Abstract
The lack of sexual size dimorphism among the lemurs of Madagascar affects agonistic relations between males and females, and therefore contributes to the most salient feature of lemur social systems: female dominance over males. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the nature and mechanisms of intrasexual selection in polygynous lemurs to illuminate the relationship between sexual selection and sex differences in dominance. First, I test the hypothesis that the lack of sexual size dimorphism in polygynous lemurs is a result of high viability costs. This hypothesis predicts that males in polygynous lemur species should have significantly larger canines than females, if male combat contributes importantly to variance in male reproductive success. Male-biased sexual canine dimorphism occurs in only 4 polygynous species, however. The reverse is true in Propithecus diadema and significant sex differences in canine size are absent in 8 other species. Moreover, there is no heterogeneity in the average degree of sexual canine dimorphism among lemurs with different mating systems. The general lack of sexual size dimorphism in polygynous lemurs is therefore not the result of high viability costs. More likely, it reflects weak selection on characters associated with male combat. The widespread absence of sexual dimorphism in body and canine size may still be reconcilable with sexual selection theory if male-male competition in polygynous lemurs is primarily post-copulatory, i.e., if it takes the form of sperm competition. In contrast to the prediction of this hypothesis, however, I found that males of solitary, pair- and group-living lemurs do not differ significantly in average relative testes size during the breeding season. Together, these comparative analyses suggest that intrasexual selection is of similar intensity in both monogamous and polygynous lemurs. Possible reasons for reduced variance in male reproductive success in non-monogamous species include scramble polygyny competition in some solitary species, as well as the existence of male-female pair-bonds in some group-living species. Female dominance occurs in species where males have superior weapons, but it does not characterize all polygynous lemurs. Thus, reduced intrasexual selection may have facilitated female dominance, but sexual selection theory alone cannot provide a sufficient explanation for the evolution of female dominance.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albrecht, G. H., Jenkins, P. D. and Godfrey, L. R., 1990, Ecogeographic size variation among the living and subfossil prosimians of Madagascar, Am. J. Primatol., 22: 1.
Alexander, R. D., Hoogland, J. L., Howard, R. D., Noonan, K. M. and Sherman, P. W., 1979, Sexual dimorphism and breeding systems in pinnipeds, ungulates, primates, and humans, in: “Evolutionary Biology and Human Social Behavior,” N. A. Chagnon and W. Irons, eds., Duxbury, North Scituate.
Archer, J., 1988., “The Behavioural Biology of Aggression,” Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Barrette, C. and Vandal, D., 1990, Sparring, relative antler size, and assessment in male caribou, Behay. Ecol. Sociobiol. 26: 383.
Bateman, A. J., 1948, Intrasexual selection in Drosophila., Heredity 2: 349.
Bearder, S. K., 1987, Lorises, bushbabies, and tarsiers: diverse societies in solitary foragers, in: “Primate Societies,” B. B. Smuts, D. L. Cheney, R. M. Seyfarth, R. W. Wrangham and T. T. Struhsaker, eds., University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Birkhead, T. R. and Hunter, F. M., 1990, Mechanisms of sperm competition, TREE 5: 48.
Bouissou, M. F., 1983, Hormonal influences on aggressive behavior in ungulates, in: “Hormones and Aggressive Behavior,” B. B. Svare, ed., Plenum Press, New York.
Budnitz, N. and Dainis, K., 1975, Lemur catta: ecology and behavior, in: “Lemur Biology,” I. Tattersall and R. W. Sussman, eds., Plenum Press, New York.
Charles-Dominique, P. and Petter, J. J., 1980, Ecology and social life of Phaner furcifer, in: “Nocturnal Malagasy Primates,” P. Charles-Dominique, H. M. Cooper, A. Hladik, C. M. Hladik, E. Pages, G. F. Pariente, A. Petter-Rousseaux, J.-J. Petter and A. Schilling, eds., Academic Press, New York.
Cheverud, J. M., Dow, M. M. and Leutenegger, W., 1985, The quantitative assessment of phylogenetic constraints in comparative analyses: sexual dimorphism in body weight among primates, Evolution 39: 1335.
