Maternal condition and maternal investment during lactation in mantled howler monkeys
| Autor: | David Roberto Chavira-Ramírez, Beatriz Cano-Huertes, Alejandro Coyohua-Fuentes, Ariadna Rangel-Negrín, Pedro Américo D. Dias, Domingo Canales-Espinosa |
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| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Offspring 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Anthropology Physical Lactation medicine Animals 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences 050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology Maternal Behavior Alouatta C-Peptide Reproductive success biology Infant Care 05 social sciences biology.organism_classification Investment (macroeconomics) Nonhuman primate Vigilance (behavioural ecology) medicine.anatomical_structure Alouatta palliata Anthropology Female Anatomy Demography |
| Zdroj: | American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 167:178-184 |
| ISSN: | 0002-9483 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ajpa.23626 |
| Popis: | Objectives Lactation is a costly reproductive state for females, as it may entail decreased body condition, increased morbidity, and increased mortality risk. To offset these costs, mothers should allocate investment in infant care as a function of their physical condition. Here, we assessed the relationship between maternal condition and maternal investment in wild mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata) to determine: (1) whether maternal physical condition varied as a function of food availability, activity levels and feeding effort throughout lactation; (2) whether maternal investment was affected by maternal condition and offspring age. Materials and methods We studied six adult females while rearing their immature offspring. We determined weekly food availability, C-peptide levels (as a measure of energy balance) in urine samples (306 samples), mothers' time budgets, feeding rates, time spent vigilant, and time spent carrying their offspring (for two years; 600 observation hours). Results C-peptide levels were positively related to food availability. Maternal care in terms of vigilance and offspring carrying peaked at early lactation and decreased progressively with offspring age. Carrying was positively related to C-peptide levels and was also influenced by variation in maternal condition throughout lactation. Discussion These results converge with previous theoretical and empirical studies on this topic and contribute to the growing evidence that nonhuman primate mothers allocate maternal care based on their current condition to maximize lifetime reproductive success. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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