Mouse lemurs in space and time: a test of the socioecological model
Mouse lemurs in space and time: a test of the socioecological model
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DOI：
10.1007/s002650100409
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发表时间：
2002-01-01
影响因子：
2.3
通讯作者：
Kappeler, PM
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Eberle, M;Kappeler, PM
社会生态学理论预测，可育雌性在空间和时间上的分布是雄性间隔行为和交配策略的主要决定因素。使用一个小的夜间马达加斯加灵长类动物，灰鼠狐猴（Microcebus murinus），我们确定了发情期女性在短暂的年度交配季节的时空分布，以研究男性交配策略的社会生态模型的预测能力。鼠狐猴在这方面特别有趣，因为这种一夫多妻的物种的特点是季节性繁殖，季节性逆转的两性异形，以及相对较大的睾丸。在我们的8公顷研究区域的所有居民动物，共30名成年男性和27名成年女性，单独标记，并定期重新捕获，以确定女性生殖状态，并获得家庭范围的数据。我们发现，交配季节仅限于雌性冬眠后的4周。只有3-9个女性可以在一周内同步发情，表明中等高的男性垄断潜力。然而，接受女性没有空间聚集和男性的范围与许多其他竞争对手重叠。因此，我们认为，个别强大的男性可能无法捍卫独家永久访问接受女性，因为禁止范围防御的成本，导致强烈的男性偏见的操作性别比和相应的入侵者的压力。我们的总体结论是：（1）社会生态学模型为交配系统的研究提供了一个有用的启发式框架，但（2）它并没有具体说明雄性交配策略在配偶守卫、空间排斥竞争对手和漫游之间切换时，接受雌性的时空聚集程度，以及（3）操作性性别比对雄性交配策略也有深刻的影响。
Socioecological theory predicts that the distribution of fertile females in space and time is the major determinant of male spacing behavior and mating strategies. Using a small nocturnal Malagasy primate, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), we determined the spatiotemporal distribution of estrous females during the brief annual mating season to examine the predictive power of the socioecological model for male mating strategies. Mouse lemurs are particularly interesting in this respect because this polygynous species is characterized by seasonal reproduction, seasonally reversed sexual dimorphism, and relatively large testes. All resident animals in our 8-ha study area, a total of 30 adult males and 27 adult females, were individually marked and regularly recaptured to determine female reproductive status and to obtain home ran-e data. We found that the mating, season is limited to 4 weeks following female emergence from hibernation. Only 3-9 females could have synchronized estruses during a given week, indicating a moderately high male monopolization potential. However, receptive females were not spatially clumped and male ranges overlapped with those of many other rivals. Therefore, we suggest that individual powerful males may be unable to defend exclusive permanent access to receptive females because of prohibitive costs of range defense resulting from the strongly male-biased operational sex ratio and the corresponding intruder pressure. Our general conclusions are (1) that the socioecological model provides a useful heuristic framework for the study of mating systems, but that (2) it does not specify the degree of spatiotemporal clumping of receptive females at which male mating strategies switch among mate guarding, spatial exclusion of rivals, and roaming, and that (3) the operational sex ratio can have profound effects on male mating strategies as well.