Clutton-Brock, T. H., 1985, Size, sexual dimorphism, and polygyny in primates, in: “Size and Scaling in Primate Biology,” W. L. Jungers, ed., Plenum Press, New York.
Clutton-Brock, T. H., 1988, “Reproductive Success: Studies of Individual Variation in Contrasting Breeding Systems,’ University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Clutton-Brock, T. H., 1989, Mammalian mating systems, Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 236: 339.
Clutton-Brock, T. H., 1991a, The Evolution of Parental Care,“ Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Clutton-Brock, T. H., 1991b, The evolution of sex differences and the consequences of polygyny in mammals, in: “The Development and Integration of Behaviour,” P. Bateson, ed., University of Cambridge Press, Cambridge.
Clutton-Brock, T. H., Albon, S. D. and Harvey, P. H., 1980, Antlers, body size and breeding group size in the Cervidae, Nature 285: 565.
Clutton-Brock, T. H. and Harvey, P. H., 1984, Comparative approaches to investigating adaptation, in: “Behavioural Ecology,”J. R. Krebs and N. B. Davies, eds., Blackwell, Oxford.
Clutton-Brock, T. H., Harvey, P. H. and Rudder, B., 1977, Sexual dimorphism, socionomic sex ratio and body weight in primates, Nature 269: 797.
Collias, N. E., 1953, Social behavior in animals, Ecology 34: 810.
Colquhoun, I. C., 1987, Dominance and “fall fever”: The reproductive behavior of male brown lemurs (Lemur fulvus), Can. Rev. Phys. Anthropol. 6: 10.
Crook, J. H., 1972, Sexual selection, dimorphism, and social organization in the primates, in: “Sexual Selection and the Descent of Man,” B. G. Campbell, ed., Aldine, Chicago.
Curtsinger, J. W., 1991, Sperm competition and the evolution of multiple mating, Am. Nat. 138: 93.
Darwin, C., 1871, “The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex,” Murray, London.
Dunbar, R. I. M., 1990, Environmental determinants of intraspecific variation in body weight in baboons (Papio ssp.), J. Zool., Lond. 220: 157.
Fedigan, L., 1982, “Primate Paradigms: Sex Roles and Social Bonds,” Eden Press, Montreal.
Fedigan, L. M. and Baxter, M. J., 1984, Sex differences and social organization in free-ranging spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi), Primates 25: 279.
Felsenstein, J., 1985, Phylogenies and the comparative method, Am. Nat. 125: 1.
Foerg, R., 1982a, Reproductive behavior in Varecia variegata, Fol. Primatol. 38: 108.
Foerg, R., 1982b, Reproduction in Cheirogaleus medius, Fol. Primatol. 39: 49.
Geist, V., 1966, The evolution of horn-like organs, Behaviour 27: 175.
Gingerich, P. D. and Ryan, A. S., 1979, Dental and cranial variation in living Indriidae, Primates 20: 141.
Ginsberg, J. R. and Huck, U. W., 1989, Sperm competition in mammals, TREE 4: 74.
Godfrey, L. R., Lyon, S. K. and Sutherland, M.R., 1993, Sexual dimorphism in large-bodied primates: the case of the subfossil lemurs, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 10: 315.
Hand, J. L., 1986, Resolution of social conflicts: dominance, egalitarianism, spheres of dominance and game theory, Q. Rev. Biol. 61: 201.
Harcourt, A. H., 1979, Social relationships between adult male and female mountain gorillas, Anim. Behay. 27: 325.
Harcourt, A. H., Harvey, P. H., Larson, S. G. and Short, R. V., 1981, Testis weight, body weight, and breeding system in primates, Nature 293: 55.
Harrington, J. E., 1978, Diurnal behavior of Lemur mongoz at Ampijoroa, Fol. Primatol. 29: 291.
Harvey, P. H., 1991, Sexual selection, in: “Behavioural Ecology,” J. Krebs and N. Davies, eds., Blackwell, Oxford.
