IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Mosser, A.; Kosmala, M.; Packer, C. | |
| Group Territoriality of the African Lion | |
| 2007 Conference Proceeding | |
Lions, unlike other feline species, depend upon mutual social relationships for their survival. Applying a three-part approach, we tested the hypothesis that group territoriality is the basis of lion social behavior: 1) creation of reproductive 'real-estate maps', forming a lion's-eye view of fine-scale landscape value, 2) empirical analysis of group-territorial competition, and 3) simulation modeling of an evolutionary switch from solitary to group territoriality. Analysis was based upon a 38-year individual-based dataset of lions in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. River confluences were the most valuable landscape feature (significantly associated with higher reproductive success), and larger prides (measured as the number of adult females and/or males) gained and maintained access to these areas. Reproductive success was negatively impacted by neighbor density and females adjusted their within-pride grouping patterns in response to the potential threat of neighboring prides. The simulation model explores whether group-territorial behavior is more likely to evolve in a heterogeneous landscape that supports a high density of conspecifics. This research provides the first solid example of group territoriality in a mammalian species and provides a better understanding of how the evolution of a complex behavioral trait is ultimately linked to the landscape. |
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