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PubMed1993

[Lemurs of Madagascar. Tests on evolution of primate communities].

The flora and fauna of Madagascar evolved rather independently from the African mainland. In contrast to other oceanic islands, Madagascar is large enough to house most major components of tropical ecosystems, allowing tests of evolutionary hypotheses on the level of complete communities. Taking lemurs, the primates of Madagascar, as an example, evolutionary hypotheses correctly predict the organization of their community structure with respect to ecological correlates. Lemur social systems and their morphological correlates, on the other hand, deviate largely from the typical mammalian pattern. Thus, the traditional hypotheses of behavioral ecology, based solely on resource distribution and predation pressure, are insufficient to explain the existing variability in lemur social systems. Other factors, such as activity patterns and avoidance of infanticide, may be equally important. Due to interspecific variation in these characters, lemurs offer the unique opportunity to determine the relative importance of these factors for the evolution of social systems.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The function of male aggressive displays towards females in mountain gorillas.

In groups of Gorilla g. beringei, male aggression towards females regularly takes the form of male display. This paper examines male display towards females in two Karisoke study groups (Group 5 and Group BM) in 1989, a period when none of the females were new immigrants. Results are based on 259 hr of focal observations and 121 hr of ad libitum observations on male behaviors towards females. The goal is to see if the data are compatible with four non-mutually exclusive hypotheses to explain male displays towards females: (1) demonstration of male fighting abilities to influence female long term residence decision; (2) decrease potential competitive inequities between females; (3) provision to females of an occasion to confirm their subordinance to a male; and (4) short term influence on mating. First, male-female proximity was tested against proportion of male displays, to rule out the possibility that males display towards females simply because they happen to be close by. There was no association between proximity and male display. Dominant males were responsible for a higher proportion of displays than subordinate males. This is consistent with the idea that males display to demonstrate their fighting abilities, or their qualities as protector, since dominant males are the ones offering long term protection against infanticide and predators. Females that were in a position to transfer did not receive a higher proportion of male display, however. Long term resident dominant females received a higher proportion of displays from the dominant males, which is consistent with the idea that males attempt to decrease potential competitive inequities between females. There was an association between female appeasement reactions and male displays, which suggests that males display to create occasions for the females to confirm their subordinance to them. Estrous females did not receive a higher proportion of male displays, and there was no association between male display and copulation, suggesting that male displays are not a form of courtship aggression aimed at influencing mating in the short term.

Aggression↗
PubMed2003

Classification of sudden infant death (SID) cases in a multidisciplinary setting. Ten years experience in Styria (Austria).

OBJECTIVE: Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains a challenge for health professionals despite decreasing rates in recent years. The figures for different areas and time periods are hardly comparable, because of differences in postmortem investigations and classification criteria. In 1992, the European Society for the Study and Prevention of Infant Deaths (ESPID) proposed a classification for any sudden and unexpected death in infancy. This proposal has been used in our study since 1993 to better classify sudden infant death (SID) cases. METHOD: 56 consecutive SID cases observed between 1993 and 2002 in Styria, the south-eastern province of Austria, were analysed by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals. The study group consisted of pediatricians, forensic pathologists, pathologists, psychologists, nurses, members of the parents' association and health authorities. SID cases were analysed with regard to potential risk factors during pregnancy and early life, the circumstances of death (death scene) and post-mortem findings. From the latter, every SID was classified as either 1) classic SIDS, 2) borderline SIDS, 3) non-autopsied SID or 4) explained death. RESULTS: Of the 56 SID cases, 22 were assigned to category 1, 19 to category 2, four to category 3, and in 11 cases death could be explained by major post-mortem findings. For 17/22 cases in category 1 and 11/19 cases in category 2, the death scene investigation showed the typical risk profile of manner of bedding and/or environmental conditions. In three cases, child abuse or infanticide was considered possible but could not be proven despite careful autopsy. In recent years, SIDS incidence in Styria has decreased to approximately 0.18/1,000 live-born infants, and the few deaths still occurring mainly present with the typical risk profile. CONCLUSION: An extensive analysis of SID events is a prerequisite for reliable and comparable SIDS statistics. Our data show that in several SID cases careful post-mortem examinations led to an explanation of death. In other cases, minor alterations may have contributed to the lethal event. These findings should therefore be considered in the classification of SIDs. The ESPID classification of 1992 appears to be very useful for this purpose and its use may therefore be recommended.