Harvey, P. H. and Harcourt, A. H., 1984, Sperm competition, testes size, and breeding system in primates, in: “Sperm Competition and the Evolution of Animal Mating Systems,” R.L. Smith, ed., Academic Press, New York.
Harvey, P. H., Kavanaugh, M. and Clutton-Brock, T. H., 1978, Sexual dimorphism in primate teeth, J. Zool., Lond 186: 475.
Harvey, P. H. and Pagel, M., 1991, “The Comparative Method in Evolutionary Biology,” Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Hausfater, G., 1975, Dominance and reproduction in baboons: a quantitative analysis, Contrib. Primatol. 7:1.
Hladik, A., 1980, The dry forest of the west coast of Madagascar: climate, phenology, and food available for prosimians, in: “Nocturnal Malagasy Primates: Ecology, Physiology, and Behavior,” P. Charles-Dominique, H. M. Cooper, A. Hladik, C. M. Hladik, E. Pages, G. F. Pariente, A. PetterRousseaux, J.-J. Petter and A. Schilling, eds., Academic Press, New York.
Hladik, C. M., Charles-Dominique, P. and Petter, J.-J., 1980, Feeding strategies of five nocturnal prosimians in the dry forest of the West coast of Madagascar, in: “Nocturnal Malagasy Primates: Ecology, Physiology and Behavior,” P. Charles-Dominique, H. M. Cooper, A. Hladik, C. M. Hladik, E. Pages, G. F. Pariente, A. Petter-Rousseaux, J.-J. Petter and A. Schilling, eds., Academic Press, New York.
Hrdy, S. B., 1981, “The Woman that Never Evolved,” Harvard University Press, Cambridge.
Jenkins, P. and Albrecht, G., 1991, Sexual dimorphism and sex ratios in Madagascan prosimians, Am. J. Primatot. 24: 1.
Jolly, A., 1966, “Lemur Behavior,” University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Jolly, A., 1967, Breeding synchrony in wild Lemur cafta, in: “Social Communication among Primates,” S. A. Altmann, ed., University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Jolly, A., 1984, The puzzle of female feeding priority, in: “Female Primates: Studies by Woman Primatologists,” M. F. Small, ed., A.R. Liss, New York.
Jones, C. B., 1980, The functions of status in the mantled howler monkey, Alouatta palliate Gray: intraspecific competition for group membership in a folivorous neotropical primate, Primates 21: 389.
Kappeler, P. M., 1990a, Female dominance in Lemur cafta: more than just female feeding priority?, Fol. Primatol. 55: 92.
Kappeler, P. M., 1990b, The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in prosimian primates, Am. J. Primatol. 21: 201.
Kappeler, P. M., 1991, Patterns of sexual dimorphism in body weight among prosimian primates. Fol. Primatol. 57: 132.
Kappeler, P. M., 1992, Female dominance in Malagasy primates, Ph.D. thesis, Duke University, Durham.
Kappeler, P. M., 1993, Female dominance in primates and other mammals, in: “Perspectives in Ethology, Vol. X,” P. P. G. Bateson, P. H. Klopfer and N. S. Thompson, eds., Plenum Press, New York.
Kaufman, R., 1991, Female dominance in semifree-ranging black and white ruffed lemurs, Varecia variegata, Fol. Primatol. 57: 39.
Kay, R. F., Plavcan, J. M., Glander, K. E. and Wright, P. C., 1988, Sexual selection and canine dimorphism in New World monkeys, Am. J. Phys. AnthropoL 77: 385.
Kenagy, G. J. and Trombulak, S. C., 1986, Size and function of mammalian testes in relation to body size, J.Mammal. 67: 1.
Kieser, J. A. and Groeneveld, H. T., 1990, Patterns of sexual dimorphism and of variability in the dentition of Otolemur crassicaudatus, Int. J. PrimatoL 10: 137.
Kirkpatrick, M., 1987, Sexual selection by female choice in polygynous animals, Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 18: 43.
Kirkpatrick, M. and Ryan, M. J., 1991, The evolution of mating preferences and the paradox of the lek, Nature 350: 33.
