TY - JOUR
T1 - The ontogeny of sexual dimorphism in free-ranging rhesus macaques
AU - Cayo Biobank Research Unit
AU - Turcotte, Cassandra M.
AU - Mann, Eva H.J.
AU - Stock, Michala K.
AU - Villamil, Catalina I.
AU - Montague, Michael J.
AU - Dickinson, Edwin
AU - Surratt, Samuel Bauman
AU - Martinez, Melween
AU - Williams, Scott A.
AU - Antón, Susan C.
AU - Higham, James P.
N1 - Funding Information:
Research described in this paper was performed at the Caribbean Primate Research Center (CPRC) and at New York University (NYU). We thank the staff of the CPRC for facilitating and enabling all data collection.
Funding Information:
Primary funding was from National Science Foundation BCS‐1754024, NSF BCS‐1648676, and a Leakey Foundation grant (all three grants to James P. Higham, Susan C. Antón, Scott A. Williams). Funding to the Cayo Santiago Primate Research Center was provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs #P40‐OD012217. Funding information
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
PY - 2022/2
Y1 - 2022/2
N2 - Objective: Reconstructing the social lives of extinct primates is possible only through an understanding of the interplay between morphology, sexual selection pressures, and social behavior in extant species. Somatic sexual dimorphism is an important variable in primate evolution, in part because of the clear relationship between the strength and mechanisms of sexual selection and the degree of dimorphism. Here, we examine body size dimorphism across ontogeny in male and female rhesus macaques to assess whether it is primarily achieved via bimaturism as predicted by a polygynandrous mating system, faster male growth indicating polygyny, or both. Methods: We measured body mass in a cross-sectional sample of 362 free-ranging rhesus macaques from Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico to investigate size dimorphism: (1) across the lifespan; and (2) as an outcome of sex-specific growth strategies, including: (a) age of maturation; (b) growth rate; and (c) total growth duration, using regression models fit to sex-specific developmental curves. Results: Significant body size dimorphism was observed by prime reproductive age with males 1.51 times the size of females. Larger male size resulted from a later age of maturation (males: 6.8–7.8 years vs. females: 5.5–6.5 years; logistic model) and elevated growth velocity through the pre-prime period (LOESS model). Though males grew to larger sizes overall, females maintained adult size for longer before senescence (quadratic model). Discussion: The ontogeny of size dimorphism in rhesus macaques is achieved by bimaturism and a faster male growth rate. Our results provide new data for understanding the development and complexities of primate dimorphism.
AB - Objective: Reconstructing the social lives of extinct primates is possible only through an understanding of the interplay between morphology, sexual selection pressures, and social behavior in extant species. Somatic sexual dimorphism is an important variable in primate evolution, in part because of the clear relationship between the strength and mechanisms of sexual selection and the degree of dimorphism. Here, we examine body size dimorphism across ontogeny in male and female rhesus macaques to assess whether it is primarily achieved via bimaturism as predicted by a polygynandrous mating system, faster male growth indicating polygyny, or both. Methods: We measured body mass in a cross-sectional sample of 362 free-ranging rhesus macaques from Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico to investigate size dimorphism: (1) across the lifespan; and (2) as an outcome of sex-specific growth strategies, including: (a) age of maturation; (b) growth rate; and (c) total growth duration, using regression models fit to sex-specific developmental curves. Results: Significant body size dimorphism was observed by prime reproductive age with males 1.51 times the size of females. Larger male size resulted from a later age of maturation (males: 6.8–7.8 years vs. females: 5.5–6.5 years; logistic model) and elevated growth velocity through the pre-prime period (LOESS model). Though males grew to larger sizes overall, females maintained adult size for longer before senescence (quadratic model). Discussion: The ontogeny of size dimorphism in rhesus macaques is achieved by bimaturism and a faster male growth rate. Our results provide new data for understanding the development and complexities of primate dimorphism.
KW - Animals
KW - Body Size
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Female
KW - Macaca mulatta
KW - Male
KW - Reproduction
KW - Sex Characteristics
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U2 - 10.1002/ajpa.24442
DO - 10.1002/ajpa.24442
M3 - Article
C2 - 35571460
AN - SCOPUS:85123457133
VL - 177
SP - 314
EP - 327
JO - American Journal of Biological Anthropology
JF - American Journal of Biological Anthropology
SN - 2692-7691
IS - 2
ER -