Intrasexual competition and sexual selection in cooperative mammals

Article Abstract:

We use data from a twelve-year study of wild meerkats are used to show that females gain greater benefits from acquiring dominant status than males and traits that increase competitive ability exert a stronger influence on their breeding success. The findings reveal that sex differences in parental investment are the only mechanism capable of generating sex differences in reproductive competition.

Genetic aspects, Sex differences (Biology), Selective breeding

---

Play does not enhance social cohesion in a cooperative mammal

Article Abstract:

The social cohesion hypothesis of play asserts that the adaptive function of social play is to strengthen affiliative ties between group members thereby increasing cohesion within the social group. However, a study revealed that the behavior of young meerkats failed to fulfil this hypothesis and concluded that social play is unlikely to have the capacity to promote social cohesion in mammals.

Behavior, Social behavior in animals, Animal social behavior, Animal social behaviour

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Swallowing ornamental asymmetry. Mutual sexual selection in a monogamous seabird. Aerodynamics and the evolution of long tails in birds
• Abstracts: Long-term brood division and exclusive parental care in a cooperatively breeding passerine. Stepping stones of life: natal dispersal in the group-living but noncooperative speckled warbler
• Abstracts: Female aggregation and male competition reduce costs of sexual harassment in the mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki. part 2
• Abstracts: Countersinging as a signal of aggression in a territorial songbird. Territory owners discriminate between aggressive and nonaggressive neighbours
• Abstracts: The mismeasure of animal contests. Honest and dishonest displays, motivational state and subsequent decisions in hermit crab shell fights

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.