Socially bonded females face more sexual coercion in a female-philopatric primate.
iScience
; 26(10): 107358, 2023 Oct 20.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37766985
ABSTRACT
Sexual coercion is a manifestation of sexual conflict increasing male mating success while inflicting costs to females. Although previous work has examined inter-individual variation in male sexually coercive tactics, little is known about female counter-strategies. We investigated whether social bonding mitigates the extent of sexual coercion faced by female mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), as a putative mechanism linking sociality to fitness. Surprisingly, females faced the most coercion from those males with whom they formed the strongest bonds, while the strength of a female-male bond was also positively correlated with coercion from all other males. Finally, greater social integration in the female network was positively correlated with coercion, through a direct 'public exposure' mechanism and not mediated by female reproductive success or retaliation potential. Altogether, this study shows that neither between- nor within-sex bonds are protective against sexual coercion and identifies, instead, a hidden cost of social bonding.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
IScience
Year:
2023
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
France