Austria↗
PubMed1999

Primate socioecology: new insights from males.

Primate males have only recently returned to the center stage of socioecological research. This review surveys new studies that examine variation in the behavior of adult males and their role in social evolution. It is shown that group size, composition, and social behavior are determined not only by resource distribution, predation risk, and other ecological factors, but that life history traits and social factors, especially those related to sexual coercion, can have equally profound consequences for social systems. This general point is illustrated by examining male behavior at three levels: the evolution of permanent associations between males and females, the causes and consequences of variation in the number of males between group-living species, and the determinants of social relationships within and between the sexes. Direct and indirect evidence reviewed in connection with all three questions indicates that the risk of infanticide has been a pervasive force in primate social evolution. Several areas are identified for future research on male life histories that should contribute to a better understanding of male reproductive strategies and corresponding female counter-strategies.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Male chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) discriminate loud call contests between rivals of different relative ranks.

Males in multi-male groups of chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) in Botswana compete for positions in a linear dominance hierarchy. Previous research suggests that males treat different categories of rivals differently; competitive displays between males of similar rank are more frequent and intense than those between disparately ranked males. Here we test whether males also respond differently to male-male interactions in which they are not directly involved, using playbacks of the loud 'wahoo' calls exchanged between competing males in aggressive displays. We played paired sequences of vocal contests between two adjacently ranked and two disparately ranked males to ten subjects, half ranking below the signalers in the call sequences and half above. Subjects who ranked above the two signalers showed stronger responses than lower-ranking subjects. Higher-ranking subjects also responded more strongly to sequences involving disparately ranked, as opposed to adjacently ranked opponents, suggesting that they recognized those individuals' relative ranks. Strong responses to sequences between disparately ranked opponents might have occurred either because such contests typically involve resources of high fitness value (defense of meat, estrous females or infants vulnerable to infanticide) or because they indicate a sudden change in one contestant's condition. In contrast, subjects who ranked lower than the signalers responded equally strongly to both types of sequences. These subjects may have been able to distinguish between the two categories of opponents but did not respond differently to them because they had little to lose or gain by a rank reversal between males that already ranked higher than they did.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed2004

Group size in folivorous primates: ecological constraints and the possible influence of social factors.

The ecological-constraints model assumes that food items occur in depletable patches and proposes that an increase in group size leads to increased day range due to more rapid patch depletion. Smaller groups become advantageous when an increase in travel costs is not repaid by an increase in energy gained or some other fitness advantage. On the other hand, we also know that group size can be influenced by social factors. Here we contrast the diet and group size of red colobus (Procolobus badius) and black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza) in Kibale National Park, Uganda to consider how ecological and social factors are affecting their group sizes. Subsequently, we examine whether the insights gained from this detailed comparison can provide an understanding of why the social organization and group size of mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata) and black howlers (A. pigra) differ. Two groups of red colobus and two groups of black-and-white colobus were studied over 10 months. Red colobus groups were larger (48 and 24) than black-and-white colobus groups (9 and 6). The two groups of red colobus overlap home ranges with the two groups of black-and-white colobus; 75% and 95% of their home ranges were within red colobus's home range. There was a great deal of similarity in the plant parts eaten by the two species and both species fed primarily on young leaves (red colobus 70%, black-and-white colobus 76%). In terms of the actual species consumed, again there was a great deal of similarity between species. The average dietary overlap among months for the two neighboring groups of red colobus was 37.3%, while the dietary overlap between the red colobus and the black-and-white colobus group that had its home range almost entirely within the home range of the red colobus groups averaged 43.2% among months. If ecological conditions were responsible for the difference in group size between the two colobine species, one would expect the density of food trees to be lower in the home ranges of the black-and-white colobus monkeys, since they have the smaller group size. We found the opposite to be true. Both black-and-white colobus groups had more food trees and the cumulative size of those trees was greater than those in the red colobus's home ranges. We quantify how these differences parallel differences in mantled and black howlers. The average group size for mantled howlers was 12.9 individuals, and for black howlers it was 5.3 individuals. We explore possible social constraints, such as infanticide, that prevent black-and-white colobus and black howlers from living in large groups.

