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Reproduction in free‐ranging male Propithecus verreauxi : The hormonal correlates of mating and aggression
Author(s) -
Brockman Diane K.,
Whitten Patricia L.,
Richard Alison F.,
Schneider Adam
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-8644(199802)105:2<137::aid-ajpa3>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - mating , aggression , reproduction , zoology , biology , psychology , ecology , developmental psychology
Endocrine studies of captive strepsirrhine primates suggest that physical environment and social factors mediate inter‐individual variations in testicular function and serum testosterone (sT) in males. While these studies have made major contributions to our understanding of the individual proximate mechanisms influencing androgen activity in male strepsirrhines, none have investigated how these mechanisms work coincidentally in free‐ranging populations. In this study we used fecal steroid analysis to examine androgen‐behavior interactions associated with reproduction in free‐ranging male Propithecus verreauxi. Behavioral and hormone data were collected from two social groups during the 1990–91 and 1991–92 breeding seasons at Beza Mahafaly, Madagascar. Solid phase and radioimmunoassay techniques were used to quantify testosterone (T) in 105 desiccated fecal samples collected weekly from seven males. Results suggest that 1) solid phase extraction and radioimmunoassay techniques were reliable and accurate methods for quantifying T in sifaka feces; 2) fecal T (fT) elevations spanned a minimum of 4 months, peak levels occurring 1 month prior to the January onset of the breeding season; 3) fecal T concentrations were influenced by developmental factors and, among mature males, social factors associated with rank, intergroup aggression, and group instability. Am J Phys Anthropol 105:137–151, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.