Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Volume 268, Issue 1471, Pages 1049-1053Publisher
ROYAL SOC
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2001.1583
Keywords
reproductive success; breeding synchrony; alternative tactics; microsatellites; domestic cat; Felis catus
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Previous studies have predicted that the availability over time of females in oestrus influences the variance of male reproductive success in a given year. When females are spatially aggregated, they represent a potentially defendable resource for each male when oestrus is asynchronous, and the most competitive males are expected to gain priority of access to receptive females. When females breed synchronously, a single male, even when highly competitive, is not able to prevent them from mating with other males. This hypothesis was tested in a large multimale-multifemale group of domestic cats, Felis catus, which was monitored for three years. The results support the prediction that the variance in male reproductive success was four times greater in years when females bred asynchronously, and dominant males sired the highest proportion of offspring. We conclude that the temporal availability of mates plays a role in the adoption of reproductive tactics in the domestic cat.
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