Dispersal-induced social stress prolongs gestation in wild meerkats

dc.contributor.authorMaag, Nino
dc.contributor.authorCozzi, Gabriele
dc.contributor.authorSeager, David
dc.contributor.authorManser, Marta B.
dc.contributor.authorSickmueller, Anna
dc.contributor.authorHildebrandt, Thomas B.
dc.contributor.authorClutton-Brock, Tim H.
dc.contributor.authorOzgul, Arpat
dc.date.accessioned2023-11-22T09:10:31Z
dc.date.available2023-11-22T09:10:31Z
dc.date.issued2023-06
dc.descriptionElectronic supplementary material is available online at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6706344.en_US
dc.description.abstractIn the majority of mammals, gestation length is relatively consistent and seldom varies by more than 3%. In a few species, females can adjust gestation length by delaying the development of the embryo after implantation. Delays in embryonic development allow females to defer the rising energetic costs of gestation when conditions are unfavourable, reducing the risk of embryo loss. Dispersal in mammals that breed cooperatively is a period when food intake is likely to be suppressed and stress levels are likely to be high. Here, we show that pregnant dispersing meerkats (Suricata suricatta), which have been aggressively evicted from their natal group and experience weight loss and extended periods of social stress, prolong their gestation by means of delayed embryonic development. Repeated ultrasound scans of wild, unanaesthetized females throughout their pregnancies showed that pregnancies of dispersers were on average 6.3% longer and more variable in length (52–65 days) than those of residents (54–56 days). The variation in dispersers shows that, unlike most mammals, meerkats can adapt to stress by adjusting their pregnancy length by up to 25%. By doing so, they potentially rearrange the costs of gestation during adverse conditions of dispersal and enhance offspring survival.en_US
dc.description.departmentMammal Research Instituteen_US
dc.description.librarianhj2023en_US
dc.description.sdgSDG-03:Good heatlh and well-beingen_US
dc.description.urihttp://rsbl.royalsocietypublishingen_US
dc.identifier.citationMaag, N., Cozzi, G., Seager, D. et al. 2023, 'Dispersal-induced social stress prolongs gestation in wild meerkats', Biology Letters, vol. 19, no. 6, art. 20230183, doi : 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0183.en_US
dc.identifier.issn1744-9561 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1744-957X (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1098/rsbl.2023.0183
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/93386
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherRoyal Society Publishingen_US
dc.rights© 2023 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.en_US
dc.subjectMeerkat (Suricata suricatta)en_US
dc.subjectReproductive strategyen_US
dc.subjectOntogenetic plasticityen_US
dc.subjectDispersal costsen_US
dc.subjectDiapauseen_US
dc.subjectEmbryonic developmenten_US
dc.subjectDelayed post-implantationen_US
dc.subjectSDG-03: Good health and well-beingen_US
dc.titleDispersal-induced social stress prolongs gestation in wild meerkatsen_US
dc.typePostprint Articleen_US

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