Presenter(s): India Brock − Biological Anthropology, Environmental Science
Co Presenter(s): Nora Sawyer
Faculty Mentor(s): Frances White, Colin Brand
Poster 6
Research Area: Primate Behavioral Ecology
Dominance rank and the linearity of social hierarchies have important consequences for social behavior in many species, including many primates. Of particular interest are lemurs, which are the only taxonomic primate group that exhibits female feeding priority and social dominance in multiple genera, including Varecia. Previous research has revealed significantly linear dominance hierarchies in some female dominant species (Lemur catta) but not others (Propithecus verreauxi). Here, we investigate the dominance linearity of another female dominant lemur species: the black and white ruffed lemur. We predicted the dominance hierarchy to be significantly linear both before and after rank changes. We collected behavioral data on semi- free ranging ruffed lemurs (N=8) housed at the Duke Primate Center. We used all-occurrence sampling to record interactions between individuals between Sep 1991 and Mar 1993. We constructed dominance matrices using decided interactions and split the data into one of three time periods based on the eviction of a dominant female. We calculated the dominance linearity (h’) for each time period. Contrary to our prediction, we found no significance difference in linearity across any of the time periods: Pre-Event (h’=0.37, ns), Event (h’=0.33, ns) Post-Event (h’= 0.33, ns). This study demonstrates that ruffed lemurs exhibit a more shallow hierarchy more similar to P. verreauxi than to L. catta.