With support from the National Science Foundation, this study will explore the role of female mate choice in mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata). Sexual selection theory is currently in the midst of a paradigm shift. It is clear that the traditional portrayal of female animals as passive participants in mating is incorrect, but much is still unknown about female reproductive strategies, including the extent of female mate choice. Some researchers have questioned the ability of females to exercise mate choice because of attempts by males to control mating. However, others have questioned the role of female choice because females often attempt to mate with multiple males. Mantled howling monkeys represent an excellent species in which to study these important aspects of sexual selection. Female mantled howlers mate with multiple males, but dominant males have been reported to control mating during times of peak fertility. Despite this attempted control, recent molecular genetic data demonstrate that the dominant male is often not the sire of offspring in his social group. Behavioral observations will be used to assess the affiliative and mating preferences of adult female mantled howlers at Hacienda La Pacifica, Costa Rica. These preferences will be tested to determine whether they are consistent with observed patterns of mating and with patterns of genetic paternity. The results of this study will be used to assess the ability of female mantled howlers to exercise mate choice as well as the consequences for male reproductive success. The intellectual merit of this study is demonstrated by the importance of female reproductive strategies to the development of a new sexual selection paradigm and to an understanding of female sexuality. The factors influencing female mating decisions and the ability of females to exercise mate choice in the face of attempted male control have profound consequences not only for female fitness but also for male fitness. This project will provide valuable information regarding this interaction between male and female reproductive strategies. In addition to assisting the training of a graduate student, the broader impacts of this project include providing opportunities for underrepresented groups through international collaboration with and training of Costa Rican students. In addition, the project will help to re-establish a research presence at La Pacifica, a valuable site for the study of mantled howling monkeys.