Kummer, H., 1968, “Social Organization of Hamadryas Baboons,” University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Leighton, D.R. 1987, Gibbons: territoriality and monogamy, in: “Primate Societies,” B.B. Smuts, D. L. Cheney, R. M. Seyfarth, R. W. Wrangham and T. T. Struhsaker, eds., University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Leutenegger, W., 1978, Scaling of sexual dimorphism in body size and breeding system in primates, Nature 272: 610.
Moller, A. P., 1988, Ejaculate quality, testes size and sperm competition in primates, J. Hum. Evol. 17: 479.
Moller, A. P., 1991, Concordance of mammalian ejaculate features, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 246: 237.
Morland, H. S., 1991, Preliminary report on the social organization of ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata variegata) in a northeast Madagascar rain forest, Fol. Primatol. 56: 157.
Nash, L. T., Bearder, S. K. and Olson, T. R., 1989, Synopsis of Galago species characteristics, Int. J. Primatol. 10: 57.
Noe, R., van Schaik, C. and van Hooff, J., 1991, The market effect: an explanation for pay-off asymmetries among collaborating animals, Ethology 87: 97.
Noe, R., Waal, F. B. M. and van Hooff, J., 1980, Types of dominance in a chimpanzee colony, Fol. Primatol. 34: 90.
Packer, C., 1983, Sexual dimorphism: the horns of African antelope, Science 221: 1191.
Pagès-Feuillade, E., 1988, Modalités de l’occupation de l’espace et relations interindividuelles chez un prosimien nocturne malgache (Microcebus murinus), Fol. Primatol. 50: 204.
Pereira, M. E., 1993, Agonistic interaction, dominance relations, and ontogenetic trajectories in ringtailed lemurs. in: “Juvenile Primates: Life History, Development, and Behavior,” M. E. Pereira and L. A. Fairbanks, eds., Oxford University Press, New York.
Pereira, M. E., Kaufman, R., Kappeler, P. M. and Overdorff, D. J., 1990, Female dominance does not characterize all of the Lemuridae, Fol. Primatol 55: 96.
Perret, M. and Schilling, A., 1987, Intermale sexual effect elicited by volatile urinary ether extract in Microcebus murinus (Prosimian, Primates), J. Chem. Ecol. 13: 495.
Plavcan, J.M. and Kay, R.F., 1988, Sexual dimorphism and dental variability in platyrrhine primates, Int. J. Primatol. 9:169.
Plavcan, J. M. and van Schaik, C. P., 1992, Intrasexual competition and canine dimorphism in primates, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 87: 461.
Pollock, J. I., 1979, Female dominance in Indri indri, Fol. Primatol. 31: 143.
Pollock, J. I., 1989, Intersexual relationships amongst prosimians, Hum. Evol. 4: 133.
Popp, J. L., 1983, Ecological determinism in the life histories of baboons, Primates 24: 198.
Promislow, D. E. L., 1992, Costs of sexual selection in natural populations of mammals, Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 247: 203.
Rails, K, 1976, Mammals in which females are larger than males, Q. Rev. Biot 51: 245.
Reinhardt, V., Reinhardt, A. and Reinhardt, C., 1987, Evaluating sex differences in aggressiveness in cattle, bison and rhesus monkeys, Behaviour 104: 58.
Richard, A. F., 1974, Patterns of mating in Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi, in: ’Prosimian Biology,’ R. D. Martin, G. A. Doyle and A. C. Walker, eds., Duckworth, London.
Richard, A. F., 1987, Malagasy prosimians: female dominance, in: ’Primate Societies,“ B.B. Smuts, D. L. Cheney, R. M. Seyfarth, R. W. Wrangham and T. T. Struhsaker, eds., University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Richard, A. F. and Dewar, R. E., 1991, Lemur ecology, Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 22: 145.
Richard, A. F. and Heimbuch, R., 1975, An analysis of the social behavior of three groups of Propithecus verreauxi, in: “Lemur Biology,” I. Tattersall and R. W. Sussman, eds., Plenum Press, New York.
