Human and Non-human Primate Behaviour: Sociality, Communication, and Evolution

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to introduce this Topic entitled “Human and Non-human Primate Behaviour: Sociality, Communication, and Evolution”.

Complex human behaviour did not emerge all of a sudden with Homo sapiens. Human behaviour has had a long evolutionary history, and its expression derives from biological mechanisms connected—in a multifaceted way—to different kinds of learning abilities. Not just typical but also elements of atypical behaviour development and expression may be rooted in the evolutionary history of humans and other primates. The perceived gap between us and other primates largely derives from the fact that all the bipedal hominins are extinct, except—of course—for our own species.

Spanning different primate groups—including lemurs, monkeys, apes and humans—this Special Issue focuses on the advancements in our knowledge of primate communication and interaction by using different sensory modalities and on how such communication and interaction relate to our understanding of how Homo sapiens navigate the world. This understanding adds to the scope of the Special Issue that is investigating the evolution of human behaviour by adopting a comparative approach.

We believe that the interdisciplinary and comparative approach, covering the biological, sociological and psychological domains, and tackling human and non-human primate behavioural processes can provide new perspectives to the existing literature regarding human ethology.

We hope this Topic can provide the basis and new ideas for further studies and that it can also challenge some of the present views on what is unique and what is not about human behaviour, fuelling a stimulating and constructive scientific debate.

Dr. Ivan Norscia
Dr. Giada Cordoni
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Humans humans	-	-	2021	20 Days	CHF 1000
Animals animals	3.0	4.2	2011	18.1 Days	CHF 2400

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Open AccessArticle

Evolutionary Patterns of Intersexual Power

by Rebecca J. Lewis, E. Christopher Kirk and Ashley D. Gosselin-Ildari

Animals 2023, 13(23), 3695; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13233695 - 29 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4307

Abstract

Dominance and leverage are both possible causes of social inequality. If sexual dimorphism influences patterns of intersexual dominance, we predicted that highly dimorphic species are constrained to exhibit male-biased power (MP), but species with low sexual dimorphism are free to demonstrate a broader [...] Read more.

Dominance and leverage are both possible causes of social inequality. If sexual dimorphism influences patterns of intersexual dominance, we predicted that highly dimorphic species are constrained to exhibit male-biased power (MP), but species with low sexual dimorphism are free to demonstrate a broader range of intersexual power relationships. If market effects influence intersexual leverage, we predicted that females have more power when group composition is more male-biased and estrus is asynchronous. We analyzed data on intersexual power, sexual dimorphism, expected estrous overlap, and sex ratio for 79 extant primate species using phylogenetic logistic regression and ancestral state reconstructions. Although MP is more common, every major primate clade includes non-MP species. MP was associated with greater body mass and canine length dimorphism and with female-biased sex-ratios. Low estrous overlap was associated with non-MP. Although MP was reconstructed as likely ancestral for anthropoids, the last common ancestor of this clade probably did not exhibit high sexual dimorphism. The last common ancestor of catarrhines was probably highly dimorphic, potentially constraining intersexual power relationships. Non-MP probably evolved multiple times in primates and may be less common because multiple traits are linked to MP while fewer traits are associated with female-biased power or equality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Human and Non-human Primate Behaviour: Sociality, Communication, and Evolution)

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18 pages, 2929 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Behavioural Correlates of Lemur Scent-Marking in Wild Diademed Sifakas (Propithecus diadema) in the Maromizaha Forest (Madagascar)

by Longondraza Miaretsoa, Valeria Torti, Flavia Petroni, Daria Valente, Chiara De Gregorio, Jonah Ratsimbazafy, Monica Carosi, Cristina Giacoma and Marco Gamba

Animals 2023, 13(18), 2848; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13182848 - 07 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1698

Abstract

Scent-marking through odours from excreta and glandular secretions is widespread in mammals. Among primates, diurnal group-living lemurs show different deployment modalities as part of their strategy to increase signal detection. We studied the diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema) in the Maromizaha New [...] Read more.

