Determinants of Reproductive Performance Among Female Gray-Cheeked Mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) in Kibale National Park, Uganda

Abstract

Identifying the causes of differential reproductive success is key to understanding natural selection and the forces of selection operating on animals. Here we present results from a 9-yr (2004–2012) study of female reproductive performance in relation to mother’s age and rank, presence of immigrant males, rainfall, and fig fruit abundance in four groups of gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We found that females had a rank- and age-specific reproductive pattern, with high-ranking females maturing earlier, having their first births earlier, and exhibiting significantly slower reproductive aging than low-ranking females. We also found that both immigrant and resident males were associated with higher birth rates. Finally, we found that reproduction was aseasonal and did not correlate with rainfall, but that births correlated positively with the abundance of fruits of Ficus spp. Our results show broad similarities between arboreal, forest-dwelling gray-cheeked mangabeys and their more terrestrial, open habitat-dwelling papionin relatives in the importance of dominance rank in estrous cycle initiation, first reproduction, and reproductive aging.