The benefits of being dominant:health correlates of male social rank and age in a marmot

Kenta UCHIDA ¹Rachel NG ¹Samuel A.VYDRO ¹Jennifer E.SMITH ²Daniel T.BLUMSTEIN³

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作者信息

1. Department of Ecology&Evolutionary Biology,University of California,Los Angeles,CA 90095-1606,USA
2. Department of Ecology&Evolutionary Biology,University of California,Los Angeles,CA 90095-1606,USA;Department of Biology,Mills College,Oakland,CA 94613,USA
3. Department of Ecology&Evolutionary Biology,University of California,Los Angeles,CA 90095-1606,USA;The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory,Crested Butte,CO 81224,USA
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Abstract

The benefits of dominance may not come without costs,particularly for males.For example,the"immunocompetence handicap hypothesis"states that males with enhanced mating success allo-cate resources to enhance reproductive output at a cost to their current health,whereas the"resource quality hypothesis"predicts that high-ranking males may benefit from increased repro-duction and good health.Whereas the predictions from each have been well tested in captive ani-mals and in a variety of highly social primates,fewer studies have been carried out in free-living,facultatively social animals.Using adult male yellow-bellied marmots(Marmota flaviventer),we evaluated predictions of these hypotheses by examining the relationship between social rank and 2 health indicators—fecal glucocorticoid metabolite(FCM)levels,and neutrophil/lymphocyte(N/L)ratios—after accounting for variation explained by age,body mass,and seasonality.We found that higher-ranking males tended to have a lower N/L ratio(reflecting good health)than lower-ranking individuals,whereas FCM levels were not significantly related to rank.In addition,heavier male marmots had lower N/L ratios,whereas body mass was not associated with FCM levels.We also found that older adult males had lower FCM levels(reflecting less physiological stress)but higher N/L ratios than younger adults.Finally,we found that FCM levels decreased as the active season progressed and FCM levels were associated with the time of the day.Overall,our results suggest that socially-dominant male marmots enjoyed better,not worse health in terms of lower N/L ratios.

Key words

immunocompetence handicap hypothesis/life history trade-offs/N/L ratio/physiological stress/resource quality hypothesis

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基金项目

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Overseas Research Fellowship()

American Association of University Women()

Institute for Society and Genetics at the University of California Los Angeles()

American Philosophical Society for fellowships()

National Geographic Society,UCLA(Faculty Senate and the Division of Life Sciences)()

a Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory research fellowship()

National Science Foundation(I.D.B.R.-0754247)

National Science Foundation(1119660)

National Science Foundation(1557130)

National Science Foundation(0242960)

National Science Foundation(0731346)

National Science Foundation(1226713 RMBL)

出版年

2022

动物学报(英文版)

中国科学院动物研究所,中国动物学会

动物学报(英文版)

CSCDSCI

影响因子：0.198

ISSN：1674-5507

参考文献量66

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