A microsatellite perspective on the reproductive success of subordinate male honey badgers, Mellivora capensis

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dc.contributor.authorVerwey R.
dc.contributor.authorBegg C.
dc.contributor.authorBegg K.
dc.contributor.authorMatthee C.A.
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-15T15:56:28Z
dc.date.available2011-05-15T15:56:28Z
dc.date.issued2004
dc.description.abstractThe dominance hierarchy system of male honey badgers, Mellivora capensis, does not appear to determine reproductive success in the species as subordinate males are frequently seen to gain brief access to receptive females. To establish whether these interactions lead to fertilization, five microsatellite loci were used to infer paternity in a honey badger population from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. In total, 26 individuals comprising 10 cubs, eight known mothers and eight potential fathers were analysed. Exclusion analysis and a likelihood-based approach identified the dominant male in the study population as the most likely father of 50% of the cubs (≥80% likelihood confidence). The remaining five cubs were most likely fathered by four different subordinate males (≥80% likelihood confidence). The results suggest that the brief mating opportunities afforded to subordinate males lead to fertilization, and hence that the dominance hierarchy system of the honey badger is not strong enough to exclude sneak fertilizations.
dc.description.versionArticle
dc.identifier.citationAfrican Zoology
dc.identifier.citation39
dc.identifier.citation2
dc.identifier.issn15627020
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/9864
dc.subjectdominance
dc.subjectgenetic analysis
dc.subjectmustelid
dc.subjectpaternity
dc.subjectreproductive success
dc.subjectsocial status
dc.subjectAfrica
dc.subjectEastern Hemisphere
dc.subjectKgalagadi Transfrontier Park
dc.subjectSouthern Africa
dc.subjectSub-Saharan Africa
dc.subjectWorld
dc.subjectMellivora capensis
dc.subjectMustelidae
dc.subjectTaxidea taxus
dc.subjectTaxidiinae
dc.titleA microsatellite perspective on the reproductive success of subordinate male honey badgers, Mellivora capensis
dc.typeArticle
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