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Behavioural and Hormonal R esponses to Predation in Female C hacma B aboons. Lyndsey Nabata , Amanda McCoy , Jordan Sallenbach. http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/385001/350wm/Z9100210-Chacma_baboons_grooming-SPL.jpg. Authors. http://symposium.chem.upenn.edu/participants.html.
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Behavioural and Hormonal Responses to Predation in Female Chacma Baboons LyndseyNabata, Amanda McCoy, Jordan Sallenbach http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/385001/350wm/Z9100210-Chacma_baboons_grooming-SPL.jpg
Authors http://symposium.chem.upenn.edu/participants.html Dorothy Cheney http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2009/apr/darwin042709.html Robert Seyfarth
http://www.umich.edu/~gelada/UMGRP/People.html Thore J. Bergman and Jacinta C. Beehner
http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2007/10/how-baboons-thi.htmlhttp://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2007/10/how-baboons-thi.html Rebekah R. Hoffmeier Patricia L. Whitten Anne L. Engh
Previous work http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildafrica/260517694/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Female Baboons • Close to maternal relatives • Closest to sisters • Groups can vary from 10 to 200 baboons • Main predators are lions and leopards http://www.arkive.org/hamadryas-baboon/papio-hamadryas/image-G53997.html
Observations In humans bereavement and loneliness are associated with a rise in glucocorticoids (GC) This increase in GC can be suppressed by social support Baboons are socially similar to humans Social support in female baboons more important for mental health http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/42-17852959/chacma-baboons-hugging
The Questions How are female baboon glucocorticoids levels affected by predation? How are female baboon glucocorticoids levels affected due to predation resulting in the loss of a close relative ? Can this increase in glucocorticoid decrease withsocial support ?
http://www.sahistory.org.za/places/botswana Materials and Methods Study site and subjects Okavango Delta, Botswana 16 month period n= 70 Moremi Game Reserve http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Tourism-g316101-Moremi_Game_Reserve_North_West_District-Vacations.html#19452343
Predation http://media1.santabanta.com/full1/Animals/Leopards/leopards-0a.jpg http://www.maniacworld.com/lions-vs-everything.jpg
Hormone collection Behavioural data Data Collection • Examined GC levels in 630 faecal samples taken from 21 females • Samples collected from 1 female every 13.99 (+/- 0.61 s.e.) days to obtain 30.00 (+/- 1.89) samples/ female • Samples collected using a corticosterone RIA kit • 10 minute focal sampling • Recorded all social interactions • Social interactions timed and measured
Results http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/EcoSnap/EcoSnap0605/EcoSnap060500092/410953-young-chacma-baboon-sitting-in-the-grass-south-africa.jpg
Were females’ GC levels higher in months when individuals were confirmed victims of predation or when healthy animals disappeared for unconfirmed reasons (suspected predation/disappeared healthy)? Found no difference So, combined the three types of disappearances into a single category: “predation” . GC levels were significantly higher in the four weeks following a predation event GC levels in months when individuals were confirmed or suspected to have been killed by lions did not differ from those in months when individuals were confirmed or suspected to have been killed by leopards Predation and GC level
The loss of a close relative and GC levels • Females who lost a close relative experienced a significant increase in GC levels in the month following their relative’s death compared with the month before.
GC levels were similar for females who lost a juvenile offspring and those who lost an adult female relative. • GC level rise was found to be only temporary • Transient effect of a relative’s death on stress levels due to coping with loss by extending of social network ? http://www.djsphotography.co.uk/images/Prints/Chacma-Baboon-grooming-A3-print.jpg
Grooming Diversity • Increase in grooming diversity following a close relative’s death • Affected females also groomed significantly more individuals. On average, each female groomed 1.86 (±0.29) females before her relative died, and 3.79 (±0.65) after.
Grooming Rate • Increase in the rate at which affected females groomed other females in the months after a close relative’s death
http://www.ccjonesphotos.com/PS/images/Chacma%20Baboons%20Grooming.jpghttp://www.ccjonesphotos.com/PS/images/Chacma%20Baboons%20Grooming.jpg Discussion The death of a close relative and grooming partner was temporarily very stressful. Females appeared to compensate by increasing their grooming diversity, their number of grooming partners, and the rate at which they groomed other females.
Among humans, social isolation, loneliness and bereavement are associated with increased GC levels. Baboons appeared to experience similar physiological responses to loss. • Not surprising that females increased social contact and that it had a stress-reducing effect. Stress in both animals and humans can be mitigated by social contact and affiliation. • The pituitary hormone oxytocin can be released by physical contact and plays an important role in stress reduction. • Other studies have shown that Oxytocin both inhibits the release of GCs and promotes affiliative behaviour, including maternal behaviour and an increased tendency to associate with other females.
Follow-up Research http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo5566.htm
References • Anne Engh [Internet]: LinkedIn [cited 2013 September 25]. Available from: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?authType=name&goback=%2Enpv_126629897_*1_*1_name_qdTg_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1_*1&locale=en_US&id=126629897&authToken=qdTg. • Bergman TJ, Beehner JC, Cheney DL, Seyfart RM, Whitten PL. Interactions in male baboons: The importance of both males’ testosterone . 10.1007/s00265-005-0072-1 [Internet]. [revised 12 July 2005;cited September 25 2013]Springer-Verlag. Available from http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/72/art%253A10.1007%252Fs00265-005-0072-1.pdf?auth66=1380306144_39a87789592f4f27c9feb883c36c5ef2&ext=.pdf. • Dorothy Cheney [Internet] [cited 2013 September 24]. Available from: http://www.bio.upenn.edu/people/dorothy-cheney . • Engh AL, Beehner JC, Bergman TJ, Whitten PL, Hoffmeier RR, Seyfarth RM, Cheney DL. Behavioural and hormonal responses to predation in female chacma baboons (papiohamadryasursinus) 10.1098/rspb.2005.3378 [Internet]. [revised 2005 December 6;cited September 20 2013]Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1560071/. • Robert Seyfarth [Internet]: University of Pennsylvania [cited 2013 September 25]. Available from: http://psychology.sas.upenn.edu/people/seyfarth . • Thore Jon Bergman [Internet]: University of Michigan [cited 2013 September 24]. Available from: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/thore.bergman/home . • Jacinta C. Beehner [Internet]: University of Michigan [cited 2013 September 25]. Available from: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/jacinta.beehner/home. • AlbertsS, Altmann J. Baboon Social Life [Internet]. Notre Dame(IN):University of Notre Dame; [2013, cited 2013 Sept 23] . Available from: http://amboselibaboons.nd.edu/about-baboons/baboon-social-life/ • Munch A, Guyre PM, Holbrook NK. 1984. Physiological functions of glucocorticoids in stress and their relation to pharmacological actions. NCBI [Internet]. cited 2013 Sept 24] 5(1): 25-44. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6368214
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS!!! 1) Evolutionarily, why do you think that certain “stressful” situations cause GC increase(“stress”). And why, from an evolutionary point of view, should physical contact relieve “stress”? 2) Should more emphasis be put on physical contact for aiding people in stressful situations. 3) Why do you think this study was done only using the female chacma baboons? 4)