Differential changes in steroid hormones before competition in bonobos and chimpanzees.

ABSTRACT: A large body of research has demonstrated that variation in competitive behavior across species and individuals is linked to variation in physiology. In particular, rapid changes in testosterone and cortisol during competition differ according to an individual's or species' psychological and behavioral responses to competition. This suggests that among pairs of species in which there are behavioral differences in competition, there should also be differences in the endocrine shifts surrounding competition. We tested this hypothesis by presenting humans' closest living relatives, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus), with a dyadic food competition and measuring their salivary testosterone and cortisol levels. Given that chimpanzees and bonobos differ markedly in their fo

SUBMITTER: Wobber V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2906573 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature