Sex Differences in the Development of Social Relationships in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta).

ABSTRACT: Several studies have documented the importance of social bonding for the enhancement of individual fitness. However, little is known about how social relationships develop through ontogeny, and whether their development follows the same trajectory in males and females. Here we analyzed affiliative interactions (proximity, social grooming, play) combined with demographic and genetic data in semi-free-ranging rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) on Cayo Santiago over their first 4 yr of life (from birth to sexual maturation) to understand how these interactions change through development in both sexes. Generalized linear mixed models revealed that social behaviors mostly followed different developmental trajectories in males and females and were highly dependent on the social context. In

SUBMITTER: Kulik L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4430863 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature