Number of adult females in a group affects infant motor development of a cooperative breeding primate (Callithrix jacchus).
Primates
; 63(6): 683-689, 2022 Nov.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36114916
Callitrichids are small Neotropical primates and, due to their cooperative breeding system, infants are of particular interest in research on social dynamics. Although a few studies have investigated the role of helpers in this type of system, there is still a lack of research in field studies seeking to determine whether there is a relationship between the number of helpers (adults) in a social group and the motor development of infants. With that in mind, four groups of wild marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) were observed and the motor behaviors of 1 to 4 month-old infants were recorded. To investigate the influence of the adult:infant ratio on motor diversity, used as an indicator of motor development, we ran a GLMM with a Gaussian distribution and found that: (i) in groups with fewer adults, 2-month-old infants show earlier motor diversity; (ii) motor diversity increases with age regardless of the ratio of adult males per infant; (iii) in groups with more adult females per infant, the motor diversity of 2-month-old infants is significantly lower compared to 3-month-old infants. Although adult callitrichid males play an important role in the care of their offspring, the presence of females appears to be a key factor in motor development at this early stage in the study groups. In a cooperative breeding system, the lack of helpers seems to drive the development of independence in infants, resulting in earlier development.
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Texto completo:
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Callithrix
/
Atividade Motora
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Primates
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Brasil
País de publicação:
Japão