Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Many territorial carnivores deposit faeces and other scent-marks at specific latrine
sites, and their role in territorial defence is often assumed. However, recent empirical
and theoretical work suggests that ultimate explanations of territoriality differ
between the sexes. In this thesis, I investigate patterns of latrine-use in cooperatively
breeding meerkats, Suricata suricatta. Meerkats exhibit high reproductive skew, and
in such societies an individual’s optimal investment in territory defence and intruder
deterrence will depend not only on its sex, but also its breeding status within the
group. The spatial and temporal distribution of meerkat latrines reflects the diversity
in intruder type. Shared latrine sites between neighbouring groups facilitate costeffective
monitoring of predictable intruders and surrounding land tenure. In contrast,
intruding transient groups and prospecting males are effectively intercepted by
latrines concentrated in the core of the territories, close to refuges. This represents the
optimal strategy, as meerkat territories are too large to allow effective scent-marking
around their entire peripheries, and these intruders travel between refuges during
intrusions. Temporal patterns of latrine-use suggest their importance in mate-defence.
Latrine-use was correlated with encounters with prospecting males and oestrous
periods of resident females, and reached a peak coinciding with the season of elevated
dispersal and take-over events. Additionally, rather than cooperatively contributing to
territorial defence, individuals participated selfishly at latrines. Males preferentially
over-marked female scent-marks and scent-marked at significantly greater rates than
females, which resulted in male-biased latrines that were unrepresentative of group
composition. Although all individuals investigated female scent-marks for
significantly longer than male scent-marks, females invested most, suggesting that
intra-group monitoring is an important aspect of latrine visits for females. The deleterious effects of close inbreeding are well known, but regular dispersal in both
sexes, and long dominance tenure, result in unfamiliar siblings having a high
probability of encountering one another post-dispersal. As latrines are implicated in
mate-defence, olfactory assessment of factors affecting mating decisions might be
expected, but although individuals do recognise foreign faeces, discrimination does
not appear to occur on the basis of kinship. Together, these findings have broad
implications for our understanding of individual variation and sex differences in
scent-marking behaviour and territoriality. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Baie territoriale karnivore deponeer faeces en ander reukmerke by spesifieke latrines
en die latrines se rol in gebiedsverdediging word dikwels aangeneem. Onlangse
empiriese en teoretiese werk stel egter voor dat die uiteindelike verduidelikings van
territorialiteit verskil tussen die geslagte. In hierdie tesis ondersoek ek patrone van
latrine-gebruik in samewerkend-broeiende meerkaaie (Suricata suricatta). Meerkaaie
toon ‘n hoë graad van voorkeuraanwas en in sulke gemeenskappe sal ‘n individu se
optimale belegging in gebiedsverdediging en indringer-verjaging nie net van sy/haar
geslag afhang nie, maar ook van sy/ haar teelstatus in die groep. Die ruimtelike en
temporale verspreiding van meerkat latrines weerspieël die verskeidenheid van
indringertipes. Gedeelde latrine areas tussen naburige groepe help die kosteeffektiewe
bestekopname van voorspelbare indringers en omringende landsbesetting
aan. In kontras hiermee word tydelike groepe en geleentheidsoekende mannetjies
effektiewelik voorgekeer deur latrines wat gekonsentreer is in gebiedskerne, naby aan
skuilplekke. Dit verteenwoordig die optimale strategie, aangesien meerkat
territoriums te groot is om effektiewe reukmerking van die hele grens toe te laat, en
synde hierdie indringers tussen skuilplekke reis tydens invalle. Tydspatrone van
latrine-gebruik dui die belangrikheid hiervan in paarmaat-beskerming aan. Latrinegebruik
korreleer met ontmoetings met geleentheidsoekende mannetjies en die oestrus
tydperk van inwonende wyfies, en bereik ‘n toppunt tydens die seisoen van verhoogde
verspreiding en oornames. Ook sal individue selfsugtig deelneem by latrines eerder as
om samewerkend by te dra tot gebiedsverdediging. Mannetjies verkies om vroulike
reukmerke oor te merk en reukmerk teen ‘n beduidend hoër koers as wyfies, wat lei
tot mannetjie-geneigde latrines wat nie verteenwoordigend is van die
groepsamestelling nie. Alhoewel alle individue vroulike reukmerke beduidend langer as manlike reukmerke ondersoek, belê wyfies die meeste, wat daarop dui dat intragroep
monitering ‘n belangrike aspek van latrine-besoeke is vir wyfies. Die nadelige
effekte van sterk inteling is goed bekend, maar gereelde verspreiding in beide geslagte
en lang dominante posisiehouding lei daartoe dat daar ‘n groot kans is vir onbekende
nabye familielede om mekaar te ontmoet na verspreiding. Aangesien latrines ‘n rol
speel in paarmaat-verdediging kan dit verwag word dat daar olfaktoriese beoordeling
sal wees van faktore wat paringsbesluite beïnvloed, maar hoewel individue wel
vreemdelinge se faeces herken, toon hulle geen onderskeidingsvermoë gebaseer op
verwantskap nie. Saamgevoeg, het hierdie bevindinge wye implikasies vir ons begrip
van individuele variasie en geslagsverskille in reukmerk-gedrag en terriorialiteit.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/20918 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Jordan, Neil R. (Neil Robert) |
| Contributors | Cherry, M.I., Manser, M.B., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Botany and Zoology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xi, 133 leaves : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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