Achilles' heel of sociality revealed by energetic poverty trap in cursorial hunters

The American Naturalist
Gregory S A RasmussenDavid W Macdonald

Abstract

This study empirically tests two foundation ecological theories: (1) pack hunting is a driver for the evolution of sociality; and (2) species have a finite energy potential, whereby increased maintenance costs result in decreased reproductive effort. Using activity and prey data from 22 packs of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), we parameterized a model detailing the energetic cost/benefit of cooperative hunting. Larger pack size increased foraging time, prey size, and capture probability while reducing chase distance, resulting in a rapidly increasing net rate of energy intake up to a pack size of five, which peaked at 10 individuals and then declined. With a streamlined body plan necessary for hypercursoriality limiting stomach capacity in smaller packs, it was demonstrated that the group hunting benefit will rather accrue to widely foraging predators than to "sit-and-wait" ones. Reproductive effort, measured by the number of pups born, revealed smaller litters with decreasing pack size, validated finite energy theory, and highlighted a "poverty trap" where smaller groups have lower foraging gains, smaller litters, and increased vulnerability to extirpation. Consequently, these results demonstrated a mechanistic example of p...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 19, 2013·Frontiers in Zoology·Elena AnguloFranck Courchamp
Jan 16, 2014·PloS One·Péter K MolnárAndrew E Derocher
Jun 12, 2014·PloS One·Craig R JacksonHarriet Davies-Mostert
Mar 31, 2016·Nature Communications·Tatjana Y HubelAlan M Wilson
Dec 4, 2014·PloS One·Christian KiffnerStefan Krause
Jul 21, 2017·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Rosie WoodroffeJ Weldon McNutt
Sep 25, 2017·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Elena AnguloFranck Courchamp
Jul 29, 2018·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Brian A LerchKaren C Abbott
Sep 12, 2019·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Rosie WoodroffeDaniella Rabaiotti
May 15, 2020·Conservation Biology : the Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology·Christine E WilkinsonJustin S Brashares
Aug 23, 2020·Communications Biology·Mairin A Balisi, Blaire Van Valkenburgh
Jul 15, 2021·Ecology and Evolution·Daniella RabaiottiRosie Woodroffe

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