Data and R code for: Survival to weaning in arid-country vervet monkeys

We addressed the relative contributions of maternal rank and sociability to the survival of infant vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) to nutritional independence (~210 days) in a resource-poor environment. Data from 153 infants across three troops and 10 birth cohorts indicated a pre-weaning mortality of 30% (Range: 9%-85%), with a median age at death of 50 days. In addition to the consequences of resource availability, increased infant survival was independently and equivalently associated with higher maternal rank and a greater number of maternal spatial partners. We use this outcome to suggest that apparent discrepancies in the relative importance of different maternal attributes in determining reproductive outcomes may be resolved by considering more closely local sources of infant mortality.

本研究探讨了资源匮乏环境下，母系等级与社交性对黑长尾猴（Chlorocebus pygerythrus）幼崽存活至营养独立期（约210日龄）的相对贡献。本研究涵盖3个猴群、10个出生队列共153只幼崽，数据显示其断奶前死亡率为30%（区间：9%~85%），幼崽死亡中位年龄为50日龄。除资源可获得性的影响外，幼崽存活率提升还与更高的母系等级、更多的母方空间社交伙伴独立且等效相关。基于上述研究结果，本研究提出：若更细致地考量幼崽死亡的本地诱因，或可解决不同母方特征对繁殖结果相对重要性间的表观分歧。