Male endocrine response to seasonally varying environmental and social factors in a neotropical primate, Cebus capucinus.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Circannual variation in reproduction is pervasive in birds and mammals. In primates, breeding seasonality is variable, with seasonal birth peaks occurring even in year-round breeders. Environmental seasonality is reportedly an important contributor to the observed variation in reproductive seasonality. Given that food availability is the primary factor constraining female reproduction, predictions concerning responsiveness to environmental seasonality focus on females, with studies of males focusing primarily on social factors. We examined the influence of both environmental and social factors on male fecal testosterone (fT) and glucocorticoids (fGC) in moderately seasonally breeding white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) in Costa Rica.

Methods

Over 17 mont

SUBMITTER: Schoof VA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5890911 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature