National University of Colombia
Question
Asked 5th Jan, 2016
How is alpha male status achieved in Primates?
Dear all,
Before an adult male individual fights, defeats the current alpha male and achieves his alpha status. Does the challenger already have better physical performances and higher level testosterone, or he is actually an ordinary one before, but after defeating the former alpha, his testosterone level is increased, so that his performance is more masculine?
Could you also send me the links where to get information about how alpha male status is achieved in Primates?
Thank you very much
Most recent answer
This link is on testopsterone in alpha males and its effect on immune response, very interesting and related to your question:
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All Answers (6)
University of Twente
Dear colleague
Are you familiar with the books of Frans de Waal on chimpansies and other primates. His observations contain partial answers to your question. If you need specific references, please let me know.
University of Toronto
Hi Abdullah,
In most species, before a male would challenge another for the alpha position, he would be in equal or better physical condition, however, he can also use allies to aid in his eviction of the current alpha. Males join together in coalitions and in this way a group of smaller, lower-quality males may defeat a higher-quality alpha male. Testosterone may be similar in all of them at baseline level but will rise during challenges. It is still unclear whether in all species the male with the highest testosterone wins the battle but see Beehner et al. 2006, Behav Ecol Sociobiol 59:480 for an interesting case in baboons.
Toyo University
Dear Dr Langgeng
The answer for your question could differ depending on the social structure of the primate species, and thus I do not know my answer would be helpful or not. In wild Japanese macaques, two types of the changes of alpha males were mainly observed: one is a chanllenging male outside of the troop to becomes the alpha one, and the other is that the male of the next rank becomes the alpha one. Hormonal information may let us to be confused because in very wild natural situation, the information cannot be obtained.
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Hartpury University
Both the points about species structure and about hormones being tricky to read are valid here.
Ray and Sapolsky (1992) identfied 3 different styles of dominance in Olive baboons which all related to low cortisol levels - although you can't say whether they had low levels before being dominant or as a result of...
1.High involvement in sexual consortships
2.High social affiliation
3.Ability to distinguish threatening from neutral interactions
The 4th type of dominance was high reactive males (who fought their way up) but they had cortisol levels equal to the subordinates.
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Mizoram University
The male achieve the dominance over the troop and enable the guard the females in a troop normally become alpha male.The level of testosterone may play a role in high sexuality however the strong physical fitness dictates the heiarchay among the males, that leads to alpha male position.
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