Facial and genital color ornamentation, testosterone, and reproductive output in high-ranking male rhesus macaques

Bibliographic Details
Title:	Facial and genital color ornamentation, testosterone, and reproductive output in high-ranking male rhesus macaques
Authors:	Gisela Sobral, Constance Dubuc, Sandra Winters, Angelina Ruiz‑Lambides, Melissa Emery Thompson, Dario Maestripieri, Krista M. Milich
Source:	Scientific Reports, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2024)
Publisher Information:	Nature Portfolio, 2024.
Publication Year:	2024
Collection:	LCC:Medicine LCC:Science
Subject Terms:	Medicine, Science
More Details:	Abstract Males in many vertebrate species have colorful ornaments that evolved by sexual selection. The role of androgens in the genesis and maintenance of these signals is unclear. We studied 21 adult high-ranking male rhesus macaques from nine social groups in the free-ranging population on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, and analyzed facial and genital skin luminance and redness, fecal androgens, rates of mating behaviors, and offspring sired. Facial and genital coloration varied in relation to age, mating behavior, reproductive success, and testosterone concentration. Our results indicate that skin coloration in high-ranking male rhesus macaques is a sexually-selected trait mediated by androgens. These results add to the growing literature on the proximate and ultimate causes of male sexual signals and highlight the need to examine how these characteristics change with age in other species.
Document Type:	article
File Description:	electronic resource
Language:	English
ISSN:	2045-2322
Relation:	https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322
DOI:	10.1038/s41598-024-52400-0
Access URL:	https://doaj.org/article/c993583bf696423db94c9875356cbb46
Accession Number:	edsdoj.993583bf696423db94c9875356cbb46
Database:	Directory of Open Access Journals
Full text is not displayed to guests.	Login for full access.

More Details
ISSN:	20452322
DOI:	10.1038/s41598-024-52400-0
Published in:	Scientific Reports
Language:	English