Female reproductive skew exacerbates the extinction risk from poaching in the eastern black rhino.

ABSTRACT: Variation in individual demographic rates can have large consequences for populations. Female reproductive skew is an example of structured demographic heterogeneity where females have intrinsic qualities that make them more or less likely to breed. The consequences of reproductive skew for population dynamics are poorly understood in non-cooperatively breeding mammals, especially when coupled with other drivers such as poaching. We address this knowledge gap with population viability analyses using an age-specific, female-only, individual-based, stochastic population model built with long-term data for three Kenyan populations of the Critically Endangered eastern black rhino (Diceros bicornis michaeli). There was substantial reproductive skew, with a high proportion of females not

SUBMITTER: Harvey Sky N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9006021 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature