Helpers influence on territory use and maintenance in Alpine marmot groups
In: BehaviourbDepartment of Earth and Environmental Science, Via A. Ferrata 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
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In social mammals, territory size and shape vary according to the number and strength of neighbour individuals competing for resources. Two main theories have been proposed to explain this variability: the Group Augmentation (GA) and the realized Resource Holding Potential (rRHP) hypotheses. The first states that the outcome of the interactions among groups depends on the total number of individuals in the group while the second states that only the number of animals directly involved in intergroup competition determines this outcome. We collected data on space use of individually tagged Alpine marmots (Marmota marmota), a cooperative breeding species that overlaps part of its territory with neighbouring groups. In accordance with the rRHP hypothesis, we found that groups having higher proportion of helpers, rather than higher total number of individuals, had lower percentage of the territory overlapping with neighbouring groups and a larger area available for individual exclusive use.
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Helpers influence on territory use and maintenance in Alpine marmot groups
In: BehaviourbDepartment of Earth and Environmental Science, Via A. Ferrata 9, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
Search for other papers by Cristian Pasquaretta in
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Search for other papers by Laura Busia in
Current site
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Search for other papers by Giuseppe Bogliani in
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In social mammals, territory size and shape vary according to the number and strength of neighbour individuals competing for resources. Two main theories have been proposed to explain this variability: the Group Augmentation (GA) and the realized Resource Holding Potential (rRHP) hypotheses. The first states that the outcome of the interactions among groups depends on the total number of individuals in the group while the second states that only the number of animals directly involved in intergroup competition determines this outcome. We collected data on space use of individually tagged Alpine marmots (Marmota marmota), a cooperative breeding species that overlaps part of its territory with neighbouring groups. In accordance with the rRHP hypothesis, we found that groups having higher proportion of helpers, rather than higher total number of individuals, had lower percentage of the territory overlapping with neighbouring groups and a larger area available for individual exclusive use.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 739 | 102 | 11 |
| Full Text Views | 210 | 5 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 68 | 6 | 0 |
