Archived Abstracts
The Influence of Male Takeovers on Female Dispersal in Colobus vellerosus
Authors: Pascale Sicotte, Julie A. Teichroeb, Josie V. Vayro , Stephanie A Fox, Iulia Bådescu, and Eva C. Wikberg.
Male takeovers, where one or several extra-group males enter a group and oust the resident alpha male, can happen regularly in several species of colobines. They can occur quickly, in a matter of a few days, or rather take several months to complete. Our research on Colobus vellerosus showed that takeovers that took place in a matter of a few days were performed by single adult males, whereas takeovers that took several months to be completed were performed by coalitions of males. These slow takeovers are associated with prolonged social upheaval, as the invading males then try to evict one another over a period of several months. We found that females dispersed from their group more often after a takeover performed by several males. This is presumably because these slow takeovers are probably quite stressful for females due to the social instability between the males in their group. Females with dependent infants did not disperse, however. When takeovers were performed by single males, females stayed with their new male, and no dispersal was observed. This study shows that females who live in species, such as the colobus, where they have the ability to disperse from their social group can exercise some choice in terms of mate and/or their group of residence.
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