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Rank, rhesus social behavior, and stress
Folia Primatologica; International Journal of Primatology
|January 1, 1976
Summary
Monkey social dominance rank correlated with behavior, but not with blood cortisol or corticosteroid levels. Overt actions reflected hierarchy, while physiological stress markers did not align with social status in these short-term groupings.
Area of Science:
- Primatology
- Behavioral Ecology
- Neuroendocrinology
Background:
- Social hierarchy is crucial in primate groups.
- Dominance rank influences an individual's access to resources and mates.
- Physiological stress responses, like cortisol secretion, are often linked to social status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between social dominance rank and physiological stress markers in monkeys.
- To determine if overt behaviors accurately reflect an animal's position in the social hierarchy.
- To compare behavioral dominance with hormonal stress indicators.
Main Methods:
- Four monkeys were housed in varied short-term social groupings.
- Individual monkeys were manipulated to occupy highest, lowest, and intermediate dominance ranks.
- Overt behaviors, blood cortisol, and 17-hydroxycorticosteroid levels were measured hourly.
Main Results:
- Subordinate monkeys displayed significantly more submissive behaviors, correlating well with their rank.
- Measures of blood cortisol did not correlate with dominance rank.
- 17-hydroxycorticosteroid secretion levels also showed no correlation with social hierarchy.
Conclusions:
- Overt behaviors are reliable indicators of social dominance in short-term monkey groupings.
- Physiological stress markers (cortisol, corticosteroids) do not appear to directly reflect social rank in this context.
- Further research is needed to understand the dissociation between behavior and physiology in primate social dynamics.