Data from: Lion population dynamics: do nomadic males matter?
Key population processes are sometimes driven by male dynamics, but these drivers are often overlooked because of the scale over which they operate. Lions (Panthera leo) provide an ideal case study for investigating factors governing male dynamics and their influence on population sustainability. Li...
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Zusammenfassung: | Key population processes are sometimes driven by male dynamics, but these
drivers are often overlooked because of the scale over which they operate.
Lions (Panthera leo) provide an ideal case study for investigating factors
governing male dynamics and their influence on population sustainability.
Lions display sexually selected infanticide, and resident males must
defend their offspring from nomads that may have dispersed over long
distances; factors affecting male-male competition over large spatial
scales can have population wide consequences. We report here on the first
systematic analysis of long-term individual-based data of male lions in
the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. From 1974-2012, we observed 471
coalitions (796 males) in our study area. We investigate factors affecting
male immigration and the impacts on the resident population. The yearly
number of nomadic males entering the study population affected cub
survival and mating access. Success rates of nomadic males gaining tenure
with a pride increased with age and coalition size. We observed a
significant decline in male immigration, which resulted in lowered levels
of male replacement in the study population, reduced infanticide, and
greater cub survival. The decline in incoming males likely resulted from
increased anthropogenic pressures in surrounding areas. Conversely, the
core study population was largely buffered from anthropogenic threats and
likely served as a source to neighboring sinks. Reduced infanticide in the
core population might have compensated for rising lion mortalities in
surrounding areas, but as human-wildlife conflicts intensify with the
rapidly growing human population, compensatory mechanisms may become
overwhelmed. |
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DOI: | 10.5061/dryad.fh42m5f |