|
|
|
Infant Mortality in Black-and-Gold Howlers (Alouatta caraya) Living in a Flooded Forest in Northeastern Argentina
|
| submitted by dittja 9 months ago
|
|
Ecological and social factors have a significant effect on infant survivorship in nonhuman primates. We present 6293 group-months of infant birth and mortality data for 29 groups of Alouatta caraya inhabiting a flooded forest in northeastern Argentina, collected over 1.5–8 yr depending on the group. We tested whether infant mortality was a response to the effects of flooding on food availability and whether male takeovers resulted in greater opportunities for infanticide. During our study, 43 of 113 infants died at a mean age of 5 mo. In 24 cases the cause of death was unknown. In the remaining 19 cases infant deaths were attributed to periods of intense flooding (N = 8), replacement of the breeding male (N = 8), problems associated with birth (N = 2), and injuries during an intergroup encounter (N = 1). Flooding reduced the availability of mature leaves, which appeared to play an important role in the ability of mothers to nurse their offspring. Male replacements occurred in four social groups that contained only one fully adult male. Infant mortality was significantly higher in groups that experienced male replacement compared to groups without male replacement. These results indicate that infant mortality in Alouatta caraya is affected by several factors—natural disasters, maternal condition and food availability, infanticide after male replacement, and possibly disease and predation—each of which needs to be evaluated to understand the history and demography of this primate population.
|
| Topic: Biology |
|
Add your comment
Please Login or Signup to leave a comment
Related stories
|
|
| The Ontogeny of Prehensile-Tail Use in Cebus capucinus and Alouatta palliata |
| submitted by stivi2065 1 year and 1 month ago - Topic: Biology |
|
A study of the platyrrhine prehensile tail provides an opportunity to better understand how ecological and biomechanical factors affect the ability of primates to distribute mass across many different kinds of arboreal supports. Young individuals experience ontogenetic changes in body mass, limb ...
|
|
|
|
| Predictors of prenatal screening in a low-screening population |
| submitted by biishiqaaeo 2 months ago - Topic: Health |
|
New prenatal screening technologies have made it possible for a simple blood test to assist in the identification of several conditions in the fetus early in pregnancy. Given more information about the health status of the fetus, women are able to make decisions about whether to continue or termi...
|
|
|
|
| Father involvement in pregnancy could reduce infant mortality |
| submitted by betes 2 years and 10 months ago - Topic: Health |
|
A new study suggests that a father's involvement before his child is born may play a vital role in preventing death during the first year of life - particularly if the infant is black. The study, which evaluates the effects of absent fathers during pregnancy on racial/ethnic disparities in infant...
|
|
|
|
| Late-onset Sepsis: Epidemiology, Evaluation, and Outcome |
| submitted by jasicongos 2 years and 9 months ago - Topic: Health |
|
Late-onset neonatal sepsis is a common serious problem in preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units. Diagnosis can be difficult because clinical manifestations are not specific and none of the available laboratory tests can be considered an ideal marker. For this reason, a combination of m...
|
|
|
|
