Long-term resource variation and group size: A large-sample field test of the Resource Dispersion Hypothesis |
| |
Authors: | Dominic DP Johnson Samantha Baker Michael D Morecroft David W Macdonald |
| |
Affiliation: | (1) Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, U.K;(2) NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Oxford University Field Laboratory, Wytham, Oxford, OX2 8QJ, U.K |
| |
Abstract: | Background The Resource Dispersion Hypothesis (RDH) proposes a mechanism for the passive formation of social groups where resources are dispersed, even in the absence of any benefits of group living per se. Despite supportive modelling, it lacks empirical testing. The RDH predicts that, rather than Territory Size (TS) increasing monotonically with Group Size (GS) to account for increasing metabolic needs, TS is constrained by the dispersion of resource patches, whereas GS is independently limited by their richness. We conducted multiple-year tests of these predictions using data from the long-term study of badgers Meles meles in Wytham Woods, England. The study has long failed to identify direct benefits from group living and, consequently, alternative explanations for their large group sizes have been sought. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|