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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
No risk, no gain: Effects of crop raiding and genetic diversity on body size in male elephants
Behavioral Ecology, Volume 22, No. 3, Year 2011
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Description
Body size is an important influence on the life history of males of polygynous mammals because it is usually highly correlated with fitness and is under intense selection. In this paper, we investigated the effect of high-risk foraging behavior (crop raiding) and genetic heterozygosity on male body size in a well-studied population of African elephants. Crop raiding, the foraging on cultivated food crops by wildlife is one of the main causes of wildlife human conflict and is a major conservation issue for many polygynous mammals that live in proximity to agriculture or human habitation. Body size was estimated using hind foot size, a measure strongly correlated with stature and mass. Crop raiding predicted male size in adulthood, with raiders being larger than nonraiders. However, elephants that became raiders were neither larger nor smaller for age when young. Enhanced growth rates and size among raiders suggest that taking risks pays off for males. Lastly, genetic heterozygosity had no effect on size for age in male elephants, most likely because low-heterozygosity males were rare. Risky foraging behavior can evolve as a result of strong sexual selection for large size and condition-dependent mating success in males. We discuss the implications of these results for managing human-wildlife conflict. © The Author 2011.
Authors & Co-Authors
Chiyo, Patrick Ilukol
United States, Durham
Duke University
United States, Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
Lee, Phyllis C.
United Kingdom, Stirling
University of Stirling
Kenya, Nairobi
Amboseli Trust for Elephants
Moss, Cynthia J.
Kenya, Nairobi
Amboseli Trust for Elephants
Archie, Elizabeth A.
United States, Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
Hollister-Smith, Julie A.
United States, Beaverton
Oregon National Primate Research Center
Alberts, Susan C.
United States, Durham
Duke University
Statistics
Citations: 66
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1093/beheco/arr016
ISSN:
10452249
e-ISSN:
14657279
Research Areas
Food Security
Genetics And Genomics
Sexual And Reproductive Health
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Participants Gender
Male