Individual participation in intergroup contests is mediated by numerical assessment strategies in black howler and tufted capuchin monkeys

Asymmetries in resource-holding potential between opposing groups frequently determine outcomes of intergroup contests. Since both numerical superiority and high intergroup dominance rank may confer competitive advantages, group members should benefit from assessing the relative strength of rivals p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological sciences 2015-12, Vol.370 (1683), p.20150007-20150007
Main Authors: Van Belle, Sarie, Scarry, Clara J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression - physiology
Alouatta - physiology
Alouatta pigra
Animals
Argentina
Cebus - physiology
Collective Group Defence
Female
Intergroup Dominance
Intergroup Encounter
Male
Mexico
Numerical Superiority
Pay-Off Asymmetries
Resource-Holding Potential
Territoriality
Vocalization, Animal
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Summary:Asymmetries in resource-holding potential between opposing groups frequently determine outcomes of intergroup contests. Since both numerical superiority and high intergroup dominance rank may confer competitive advantages, group members should benefit from assessing the relative strength of rivals prior to engaging in defensive displays. However, differences in individual assessment may emerge when cost–benefit trade-offs differ among group members. We examine the influence of numerical superiority and intergroup dominance relationships on individual participation in intergroup encounters in black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) and tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus). Black howlers responded with longer vocal displays during encounters with neighbours with an equal number of resident males, while tufted capuchins increased their participation with increasing relative male group size. Within each species, males and females responded similarly to varying numerical odds, suggesting that despite pay-off asymmetries between males and females, both sexes were similarly influenced by numerical asymmetries in deciding to participate in collective group defence. Whereas the outcome of contests among tufted capuchins was determined by relative male group size, reflected in a pronounced intergroup dominance hierarchy, the absence of dominance relationships among black howler groups may have provoked prolonged vocal displays in order to assess rival groups with matching competitive abilities.
ISSN:0962-8436
1471-2970
DOI:10.1098/rstb.2015.0007