- Title Pages
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1 The Amboseli Elephants: Introduction
- Chapter 2 Amboseli Ecosystem Context: Past and Present
- Chapter 3 The Human Context of the Amboseli Elephants
- Chapter 4 The Population Genetics of the Amboseli and Kilimanjaro Elephants
- Chapter 5 Habitat Use, Diet Choice, and Nutritional Status in Female and Male Amboseli Elephants
- Chapter 6 Ecological Patterns of Variability in Demographic Rates
- Chapter 7 Patterns of Occupancy in Time and Space
- Chapter 8 Signals, Gestures, and Behavior of African Elephants
- Chapter 9 Behavioral Contexts of Elephant Acoustic Communication
- Chapter 10 Vocal Communication and Social Knowledge in African Elephants
- Chapter 11 Elephant Cognition: What We Know about What Elephants Know
- Chapter 12 Female Reproductive Strategies: Individual Life Histories
- Chapter 13 Female Social Dynamics: Fidelity and Flexibility
- Chapter 14 Calf Development and Maternal Rearing Strategies
- Chapter 15 Friends and Relations: Kinship and the Nature of Female Elephant Social Relationships
- Chapter 16 Decision Making and Leadership in Using the Ecosystem
- Chapter 17 Male Social Dynamics: Independence and Beyond
- Chapter 18 Longevity, Competition, and Musth: A Long-term Perspective on Male Reproductive Strategies
- Chapter 19 The Maasai-Elephant Relationship: The Evolution and Influence of Culture, Land Use, and Attitudes
- Chapter 20 The Behavioral Responses of Elephants to the Maasai in Amboseli
- Chapter 21 Ethical Approaches to Elephant Conservation
- Chapter 22 The Future of the Amboseli Elephants
- Appendix 1 Methods
- Appendix 2 Large Animal Species Referred to in the Book
- References
- Contributors
- Index
Female Reproductive Strategies: Individual Life Histories
Female Reproductive Strategies: Individual Life Histories
- Chapter:
- (p.187) Chapter 12 Female Reproductive Strategies: Individual Life Histories
- Source:
- The Amboseli Elephants
- Author(s):
Cynthia J. Moss
Phyllis C. Lee
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
This chapter first focuses on the question, how do individuals maximize their reproductive potential? In this context, it explores age at first reproduction, sex ratios and calf sex, calf survival, and age-specific variation in inter-birth intervals. The chapter then addresses the question, how does the social context affect reproduction for elephant females? It examines whether there is evidence of hierarchical or status effects on reproductive potential, and finally, deals with the question, how do both the individual and the social context for reproduction change over a life span? The chapter uses the conventional concept of a strategy as that of consistent and measurable outcomes, which vary between age-classes, between matriarchs and subordinate females, and among individuals in relation to complex individual, group, or time-specific traits. It explores reproductive strategies from the perspectives of consistency and variation in tactics—an exploration of alternatives available to females.
Keywords: calf sex, reproductive potential, sex ration, life histories, inter-birth intervals, elephant females
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- Title Pages
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1 The Amboseli Elephants: Introduction
- Chapter 2 Amboseli Ecosystem Context: Past and Present
- Chapter 3 The Human Context of the Amboseli Elephants
- Chapter 4 The Population Genetics of the Amboseli and Kilimanjaro Elephants
- Chapter 5 Habitat Use, Diet Choice, and Nutritional Status in Female and Male Amboseli Elephants
- Chapter 6 Ecological Patterns of Variability in Demographic Rates
- Chapter 7 Patterns of Occupancy in Time and Space
- Chapter 8 Signals, Gestures, and Behavior of African Elephants
- Chapter 9 Behavioral Contexts of Elephant Acoustic Communication
- Chapter 10 Vocal Communication and Social Knowledge in African Elephants
- Chapter 11 Elephant Cognition: What We Know about What Elephants Know
- Chapter 12 Female Reproductive Strategies: Individual Life Histories
- Chapter 13 Female Social Dynamics: Fidelity and Flexibility
- Chapter 14 Calf Development and Maternal Rearing Strategies
- Chapter 15 Friends and Relations: Kinship and the Nature of Female Elephant Social Relationships
- Chapter 16 Decision Making and Leadership in Using the Ecosystem
- Chapter 17 Male Social Dynamics: Independence and Beyond
- Chapter 18 Longevity, Competition, and Musth: A Long-term Perspective on Male Reproductive Strategies
- Chapter 19 The Maasai-Elephant Relationship: The Evolution and Influence of Culture, Land Use, and Attitudes
- Chapter 20 The Behavioral Responses of Elephants to the Maasai in Amboseli
- Chapter 21 Ethical Approaches to Elephant Conservation
- Chapter 22 The Future of the Amboseli Elephants
- Appendix 1 Methods
- Appendix 2 Large Animal Species Referred to in the Book
- References
- Contributors
- Index