Ecological change, group territoriality, and population dynamics in Serengeti lions

Craig Packer; Ray Hilborn; Anna Mosser; Bernard Kissui; Markus Borner; Grant Hopcraft; John Wilmshurst; Simon Mduma; Anthony R.E. Sinclair

doi:10.1126/science.1105122

Ecological change, group territoriality, and population dynamics in Serengeti lions

Craig Packer, Ray Hilborn, Anna Mosser, Bernard Kissui, Markus Borner, Grant Hopcraft, John Wilmshurst, Simon Mduma, Anthony R.E. Sinclair

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195 Scopus citations

Abstract

Territorial behavior is expected to buffer populations against short-term environmental perturbations, but we have found that group living in African lions causes a complex response to long-term ecological change. Despite numerous gradual changes in prey availability and vegetative cover, regional populations of Serengeti lions remained stable for 10- to 20-year periods and only shifted to new equilibria in sudden leaps. Although gradually improving environmental conditions provided sufficient resources to permit the subdivision of preexisting territories, regional lion populations did not expand until short-term conditions supplied enough prey to generate large cohorts of surviving young. The results of a simulation model show that the observed pattern of "saltatory equilibria" results from the lions' grouping behavior.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	390-393
Number of pages	4
Journal	Science
Volume	307
Issue number	5708
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1105122
State	Published - Jan 21 2005

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abstract = "Territorial behavior is expected to buffer populations against short-term environmental perturbations, but we have found that group living in African lions causes a complex response to long-term ecological change. Despite numerous gradual changes in prey availability and vegetative cover, regional populations of Serengeti lions remained stable for 10- to 20-year periods and only shifted to new equilibria in sudden leaps. Although gradually improving environmental conditions provided sufficient resources to permit the subdivision of preexisting territories, regional lion populations did not expand until short-term conditions supplied enough prey to generate large cohorts of surviving young. The results of a simulation model show that the observed pattern of {"}saltatory equilibria{"} results from the lions' grouping behavior.",

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AU - Packer, Craig

AU - Hilborn, Ray

AU - Mosser, Anna

AU - Kissui, Bernard

AU - Borner, Markus

AU - Hopcraft, Grant

AU - Wilmshurst, John

AU - Mduma, Simon

AU - Sinclair, Anthony R.E.

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AB - Territorial behavior is expected to buffer populations against short-term environmental perturbations, but we have found that group living in African lions causes a complex response to long-term ecological change. Despite numerous gradual changes in prey availability and vegetative cover, regional populations of Serengeti lions remained stable for 10- to 20-year periods and only shifted to new equilibria in sudden leaps. Although gradually improving environmental conditions provided sufficient resources to permit the subdivision of preexisting territories, regional lion populations did not expand until short-term conditions supplied enough prey to generate large cohorts of surviving young. The results of a simulation model show that the observed pattern of "saltatory equilibria" results from the lions' grouping behavior.

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Ecological change, group territoriality, and population dynamics in Serengeti lions

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