dc.contributor.author | Inzani, E | |
dc.contributor.author | Marshall, H | |
dc.contributor.author | Thompson, F | |
dc.contributor.author | Kalema-Zikusoka, G | |
dc.contributor.author | Cant, M | |
dc.contributor.author | Vitikainen, E | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2019-11-06T10:23:24Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2019-12-04 | |
dc.description.abstract | When breeding females compete for limited resources, the intensity of this reproductive conflict can determine whether the fitness benefits of current reproductive effort exceed the potential costs to survival and future fertility. In group-living species, reproductive competition can occur through post-natal competition among the offspring of co-breeding females. Spontaneous abortion could be a response to such competition, allowing females to curtail reproductive expenditure on offspring that are unlikely to survive and to conserve resources for future breeding opportunities. We tested this hypothesis using long-term data on banded mongooses, Mungos mungo, in which multiple females within a group give birth synchronously to a communal litter that is cared for by other group members. As predicted, abortions were more likely during dry periods when food is scarce, and in breeding attempts with more intense reproductive competition. Within breeding events, younger, lighter females carrying smaller fetuses were more likely to abort, particularly those that were also of low
rank. Our results suggest that abortion may be a means by which disadvantaged females conserve resources for future breeding attempts in more benign conditions, and highlight that female reproductive competition may be resolved long before the production of offspring. | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | European Commission | en_GB |
dc.identifier.citation | Vol. 15 (12), article 20190529 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0529 | |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | NE/J010278/1 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | P/O 8700231303 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10871/39535 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_GB |
dc.publisher | Royal Society | en_GB |
dc.rights | © 2019 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved. | |
dc.subject | banded mongoose | en_GB |
dc.subject | abortion | en_GB |
dc.subject | female reproductive competition | en_GB |
dc.subject | cooperative species | en_GB |
dc.subject | reproductive suppression | en_GB |
dc.title | Spontaneous abortion as a response to reproductive conflict in the banded mongoose | en_GB |
dc.type | Article | en_GB |
dc.date.available | 2019-11-06T10:23:24Z | |
dc.identifier.issn | 1744-9561 | |
dc.description | This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the Royal Society via the DOI in this record | en_GB |
dc.identifier.journal | Biology Letters | en_GB |
dc.rights.uri | http://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved | en_GB |
dcterms.dateAccepted | 2019-11-05 | |
exeter.funder | ::Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) | en_GB |
exeter.funder | ::European Commission | en_GB |
rioxxterms.version | AM | en_GB |
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate | 2019-11-05 | |
rioxxterms.type | Journal Article/Review | en_GB |
refterms.dateFCD | 2019-11-05T18:31:00Z | |
refterms.versionFCD | AM | |
refterms.dateFOA | 2020-02-14T16:24:04Z | |
refterms.panel | A | en_GB |