Baniel, Alice, Cowlishaw, Guy and Huchard, Elise (2018) Jealous females? Female competition and reproductive suppression in a wild promiscuous primate. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285 (1886).

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Identification Number : 10.1098/rspb.2018.1332

Abstract

Female–female competition over paternal care has rarely been investigated in promiscuous mammals, where discreet forms of male care have recently been reported despite low paternity certainty. We investigated female competition over paternal care in a wild promiscuous primate, the chacma baboon (Papio ursinus), where pregnant and lactating females establish strong social bonds (friendships) with males that provide care to their offspring. We tested whether pregnant and lactating females interfere with the sexual activity of their male friend to prevent new conceptions that might lead to the subsequent dilution of his paternal care. We found that pregnant and lactating females were more aggressive towards oestrous females when they had recently conceived themselves, and when the oestrous female was mate-guarded by, and showed greater sexual activity with, their male friend. This aggression also reduced the likelihood of conception of the targeted female. These findings indicate that females can aggressively prevent further conceptions with their offspring's carer through reproductive suppression. Competition over access to paternal care may play an important and underestimated role in shaping female social relationships and reproductive strategies in promiscuous mammalian societies.

Item Type: Article
Language: English
Date: September 2018
Refereed: Yes
Subjects: B- ECONOMIE ET FINANCE
Divisions: TSE-R (Toulouse)
Site: UT1
Date Deposited: 11 Sep 2018 14:25
Last Modified: 02 Apr 2021 15:58
OAI Identifier: oai:tse-fr.eu:32927
URI: https://publications.ut-capitole.fr/id/eprint/26240
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