Focused grooming networks and stress alleviation in wild female baboons

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Roman M Wittig, University of Pennsylvania; Catherine Crockford, University of Pennsylvania; Julia Lehmann, University of Liverpool; Robert M Seyfarth, University of Pennsylvania; Dorothy L Cheney, University of Pennsylvania; Patricia Whitten, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2008-06
• Publisher: Elsevier: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2008.02.009
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Hormones and Behavior
• ISSN: 0018-506X
• Volume: 54
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 170
• End Page: 177
• Grant/Funding Information: Research was supported by the National Institute of Health grant No. MH62249; by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft research fellowship WI 2637/2-1; and by the Department of Linguistics of the MPI EVA, Leipzig.
• Research Categories: Psychology, Behavioral; Biology, Zoology

Abstract

We examine the relationship between glucocorticoid (GC) levels and grooming behavior in wild female baboons during a period of instability in the alpha male rank position. All females’ GC levels rose significantly at the onset of the unstable period, though levels in females who were at lower risk of infanticide began to decrease sooner in the following weeks. Three factors suggest that females relied on a focused grooming network as a coping mechanism to alleviate stress. First, all females’ grooming networks became less diverse in the weeks following the initial upheaval. Second, females whose grooming had already focused on a few predictable partners showed a less dramatic rise in GC levels than females whose grooming network had been more diverse. Third, females who contracted their grooming network the most experienced a greater decrease in GC levels in the following week. We conclude that close bonds with a few preferred partners allow female baboons to alleviate the stress associated with social instability.