Scholarlink

<p>Among cercopithecine primates, female offspring often inherit maternal rank (i.e., achieve a rank adjacent to their mothers) due to either direct intervention or indirect influence by mothers with respect to offspring agonistic interactions. We investigated the developmental dynamics of juvenile agonism and rank acquisition in three large groups of wild vervet monkeys, <i>Chlorocebus pygerythrus</i>. Overall, we found that juvenile rank acquisition did not follow a simple maternal inheritance pattern. We found strong evidence that mothers provided neither direct nor indirect support during agonistic episodes—mothers were rarely spatially proximate and never acted as coalition partners. While juveniles of high-ranking mothers tended to achieve ranks aligned with their maternal rank, those of lower-ranking mothers often surpassed their mothers’ rank. Juvenile aggression increased with age and was influenced by sex and maternal rank. Males and females differed in aggression trajectories, particularly depending on maternal rank. Our findings reveal that rank acquisition is not a passive inheritance process but occurs within a flexible, socially embedded developmental trajectory. Juveniles appeared to actively negotiate their status, shaped by both their social environment and maternal legacy. These results challenge assumptions about fixed dominance hierarchies and underscore the importance of social plasticity in shaping individual rank outcomes.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Social status as a developmental process in wild vervet monkeys: beyond maternal inheritance

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月12日

查看全文
  • Chloé Vilette,
  • Christina M. Nord,
  • Tyler R. Bonnell,
  • Marcus J. Dostie,
  • Richard McFarland,
  • Christopher Young,
  • S. Peter Henzi,
  • Louise Barrett

摘要

Among cercopithecine primates, female offspring often inherit maternal rank (i.e., achieve a rank adjacent to their mothers) due to either direct intervention or indirect influence by mothers with respect to offspring agonistic interactions. We investigated the developmental dynamics of juvenile agonism and rank acquisition in three large groups of wild vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus. Overall, we found that juvenile rank acquisition did not follow a simple maternal inheritance pattern. We found strong evidence that mothers provided neither direct nor indirect support during agonistic episodes—mothers were rarely spatially proximate and never acted as coalition partners. While juveniles of high-ranking mothers tended to achieve ranks aligned with their maternal rank, those of lower-ranking mothers often surpassed their mothers’ rank. Juvenile aggression increased with age and was influenced by sex and maternal rank. Males and females differed in aggression trajectories, particularly depending on maternal rank. Our findings reveal that rank acquisition is not a passive inheritance process but occurs within a flexible, socially embedded developmental trajectory. Juveniles appeared to actively negotiate their status, shaped by both their social environment and maternal legacy. These results challenge assumptions about fixed dominance hierarchies and underscore the importance of social plasticity in shaping individual rank outcomes.