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Ovarian cycle phase and same‐sex mating behavior in Japanese macaque females
Author(s) -
O'Neill Ann C.,
Fedigan Linda M.,
Ziegler Toni E.
Publication year - 2004
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.20034
Subject(s) - luteal phase , follicular phase , biology , pregnanediol , macaque , mating , endocrinology , menstrual cycle , estrous cycle , medicine , sexual behavior , estrone , hormone , physiology , feces , zoology , ecology , psychology , developmental psychology
The relationship of the ovarian cycle phase to same‐sex mounting activity in adult female Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ) was studied during the 1997/1998 mating season. Fecal samples were collected from eight female subjects two to three times per week and analyzed by enzyme immunoassay for fecal hormone levels. Hormone profiles of estrone (E1) and pregnanediol (PdG) were used to separate ovarian cycles into three phases: follicular, periovulatory, and luteal. Patterns of same‐sex and heterosexual mounting behavior in the females were analyzed for phase variation during conceptive cycles. Same‐sex mounting among female Japanese macaques occurred most frequently during the follicular and periovulatory phases of the cycle, and not at all during the luteal phase, paralleling the pattern found in heterosexual mounting behavior. These findings suggest a link between hormonal fluctuations and patterns of sexual mounting, regardless of whether the partner is of the same or opposite sex. Am. J. Primatol. 63:25–31, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.