Relatedness communicated in lemur scent

T L Morelli; R Andrew Hayes; Helen F Nahrung; T E Goodwin; I H Harelimana; L J MacDonald; P C Wright

doi:10.1007/s00114-013-1074-x

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Journal article

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Peer reviewed

Relatedness communicated in lemur scent

T L Morelli, R Andrew Hayes, Helen F Nahrung, T E Goodwin, I H Harelimana, L J MacDonald and P C Wright

Naturwissenschaften, Vol.100(8), pp.769-777

2013

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-013-1074-x

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Abstract

chemical communication

gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)

kin recognition

Madagascar Strepsirrhini

Lemurs are the most olfactory-oriented of primates, yet there is still only a basic level of understanding of what their scent marks communicate. We analyzed scent secretions from Milne-Edwards' sifakas (Propithecus edwardsi) collected in their natural habitat of Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. We sought to test whether the scent mark could signal genetic relatedness in addition to species, sex, season, and individuality. We not only found correlations (r2 = 0.38, P = 0.017) between the total olfactory fingerprint and genetic relatedness but also between relatedness and specific components of the odor, despite the complex environmental signals from differences in diet and behavior in a natural setting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an association between genetic relatedness and chemical communication in a wild primate population. Furthermore, we found a variety of compounds that were specific to each sex and each sampling period. This research shows that scent marks could act as a remote signal to avoid inbreeding, optimize mating opportunities, and potentially aid kin selection.

Details

Title: Relatedness communicated in lemur scent
Authors: T L Morelli (Author) - University of Massachusetts, United States
R Andrew Hayes (Author) - Centre ValBio, Madagascar
Helen F Nahrung (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
T E Goodwin (Author) - Hendrix College, United States
I H Harelimana (Author) - Hendrix College, United States
L J MacDonald (Author) - Hendrix College, United States
P C Wright (Author) - Stony Brook University, United States
Publication details: Naturwissenschaften, Vol.100(8), pp.769-777
Publisher: Springer
Date published: 2013
DOI: 10.1007/s00114-013-1074-x
ISSN: 0028-1042
Copyright note: Copyright © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013. The author's accepted version is reproduced here in accordance with the publisher's copyright policy. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00114-013-1074-x
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Industries Research Centre; Forest Research Institute
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99449056002621
Output Type: Journal article

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