{"id":{"repo_id":"gsu","oai_identifier":"oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-1708"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/gsu/oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-1708","repository":{"repo_id":"gsu","name":"Georgia Southern University","base_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Sexually Dimorphic Developmental Patterns of Chemosensory Behaviors in African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana)","abstract":"Like many polygynous mammals, African elephants exhibit social dimorphism in which females reside in matriarchal groups while males often travel alone or in bachelor groups. Males search for receptive mates who may advertise their condition through chemical and other signals. The difference in adult lifestyles suggests that the developmental pattern of communication for the two sexes should diverge when the social environment and reproductive opportunities of males and females begin to differ. In this study, I examined the differences between the sexes and across four age classes (calves, juveniles, subadults and adults) in the performance of chemosensory behaviors. African elephants were studied at a waterhole in 2004-5 at Ndarakwai Ranch, Tanzania. I identified 277 elephants and 26 distinct female-offspring groups. Sex differences in the chemosensory repertoire and rate of behaviors were evident for subadults but not for the younger age classes. Males showed a higher rate of chemosensory behaviors than females and adults performed chemosensory behaviors more often than calves. Chemosensory responses to a standard stimulus increased in each subsequent age class for males, but showed no age class differences for females. The observed responses supported the hypothesis that chemical communication patterns would diverge during early puberty, indicating that the development of chemosensory behaviors occurs differently in the sexes in preparation for their disparate adult lifestyles.","abstract_html":"Like many polygynous mammals, African elephants exhibit social dimorphism in which females reside in matriarchal groups while males often travel alone or in bachelor groups. Males search for receptive mates who may advertise their condition through chemical and other signals. The difference in adult lifestyles suggests that the developmental pattern of communication for the two sexes should diverge when the social environment and reproductive opportunities of males and females begin to differ. In this study, I examined the differences between the sexes and across four age classes (calves, juveniles, subadults and adults) in the performance of chemosensory behaviors. African elephants were studied at a waterhole in 2004-5 at Ndarakwai Ranch, Tanzania. I identified 277 elephants and 26 distinct female-offspring groups. Sex differences in the chemosensory repertoire and rate of behaviors were evident for subadults but not for the younger age classes. Males showed a higher rate of chemosensory behaviors than females and adults performed chemosensory behaviors more often than calves. Chemosensory responses to a standard stimulus increased in each subsequent age class for males, but showed no age class differences for females. The observed responses supported the hypothesis that chemical communication patterns would diverge during early puberty, indicating that the development of chemosensory behaviors occurs differently in the sexes in preparation for their disparate adult lifestyles.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Vyas, Dhaval Kartik"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)","degree_level":"Thesis (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Alan W. Harvey","James M. Hutcheon","Michelle L. Zjhra"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2006,"date_issued":"2006-07-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2006-07-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:19Z","subjects":["ETD","Chemosensory","Development","Loxodonta africana","Sexual dimorphism","Tanzania","Sexual dimorphism (Animals)"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/708","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Alan W. Harvey","James M. Hutcheon","Michelle L. 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Males search for receptive mates who may advertise their condition through chemical and other signals. The difference in adult lifestyles suggests that the developmental pattern of communication for the two sexes should diverge when the social environment and reproductive opportunities of males and females begin to differ. In this study, I examined the differences between the sexes and across four age classes (calves, juveniles, subadults and adults) in the performance of chemosensory behaviors. African elephants were studied at a waterhole in 2004-5 at Ndarakwai Ranch, Tanzania. I identified 277 elephants and 26 distinct female-offspring groups. Sex differences in the chemosensory repertoire and rate of behaviors were evident for subadults but not for the younger age classes. Males showed a higher rate of chemosensory behaviors than females and adults performed chemosensory behaviors more often than calves. Chemosensory responses to a standard stimulus increased in each subsequent age class for males, but showed no age class differences for females. The observed responses supported the hypothesis that chemical communication patterns would diverge during early puberty, indicating that the development of chemosensory behaviors occurs differently in the sexes in preparation for their disparate adult lifestyles."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Sexually Dimorphic Developmental Patterns of Chemosensory Behaviors in African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana)"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Alan W. Harvey","James M. Hutcheon","Michelle L. Zjhra"],"dc:creator":["Vyas, Dhaval Kartik"],"dc:date.available":["2013-10-17T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Like many polygynous mammals, African elephants exhibit social dimorphism in which females reside in matriarchal groups while males often travel alone or in bachelor groups. Males search for receptive mates who may advertise their condition through chemical and other signals. The difference in adult lifestyles suggests that the developmental pattern of communication for the two sexes should diverge when the social environment and reproductive opportunities of males and females begin to differ. In this study, I examined the differences between the sexes and across four age classes (calves, juveniles, subadults and adults) in the performance of chemosensory behaviors. African elephants were studied at a waterhole in 2004-5 at Ndarakwai Ranch, Tanzania. I identified 277 elephants and 26 distinct female-offspring groups. Sex differences in the chemosensory repertoire and rate of behaviors were evident for subadults but not for the younger age classes. Males showed a higher rate of chemosensory behaviors than females and adults performed chemosensory behaviors more often than calves. Chemosensory responses to a standard stimulus increased in each subsequent age class for males, but showed no age class differences for females. The observed responses supported the hypothesis that chemical communication patterns would diverge during early puberty, indicating that the development of chemosensory behaviors occurs differently in the sexes in preparation for their disparate adult lifestyles."],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/708"],"dc:subject":["ETD","Chemosensory","Development","Loxodonta africana","Sexual dimorphism","Tanzania","Sexual dimorphism (Animals)"],"dc:title":["Sexually Dimorphic Developmental Patterns of Chemosensory Behaviors in African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana)"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:19Z"}