Insights from long‐term field studies of mammalian carnivores

Smith, Jennifer E.; Lehmann, Kenna D. S.; Montgomery, Tracy M.; Strauss, Eli D.; Holekamp, Kay E.

doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyw194

Cited by 27 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 103 publications

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“…Regardless of the physiological mechanism underlying status-related differences in reproductive output, these data contribute to a growing number of studies showing the significant cost of environmental stressors and anthropogenic disturbance that could prove relevant to assessing the negative impact of climate change [116]. In particular, they highlight the value of mammalian field studies, conducted longterm in an ecological context, for understanding the social and life-history variables that help make these inferences possible [96,117,118].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Incidence and biomarkers of pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, and neonatal loss during an environmental stressor: Implications for female reproductive suppression in the cooperatively breeding meerkat

Dimac-Stohl

Davies

Grebe

et al. 2018

Physiology & Behavior

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Meerkats are group-living, insectivorous herpestids in which subordinate members provide extensive care for the dominant female's young. In contrast to some cooperative breeders, subordinate female meerkats are physiologically able to reproduce and occasionally do so successfully; their attempts are more frequently 'suppressed' via eviction or infanticide by the dominant female. Spontaneous abortion and neonatal loss occur with some regularity, further negatively impacting reproductive success. Here, we compared the reproductive outcomes and endocrine profiles, including of serum progesterone (P), serum estradiol (E), and fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCm), of dominant and subordinate dams residing within their clans in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa. Our study spanned years of drought, which reduced insect abundance and represented a substantial environmental stressor. Meerkat pregnancies were identified at mid-term and culminated either in spontaneous abortions or full-term deliveries, after which pups were either lost prior to emergence from the natal den (usually within 2days of birth) or emerged at 2-3weeks. Neonatal loss exceeded fetal loss for all females, and contributed to narrowing the status-related disparity in female reproductive output seen during less arid periods. Although E concentrations were significantly lower in subordinate than dominant females, they were sufficient to support gestation. Absolute E concentrations may owe to androgenic precursors that also attain highest concentrations in dominant dams and may mediate aggression underlying female reproductive skew. Pregnancies terminating in fetal loss were marked by significantly lower P concentrations in mid-gestation and modestly lower E concentrations overall. Consistently high fGCm concentrations further increased across trimesters, particularly (but not consistently) in subordinates and in aborted pregnancies. Environmental stressors may modulate reproductive outcomes in meerkats through their influence on sex steroids and their effects on intragroup competition. The social and eco-physiological factors affecting intraspecific variation in reproductive output, even in obligate cooperative breeders, may be most apparent during extreme conditions, reflecting the benefits of long-term studies for assessing the impact of climate change.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 88%

Incidence and biomarkers of pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, and neonatal loss during an environmental stressor: Implications for female reproductive suppression in the cooperatively breeding meerkat

Dimac-Stohl

Davies

Grebe

et al. 2018

Physiology & Behavior

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“…Two broad categories of behaviors could limit the negative fitness consequences of inbreeding: dispersal and mate choice. For example, in species where dispersal occurs often and over large distances, dispersal can reduce the likelihood of adults encountering and subsequently mating with relatives (Frame et al 1979;Smith et al 2017). In the banner-tailed kangaroo rat, however, many individuals fail to disperse and, for those that do, dispersal distances are short .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inbreeding load and inbreeding depression estimated from lifetime reproductive success in a small, dispersal-limited population

Willoughby

Waser²,

Brüniche‐Olsen

et al. 2019

Heredity

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The fitness consequences of inbreeding and the individual behaviors that prevent its detrimental effects can be challenging to document in wild populations. Here, we use field and molecular data from a 17-year study of banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) to quantify the relationship between inbreeding, mate kinship, and lifetime reproductive success. Using a pedigree that was reconstructed using genetic and field data within a Bayesian framework (median probability of parental assignment = 0.92, mean pedigree depth = 6 generations), we estimated both inbreeding coefficients and kinship between individuals that produced offspring (mean inbreeding coefficient = 0.07, mean mate kinship = 0.08). We also used the pedigree, in combination with census data, to generate a series of fitness estimates, ranging from survival to reproductive maturity to lifetime reproductive success. We found that the population's inbreeding load was low to moderate (0.98-4.66 haploid lethal equivalents) and increased with the time frame over which fitness was estimated (lowest for survival to maturity, highest for adult-to-adult reproductive success). Fitness decreased with increasing inbreeding coefficients. For example, lifetime reproductive success was reduced by 24% for individuals with inbreeding coefficients greater than twice the population mean. Within full sibling pairs, the sibling with less-related mates produced an average of 30% more offspring over its lifetime. These data further illustrate that inbreeding can have a negative effect on lifetime reproductive success.

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“…Individual variation in recruitment and survival in the context of various drivers governs the dynamics of wild animal populations; their demographic makeup 12 , their interaction with current and future environments 13 , the realization of their ecological role 14 , and ultimately their trajectories and fates 15 . Although several individual-based longitudinal studies of carnivore demography have been carried out 16 and examples of population dynamic impacts of hunting have been reported 17 , we still lack comprehensive documentation of how hunting, in concert with individual and environmental factors, influences vital rates in hunted carnivore populations. These effects are better documented and understood in ungulate populations, where hunting, particularly highly selective trophy hunting, has been the subject of intensive study for decades 18,19 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulated hunting re-shapes the life history of brown bears

et al. 2017

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Management of large carnivores is among the most controversial topics in natural resource administration. Regulated hunting is a centrepiece of many carnivore management programmes and, although a number of hunting effects on population dynamics, body-size distributions and life history in other wildlife have been observed, its effects on life history and demography of large carnivores remain poorly documented. We report results from a 30-year study of brown bears (Ursus arctos) analysed using an integrated hierarchical approach. Our study revealed that regulated hunting has severely disrupted the interplay between age-specific survival and environmental factors, altered the consequences of reproductive strategies, and changed reproductive values and life expectancy in a population of the world's largest terrestrial carnivore. Protection and sustainable management have led to numerical recovery of several populations of large carnivores, but managers and policymakers should be aware of the extent to which regulated hunting may be influencing vital rates, thereby reshaping the life history of apex predators.

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Insights from long‐term field studies of mammalian carnivores

Cited by 27 publications

References 103 publications

Incidence and biomarkers of pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, and neonatal loss during an environmental stressor: Implications for female reproductive suppression in the cooperatively breeding meerkat

Incidence and biomarkers of pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, and neonatal loss during an environmental stressor: Implications for female reproductive suppression in the cooperatively breeding meerkat

Inbreeding load and inbreeding depression estimated from lifetime reproductive success in a small, dispersal-limited population

Regulated hunting re-shapes the life history of brown bears

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