Group size and mating system predict sex differences in vocal fundamental frequency in anthropoid primates.

Autor: Aung T; Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.; Psychology and Counseling Department, Immaculata University, Immaculata, PA, USA., Hill AK; Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA., Pfefferle D; Welfare and Cognition Group, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, German Primate Center - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Goettingen, Germany & Leibniz-ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center & University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany., McLester E; Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany., Fuller J; Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA., Lawrence JM; Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA., Garcia-Nisa I; Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK., Kendal RL; Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK., Petersdorf M; Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK., Higham JP; Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY, USA., Galat G; IRD (French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development), Montpellier, France., Lameira AR; Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK., Apicella CL; Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA., Barelli C; Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy., Glenn ME; Department of Anthropology, California State Polytechnic University Humboldt, Arcata, CA, USA., Ramos-Fernandez G; Institute for Research on Applied Mathematics and Systems and C3-Centro de Ciencias de la Complejidad, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico., Puts DA; Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA. dap27@psu.edu.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Nature communications [Nat Commun] 2023 Jul 10; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 4069. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Jul 10.
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39535-w
Abstrakt: Vocalizations differ substantially between the sexes in many primates, and low-frequency male vocalizations may be favored by sexual selection because they intimidate rivals and/or attract mates. Sexual dimorphism in fundamental frequency may be more pronounced in species with more intense male mating competition and in those with large group size, where social knowledge is limited and efficient judgment of potential mates and competitors is crucial. These non-mutually exclusive explanations have not been tested simultaneously across primate species. In a sample of vocalizations (n = 1914 recordings) across 37 anthropoid species, we investigated whether fundamental frequency dimorphism evolved in association with increased intensity of mating competition (H1), large group size (H2), multilevel social organization (H3), a trade-off against the intensity of sperm competition (H4), and/or poor acoustic habitats (H5), controlling for phylogeny and body size dimorphism. We show that fundamental frequency dimorphism increased in evolutionary transitions towards larger group size and polygyny. Findings suggest that low-frequency male vocalizations in primates may have been driven by selection to win mating opportunities by avoiding costly fights and may be more important in larger groups, where limited social knowledge affords advantages to rapid assessment of status and threat potential via conspicuous secondary sexual characteristics.
(© 2023. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE