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Differential energy budget and monopolization potential of harem holders and bachelors in hanuman langurs ( Semnopithecus entellus ): Preliminary results
Author(s) -
Schülke Oliver
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
american journal of primatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.988
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1098-2345
pISSN - 0275-2565
DOI - 10.1002/ajp.1039
Subject(s) - harem , monopolization , biology , population , ecology , demography , sociology , economics , market economy , monopoly
The demographic structure in the Hanuman langur ( Semnopithecus entellus ) population of Jodhpur is extreme, in that some single males monopolize harems with, on average, 25 adult females. It has been proposed that extratroop males, which live in all‐male bands, inhabit low‐quality habitats and suffer from reduced food provisioning and longer daily travel distances. To compare the resulting energetic consequences for harem holders and bachelors, I estimated their gross energy intake and daily energetic expenditures. This analysis revealed no clear‐cut differences between the two classes of males in time spent feeding on provisioned food, daily path length, gross energy intake, and energy expenditure. Due to the small sample size and other limitations of the study design, the hypothesis under investigation can not be evaluated conclusively. The preliminary results suggest, however, that energy budgets of harem holders and bachelors do not differ markedly. The importance of direct ecological pressures to males for our understanding of variation in group composition is highlighted. Am. J. Primatol. 55:57–63, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.