Whether it is in an animal or human society, dominant individuals in social hierarchies receive benefits, but it is important to consider the possible costs that come with being at the top. A high dominance rank in animal societies is advantageous and beneficial in reproductive success and health, however staying at the top position can also involve more energetic costs. Do high-ranking males experience higher levels of testosterone and glucocorticoid in unstable hierarchies?
Researchers in the article, Life at the Top: Rank and Stress in Wile Male Baboons, studied and tested the prevailing hypothesis that suggested that high-ranking males are faced with higher testosterone and glucocorticoid levels in an unstable hierarchy. Over a nine period, five social groups of wild savannah baboons in Amboseli, Kenya were studied to determine the relationship between male rank and measures of stress and reproductive …show more content…
Following the 26 months of stable and unstable conditions, the T-lymphocytes would be measured in vitro by incubating the cells with mitogens. Mitogens are agents that induce the cells into mitotic division, in the referenced study, the mitogen agents that were used were Phytohemag-glutinin (PHA) and Concanavalin A (Con A). The amount of cell division can be measured by adding a radio-active nucleotide, can be added to the culture medium where the lmymphocytes are being incubated in. The process of blood drawing would span over a few consecutive weeks with blood being diluted 1:10 with tissue culture medium for culturing as done in the study. The blood would be culture in the absence of the added mitogen and with varying concentrations of the PHA and ConA. Cells would be then harvested, and the radioactivity that was incorporated into the new DNA can be determined by counts per minute (CPM) of
Researchers in the article, Life at the Top: Rank and Stress in Wile Male Baboons, studied and tested the prevailing hypothesis that suggested that high-ranking males are faced with higher testosterone and glucocorticoid levels in an unstable hierarchy. Over a nine period, five social groups of wild savannah baboons in Amboseli, Kenya were studied to determine the relationship between male rank and measures of stress and reproductive …show more content…
Following the 26 months of stable and unstable conditions, the T-lymphocytes would be measured in vitro by incubating the cells with mitogens. Mitogens are agents that induce the cells into mitotic division, in the referenced study, the mitogen agents that were used were Phytohemag-glutinin (PHA) and Concanavalin A (Con A). The amount of cell division can be measured by adding a radio-active nucleotide, can be added to the culture medium where the lmymphocytes are being incubated in. The process of blood drawing would span over a few consecutive weeks with blood being diluted 1:10 with tissue culture medium for culturing as done in the study. The blood would be culture in the absence of the added mitogen and with varying concentrations of the PHA and ConA. Cells would be then harvested, and the radioactivity that was incorporated into the new DNA can be determined by counts per minute (CPM) of