Alouatta↗
PubMed2005

Male takeover in Colobus vellerosus at Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, central Ghana.

We describe a case of male takeover in the ursine black-and-white colobus (Colobus vellerosus). In April 2001, an all-male group attacked and eventually invaded our uni-male study group. Aggression increased following the takeover and the former resident male, severely wounded, became peripheral. The youngest immature received severe aggression from the new males but survived. The immature's mother intervened in most instances of this aggression. Eventually, the former resident male re-established relationships with some of the females and concurrently intervened to protect the immature. Defeated males that stay in their group can contribute to the protection of infants born during their tenure from infanticidal males. The females mated with the new males. Takeovers may be a means by which males acquire groups of females in C. vellerosus.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Pups call, mothers rush: does maternal responsiveness affect the amount of ultrasonic vocalizations in mouse pups?

In rats and mice, the ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by pups have been suggested to modulate maternal behavior. In the present study we show that the number of calls emitted by mouse pups can reflect maternal responsiveness. Maternal responsiveness towards pups was evaluated on postnatal day 8 using a three-compartment cage test where the mother, to reach the pups, had to cross the central part of the cage containing cues from a potentially infanticidal male. Maternal responsiveness was lower when alien rather than own pups were used as stimulus. Moreover, the administration of morphine (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) a drug known to disrupt maternal behavior, resulted in an increase of the latency to reach the pups, as well. This behavioral and pharmacological validation supports the hypothesis that this measure can represent an index of maternal motivation. Therefore, we evaluated maternal responsiveness on day 8 postpartum and pups' ultrasound emission during isolation on day 4 and 8 of life, under conditions strongly affecting the amount of maternal behavior received by pups. C57BL/6 mothers scored higher in maternal responsiveness than BALB/c females, and their pups emitted fewer calls than BALB/c pups both on days 4 and 8. Mothers of handled pups scored higher than controls in maternal responsiveness. Handled pups showed a lower rate of calls on day 8, although they did not differ from controls on day 4. These results support our hypothesis that maternal responsiveness, that is mother promptness to respond to pups' needs, is one of the factors tuning the rate of ultrasonic emission of the offspring.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Absence of maternal behavior in rats with lithium/pilocarpine seizure-induced brain damage: support of MacLean's triune brain theory.

Female rats, with and without maternal experience, received limbic seizure-inducing (SC) injections of lithium and pilocarpine. Following the subsequent parturitions, these rats displayed a complete absence of maternal behavior. Rats that did not display seizures after receiving the lithium/pilocarpine injections displayed behaviors that were comparable to normal controls. Although the multifocal limbic, thalamic, and cingulate damage abolished maternal care, there was no evidence of aberrant effects upon fecundity, litter size, or mammary function; infanticide was negligible. The pattern of brain damage involves the evolutionarily more recent thalamocingulate system of mammals and supports MacLean's theory that these pathways are required for normal mother-offspring interaction.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Urine marking and maternal aggression of wild female mice in relation to anogenital distance at birth.

A series of experiments were conducted with wild house mice to verify the effect of intrauterine position on females' anogenital distance at birth (AGD) and to examine the relationships between a female's AGD, used as a bioassay of androgen exposure during fetal life, and her social behavior and reproductive success in adulthood. Experiment 1 showed that cesarean-delivered females that developed in utero between two males (2 M females) have significantly longer AGD's than females positioned between two females (0 M females). We then categorized naturally delivered females shortly after birth as having a long, medium or short AGD. In adulthood, these females were tested for their behavior towards unfamiliar pups, their rate of urine-marking in response to a variety of social stimuli, postpartum aggression and success in protecting their litters in response to male and female intruders. Adult females with different AGD's at birth did not differ either in their behavior toward pups or in their rate of urine marking. Conversely, males housed across a wire mesh partition from a long-AGD female deposited a higher number of urine marks than those exposed to a short-AGD female. When tested after delivering a litter, long-AGD females displayed more tail-rattling (a component of agonistic behavior) towards intruders of both sexes in comparison to short-AGD females. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that females with a long AGD are exposed to higher levels of Testosterone during fetal life than females with a short AGD. Although not related to AGD, other measures of maternal aggression were affected by postpartum day, sex of intruders and a female's infanticidal potential while a virgin.

