Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage, CNRS, Université de Lyon II, Lyon, France.
ENES Bioacoustics Research Lab, CRNL, CNRS, Inserm, Université de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne, France.
Sci Rep. 2022 Oct 21;12(1):17676. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-22325-7.
Different Old World primates show conspicuous anogenital swelling, with the Maximum Swelling Phase (MSP) signaling the ovulatory phase. MSP synchronization between females has been linked to social dynamics. In bonobos, characterized by female dominance, MSP is not a fully reliable signal of fertility because it may cover anovulatory periods. We investigated whether bonobo females synchronized their MSP and whether this phenomenon was modulated by social factors. Data were collected at La Vallée des Singes (France). In the period 2009-2022, swelling cycles data were collected daily on bonobo females (N = 9). In the period 2018-2022, ethological data (aggression/affiliation/socio-sexual behaviors) were also collected. We found that: (i) females synchronized their MSP and most likely experienced MSP onset following the MSP onset in other females; (ii) synchronization increased as the years spent together by females increased; (iii) synchronization preferentially occurred between females that affiliated less; (iv) synchronization on the MSP was linked to increased female-female socio-sexual contacts, which probably favored MSP synchronization maintenance. Hence, in bonobos MSP can be modulated by social factors and its synchronization, possibly underlying autonomic contagion, might have been positively selected during evolution in relation to the benefits females obtain in terms of intra-group cohesion.
不同的旧世界灵长类动物表现出明显的肛门生殖器肿胀,最大肿胀期 (MSP) 标志着排卵期。雌性之间的 MSP 同步与社会动态有关。在以雌性为主导的倭黑猩猩中,MSP 并不是生育能力的完全可靠信号,因为它可能会覆盖无排卵期。我们研究了倭黑猩猩雌性是否同步了它们的 MSP,以及这种现象是否受到社会因素的调节。数据是在法国的拉瓦莱德桑吉斯(La Vallée des Singes)收集的。在 2009 年至 2022 年期间,每天都在收集倭黑猩猩雌性的肿胀周期数据(N=9)。在 2018 年至 2022 年期间,还收集了行为学数据(攻击/附属/社会性行为)。我们发现:(i)雌性同步了它们的 MSP,并且很可能在其他雌性的 MSP 开始后经历了 MSP 开始;(ii)随着雌性在一起度过的时间增加,同步性增加;(iii)同步性更可能发生在附属行为较少的雌性之间;(iv)MSP 上的同步与增加的雌性-雌性社会性行为接触有关,这可能有利于 MSP 同步性的维持。因此,在倭黑猩猩中,MSP 可以被社会因素调节,其同步性可能是由于在进化过程中与雌性在群体内凝聚力方面获得的益处有关而被积极选择的。