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Indirect evidence of an early mating advantage in wild cooperatively breeding male banded mongooses
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Magali Meniri,
Robert Businge,
Francis Mwanguhya,
Jonathan D. Blount
Scientific Reports, Volume: 15, Issue: 1, Start page: 1434
Swansea University Author:
Hazel Nichols
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© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0).
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DOI (Published version): 10.1038/s41598-024-80518-8
Abstract
Promiscuous females reduce male reproductive control. Males can attempt to monopolise access to these females, but distractions and sneaky rivals mean extra copulations cannot always be blocked. By mating first, males can obtain a headstart in sperm competition, but this may be negated by sperm stor...
| Published in: | Scientific Reports |
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| ISSN: | 2045-2322 |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68672 |
| Abstract: |
Promiscuous females reduce male reproductive control. Males can attempt to monopolise access to these females, but distractions and sneaky rivals mean extra copulations cannot always be blocked. By mating first, males can obtain a headstart in sperm competition, but this may be negated by sperm storage and cryptic female choice mechanisms. We carry out an indirect rare test of an early mating advantage in a population of free-living wild animals. Using Bayesian GLMM analysis of a long-term life history database spanning 17 years, we show that banded mongoose males who interacted with females in earlier days of oestrus had a higher chance of siring their offspring compared with later rivals. An early mating advantage would intensify initial male-male competition and hence selection for male choice, as any initial mistake identifying preferred mating partners could see paternity lost to rivals. |
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| Keywords: |
Cooperative breeder, Mate competition, Sperm competition, Polyandry, Paternity, Sperm precedence, Copulatory plug |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
G.B received funding from NERC GW4 + (grant no. NE/S007504/1). Data collection has been funded by a ERC Consolidator (SOCODEV, grant number 309249) and NERC (UK) Standard Grants (NE/E015441/1; NE/J010278/1) awarded to M.C. and NE/N011171 awarded to J.B and M.C. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. |
| Issue: |
1 |
| Start Page: |
1434 |