SR2: Bell et al 2014- benefits to dominant meerkats Flashcards
what does subordinate reproduction depress?
fitness of dominants
what is the meerkat species studied and how many groups?
S.suricatta
12
why do breeding dominants like to have non breeding subordinates ?
more helpers and provisioning of dominant pups by subordinate females
when subordinate breeding is suppressed what happens to dominants?
- improved foraging efficiency
- weigh more when pregnant
- produce heavier pups that grow quicker
why are subordinate females often targeted by dominants and how?
considered a resource
- aggression
- temporary eviction
- infanticide
how may subordinate breeding be related to reductions in dominant female reproductive success?
if breeding then reduced care for dominant offspring
how often were they observed? and where?
every week
S.Africa
what was injected into subordinates?
Depo-provera to prevent reproduction
what group size do they live in and how often do dominants breed and need to provision offspring for?
3-50
2-4 times per year
until 3 months old
over the years how did the treated groups differ?
in year 2 the ones that were injected with the hormone in year 1 were now the control
how long was the total treated duration?
9 months
did any of the treated females conceive?
no
how many dominant female breeding attempts were affected by the treatments
59
how did the dominant females attack treated subordinates?
at lower rates and were more tolerant of their presence and interrupted them less during foraging and evicted them less
which subordinates were more likely evicted by dominants?
larger and older as more likely to breed
