Abstract
Tightly synchronized reproduction in vast wildebeest herds underpins the keystone role this iconic species plays in the Serengeti. However, despite decades of study, the proximate synchronizing mechanism remains unknown. Combining a season-long field experiment with simple stochastic process models, we show that females exposed to playback of male rutting vocalizations are over three times more synchronous in their expected time to mating than a control group isolated from all male stimuli. Additionally, predictions of both mating and calving synchrony based on the playback group were highly consistent with independent data on wildebeest mating and calving synchrony, while control-based predictions were inconsistent with the data. Taken together, our results provide the first experimental evidence that male rutting vocalizations alone could account for the highly synchronized reproduction observed in Serengeti wildebeest. Given anthropogenically driven losses in many areas, a mechanistic understanding of synchrony can highlight additional risks declining wildebeest populations may face.
Highlights
Synchronized reproduction occurs in a broad range of taxa and is one of nature’s most remarkable spectacles, with effects that cascade through entire ecosystems
Despite more than 50 years of behavioral ecology research, little is known about the mechanisms controlling reproduction in this iconic species
Our novel approach permitted us to test the ability of male rutting vocalizations to synchronize reproduction in wildebeest maintained under controlled conditions within their native range, and to make out-of-sample predictions on both mating and calving synchrony that were validated by comparison to independent data
Summary
Synchronized reproduction occurs in a broad range of taxa and is one of nature’s most remarkable spectacles, with effects that cascade through entire ecosystems. The degree of synchrony in wildebeest far exceeds that predicted by climatic seasonality and resource availability, with wildebeest exhibiting much greater synchrony than closely related species living in the same environment[10] Instead, this sharp calving peak is the cornerstone of a highly effective anti-predation strategy that functions through a combination of predator swamping and predator confusion[5,10,14]. We hypothesize that a chorus of multiple male vocalizations modulates female wildebeest ovarian function in a way that reduces both the average time to mating, and the variance in time to mating among females We predict that this modulation will be sufficient to facilitate the observed degree of both mating and calving synchrony in wild wildebeest populations
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