Aggression↗
PubMed1992

Early identification of maternal depression as a strategy in the prevention of child abuse.

Maternal suicide and infanticide are merely the extreme tip of the iceberg of psychological and social morbidity associated with post-partum depression. Despite research indicating an association between maternal depression and disturbed parent-child interaction, maternal depression has been largely ignored in the literature on child maltreatment and in child protection practice. Practitioners should be alert to the potential risks to the child associated with maternal depression. In cases where child abuse has occurred, they should consider the possibility that the mother is depressed and that this needs to be treated as a problem in its own right. In terms of prevention of child maltreatment, early identification of maternal depression is an important strategy in which primary health workers have an important role. This study investigates the feasibility of broadening the traditional infant health focus of the role of the Australian Maternal and Child Health Nurse or Public Health Nurse to encompass maternal emotional and social well-being. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, the conditions under which mothers would find this acceptable, and the factors that facilitate or constrain such role redefinition are analyzed.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Health in the early contact period: a contemporary example from Papua New Guinea.

In 1984 a rare opportunity arose to document the effects of contact on a previously isolated population in Papua New Guinea. The Hagahai, a small group of hunter-horticulturalists, remained hidden from government and mission influence until the early 1980s. Prior to that time, indirect contact through trade with neighboring peoples facilitated the entry of introduced infectious diseases. In late 1983 the Hagahai sought medical aid at a mission station, an event which accelerated their contact with the common epidemic diseases of the highlands. A wide variety of genetic, linguistic, ethnographic and medical data have been collected which document the historical sequence of events contributing to the current rapid demographic decline among the Hagahai. Serological evidence demonstrates the endemicity of Bancroftian filariasis, malaria, C. diphtheriae, cytomegalovirus, HTLV-1, the Ross River arbovirus and several viruses associated with the common cold. Recent epidemics include mumps, influenza A, and hepatitis B. They have not yet been affected by TB or measles, among others. Infanticide contributes to an estimated infant mortality rate of 568/1000. With a crude birth rate of 38 and a crude mortality rate of 51, the Hagahai appear to be dying out. The provision of adequate health care to these people is extremely problematic and beyond the capacity of the existing system.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Diagnosis of pregnancy in bloodstains. Study of progesterone and luteinizing hormone levels.

The objective of this work is to establish the diagnostic efficiency of the determination of progesterone and luteinizing hormone in bloodstains on an absorbent surface. In a stain consisting of woman's blood, the establishment of pregnancy or birth may be significant in cases of criminal abortion or infanticide, or to determine the probable date of the events. A total of 61 women between the ages of 16 and 47 years were studied (mean age 29.54 years; S.D. 7.82). Subjects were distributed in three groups: pregnant women, women in labour and non-pregnant women. We found statistically significant differences in progesterone and LH levels between the non-pregnant group and pregnant women in labour in 24 and 48-h bloodstains. We found no statistically significant differences between progesterone and LH levels in pregnant women in 24, 48 and 72-h stains and at 6 and 7 days. We can conclude that progesterone and LH measurements in bloodstains at least 1 week old and probably much older can be very useful in establishing the diagnosis of pregnancy up until and including the time of birth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Postnatal depression: an update.

Apart from causing emotional suffering, postnatal depression strains marriage, undermines the mother's confidence, impairs her social functioning and quality of life, and in serious cases contributes to infant abuses, infanticides and suicidal behaviour. Recent studies also show that postnatal depression adversely affects emotional, behavioural and cognitive development of the newborn. In addition, there is growing awareness that depression can occur during pregnancy, and antenatal depression can adversely affect obstetric and neonatal outcomes. Antenatal depressive symptoms are also the strongest predictor of postnatal depression. This paper reviews the epidemiology, clinical presentation, risk factors, prevention and treatment of perinatal depression. The latest development in research and practice related to this condition are also highlighted.

