The Goldilocks effect: female geladas in mid-sized groups have higher fitness.

ABSTRACT: The cost-benefit ratio of group living is thought to vary with group size: individuals in 'optimally sized' groups should have higher fitness than individuals in groups that are either too large or too small. However, the relationship between group size and individual fitness has been difficult to establish for long-lived species where the number of groups studied is typically quite low. Here, we present evidence for optimal group size that maximizes female fitness in a population of geladas (Theropithecus gelada). Drawing on 14 years of demographic data, we found that females in small groups experienced the highest death rates, while females in mid-sized groups exhibited the highest reproductive performance. This group size effect on female reproductive performance was largely expl

SUBMITTER: Tinsley Johnson E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8170190 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature