Cooperation, Control, and Concession in Meerkat Groups

• DOI: 10.1126/science.291.5503.478
• Publication Date: 2002-07-27T09:53:24Z
• Authors: T. H. Clutton-Brock; P. N. M. Brotherton; A. F. Russell; M. J. O'Riain; D. Gaynor; R. Kansky; A. Griffin; M. Manser; L. Sharpe; G. M. McIlrath; T. Small; A. Moss; S. Monfort
• Keywords: Dominance-Subordination; Male; 1000 Multidisciplinary; Aging; 0303 health sciences; Behavior, Animal; Rain; Reproduction; Body Weight; Carnivora; Models, Biological; Africa, Southern; 10127 Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; Sexual Behavior, Animal; 03 medical and health sciences; 570 Life sciences; biology; 590 Animals (Zoology); Animals; Female; Seasons; Cooperative Behavior

“Limited control” models of reproductive skew in cooperative societies suggest that the frequency of breeding by subordinates is determined by the outcome of power struggles with dominants. In contrast, “optimal skew” models suggest that dominants have full control of subordinate reproduction and allow subordinates to breed only when this serves to retain subordinates' assistance with rearing dominants' own litters. The results of our 7-year field study of cooperative meerkats, Suricata suricatta , support the predictions of limited control models and provide no indication that dominant females grant reproductive concessions to subordinates to retain their assistance with future breeding attempts.