Behavior predicts genes structure in a wild primate group.

TLDR

Baboons live in cohesive social groups of both sexes, with males dispersing between groups. The study tested whether social structure and differential mating success predict genetic relatedness in wild baboons. Social behavior accurately predicted genetic relatedness and reproductive variance, confirming the priority‑of‑access model, but short‑term reproductive skew did not persist long‑term because male dominance was unstable, leading to age‑structured paternal sibships and genetic substructure within groups.

Abstract

The predictability of genetic structure from social structure and differential mating success was tested in wild baboons. Baboon populations are subdivided into cohesive social groups that include multiple adults of both sexes. As in many mammals, males are the dispersing sex. Social structure and behavior successfully predicted molecular genetic measures of relatedness and variance in reproductive success. In the first quantitative test of the priority-of-access model among wild primates, the reproductive priority of dominant males was confirmed by molecular genetic analysis. However, the resultant high short-term variance in reproductive success did not translate into equally high long-term variance because male dominance status was unstable. An important consequence of high but unstable short-term variance is that age cohorts will tend to be paternal sibships and social groups will be genetically substructured by age.