Mammal Societies by Clutton-Brock Tim;

Author:Clutton-Brock, Tim;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781119095323
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
Published: 2016-05-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Association between males

11.1 Introduction

On a moonlit night on the Serengeti plains, lions are active. As grazing herds of wildebeest shift uneasily, two young males from a pride pace silently into the territory of a neighbouring group. They disregard the wildebeest around them and pace forward, listening intently. In the distance, a lioness roars softly. The intruding males both respond, initially roaring alternately and then synchronously in a rising chorus. From a kopje a kilometre away there is an immediate response of deep roars, indicating the presence of several resident males. Outnumbered, the intruders listen carefully then, unhurriedly, turn and walk away in the opposite direction, leaving the resident pride to their own devices.

Like females, males can gain important benefits by associating and assisting each other to monopolise access to resources and females, though the presence of several mature males in the same group generates competition for breeding opportunities as well as for access to resources, leading to conflicts between resident males. In some societies, several males who are typically unrelated to each other associate with groups of females but gain no benefits from each other's presence; in others, males who are often relatives cooperate to gain access to female groups and to defend them against intruders or challengers.

This chapter describes associations and relationships between males, focusing on societies where two or more mature males associate with the same females for protracted periods. Section 11.2 describes different kinds of association between males, while sections 11.3 and 11.4 examine evidence of the costs and benefits of association to males. Section 11.5 explores social and genetic relationships between resident males, while section 11.6 examines the factors affecting the number of resident males. Section 11.7 describes contrasts in the distribution of male breeding success in different groups. Finally, section 11.8 examines the consequences of variation in the size and structure of male groupings for the reproductive strategies of males and females and the genetic structure of groups.

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