Qinling Chuan Golden Monkey (rhinopithecus Roxellana) Adult Female Mutual Grooming Time Matching And Grooming Policy

1. Time-matched grooming in female Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)Allogrooming models based on biological markets theory predict that grooming partners alternate between giving and receiving grooming within grooming bouts, and that each partner will perform approximately as much grooming as it receives within each bout ('time match'). In order to test weather time-matched grooming in female Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana), the data based on 102 days of observations of the troop was analyzed. It was found that, (1) the duration of grooming by the first groomer significantly predicted whether the groomee would reciprocate at all (x~2=21.295, P<0.001) , and (2) when bouts were reciprocated, the duration of grooming by the first groomer significantly predicted the duration of grooming by the second one (R~2=0.332, n=179, P<0.001). The results therefore suggest that biological market theory may provide a valid explanation of the behaviour of the female Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana).2. The relationship between the allogrooming of the female Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) and the RTS strategyThis study, based on 102 days of focal observations, aimed to test the relationship between the allogrooming of the female Sichuan snub-nosed monkey and the raise the stakes (RTS) strategy. Based on the RTS strategy, the data was divided into within and across grooming bouts. The RTS strategy proposed by Barrett (2000) was also tested, by comparing the frequent grooming behaviors and the infrequent grooming behaviors. The data from three Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) units were applied to test the RTS strategy of reciprocity. It was found that female snub-nosed monkeys did not raise the stakes either within or across grooming bouts. Instead they time-matched grooming contributions and divided it into short episodes. In addition, the analysis of the grooming behaviour of frequently versus infrequently grooming dyads did not reveal differences in grooming patterns predicted by the RTS strategy (First episode: U=115, P=0.664; Total grooming time: U=131, P=0.931) , while the data were more consistent with the strategy of give as good as you get (GGG). However, this strategy could not explain all the patterns observed, as a result, combined with the biological market theory represents a more appropriate framework for investigating female grooming.