Biomaterial Database

Facial width-to-height ratio is associated with agonistic and affiliative dominance in bonobos (Pan paniscus). 2019

J S Martin, and N Staes, and A Weiss, and J M G Stevens, and A V Jaeggi

Behavioral Ecology Lab, Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is associated with social dominance in human and non-human primates, which may reflect the effects of testosterone on facial morphology and behaviour. Given that testosterone facilitates status-seeking motivation, the association between fWHR and behaviour should be contingent on the relative costs and benefits of particular dominance strategies across species and socioecological contexts. We tested this hypothesis in bonobos (Pan paniscus), who exhibit female dominance and rely on both affiliation and aggression to achieve status. We measured fWHR from facial photographs, affiliative dominance with Assertiveness personality scores and agonistic dominance with behavioural data. Consistent with our hypothesis, agonistic and affiliative dominance predicted fWHR in both sexes independent of age and body weight, supporting the role of status-seeking motivation in producing the link between fWHR and socioecologically relevant dominance behaviour across primates.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D001837	Body Weights and Measures	Measurements of the height, weight, length, area, etc., of the human and animal body or its parts.	Body Measures,Body Measure,Measure, Body,Measures, Body
D005145	Face	The anterior portion of the head that includes the skin, muscles, and structures of the forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, and jaw.	Faces
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000374	Aggression	Behavior which may be manifested by destructive and attacking action which is verbal or physical, by covert attitudes of hostility or by obstructionism.	Aggressions
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012930	Social Dominance	Social structure of a group as it relates to the relative social rank of dominance status of its members. (APA, Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 8th ed.)	Dominance Hierarchy,Dominance, Social,Dominance Hierarchies,Hierarchy, Dominance
D019974	Pan paniscus	The pygmy chimpanzee, a species of the genus Pan, family HOMINIDAE. Its common name is Bonobo, which was once considered a separate genus by some; others considered it a subspecies of PAN TROGLODYTES. Its range is confined to the forests of the central Zaire basin. Despite its name, it is often of equal size to P. troglodytes.	Bonobo,Chimpanzee, Pygmy,Pygmy Chimpanzee,Bonobos,Chimpanzees, Pygmy,Pygmy Chimpanzees