Social organisation and mating system of the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox)

Lührs, Mia-Lana

dc.contributor.advisor	Kappeler, Peter M. Prof. Dr.	de
dc.contributor.author	Lührs, Mia-Lana	de
dc.date.accessioned	2013-01-14T15:07:36Z	de
dc.date.available	2013-01-30T23:50:52Z	de
dc.date.issued	2012-09-24	de
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/11858/00-1735-0000-000D-EF76-6	de
dc.identifier.uri	http://dx.doi.org/10.53846/goediss-1481
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	de
dc.language.iso	eng	de
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/	de
dc.title	Social organisation and mating system of the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox)	de
dc.type	doctoralThesis	de
dc.title.translated	Soziale Organisation und Paarungssystem der Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox)	de
dc.contributor.referee	Kappeler, Peter M. Prof. Dr.	de
dc.date.examination	2012-07-16	de
dc.subject.dnb	590 Tiere (Zoologie)	de
dc.subject.gok	WXO 200 Evolution und Genetik des Verhaltens	de
dc.description.abstracteng	Mammalian mating systems are closely related to the social organisation of a species, which in turn is determined by sex-specific selection pressures with respect to access to limited resources. In previous studies of solitary carnivores, mating systems have often been described based on social organisation or molecular evidence alone, due to difficulties of observing mating behaviour in far-ranging species with low population densities. In the present study, I combined spatial data collected via GPS technology with detailed behavioural and genetic data on the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox: Eupleridae), a medium-size solitary carnivore with a mating system characterised by prolonged polyandrous mating on traditional mating trees. The main aim of this thesis was to illuminate determinants of this unusual system with a specific focus on the underlying sex-specific reproductive strategies; thereby contributing new insights into our general understanding of the incentives of female polyandry, the operation of pre-copulatory female choice and male competitive tactics. A further focus of this thesis was to investigate the occurrence, patterns and consequences of male associations in this otherwise solitary species. From 2007 to 2010, I trapped, anaesthetised, sampled and took measurements of 33 fosas (24 males, 9 females) in Kirindy Forest/CNFEREF, Madagascar. Nine males and four females could be partially tracked simultaneously by means of GPS tags, which provided data on movement patterns, ranging area and degree of sociality. To investigate correlates and consequences of male association, I combined body acceleration data with spatial information of simultaneous tracking and stable isotope analyses of hair samples. Furthermore, I used genetic analyses based on 16 variable microsatellite markers to determine relatedness patterns in the population and specifically the degree of relatedness among associated males. During the seasonal mating periods of four successive years, I followed six oestrous females during their complete mating activity, collecting 540 hours of continuous observation including information on 316 copulations on four different mating trees. These data allowed elucidating determinants of male mating success, the degree of polyandry and patterns of female pre-copulatory choice. This combination of multiple methodological approaches yielded several major results. First, females ranged solitarily and showed indications of territoriality. Males had three times larger ranges (	de
dc.contributor.coReferee	Heymann, Eckhard W. Prof. Dr.	de
dc.subject.topic	Biology (incl. Psychology)	de
dc.subject.ger	Sozialsystem	de
dc.subject.ger	Paarungssystem	de
dc.subject.ger	Fortpflanzungsstrategien	de
dc.subject.ger	Raubtiere	de
dc.subject.ger	Cryptoprocta	de
dc.subject.ger	Madagaskar	de
dc.subject.ger	GPS-tracking	de
dc.subject.ger	Raumnutzung	de
dc.subject.ger	sexuelle Selektion	de
dc.subject.ger	Polyandrie	de
dc.subject.ger	kooperative Jagd	de
dc.subject.ger	stabile Isotope	de
dc.subject.ger	Mikrosatelliten	de
dc.subject.ger	Verhalten	de
dc.subject.eng	social system	de
dc.subject.eng	mating system	de
dc.subject.eng	reproductive strategies	de
dc.subject.eng	carnivore	de
dc.subject.eng	Cryptoprocta	de
dc.subject.eng	Madagascar	de
dc.subject.eng	GPS-tracking	de
dc.subject.eng	animal movement	de
dc.subject.eng	sexual selection	de
dc.subject.eng	polyandry	de
dc.subject.eng	cooperative hunting	de
dc.subject.eng	stable isotopes	de
dc.subject.eng	microsatellite	de
dc.subject.bk	42.66 Ethologie	de
dc.identifier.urn	urn:nbn:de:gbv:7-webdoc-3696-0	de
dc.identifier.purl	webdoc-3696	de
dc.affiliation.institute	Biologische Fakultät	de
dc.identifier.ppn	737897619	de

Files in this item

Name:luehrs.pdf

Size:3.907Mb

Format:PDF

View/Open

Name:: luehrs.pdf
Size:: 3.907Mb
Format:: PDF

View/Open

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Fakultät für Biologie und Psychologie (inkl. GAUSS) [1658]

Show simple item record