germani1, Michael Heistermann2, Putu Oka Ngakan3, Monica Carosi1 1 Department of Sciences, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy, 2 Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany, 3 Faculty of Forestry, Hasanuddin University, Makassar , Indonesia Reproduction is no straightforward activity. Female primates have to cyclically face behavioral, hormonal and physiological changes in any phase of reproduction, including mating. In particular, some Old World species advertise ovulation with "exaggerated" ano-genital swelling, a unique morphological signal which, especially due to its conspicuousness and cyclical renewal, might encompass energetic costs. Yet, little is known about the female actual energetic burden during this phase. We investigated in wild Macaca maura potential energetic costs swollen females may face by comparing them with females during (a) a potentially low cost energetic state (cycling/not swollen) and (b) a potentially high cost energetic state (lactating). We compared activity budget, nutrient/energy intake, agonism and physiological stress levels (by fecal glucocorticoid metabolite, FGCM, analysis). While lactating females showed behavioral strategies aimed at increasing feeding, nutrient and energy inputs - as a likely strategy to balance out the energetic cost of lactation - swollen females did not. The latter rather redirected their time towards interactions with males experiencing a severe decrease of nutrient/energy intake. In addition, swollen females experienced a higher aggression rate than in any other phase of the cycle. Furthermore, swollen (similarly to lactating) females, experienced higher FGCM levels than cycling/not swollen females, suggesting body energetic distress during this phase. It appears that swollen female sexual imperative overcame that for food intake in a "play all out" strategy, suggesting sexual swelling to be an energetically costly phase of M. maura reproduction.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
