ACTA THERIOLOGICA SINICA ›› 2024, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (1): 65-76.DOI: 10.16829/j.slxb.150818

• ORIGINAL PAPERS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Sexual interference in Taihangshan macaque (Macaca mulatta tcheliensis), Jiyuan, north China

HAN Mengya1,2, TIAN Jundong1,2, ZHOU Yanyan1,2, WANG Yuwei1,2, LUO Tongtong1,2, LU Jiqi1,2   

  1. 1 School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China;
    2 Institute of Biodiversity and Ecology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
  • Received:2023-06-27 Revised:2023-11-15 Online:2024-01-30 Published:2024-01-25

太行山猕猴的性打搅行为

韩梦亚1,2, 田军东1,2, 周言言1,2, 王钰炜1,2, 罗彤彤1,2, 路纪琪1,2   

  1. 1 郑州大学生命科学学院, 郑州 450001;
    2 郑州大学生物多样性与生态学研究所, 郑州 450001
  • 通讯作者: 路纪琪,E-mail:lujq@zzu.edu.cn
  • 作者简介:韩梦亚(1997-),男,硕士研究生,主要从事动物生态学研究.
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金(32070446)

Abstract: Sexual interference refers to the phenomenon in which an animal is disrupted during mating by other individuals of the same species through various means such as chemical pheromones, facial expressions, sounds, and aggression. Sexual interference behavior, a significant topic in ecological studies of reproductive behavior in non-human primates, exhibits considerable inter- and intraspecific variation. Within species, it is primarily influenced by factors such as sex and age. The present study was conducted in the Wulongkou area of Taihangshan Macaque National Nature Reserve, focusing on the WLK-1A group of Taihangshan macaques. From September 2021 to August 2022, we observed and recorded the mating behaviors of the target individuals by using the focal animal sampling method and the continuous recording method with the expectation of exploring the sexual interference behaviors and their age-sex group differences in Taihangshan macaques. The results showed that (1) sexual interference behavior of Taihangshan macaques only occurred in the mating period, with the peak in November; (2) From the perspective of the initiators of sexual interference, male (adult and sub-adult) individuals accounted for 29. 1%, female (adult and sub-adult) individuals accounted for 14. 9%, juvenile individuals accounted for 7. 5%, and infant individuals accounted for 48. 5%; (3) Both male (P =0. 011) and female (P = 0. 033) interrupters used mainly non-contact harassment, while there was no significant difference between the non-contact and contact harassment in juvenile interrupters (P = 0. 334), and infant interrupters used mainly contact harassment (P = 0. 001); (4) Male interrupters tended to interrupt the females in the mating pairs (P = 0. 040). There was no significant difference in the harassment frequency of female interrupters toward males and females of the mating pairs (P = 0. 157). Sexual interference by juveniles mostly pointed to their mothers (90%) and that by infants all pointed to their mothers. The frequencies, patterns, and targets of sexual interference in Taihangshan macaques show age-sex group differences. Based on functional analysis, this study concludes that sexual interference in both adult males and females supports the sexual competition hypothesis, that in juveniles supports the learning hypothesis, and that in infants supports the separation anxiety hypothesis and learning hypothesis. The results of this study help increase the understanding of the development of sexual interference behavior and its functional differences in non-human primates.

Key words: Taihangshan macaque (Macaca mulatta tcheliensis), Sexual interference, Sexual competition, Reproduction, Behavioral ecology

摘要: 性打搅是指动物在交配期间受到同种其他个体化学信息素、面部表情、声音、攻击等方面干扰的现象。性打搅行为作为非人灵长类繁殖行为生态研究的重要话题,具有高度的种间和种内差异,在种内主要受到性别和年龄等因素的影响。本研究于2021年9月至2022年8月在太行山猕猴国家级自然保护区五龙口地区,以太行山猕猴(Macaca mulatta tcheliensis) WLK-1A群为研究对象,采用焦点动物取样法和连续记录法观察并记录目标个体的交配行为,以期探讨太行山猕猴的性打搅行为及其性别-年龄组差异。结果表明:(1)太行山猕猴的性打搅行为仅发生在交配期,高峰期为11月;(2)从性打搅的发起者来看,雄性(成年和亚成年)个体占29.1%,雌性(成年和亚成年)个体占14.9%,青少年个体占7.5%,婴幼个体占48.5%;(3)与接触式性打搅相比,雄性(P=0.011)和雌性(P=0.033)的性打搅均以非接触式性打搅为主,青少年个体的非接触式与接触式性打搅之间无显著差异(P=0.334),婴幼猴以接触式性打搅为主(P=0.001);(4)雄性倾向于打搅交配中的雌性(P=0.040),雌性对交配中雄性与雌性间的打搅频次无显著差异(P=0.157),青少年个体的性打搅大多指向其母亲(90%),婴幼猴的性打搅均指向其母亲。太行山猕猴的性打搅频次、方式和打搅对象等表现出性别-年龄组间差异。基于功能分析,本研究认为,雄性和雌性太行山猕猴的性打搅均支持性竞争假说,青少年个体的性打搅支持学习假说,婴幼猴的性打搅支持分离焦虑假说和学习假说。本研究结果可望增加对非人灵长类性打搅行为发育及其功能差异的认识。

关键词: 太行山猕猴, 性打搅, 性竞争, 繁殖, 行为生态

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