Scent-marking through odours from excreta and glandular secretions is widespread in mammals. Among primates, diurnal group-living lemurs show different deployment modalities as part of their strategy to increase signal detection. We studied the diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema) in the Maromizaha New Protected Area, Eastern Madagascar. We tested whether the scent-marking deposition occurred using a sequential rubbing of different body parts. We also tested if glands (i.e., deposition of glandular secretions) were more frequently rubbed than genital orifices (i.e., deposition of excreta) by comparing different kinds of rubbing behaviour. We then investigated if the depositor’s rank and sex affected the sequence of rubbing behaviour, the height at which the scent-marking happened, and the tree part targeted. We found that glandular secretions were often deposited with urine, especially in dominant individuals. The probability of anogenital and chest marking was highest, but chest rubbing most frequently occurred in dominant males. Markings were deposited at similar heights across age and sex, and tree trunks were the most used substrate. Males exhibited long and more complex scent-marking sequences than females. Our results indirectly support the idea that diademed sifakas deploy a sex-dimorphic mixture of glandular secretions and excreta to increase the probability of signal detection by conspecifics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Human and Non-human Primate Behaviour: Sociality, Communication, and Evolution)

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17 pages, 1875 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Maternal Investment Fosters Male but Not Female Social Interactions with Other Group Members in Immature Wild Spider Monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi)

by Carolina Soben, Miquel Llorente, Paula Villariezo, Katja Liebal and Federica Amici

Animals 2023, 13(11), 1802; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13111802 - 29 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1114

Abstract

In several species, individuals form long-lasting social relationships with other group members, which provide them with important fitness benefits. In primates, patterns of social relationships are known to differ between sexes, but little is known about how these differences emerge through development or [...] Read more.

In several species, individuals form long-lasting social relationships with other group members, which provide them with important fitness benefits. In primates, patterns of social relationships are known to differ between sexes, but little is known about how these differences emerge through development or the role that mothers might have in this process. Here, we investigated how sex differences in social behaviour emerge during the first six years of primate life and how sex-biased maternal investment can foster immatures’ social development and social interaction with other group members. For this purpose, we observed 20 males and females aged between zero and six years in a wild group of spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) that was male-philopatric and, therefore, expected to show sex-biased maternal investment. Our results showed no sex difference in the social development of offspring with regards to body contact and grooming, but the probability of play was rather constant throughout age for females, whereas, for males, it became higher than females around two years of age, peaking between three and four years of age. Moreover, we found differences between female and male immatures in the importance of maternal investment (which included the time mothers spent nursing, carrying, grooming, touching and playing with their offspring) for their social integration in the natal group. In particular, maternal investment increased the probability of playing with other group members for sons, but not for daughters. Our findings suggest that mothers, through sex-biased maternal investment, might have a crucial function in the social development of spider monkeys, fostering the abilities that young offspring need to thrive as adults. By shedding light on maternal investment and social development in a still understudied primate species, these findings contribute to understanding the evolutionary roots of human maternal care and social development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Human and Non-human Primate Behaviour: Sociality, Communication, and Evolution)

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13 pages, 583 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Social Network Changes in Cotton-Top Tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) after the Birth of New Infants

by Sergio Díaz, Susana Sánchez and Ana Fidalgo

Animals 2023, 13(11), 1758; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13111758 - 25 May 2023

Viewed by 1083

Abstract

Cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) are characterized by a system of cooperative breeding where helpers, in addition to the reproductive pair, contribute to infant care. Grooming interactions between individuals play an important role in establishing social relationships, creating an interconnected social network [...] Read more.

Cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) are characterized by a system of cooperative breeding where helpers, in addition to the reproductive pair, contribute to infant care. Grooming interactions between individuals play an important role in establishing social relationships, creating an interconnected social network in the group. We used social network analysis to investigate the social structure of two groups of cotton-top tamarins with different sizes and compositions and study whether they remain stable after the birth of new infants. We also investigated the possible correlation between the time spent carrying infants and an increase in the grooming centrality. We found that group A (n = 13) had a stable grooming network that showed consistent stability after the birth, although group B (n = 8 and no adult helpers) changed its grooming network and showed a lower density after the birth. Infant carrying was not correlated with increased grooming centrality after the birth. These findings highlight the usefulness of social network analysis in the study of group structure in cooperatively breeding primates and suggest that the birth of offspring has a greater impact on the stability of groups without adult helpers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Human and Non-human Primate Behaviour: Sociality, Communication, and Evolution)
(This article belongs to the Section Human-Animal Interactions, Animal Behaviour and Emotion)

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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.