Abstract
Selective pressures have favored conspicuous coloration across a wide variety of taxa. A particularly striking example of conspicuous coloration is the brilliant red chest patch of male geladas (Theropithecus gelada), a species of cercopithecine monkey found in the high-altitude regions of Ethiopia. Previous research found that gelada chest patch redness increases with age (adult vs subadult), social status (“leader” vs non-leader), and mating opportunities (number of adult females), but the mechanism mediating changes in redness has not yet been examined. First, we validated and compared multiple color measurement methods (Adobe Photoshop, micaToolbox designed for use with ImageJ, and a subjective measure using the human eye). Second, we demonstrated that chest patch redness is positively associated with high-intensity physical activity, the application of a heat pack directly to the chest skin, and higher chest skin surface temperatures. Together, these results suggest that increases in chest redness are mediated by increased blood flow to this area with a concomitant increase in surface temperature. Further research is needed to understand both the energetic costs associated with redness and how other males respond to variation in the signal.
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30 September 2022
Supplementary Information was updated.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority for granting us permission to conduct this research. We also want to thank the many staff and wardens (Berhanu Gebre, Maru Biadglegn, Abebaw Azanaw Haile) of the Simien Mountains National Park, our Ethiopian staff (Esheti Jejaw, Ambaye Fanta, Setey Girmay, Yeshi Dessie, Dereje Bewket, Atirsaw Aduga, Tariku W/Aregay, Shifarew Asrat), our research assistants in the field (Clay Wilton, Julie Jarvey, Levi Morris, Tara Regan, Caitlin Hawley, Peter Clark, Evan Sloan, Megan Gomery, Laura Morrissey, Emily Downey, Eddy Wild, Liz Babbitt, Maddie Melton, Anna Cryer). We thank Jeanne Altmann from the Amboseli Baboon Project for loaning us the Raytek MX6 PhotoTemp Infrared Thermometer.
Funding
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (BCS-2041542, BCS-0715179, BCS-1732231, BCS-1723237, BCS-2010309, BCS-1723228, IOS-1255974, IOS-1854359), the Leakey Foundation (AWD015438), the Leakey Foundation Baldwin Award (AWD012312), the National Geographic Society (NGS-8100–06, NGS-8989–11, NGS-1242, and NGS-50409R-18), the Fulbright Scholars Program, Nacey Maggioncalda Foundation, Sigma Xi, the University of Michigan, Arizona State University, and Stony Brook University.
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Conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, investigation, visualization: PMD, RFP, JCB, TJB; data collection: PMD, RFP, SS, ISC, KLC, AL, FA, NSM, JCB, TJB; writing—original draft: PMD, RFP, JCB, TJB; writing—review and editing: all the authors; supervision: JCB, TJB. All the authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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This article is a contribution to the special issue on “Individual Identification and Photographic Techniques in Mammalian Ecological and Behavioural Research – Part 1: Methods and Concepts” — Editors: Leszek Karczmarski, Stephen C.Y. Chan, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Scott Y.S. Chui and Elissa Z. Cameron.
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DeLacey, P.M., Perlman, R.F., Sen, S. et al. Assessing male gelada chest patches: color measurement and physiological mechanisms. Mamm Biol 102, 751–763 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-021-00211-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-021-00211-5