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Cooperation, competition & fitness

Primate societies are highly variable. Groups can differ in the degree of social stratification, the degree of cooperation between related and possibly unrelated individuals, or in the way group members handle conflicts. Differences can occur between different taxa, between populations, or between the sexes. Based on evolutionary theory, this variation in cooperation and competition, which occurs in all primate societies, including our own, can be explained by different fitness benefits. The relationships between variation in social behavior, ecological and phylogenetic factors, the study of different strategies of both sexes, and determining the adaptive value of social behavior are among our research focuses.