Tag

Reproductive Competition

All articles tagged with #reproductive competition

animal-behavior2 years ago•2 min saved

The Dark Secrets of Female Meerkat Infanticide Revealed

Female meerkats exhibit aggressive behavior towards rivals, including evicting them and killing their offspring. A recent study suggests that dominant female meerkats possess unique gene expression not found in lower-status individuals. These high-ranking females have higher levels of androgen, associated with aggressiveness, and show an upregulation of genes related to inflammatory response, indicating better immune function. This genetic advantage helps them maintain their dominant status and reproductive success, resulting in a significant skew in offspring distribution within meerkat social groups. The study highlights the importance of social status in regulating immune genes and reproductive competition among social animals.

via Yahoo News|

#aggressiveness #animal-behavior #dominance

animal-behavior2 years ago•2 min saved

The Dark Secrets of Female Meerkat Infanticide Revealed

Female meerkats exhibit aggressive behavior towards rivals, including evicting them and killing their offspring. A recent study suggests that dominant female meerkats have unique gene expression not seen in lower-status individuals. These high-ranking females have higher levels of androgen, which is associated with aggressiveness, and show an upregulation of genes related to inflammatory response, indicating better immune function. This genetic advantage helps them maintain their dominant status and reproductive success, resulting in a significant skew in offspring production within meerkat social groups.

via Yahoo! Voices|

#aggressiveness #animal-behavior #dominance

animal-behavior2 years ago•2 min saved

The Dark Secrets of Female Meerkat Infanticide Revealed

Female meerkats exhibit aggressive behavior towards rivals, including evicting them and killing their offspring. A recent study suggests that dominant female meerkats have unique gene expression not seen in lower-status individuals. These high-ranking females have higher levels of androgen, associated with aggressiveness, and show an upregulation of genes related to inflammatory response, indicating better immune function. This genetic advantage helps them maintain their dominant status and reproductive success, resulting in a significant skew in offspring distribution within meerkat social groups.

via AOL|

#aggressiveness #animal-behavior #dominance

animal-behavior2 years ago•3 min saved

Unveiling the Dark Side: The Hidden Motives of Female Meerkats

Dominant female meerkats exhibit a brutal behavior of killing female relatives and eating their offspring to maintain control of the mob. A new study suggests that these murderous matriarchs have a sex-specific signature of dominance that gives them super-immunity, resembling immunity genes seen in male baboons. Dominant female meerkats control up to 80% of breeding and have higher levels of cortisol and androgen hormones, as well as a higher body mass. They also show an increased response to inflammatory stimuli, indicating better preparedness to fight infections. The findings support the hypothesis that social status is dependent on the energy needed to achieve dominance and highlights the impact of social interactions on molecular processes in animals.

via Livescience.com|

#animal-behavior #dominant-females #immunity