Journal article 70 views 5 downloads
Strategic use of male alternative reproductive tactics in cooperatively breeding banded mongoose groups
,
Hazel Nichols ,
Francis Mwanguhya,
Jonathan D. Blount ,
Michael A. Cant
Royal Society Open Science, Volume: 12, Issue: 2
Swansea University Author:
Hazel Nichols
-
PDF | Version of Record
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
Download (626.17KB)
DOI (Published version): 10.1098/rsos.242215
Abstract
Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) allow less competitive individuals to reproduce by avoiding direct fights through sneaky strategies. Within cooperatively breeding groups ARTs are rarely reported, potentially owing to observational difficulties or reproductive suppression by group members. In...
| Published in: | Royal Society Open Science |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2054-5703 |
| Published: |
The Royal Society
2025
|
| Online Access: |
Check full text
|
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa68966 |
| Abstract: |
Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) allow less competitive individuals to reproduce by avoiding direct fights through sneaky strategies. Within cooperatively breeding groups ARTs are rarely reported, potentially owing to observational difficulties or reproductive suppression by group members. In societies where mating opportunities cannot be monopolized by one male, young males could use sneaky tactics as an intermediate ‘stepping-stone’ tactic to gain limited reproductive success while growing in resource-holding potential (RHP). Using decades of pedigree, weight, group demography and behavioural data, we investigated the use of sneaky ‘sneaker’ ARTs in wild male banded mongooses. In this species, groups typically contain more adult males than breeding females, leading to intense male–male competition. Instead of as a stepping-stone, sneaking tactics were typically used by males who had been displaced from mate-guarding status by stronger rivals. Additionally, sneakers had lower siring success compared with mate guards, despite similar weight loss costs, which may explain why males typically avoided reproductive activity entirely rather than sneaking. However, young sneakers gain access to older, higher fecundity females in the group and sneaking may even facilitate inbreeding avoidance. Overall, ARTs in stable social groups can predictively emerge from changes in relative RHP and social status over the lifetime. |
|---|---|
| Keywords: |
life history, cooperative breeder, alternativereproductive tactics, reproductive costs, male,mate choice |
| 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 Starting Grant (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: |
2 |