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Walia Special Edition on the Bale Mountains (2011) - Zoologische ...

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Extra pack copulati<strong>on</strong>s and multiple paternity<br />

During <strong>the</strong> short mating seas<strong>on</strong>, <strong>the</strong> dominant female exercises choice in accepting when and with<br />

which male she mates. Of 30 observed instances of mating that involved copulati<strong>on</strong> between 1988<br />

and 1992, <strong>on</strong>ly nine (30%) took place with males from <strong>the</strong> female’s pack, whereas <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r 21<br />

(70%) involved males from o<strong>the</strong>r packs (Sillero-Zubiri et al. 1996a, Fig. 2). Within packs, females<br />

copulated <strong>on</strong>ly with <strong>the</strong> dominant male and rejected all mating attempts by lower ranking males<br />

(Sillero-Zubiri 1994; Sillero-Zubiri et al. 1996a). In c<strong>on</strong>trast, mate choice with regard to male status<br />

was not apparent when a female courted and mated with outside males. Microsatellite DNA analysis<br />

has c<strong>on</strong>firmed <strong>the</strong> occurrence of multiple-paternity in litters (Gottelli et al. 1994; Randall et al. 2007)<br />

and extra-pack paternity (EPP) accounted for 28% of all resolved paternities, occurring in 45% of<br />

litters (Randall et al. 2007). Multiple and extra-pack paternity suggest that extra-pack copulati<strong>on</strong>s<br />

(EPCs) are an important reproductive (or fitness) tactic for both male and possibly female wolves.<br />

Extra-pack and multiple-paternity may rival male philopatry and female-biased dispersal in<br />

importance as an outbreeding mechanism in a situati<strong>on</strong> where habitat c<strong>on</strong>straints impede dispersal.<br />

An alternative, but n<strong>on</strong>-exclusive, explanati<strong>on</strong> may be <strong>the</strong> preventi<strong>on</strong> of infanticide from neighbours<br />

(Wolff and Macd<strong>on</strong>ald 2004) who, in this competitive milieu, could benefit by killing <strong>the</strong> offspring<br />

of neighbouring packs.<br />

Percentage of observati<strong>on</strong>s<br />

100<br />

80<br />

60<br />

40<br />

20<br />

0<br />

alpha<br />

beta<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

Intra-pack males<br />

copulati<strong>on</strong>s (n=30)<br />

rejects (n=46)<br />

alpha<br />

beta<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

Extra-pack males<br />

Figure 2. Frequency with which Ethiopian wolf females were observed in sexual encounters with<br />

males from <strong>the</strong>ir packs or neighbouring packs.<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>Walia</str<strong>on</strong>g>-<str<strong>on</strong>g>Special</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Editi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bale</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong> 70

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