Subordination in male talapoin monkeys lowers sexual behaviour in the absence of dominants.

Three experiments assessed the consequences of social status for the socio-sexual behaviour and endocrine state of adult male talapoin monkeys (Miopithecus talapoin). In the first study, each of five males was individually placed into a group of adult females. Neither behavioural responses, nor plasma levels of testosterone, cortisol, or prolactin, predicted males' rank or hormone levels when all males were subsequently placed with these females. In the second study, each of four mixed-sex social groups lived continuously in a large cage for periods ranging from 9-15 months. There were marked differences between the behaviour and hormone levels of highest- and lowest-ranking males. In the third study, each highest- and lowest-ranking male from these groups was individually placed with females. Males that had experienced social subordination for long periods (9-15 months) showed infrequent sexual behaviour and had elevated levels of cortisol and prolactin. These results indicate that the experience of chronic social subordination is a strong predictor of how males will subsequently behave, since both the endocrine and behavioural effects of subordination persist even after the dominant males are removed.