Paternity and kinship patterns in polyandrous moustached tamarins (Saguinus mystax)

We studied patterns of genetic relatedness and paternity in moustached tamarins, small Neotropical primates living in groups of 1–4 adult males and 1–4 adult females. Generally only one female per group breeds, mating with more than one male. Twin birth are the norm. In order to examine the genetic consequences of this mating pattern, DNA was extracted from fecal samples collected from two principal and six neighboring groups. DNA was characterized at twelve microsatellite loci (average: seven alleles/locus). We addressed the following questions: Do all adult males have mating access to the reproductive female of the group? How is paternity distributed across males in a group? Can polyandrous mating lead to multiple paternity? Are nonparental animals more closely related to the breeders than to the population mean? And, are mating partners unrelated? Breeding females mated with all nonrelated males. In at least one group the father of the older offspring did not sire the youngest infant although he was still resident in the group. We also found evidence for multiple paternity in a supposed twin pair. Yet, within each group the majority (67–100%) of infants had the same father, suggesting reproductive skew. Relatedness within groups was generally high (average R 0.31), although both nonrelated males and females occurred, i.e., immigrations of both sexes are possible. Mating partners were never found to be related, hence inbreeding seems to be uncommon. The results suggest that while the social mating system is polyandry, paternity is often monopolized by a single male per group.

We studied patterns of genetic relatedness
and paternity in moustached tamarins, small Neotropical
primates living in groups of 1–4 adult males and
1–4 adult females. Generally only one female per group
breeds, mating with more than one male. Twin birth are
the norm. In order to examine the genetic consequences of
this mating pattern, DNA was extracted from fecal samples
collected from two principal and six neighboring
groups. DNA was characterized at twelve microsatellite
loci (average: seven alleles/locus). We addressed the following
questions: Do all adult males have mating access to
the reproductive female of the group? How is paternity
distributed across males in a group? Can polyandrous
mating lead to multiple paternity? Are nonparental animals
more closely related to the breeders than to the
population mean? And, are mating partners unrelated?
Breeding females mated with all nonrelated males. In at
least one group the father of the older offspring did not
sire the youngest infant although he was still resident in
the group. We also found evidence for multiple paternity
in a supposed twin pair. Yet, within each group the majority
(67–100%) of infants had the same father, suggesting
reproductive skew. Relatedness within groups was
generally high (average R 0.31), although both nonrelated
males and females occurred, i.e., immigrations of
both sexes are possible. Mating partners were never found
to be related, hence inbreeding seems to be uncommon.
The results suggest that while the social mating system is
polyandry, paternity is often monopolized by a single male
per group.

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