A longitudinal analysis of reproductive skew in male rhesus macaques.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Widdig A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC1691659 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
A longitudinal analysis of reproductive skew in male rhesus macaques.
Widdig Anja A Bercovitch Fred B FB Streich Wolf Jürgen WJ Sauermann Ulrike U Nürnberg Peter P Krawczak Michael M
Proceedings. Biological sciences 20040401 1541
One of the basic tenets of sexual selection is that male reproductive success should be large in polygynous species. Here, we analysed 6 years of molecular genetic data from a semi-free-ranging population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), using Nonac's B index, to assess the level of male reproductive skew in the study troop. On average, the top sire in each year produced 24% of the infants, while 71% of troop males sired no offspring at all. Consequently, 74% of infants had at least one pate ...[more]
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