Biological market theory predicts that animals exchange the same commodities, or interchange different ones, to their mutual benefit. Using focal and behavioral sampling methods and continuous recording techniques, we studied Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) in two study groups (YA1 and YA2) at Huangshan, China to see whether adults interchanged male-to-female agonistic support for copulation. Overall, male-to-female agonistic support was significantly correlated with copulation behaviors when data from both study groups were combined. For YA1, copulations in post-agonistic support observation (PO) was greater, but not significantly so, than random observation (RO) in the breeding season, and copulation in PO was significantly greater than RO in the non-breeding season. For YA2 copulations in PO were significantly greater than RO in both breeding and non-breeding seasons. These results suggest that a male who extends post-agonistic support to a female is significantly more likely to copulate with her. Our study provides evidence for the existence of a biological market involving interchanged social behaviors. Our study also illuminates the reproductive strategies of male competition and female choice in this species.
生物市场理论认为动物个体之间通过某种协定交换有价值的商品,使双方均受益。该研究采用目标动物法、行为取样法和连续记录法,对浮溪黄山野生猴谷鱼鳞坑短尾猴 (Macaca thibetana) A1群 (YA1群)和A2群 (YA2群)成年个体在非繁殖季节 (2011年8月—12月)和繁殖季节 (2012年2月—5月)的雄性攻击支持雌性行为和交配行为进行研究,探讨雄性攻击支持雌性与交配之间的关系。两猴群在繁殖季节和非繁殖季节雄性攻击支持雌性与交配行为均呈显著正相关;YA2群繁殖季节与非繁殖季节攻击支持后交配频次均显著高于随机交配;YA1群在繁殖季节攻击支持后交配频次与随机交配频次差异不显著,但在非繁殖季节攻击支持后交配频次显著高于随机交配,说明短尾猴成年雄性攻击支持雌性可以换取与该雌性个体的交配回报。本研究验证了生物市场理论中社会行为存在交换,首次证明了雄性攻击支持可以换取雌性的交配回报,为进一步研究雄性性竞争与雌性选择提供了实例。
Keywords: Agonistic support; Biological market theory; Copulation; Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana).