Social Bonds of Female Baboons Enhance Infant Survival

TLDR

Female primates form strong kin and group bonds that are thought to confer adaptive benefits, yet direct links between sociality and fitness have not been previously demonstrated. The study analyzed 16 years of behavioral observations of wild baboons to assess how adult female sociality relates to infant survival. Adult female sociality was found to increase infant survival independently of dominance rank, group membership, and environmental factors, supporting the idea that social support benefits health across species.

Abstract

Among nonhuman primates, females often form strong bonds with kin and other group members. These relationships are thought to have adaptive value for females, but direct effects of sociality on fitness have never been demonstrated. We present 16 years of behavioral data from a well-studied population of wild baboons, which demonstrate that sociality of adult females is positively associated with infant survival, an important component of variation in female lifetime fitness. The effects of sociality on infant survival are independent of the effects of dominance rank, group membership, and environmental conditions. Our results are consistent with the evidence that social support has beneficial effects on human health and well-being across the life span. For humans and other primates, sociality has adaptive value.