SOCIAL IMPACT OF DOLICHOTIS PATAGONUM PAIR DISRUPTION ON THE FORMATION OF NEW BONDS AND REPRODUCTION IN A MULTIPLE MATE CHOICE CONTEXT

BUSSO, JM; BAECHLI JOHAN; BELLIS, L. M.; VILLAREAL, D.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR

ACADEMIC PRESS LTD-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2022

0003-3472

Maras (Dolichotis patagonum) combines social monogamy and plural breeding, an6 unusual mating system for mammals. We tested how maras adapt to the forced separation7 of pair-bonded partners and how the potential new mate performs over the breeding8 season and during the process of forming new pairs. Fourteen established pairs from a9 captive population were randomly assigned to a control (C-group; n=7) or experimental10 (E-group; n=7) condition. The experiment consisted in replacing 7 paired males with 711 socially unfamiliar males (new potential mates). Individual behaviour and social12 interactions were recorded over a 6-month period (spring-summer; i.e. 14 sessions) from13 0800 to 1800, totalling 11 hourly sampling points per session. We measured pair14 behaviours and degree of general behavioural synchrony over Experimental Time Period15 1 (sessions 1-7: ETP 1) and Experimental Time Period 2 (sessions 8-16: ETP 2). We also16 measured how social disruption affected the social networking of individuals forming17 new pair bonds as compared to individuals with already established mates. We18 furthermore assessed the level of activity of females exposed to mate switching and the19 production of offspring over the breeding season. Maras of the E-group showed: a) a20 reduction in pair behaviours and synchronization of activities and b) multiple interactions21 among females with several males, revealing initial mate choice activity (during early22 time period, ETP1). The period of mate choice was characterised by instability in social23 networking and changes in the strength of the pair´s fidelity (STF). Although the E-group24 included 5 newly-established pairs, offspring production was similar to that of the C-25 group. Our findings show that after presumably stressful experimental social disruption,Highlights (for review) Click here to view linked References26 most maras re-paired in captivity, though with some delay in offspring production,27 suggesting that this species has the plasticity to cope with male partner loss under semi-28 controlled environmental conditions. However, the strength of monogamous bonds is29 affected by this social disruption.