Dispersal in male ursine colobus monkeys (Colobus vellerosus): Influence of age, rank and contact with other groups on dispersal decisions
Abstract
Dispersal is male-biased in ursine colobus monkeys (Colobus vellerosus), although
female dispersal also occurs (Teichroeb et al., 2009). Here we describe the process
of male dispersal and its connection with between-group encounters (BGEs, N = 444)
and male incursions (when males left their group and approached within 50 m of another
group; N = 128) at the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in central Ghana. Through BGEs
and incursions, particularly those with non-aggressive interactions between individuals
in different groups (BGEs, N = 17; incursions, N = 4), males could probably assess
other groups for dispersal opportunities. There was a trend for males to perform incursions
more frequently before emigrating voluntarily than involuntarily. Incursions were
often performed towards the group that the male eventually transferred to. Incursions
by alpha males were temporally shorter and more aggressive than those by non-alpha
males. We suggest that non-alpha males used incursions to assess other groups for
breeding or dispersal opportunities, whereas alpha males performed incursions mainly
to convey information about their quality to neighbouring males and females. Male
emigrations/disappearances (natal N = 20, secondary N = 43, unknown N = 9) and immigrations
(N = 62) were recorded for seven groups during ten years (2000- 2010). Alpha males
always emigrated involuntarily. Parallel emigration and immigration occurred. Males
often immigrated into groups with a more favourable adult male/adult female ratio
and improved their rank, both of which likely increased their mating opportunities.
The most fitting ultimate explanation for both natal and secondary male dispersal
in this population was the intrasexual competition for mates hypothesis, as males
of all ages appeared to emigrate to improve their reproductive opportunities. © 2011
Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9187Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1163/000579511X577157Publication Info
Teichroeb, JA; Wikberg, EC; & Sicotte, P (2011). Dispersal in male ursine colobus monkeys (Colobus vellerosus): Influence of age, rank
and contact with other groups on dispersal decisions. Behaviour, 148(7). pp. 765-793. 10.1163/000579511X577157. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/9187.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Julie A Teichroeb
Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology
Julie Teichroeb is a biological anthropologist who studies primate behavioral ecology.
Her research focuses on the evolution of sociality, examining group formation, the
underlying causes of social organization, and group decision-making. She is particularly
interested in the relative influence of social and ecological pressures on the evolution
of social organization; so how male and female reproductive strategies influence each
other and result in the group size and group compositions that
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