TY - JOUR AU - Douglas, Pamela Heidi AU - Hohmann, Gottfried AU - Murtagh, Róisín AU - Thiessen-Bock, Robyn AU - Deschner, Tobias PY - 2016 DA - 2016/06/30 TI - Mixed messages: wild female bonobos show high variability in the timing of ovulation in relation to sexual swelling patterns JO - BMC Evolutionary Biology SP - 140 VL - 16 IS - 1 AB - The evolution of primate sexual swellings and their influence on mating strategies have captivated the interest of biologists for over a century. Across the primate order, variability in the timing of ovulation with respect to females’ sexual swelling patterns differs greatly. Since sexual swellings typically function as signals of female fecundity, the temporal relation between ovulation and sexual swellings can impact the ability of males to pinpoint ovulation and thereby affect male mating strategies. Here, we used endocrine parameters to detect ovulation and examined the temporal relation between the maximum swelling phase (MSP) and ovulation in wild female bonobos (Pan paniscus). Data were collected at the Luikotale field site, Democratic Republic of Congo, spanning 36 months. Observational data from 13 females were used to characterise female swelling cycles (N = 70). Furthermore, we measured urinary oestrone and pregnanediol using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, and used pregnanediol to determine the timing of ovulation in 34 cycles (N = 9 females). SN - 1471-2148 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-016-0691-3 DO - 10.1186/s12862-016-0691-3 ID - Douglas2016 ER -