Richard, A. F. and Nicoll, M. E., 1987, Female social dominance and basal metabolism in a Malagasy primate, Propithecus verreauxi, Am. J. Primatol. 12: 309.
Rigamonti, M. M., 1993, Home range and diet in red ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata rubra) on the Masoala peninsula, Madagascar, in: “Lemur Social Systems and their Ecological Basis,” P.M. Kappeler and J.U. Ganzhorn, eds., Plenum Press, New York.
Rodman, P. S. and Mitani, J. C., 1987, Orangutans: sexual dimorphism in a solitary species, in: “Primate Societies,” B. B. Smuts, D. L. Cheney, R. M. Seyfarth, R. W. Wrangham and T. T. Struhsaker, eds., Chicago University Press, Chicago.
Rowell, T. E. and Chism, J., 1986, Sexual dimorphism and mating systems: jumping to conclusions, Hum. Evol. 1: 215.
Schilling, A. and Perret, M., 1987, Chemical signals and reproductive capacity in a male prosimian primate (Microcebus murinus), Chem. Sens. 12: 143.
Schilling, A., Perret, M. and Predine, J., 1984, Sexual inhibition in a prosimian primate: a pheromone-like effect, J. Endocrinol. 102: 143.
Schwagmeyer, P. L., 1988, Scramble-competition polygyny in an asocial mammal: male mobility and mating success, Am. Nat. 131: 885.
Siegel, S. and Castellan, N. J., 1988, “Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences,” McGraw-Hill, New York.
Smuts, B. B., 1987a, Gender, aggression, and influence, in: “Primate Societies,” B. B. Smuts, D. L. Cheney, R. M. Seyfarth, R. W. Wrangham and T. T. Struhsaker, eds., University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Smuts, B. B., 1987b, Sexual competition and mate choice, in: “Primate Societies,” B. B. Smuts, D. L. Cheney, R. M. Seyfarth, R. W. Wrangham and T. T. Struhsaker, eds., University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Sterling, E. J., 1993, Patterns of range use and social organization in aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis) on Nosy Mangabe, in: “Lemur Social Systems and their Ecological Basis,” P.M. Kappeler and J.U. Ganzhorn, eds., Plenum Press, New York.
Sussman, R. W. and Tattersall, I., 1976, Cycles of activity, group composition, and diet of Lemur mongoz in Madagascar, Fol. Primatol. 26: 270.
Swindler, D. R., 1976, “Dentition of Living Primates,” Academic Press, New York.
Tattersall, I., 1976, Group structure and activity rhythm in Lemur mongoz (Primates, Lemuriformes), Anthropol. Pap. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 53: 369.
Tattersall, I., 1982, “The Primates of Madagascar,” Columbia University Press, New York.
Tilson, R. L. and Hamilton, W. J. I., 1984, Social dominance and feeding patterns of spotted hyaenas, Anim. Behay. 32: 715.
Trivers, R. L., 1972, Parental investment and sexual selection, in: “Sexual Selection and the Descent of Man,” B. Campbell, ed., Aldine, Chicago.
van Schaik, C. P. and Kappeler, P. M., 1993, Life history, activity period and lemur social systems, in: “Lemur Social Systems and their Ecological Basis,” P.M. Kappeler and J.U. Ganzhorn, eds., Plenum Press, New York.
White, F. J., 1991, Social organization, feeding ecology, and reproductive strategy of ruffed lemurs, Varecia variegata, in: “Proceedings of the XIII Congress of the International Primatological Society,” A. Ehara, T. Kimura, O. Takenaka and M. Iwamoto, eds., Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Wright, P. C., 1988, Social behavior of Propithecus diadema edwardsi in Madagascar, Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 75: 289.
Young, A. L., Richard, A. F. and Aiello, L. C., 1990, Female dominance and maternal investment in strepsirhine primates, Am. Nat. 135: 473.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kappeler, P.M. (1993). Sexual Selection and Lemur Social Systems. In: Kappeler, P.M., Ganzhorn, J.U. (eds) Lemur Social Systems and Their Ecological Basis. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2412-4_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2412-4_16
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-2414-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-2412-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive