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. 2015 Mar;114(3):527-537.
doi: 10.1111/bij.12440.

The static allometry of sexual and non-sexual traits in vervet monkeys

Rafael L Rodríguez  1 , Jennifer Danzy Cramer  2 , Christopher A Schmitt  3 , Tegan J Gaetano  4 , J Paul Grobler  5 , Nelson B Freimer  3 , Trudy R Turner  6
Affiliations

The static allometry of sexual and non-sexual traits in vervet monkeys

Rafael L Rodríguez et al. Biol J Linn Soc Lond. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

Sexual traits vary tremendously in static allometry. This variation may be explained in part by body size-related differences in the strength of selection. We tested this hypothesis with in two populations of vervet monkeys, using estimates of the level of condition dependence for different morphological traits as a proxy for body size-related variation in the strength of selection. In support of the hypothesis, we found that the steepness of allometric slopes increased with the level of condition dependence. One trait of particular interest, the penis, had shallow allometric slopes and low levels of condition dependence, in agreement with one of the most consistent patterns yet detected in the study of allometry, that of genitalia exhibitting shallow allometries.

Keywords: Chlorocebus; primate; scaling relationships; sexual selection.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
An adult male vervet monkey, Chlorocebus aethiops pygerythrus, from South Africa. Photo by Jennifer Danzy Cramer.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Examples of allometric (log10-log10) plots, showing how different structures scale relative to the length of lower leg (our estimate of body size) in vervet monkeys. All x-axes span two log units; y-axes span two (A–C) or five log units (D–E). (A) Chest girth shows weak positive allometry (b > 1). (B) The length of the upper leg shows near perfect isometry (b = 1). (C) The head shows negative allometry (b < 1). Allometric slopes (b) given ± 1 SE. Data from the St. Kitts and Nevis site for males of all adult ages for illustrative purposes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationship between the level of condition dependence of different traits and their allometric slope (b), in two vervet monkey populations. (A) Across all traits. (B) Across trait types, showing least square means ± 1 SE.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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