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  • Dubuc et al. (Biol Lett) - accepted version

    Rights statement: Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society

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Increased food availability raises eviction rate in a cooperative breeding mammal

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

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Increased food availability raises eviction rate in a cooperative breeding mammal. / Dubuc, C.; English, S.; Thavarajah, N. et al.
In: Biology Letters, Vol. 13, No. 4, 0, 12.04.2017.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Dubuc, C, English, S, Thavarajah, N, Dantzer, B, Sharp, SP, Spence-Jones, HC, Gaynor, D & Clutton-Brock, TH 2017, 'Increased food availability raises eviction rate in a cooperative breeding mammal', Biology Letters, vol. 13, no. 4, 0. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0961

APA

Dubuc, C., English, S., Thavarajah, N., Dantzer, B., Sharp, S. P., Spence-Jones, H. C., Gaynor, D., & Clutton-Brock, T. H. (2017). Increased food availability raises eviction rate in a cooperative breeding mammal. Biology Letters, 13(4), Article 0. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0961

Vancouver

Dubuc C, English S, Thavarajah N, Dantzer B, Sharp SP, Spence-Jones HC et al. Increased food availability raises eviction rate in a cooperative breeding mammal. Biology Letters. 2017 Apr 12;13(4):0. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0961

Author

Dubuc, C. ; English, S. ; Thavarajah, N. et al. / Increased food availability raises eviction rate in a cooperative breeding mammal. In: Biology Letters. 2017 ; Vol. 13, No. 4.

Bibtex

@article{29ca225c2672445e8461989e681d37f9,
title = "Increased food availability raises eviction rate in a cooperative breeding mammal",
abstract = "In group-living mammals, the eviction of subordinate females from breeding groups by dominants may serve to reduce feeding competition or to reduce breeding competition. Here, we combined both correlational and experimental approaches to investigate whether increases in food intake by dominant females reduces their tendency to evict subordinate females in wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta). We used 20 years of long-term data to examine the association between foraging success and eviction rate, and provisioned dominant females during the second half of their pregnancy, when they most commonly evict subordinates. We show that rather than reducing the tendency for dominants to evict subordinates, foraging success of dominant females is positively associated with the probability that pregnant dominant females will evict subordinate females and that experimental feeding increased their rates of eviction. Our results suggest that it is unlikely that the eviction of subordinate females serves to reduce feeding competition and that its principal function may be to reduce reproductive competition. The increase in eviction rates following experimental feeding also suggests that rather than feeding competition, energetic constraints may normally constrain eviction rates.",
keywords = "dispersal, food competition, breeding competition, meerkats",
author = "C. Dubuc and S. English and N. Thavarajah and B. Dantzer and Sharp, {Stuart Peter} and Spence-Jones, {H. C.} and D. Gaynor and Clutton-Brock, {T. H.}",
note = "Copyright {\textcopyright} 2017 The Royal Society",
year = "2017",
month = apr,
day = "12",
doi = "10.1098/rsbl.2016.0961",
language = "English",
volume = "13",
journal = "Biology Letters",
issn = "1744-9561",
publisher = "Royal Society of London",
number = "4",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Increased food availability raises eviction rate in a cooperative breeding mammal

AU - Dubuc, C.

AU - English, S.

AU - Thavarajah, N.

AU - Dantzer, B.

AU - Sharp, Stuart Peter

AU - Spence-Jones, H. C.

AU - Gaynor, D.

AU - Clutton-Brock, T. H.

N1 - Copyright © 2017 The Royal Society

PY - 2017/4/12

Y1 - 2017/4/12

N2 - In group-living mammals, the eviction of subordinate females from breeding groups by dominants may serve to reduce feeding competition or to reduce breeding competition. Here, we combined both correlational and experimental approaches to investigate whether increases in food intake by dominant females reduces their tendency to evict subordinate females in wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta). We used 20 years of long-term data to examine the association between foraging success and eviction rate, and provisioned dominant females during the second half of their pregnancy, when they most commonly evict subordinates. We show that rather than reducing the tendency for dominants to evict subordinates, foraging success of dominant females is positively associated with the probability that pregnant dominant females will evict subordinate females and that experimental feeding increased their rates of eviction. Our results suggest that it is unlikely that the eviction of subordinate females serves to reduce feeding competition and that its principal function may be to reduce reproductive competition. The increase in eviction rates following experimental feeding also suggests that rather than feeding competition, energetic constraints may normally constrain eviction rates.

AB - In group-living mammals, the eviction of subordinate females from breeding groups by dominants may serve to reduce feeding competition or to reduce breeding competition. Here, we combined both correlational and experimental approaches to investigate whether increases in food intake by dominant females reduces their tendency to evict subordinate females in wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta). We used 20 years of long-term data to examine the association between foraging success and eviction rate, and provisioned dominant females during the second half of their pregnancy, when they most commonly evict subordinates. We show that rather than reducing the tendency for dominants to evict subordinates, foraging success of dominant females is positively associated with the probability that pregnant dominant females will evict subordinate females and that experimental feeding increased their rates of eviction. Our results suggest that it is unlikely that the eviction of subordinate females serves to reduce feeding competition and that its principal function may be to reduce reproductive competition. The increase in eviction rates following experimental feeding also suggests that rather than feeding competition, energetic constraints may normally constrain eviction rates.

KW - dispersal

KW - food competition

KW - breeding competition

KW - meerkats

U2 - 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0961

DO - 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0961

M3 - Journal article

VL - 13

JO - Biology Letters

JF - Biology Letters

SN - 1744-9561

IS - 4

M1 - 0

ER -