Mating season effects on mother-infant conflict in Japanese macaques,Macaca fuscata

The impact of seasonal mating on the mother-infant relationship during the first year of the infant's life was documented in a confined troop of Japanese macaques. During the weeks in which the mothers were being mounted, negative behaviour directed towards the infants increased. As maternal rejections and punishments escalated, the infants displayed regressive behaviour (showing signs of distress more frequently). Infants also groomed their mothers at an increased rate at this time. Behaviour that indicated increased independence did not show increases during this time. Moreover, behaviour negatively associated with independence, such as ventral contact and proximity to the mother, remained stable throughout this time period. The mother-infant relationship undergoes a period of conflict during the mating season not because the mother is weaning her infant, but because it is to her reproductive advantage to regulate the times in which the infant is allowed to suckle.