Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Competition, breeding success and ageing rates in female meerkats
AU - Sharp, S. P.
AU - Clutton-Brock, Tim H.
PY - 2011/8
Y1 - 2011/8
N2 - Competition between females is particularly intense in cooperatively breeding mammals, where one female monopolises reproduction in each group. Chronic competition often affects stress and may therefore have long-term consequences for fitness, but no studies have yet investigated whether intrasexual competition has effects of this kind and, in particular, whether it affects rates of reproductive senescence. Here, we use long-term data from a wild population of meerkats to test whether reproductive success and senescence in dominant females are affected by the degree of intrasexual competition experienced prior to dominance acquisition. Females that experienced greater competition had lower breeding success and higher rates of reproductive senescence. Furthermore, females that were evicted from the group more frequently as subordinates had lower breeding success when dominant. We conclude that the intense intrasexual competition between females in cooperatively breeding groups may carry fitness costs over a longer period than is usually recognised.
AB - Competition between females is particularly intense in cooperatively breeding mammals, where one female monopolises reproduction in each group. Chronic competition often affects stress and may therefore have long-term consequences for fitness, but no studies have yet investigated whether intrasexual competition has effects of this kind and, in particular, whether it affects rates of reproductive senescence. Here, we use long-term data from a wild population of meerkats to test whether reproductive success and senescence in dominant females are affected by the degree of intrasexual competition experienced prior to dominance acquisition. Females that experienced greater competition had lower breeding success and higher rates of reproductive senescence. Furthermore, females that were evicted from the group more frequently as subordinates had lower breeding success when dominant. We conclude that the intense intrasexual competition between females in cooperatively breeding groups may carry fitness costs over a longer period than is usually recognised.
KW - sociality
KW - STRESS
KW - dominance
KW - SUBORDINATE REPRODUCTION
KW - LIFE-SPAN
KW - stress
KW - reproductive suppression
KW - SURICATA-SURICATTA
KW - meerkat
KW - ageing
KW - REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS
KW - cooperative breeding
KW - ENVIRONMENTAL-CONDITIONS
KW - intrasexual competition
KW - reproductive success
KW - senescence
KW - SEXUAL SELECTION
KW - INFANTICIDE
KW - INTRASEXUAL COMPETITION
KW - EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY
U2 - 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02304.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02304.x
M3 - Journal article
VL - 24
SP - 1756
EP - 1762
JO - Journal of Evolutionary Biology
JF - Journal of Evolutionary Biology
SN - 1010-061X
IS - 8
ER -