- 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
Decision Making and Leadership in Using the Ecosystem
Decision Making and Leadership in Using the Ecosystem
- Chapter:
- (p.246) Chapter 16 Decision Making and Leadership in Using the Ecosystem
- Source:
- The Amboseli Elephants
- Author(s):
Hamisi Mutinda
Joyce H. Poole
Cynthia J. Moss
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
As elephants compete for food, water, and mates, dominant groups and individuals will access higher-quality food resources and, in the case of males, a greater number of mates than those who are lower in rank. As elephants attempt to maximize their intake rate, they must make frequent decisions regarding when and where to go, with whom, and how long to stay in particular group configurations and specific locations. As predicted by optimal foraging theory, elephants must decide which groups and locations to gravitate toward or avoid so as to minimize within- and between-group competition and reduce encounters with (mainly human) predators. While foraging and mate-searching decisions by adult males are tailored to maximize individual fitness, those taken by females are likely also to be associated with increasing inclusive fitness, as is the case with many species living in kin-based social groups.
Keywords: decision making, ecosystem, food resources, foraging, elephant groups, competition, fitness
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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
