Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Am J Primatol. 2010 Feb;72(2):87-92. doi: 10.1002/ajp.20756.
Males and females of many species sex-segregate, ranging from complete separation of habitats to social segregation within the same space, sometimes varying across seasons and lifespan development. Mechanisms for such segregation are not well understood, though some have suggested that sex differences in preferred juvenile behaviors lead to greater behavioral compatibility within than between sexes. This within-sex behavioral compatibility may be the source of sex-segregation. As juvenile behavioral sex differences are well-documented in rhesus monkeys, we examined sex-segregation patterns of yearling rhesus monkeys engaged in three different types of behavior: rough play, parallel play, and grooming. We observed male and female rhesus yearlings from five stable long-term age-graded social groups of 67-183 animals. Behavioral observations were designed to collect equal numbers of rough play, grooming, and parallel play bouts. In addition, sex composition and proximity to adults was recorded for each bout. Across all behaviors, more all-male groups and fewer mixed sex-groups were observed than expected by chance. All-female groups occurred at the level expected by chance. Thus, males sex-segregated regardless of type of behavior, while females did not sex-segregate. Female groups were observed in proximity to adults more often than expected by chance. These results suggest that behavioral compatibility may produce sex-segregation in male yearling rhesus monkeys, possibly preparing males and females for different social roles and segregation as adults.
许多物种的雄性和雌性存在性别隔离现象，从完全分隔的栖息地到同一空间内的社会隔离，有时甚至在不同季节和生命阶段发展中变化。尽管有些人认为，在偏好的幼年期行为方面的性别差异导致了性别内而非性别间更大的行为兼容性，但是对于这种隔离的机制还了解甚少。这种性别内的行为兼容性可能是性别隔离的来源。由于在恒河猴中幼年期行为的性别差异已有充分记录，我们研究了参与三种不同行为的一岁恒河猴的性别隔离模式：打闹行为、平行游戏和梳理行为。我们观察了来自五个稳定的长期年龄分级社会群体（每组有 67-183 只动物）中的雄性和雌性一岁恒河猴。行为观察的设计目的是收集等量的打闹、梳理和平行游戏回合。此外，还记录了每次回合的性别组成和与成年猴的接近程度。在所有行为中，观察到的全雄性群体比预期的随机情况更多，而混合性别群体则更少。全雌性群体的出现频率与预期的随机情况相当。因此，雄性无论行为类型如何都存在性别隔离，而雌性则不存在。雌性群体更经常出现在接近成年猴的地方，这比预期的随机情况更常见。这些结果表明，行为兼容性可能导致雄性一岁恒河猴的性别隔离，这可能为雄性和雌性在成年后的不同社会角色和隔离做好准备。
