High early lactational synchrony within baboon groups predicts increased female-female competition and infant mortality.

ABSTRACT: In species where multiple breeding females co-reside in a social group, female-female competition may be particularly acute when many females have dependent young at the same time, with potential negative consequences for offspring survival. Here, we used more than four decades of data on wild baboons (Papio sp.) in Amboseli, Kenya, to examine the effects of 'early lactational synchrony' (the proportion of females in a group with an infant <90 days old) on female-female agonistic interactions and infant survival. Because early lactation is energetically demanding for mothers and high-risk for infants, we expected both female-female aggression and protection by males to intensify during this period. In support, when early lactational synchrony was high, rates of female-female agonism

SUBMITTER: Winans JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11419025 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature