Maternal Investment in Captive Bonnet Macaques (Macaca radiata)

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Abstract
The purpose of this analysis was to determine whether differences in the number of male and female offspring produced by high- and low-ranking bonnet macaques were offset by differences in the amount of investment allocated toward male and female progeny. There were no significant sex differences in the duration of interbirth intervals or survival to weaning, and no significant differences in the effects of immature male and female progeny on maternal mortality or ability to invest in future offspring. Thus, in this population, low-ranking females appeared to allocate more investment toward their sons than toward their daughters. The data suggest that in the long run, low-ranking females may also benefit more from investing in males than in females. The daughters of low-ranking females suffered high mortality as juveniles, and the daughters of low-ranking females who survived to adulthood achieved low dominance ranks. By the end of the report period, low-ranking females had produced no surviving grandchildren through their daughters, whereas high-ranking females had produced 12 surviving grandchildren through their daughters.