Male-male Competition and Reproductive Success in Elephant Seals
Male-male competition and reproductive success of northern elephant seals, Mirounga augustirostris , was studied for six consecutive breeding seasons at Año Nuevo Island, California. The conclusions were as follows: (i) Less than one third of the males in residence copulate during a breeding season....
Published in: | American Zoologist |
---|---|
Main Author: | |
Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Oxford University Press
1974
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://az.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/14/1/163 https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/14.1.163 |
id |
fthighwire:oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amzoo:14/1/163 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
fthighwire:oai:open-archive.highwire.org:amzoo:14/1/163 2023-05-15T16:05:38+02:00 Male-male Competition and Reproductive Success in Elephant Seals LE BOEUF, BURNEY J. 1974-02-01 00:00:00.0 text/html http://az.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/14/1/163 https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/14.1.163 en eng Oxford University Press http://az.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/14/1/163 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icb/14.1.163 Copyright (C) 1974, Oxford University Press ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION TEXT 1974 fthighwire https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/14.1.163 2016-11-16T17:11:37Z Male-male competition and reproductive success of northern elephant seals, Mirounga augustirostris , was studied for six consecutive breeding seasons at Año Nuevo Island, California. The conclusions were as follows: (i) Less than one third of the males in residence copulate during a breeding season. A few males are responsible for the majority of copulations, (ii) The number and age of males copulating varies with: (a) harem location and topography, (b) the number of estrous females in the harem, and (c) the number of males competing for females, (iii) Copulation frequency is related directly to success in male-male competition, i.e., social rank. (iv) The same individuals may dominate breeding for three consecutive breeding seasons. (v) Successful males die within a year or two after their reproductive peak. (vi) The reproductive success of most males is nil or low because many die before reaching breeding age and some of those that reach maturity are prevented from mating by the highest ranking males. (vii) Individual strategies have important consequences for reproductive success, (viii) Male-male competition is a major cause of pup mortality prior to weaning. The potential reproductive success of males is much greater than that of females. Changes in colony number and composition affect the reproductive success of males as well as females. Text Elephant Seals HighWire Press (Stanford University) American Zoologist 14 1 163 176 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
HighWire Press (Stanford University) |
op_collection_id |
fthighwire |
language |
English |
topic |
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION |
spellingShingle |
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION LE BOEUF, BURNEY J. Male-male Competition and Reproductive Success in Elephant Seals |
topic_facet |
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION |
description |
Male-male competition and reproductive success of northern elephant seals, Mirounga augustirostris , was studied for six consecutive breeding seasons at Año Nuevo Island, California. The conclusions were as follows: (i) Less than one third of the males in residence copulate during a breeding season. A few males are responsible for the majority of copulations, (ii) The number and age of males copulating varies with: (a) harem location and topography, (b) the number of estrous females in the harem, and (c) the number of males competing for females, (iii) Copulation frequency is related directly to success in male-male competition, i.e., social rank. (iv) The same individuals may dominate breeding for three consecutive breeding seasons. (v) Successful males die within a year or two after their reproductive peak. (vi) The reproductive success of most males is nil or low because many die before reaching breeding age and some of those that reach maturity are prevented from mating by the highest ranking males. (vii) Individual strategies have important consequences for reproductive success, (viii) Male-male competition is a major cause of pup mortality prior to weaning. The potential reproductive success of males is much greater than that of females. Changes in colony number and composition affect the reproductive success of males as well as females. |
format |
Text |
author |
LE BOEUF, BURNEY J. |
author_facet |
LE BOEUF, BURNEY J. |
author_sort |
LE BOEUF, BURNEY J. |
title |
Male-male Competition and Reproductive Success in Elephant Seals |
title_short |
Male-male Competition and Reproductive Success in Elephant Seals |
title_full |
Male-male Competition and Reproductive Success in Elephant Seals |
title_fullStr |
Male-male Competition and Reproductive Success in Elephant Seals |
title_full_unstemmed |
Male-male Competition and Reproductive Success in Elephant Seals |
title_sort |
male-male competition and reproductive success in elephant seals |
publisher |
Oxford University Press |
publishDate |
1974 |
url |
http://az.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/14/1/163 https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/14.1.163 |
genre |
Elephant Seals |
genre_facet |
Elephant Seals |
op_relation |
http://az.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/14/1/163 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/icb/14.1.163 |
op_rights |
Copyright (C) 1974, Oxford University Press |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/14.1.163 |
container_title |
American Zoologist |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
163 |
op_container_end_page |
176 |
_version_ |
1766401536934543360 |