Variance in the male reproductive success of western gorillas: acquiring females is just the beginning |
| |
Authors: | Thomas Breuer Andrew M Robbins Claudia Olejniczak Richard J Parnell Emma J Stokes Martha M Robbins |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany;(2) Mbeli Bai Study, Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, BP 14537, Brazzaville, People’s Republic of Congo;(3) Department of Anthropology, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1114, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA;(4) Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Variance in male reproductive success is expected to be high in sexually dimorphic mammals, even when it is modulated by the
costs and benefits of group living. Here, we investigate the variance in reproductive success of male western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), a highly dimorphic primate with long-term male–female associations, using 12.5 years of data collected at Mbeli Bai in
northern Congo. Access to mates and offspring survival were both major sources of variance in male reproductive success. Males
with larger harems had lower offspring mortality with no apparent reduction in female fertility or observed tenure length,
so the size of harems did not seem to be limited by female feeding competition or by the risk of takeovers and infanticide
by outsider males. The lower mortality in larger harems may reflect improved vigilance against predators, and females may
cluster around males that enhance offspring survival. Thus, this study illustrates how a detailed analysis of the components
of male reproductive success can shed light on the interrelated social and ecological aspects that affect it. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|