| The number of cultural traits is correlated with female group size but not with male group size in chimpanzee communities. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20352086 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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What determines the number of cultural traits present in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) communities is poorly understood. In humans, theoretical models suggest that the frequency of cultural traits can be predicted by population size. In chimpanzees, however, females seem to have a particularly important role as cultural carriers. Female chimpanzees use tools more frequently than males. They also spend more time with their young, skewing the infants' potential for social learning towards their mothers. In Gombe, termite fishing has been shown to be transmitted from mother to offspring. Lastly, it is female chimpanzees that transfer between communities and thus have the possibility of bringing in novel cultural traits from other communities. From these observations we predicted that females are more important cultural carriers than males. Here we show that the reported number of cultural traits in chimpanzee communities correlates with the number of females in chimpanzee communities, but not with the number of males. Hence, our results suggest that females are the carriers of chimpanzee culture. |
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Authors:
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Johan Lind; Patrik Lindenfors |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2010-03-24 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: PloS one Volume: 5 ISSN: 1932-6203 ISO Abbreviation: PLoS ONE Publication Date: 2010 |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-03-30 Completed Date: 2011-01-11 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101285081 Medline TA: PLoS One Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: e9241 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Centre for the Study of Cultural Evolution, Stockholm, Sweden. johan.lind@zoologi.su.se |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Algorithms Animals Behavior, Animal Cultural Characteristics* Female Likelihood Functions Male Models, Statistical Pan troglodytes / physiology* Phylogeny Sex Factors Social Behavior |
| Comments/Corrections | |
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