PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Mongooses synchronize births to escape despotic females

2013-12-27
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Eleanor Gaskarth
e.f.gaskarth@exeter.ac.uk
44-782-730-9332
University of Exeter
Mongooses synchronize births to escape despotic females

Some mammals may have evolved to synchronise births as a way of evading the threat of infanticide, according to a study led by the University of Exeter.

To ensure groups remain productive, some social animals 'police' selfish reproduction by subordinate animals by killing any offspring they produce. For example, in honeybees and other social insects some workers lay their own eggs, but these are identified and killed by the rest of the workforce.

The new study asked whether policing can also explain patterns of reproduction in a highly social mammal, the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo). In this species groups contain 1-12 female breeders who give birth to a communal litter, usually on the same day.

In a seven year experiment on 11 groups of wild banded mongooses in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park, Professor Michael Cant of Biosciences at the University of Exeter and colleagues manipulated which females contributed offspring to the communal litter using short-acting contraceptives.

Their results suggest that older, dominant females kill entire litters to which they had not contributed offspring, but allow the communal litter to live if there is a chance that it contains their own young.

Their findings support the claim that policing plays a crucial role in the evolution of cooperation among vertebrates, and shows that threats of infanticide can lead to remarkable counterstrategies to evade reproductive control.

Professor Cant, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus, said: "Unlike meerkats and other cooperative mammals in which there is usually a single dominant female breeder in each group, in banded mongooses up to 12 females can become pregnant and synchronise birth to the same day. Our experiment suggests that this remarkable feat of coordination is actually driven by intense conflict over reproduction. Females synchronise birth to the same day because this confuses maternity in the communal litter, so any infanticidal female might end up killing her own young."



INFORMATION:

The research was carried out by Professor Cant alongside University of Exeter colleague Dr Sarah Hodge, Dr Hazel Nichols of Liverpool John Moores University and Professor Rufus Johnstone of the University of Cambridge.

Their article, Policing of reproduction by hidden threats in a cooperative mammal, is published today in the journal PNAS.

The study was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and The Royal Society.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Breast cancer patients experience fewer side effects from anticancer drug when receiving acupuncture

2013-12-27
Breast cancer patients experience fewer side effects from anticancer drug when receiving acupuncture A new analysis has found that both real and sham acupuncture treatments may help alleviate side effects of drugs commonly used to treat breast cancer. Published early online in ...

Pregnant women need not avoid peanuts, evidence shows

2013-12-27
Pregnant women need not avoid peanuts, evidence shows Peanut and tree nut allergy incidence lower among children whose mothers ate them during pregnancy BOSTON (Dec. 23, 2013)—Women need not fear that eating peanuts during pregnancy could cause ...

Embargoed study: New quality, payment initiative positively impacts pediatric care

2013-12-27
Embargoed study: New quality, payment initiative positively impacts pediatric care Contracting model, based on global payment and pay-for-performance, improves quality of care for sickest pediatric patients BOSTON (Dec. 23, 2013)—Within two years ...

Preop testing for low-risk cataract surgery patients: Choosing wisely or low-value care? Penn Medicine

2013-12-27
Preop testing for low-risk cataract surgery patients: Choosing wisely or low-value care? Penn Medicine (PHILADELPHIA) – The elimination of extensive routine preoperative tests and consultations represents an area of ...

Getting excited helps with performance anxiety more than trying to calm down, study finds

2013-12-27
Getting excited helps with performance anxiety more than trying to calm down, study finds Simple statements about excitement could have big effects, research shows WASHINGTON – People who tell themselves to get excited rather than trying to relax ...

Library that can determine resistance

2013-12-27
Library that can determine resistance Genetic screening identifies genes driving resistance with a guide RNA library Researchers have developed a method to create a comprehensive library of mutations across all genes in the mouse genome. This library ...

Hypoxic preconditioning stimulates angiogenesis in ischemic penumbra after ACI

2013-12-27
Hypoxic preconditioning stimulates angiogenesis in ischemic penumbra after ACI Hypoxic preconditioning has been shown to have protective effects against acute cerebral infarction. To investigate the protective mechanisms of hypoxic preconditioning in relation ...

Transient receptor potential channel A1 may contribute to hyperalgesia

2013-12-27
Transient receptor potential channel A1 may contribute to hyperalgesia Transient receptor potential channel A1 is one of the important transducers of noxious stimuli in the primary afferents, which may contribute to generation of neurogenic inflammation and hyperalgesia. ...

An expert consensus on acute thoracolumbar spine and spinal cord injury in China

2013-12-27
An expert consensus on acute thoracolumbar spine and spinal cord injury in China The early management of acute thoracolumbar spine and spinal cord injury is one of the most difficult tasks when treating trauma cases. To standardize the evaluation and treatment of ...

Motor excitability predicts working memory

2013-12-27
Motor excitability predicts working memory Humans with a high motor excitability have a better working memory than humans with a low excitability. This was shown in a study conducted by scientists from the Transfacultary Research Platform at the University of Basel. By measuring ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

[Press-News.org] Mongooses synchronize births to escape despotic females