Density dependence in group dynamics of a highly social mongoose, Suricata suricatta

• Published in: The Journal of animal ecology Vol. 81; no. 3; pp. 628 - 639
• Main Authors: Bateman, Andrew W., Ozgul, Arpat, Coulson, Tim, Clutton-Brock, Tim H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing 01.05.2012; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal behavior; Animal ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Beverton–Holt model; Biological and medical sciences; Conspecifics; Data processing; demographic decomposition; Demography; Density; Density dependence; Ecological modeling; Ecosystem; Emigration; Environmental conditions; environmental effects; environmental factors; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Group dynamics; Group size; Herpestes; Herpestidae; Herpestidae - physiology; Male; Mammalia; Modeling; Models, Biological; Mortality; Parametric models; physiology; Population Density; Population dynamics; Rain; Rainfall; Ricker model; Social Behavior; social structure; Subpopulations; Suricata suricatta; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution; Wildfowl; Fissipedia; Carnivora; Demography; Beverton-Holt model; Decomposition; environmental effects; demographic decomposition; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Ricker model; Dynamics; Density dependence; Models; Herpestes ichneumon

1. For social species, the link between individual behaviour and population dynamics is mediated by group-level demography. 2. Populations of obligate cooperative breeders are structured into social groups, which may be subject to inverse density dependence (Allee effects) that result from a depende...