Social status as a developmental process in wild vervet monkeys: beyond maternal inheritance

Vilette, C, Nord, CM, Bonnell, TR, Dostie, MJ, McFarland, R ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8245-9269, Young, C ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8919-2093, Henzi, SP and Barrett, L, 2026. Social status as a developmental process in wild vervet monkeys: beyond maternal inheritance. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 80 (3): 35. ISSN 0340-5443

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Abstract

Among cercopithecine primates, female offspring often inherit maternal rank (i.e., achieve a rank adjacent to their mothers) due to either direct intervention or indirect influence by mothers with respect to offspring agonistic interactions. We investigated the developmental dynamics of juvenile agonism and rank acquisition in three large groups of wild vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus. Overall, we found that juvenile rank acquisition did not follow a simple maternal inheritance pattern. We found strong evidence that mothers provided neither direct nor indirect support during agonistic episodes—mothers were rarely spatially proximate and never acted as coalition partners. While juveniles of high-ranking mothers tended to achieve ranks aligned with their maternal rank, those of lower-ranking mothers often surpassed their mothers’ rank. Juvenile aggression increased with age and was influenced by sex and maternal rank. Males and females differed in aggression trajectories, particularly depending on maternal rank. Our findings reveal that rank acquisition is not a passive inheritance process but occurs within a flexible, socially embedded developmental trajectory. Juveniles appeared to actively negotiate their status, shaped by both their social environment and maternal legacy. These results challenge assumptions about fixed dominance hierarchies and underscore the importance of social plasticity in shaping individual rank outcomes.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Creators:	Vilette, C., Nord, C.M., Bonnell, T.R., Dostie, M.J., McFarland, R., Young, C., Henzi, S.P. and Barrett, L.
Publisher:	Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date:	March 2026
Volume:	80
Number:	3
ISSN:	0340-5443
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1007/s00265-026-03713-9 DOI 2595397 Other
Rights:	This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-026-03713-9
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Melissa Cornwell
Date Added:	24 Mar 2026 09:55
Last Modified:	24 Mar 2026 09:55
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/55457

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