Determinants of reproductive success in dominant female meerkats
Determinants of reproductive success in dominant female meerkats
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1365-2656.2007.01318.x
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发表时间：
2008-01-01
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Clutton-Brock, T. H.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hodge, Sarah J.;Manica, A.;Clutton-Brock, T. H.
1.在具有高生殖偏斜的合作社会中，对雌性的选择可能主要通过获得显性地位的概率的变化和显性时生殖成功的变化来进行。尽管如此，很少有关于合作社的研究调查了影响哪些女性成为主导的因素，和/或她们处于主导地位时的生殖产出。本文利用野生猫鼬种群的长期数据，描述了优势雌猫鼬Suricata suricatta繁殖成功率的变化，并探讨了其原因.雌性猫鼬激烈竞争繁殖位置，获得繁殖角色的可能性取决于雌性猫鼬与竞争对手的年龄和体重，无论是在获得优势的时候还是在生命的早期。一旦占优势，繁殖成功的个体差异主要取决于统治权的持续时间。如果雌性在支配地位开始时比其竞争者重，并且如果开始时成年雌性竞争者的数量较低，则雌性在支配地位上保持的时间更长。雌性繁殖的成功也受到繁殖力和幼崽存活率变化的影响，这两者都随着群体规模的增加而增加。在控制了这些影响后，雌性体重对繁殖率和窝产仔数有正向影响，而成年雌性竞争者的数量降低了窝产仔数.这些研究结果表明，体重和竞争能力的选择将是高的女性猫鼬，这可能会缓和他们的合作活动的投资。我们认为，类似的竞争后果可能会发生在女性之间的其他合作社会中，获得优势地位的好处很高。
1. In cooperative societies with high reproductive skew, selection on females is likely to operate principally through variation in the probability of acquiring dominant status and variation in reproductive success while dominant. Despite this, few studies of cooperative societies have investigated the factors that influence which females become dominant, and/or their reproductive output while in the dominant position.2. Here we use long-term data from a wild meerkat population to describe variation in the breeding success of dominant female meerkats Suricata suricatta and investigate its causes.3. Female meerkats compete intensely for breeding positions, and the probability of acquiring the breeding role depends upon a female's age in relation to competitors and her weight, both at the time of dominance acquisition and early in life.4. Once dominant, individual differences in breeding success depend principally on the duration of dominance tenure. Females remain for longer in the dominant position if they are heavier than their competitors at the start of dominance, and if the number of adult female competitors at the start is low.5. Female breeding success is also affected by variation in fecundity and pup survival, both of which increase with group size. After controlling for these effects, female body weight has a positive influence on breeding rate and litter size, while the number of adult female competitors reduces litter survival.6. These findings suggest that selection for body weight and competitive ability will be high in female meerkats, which may moderate their investment in cooperative activities. We suggest that similar consequences of competition may occur among females in other cooperative societies where the benefits of attaining dominance status are high.