Depression, Postpartum↗
PubMed2005

Mandibular fracture in a neonate: report of a case.

Neonatal mandibular fractures are rare and are mostly due to traumatic delivery. Attempted infanticide has also been reported as a cause. A case of a fractured mandible in a neonate assaulted by its mother suffering from postpartum psychosis is presented.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Forensic and criminologic aspects of murder in North-West (Epirus) Greece.

Little information is presenting in Greek literature regarding forensic and criminological aspects of homicide in North-West Greece. Autopsy reports and the prosecution authorities' files were respectively analyzed with regard to individual characteristics of perpetrators and victims, circumstances, and mode of commitment in order to comprehensively characterize relevant forensic and criminologic aspects. In the 8-year period from January 1998 to May 2005, 26 homicide cases were autopsied in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, University of Ioannina, Greece. Twenty-nine homicide victims (18 males, 11 females; mean age 47 years) and 26 offenders were involved--20 single, 4 multiple-offenders and 2 were not known (24 males, 2 females; mean age 35 years). The most common method used for homicide was gunshot trauma (41.4%). Head injuries and multiple trauma were the most common cause of fatal injuries. Most homicides took place outside in a deserted area or close to agricultural side (n=12). Fifty percent (n=13) of all cases the offender and the victim were known to each other (acquaintances). Twenty-three cases were categorized as "single" homicides and 3 as "multiple" and the victims were classified; 20 as murder-physical injury with fatal outcome, 2 homicide-suicide, 1 infanticide, 4 matricide, and 2 as patricide.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Influence of lung fixation technique on the state of alveolar expansion-a histomorphometrical study.

Lungs removed at necropsy normally collapse due to the loss of negative pleural pressure leading to a quite unnatural appearance of both gross and histological specimens. In order to demonstrate the influence of post-mortem lung retraction on the degree of alveolar expansion, a histomorphometrical analysis was performed in lungs from a 9-month-old healthy infant. Tissue specimens from the right lung were obtained at autopsy and routinely fixed after retraction ('routinely fixed lung'), whereas the left lung was fixed in situ before opening the thoracic cage ('in situ fixed lung'). The size of the alveoli as well as the thickness of the alveolar walls were measured using an automatic image processing and analysis system (Leica QWIN) in both lungs. The mean alveolar size was 8.7 x 10(3) microm(2) in the routinely fixed lung (alveoli, n=1.1576) and 10.9 x 10(3) microm(2) in the in situ fixed lung (alveoli, n = 841). In contrast, the diameter of the alveolar walls showed no significant difference in both lungs. The average thickness of the alveolar walls was 7.9 microm (measuring sites, n = 1.190) in the routinely fixed lung and 8.1 microm in the in situ fixed lung (measuring sites, n = 1.027), respectively. The results provide evidence of significantly reduced aeration in the retracted and routinely fixed lung which could be of special forensic interest in cases of suspicious infanticide, stillbirth or infant death by drowning or suffocation.

Forensic Medicine↗
PubMed2006

Parental selection: a third selection process in the evolution of human hairlessness and skin color.

It is proposed that human hairlessness, and the pale skin seen in modern Europeans and Asians, are not the results of Darwinian selection; these attributes provide no survival benefits. They are instead the results of sexual selection combined with a third, previously unrecognized, process: parental selection. The use of infanticide as a method of birth control in premodern societies gave parents - in particular, mothers - the power to exert an influence on the course of human evolution by deciding whether to keep or abandon a newborn infant. If such a decision was made before the infant was born, it could be overturned in the positive direction if the infant was particularly beautiful - that is, if the infant conformed to the standards of beauty prescribed by the mother's culture. It could be overturned in the negative direction if the infant failed to meet those standards. Thus, human hairlessness and pale skin could have resulted in part from cultural preferences expressed as decisions made by women immediately after childbirth.

Beauty↗