Hormonal Correlates of Maternal Style in Captive Macaques (Macaca fuscata and M. mulatta) |
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Authors: | Bardi Massimo Shimizu Keiko Fujita Shiho Borgognini-Tarli Silvana Huffman Michael A |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Ecology and Social Behavior, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan;(2) Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan;(3) Department of Ethology, Ecology, Evolution, University of Pisa, Italy;(4) Center for Human Evolution Modeling Research, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan |
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Abstract: | Previous studies on nonhuman primate maternal styles showed that variation in infant-directed behavior falls along two dimensions, traditionally labeled as protectiveness and rejection. We investigated maternal styles in rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and Japanese (M. fuscata) macaques living in analogous captive social groups, and correlated them with the levels of estrogen metabolites excreted in female feces during the perinatal period. We focally observed mother-infant pairs 3 hours per week during the first 12 weeks of infant life. We collected fecal samples twice a week from each mother, starting 4 weeks before delivery and ending 4 weeks after delivery. Three significant components were extracted by principal component analysis from 15 different infant directed behaviors, each reflecting a different aspect of mothering style: rejection is correlated with behavioral measures of maternal opposition to contact; protectiveness is correlated with maternal solicitude; and independence is correlated with time in contact, grooming and cradling. Levels of estrogen metabolites are significantly correlated to rejection but not to protectiveness or independence, indicating that, in nonhuman primates, individual endocrine changes related to maternal behavior might specifically affect the timing of contact interruption. |
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Keywords: | Japanese macaque rhesus macaque maternal style estrogen metabolite correlates behavior |
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