Doctoral Dissertation Research: The fitness impact of female social resource competition

Sociality provides advantages in defense and food resource acquisition, but the ecological landscape of gregarious species is complex and requires accessing and accruing social resources (e.g., allies, friends, and mates) that can impact fitness. Studies that focus on gregarious primate species have revealed how social resources influence male interactions (e.g., male-male confrontations over hierarchy and mates), but little is known about female-female competition.

This doctoral dissertation research project investigates the impact that female competition over males, and the social resources they provide, have in the reproductive success of a close human relative. The study informs the evolution of sociality among primates, provides educational opportunities, and creates pedagogical material.

Studies show that competition for food resources influences female sociality and fitness outcomes, but little is known about the impact and prevalence of social resource competition. Although some non-human primate females have behavioral patterns that suggest they compete over males, who may provide protection and infant care, direct evidence is scarce.

This project leverages long-term databases and integrates novel behavioral, demographic, and hormonal data to explore female social resource competition in habituated non-human primates. The study evaluates whether females use competitive behaviors (i.e., aggression and dominance) to monopolize males and receive social benefits from them. Additionally, glucocorticoids and reproductive hormones levels are measured to determine if they influence competitive behaviors in ways that limit or promote access to social resources.

The study advances knowledge regarding the causes and consequences of female-female competition, as well as the social and physiological mechanisms through which such competition may influence survival and reproductive success in social animals.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.