Ecological Change, Group Territoriality, and Population Dynamics in Serengeti Lions

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 307; no. 5708; pp. 390 - 393
• Main Authors: Packer, Craig, Hilborn, Ray, Mosser, Anna, Kissui, Bernard, Borner, Markus, Hopcraft, Grant, Wilmshurst, John, Mduma, Simon, Sinclair, Anthony R. E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 21-01-2005; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Adults; Algorithms; Analysis; Animal and plant ecology; Animal behavior; Animal populations; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Antelopes; Behavior, Animal; Biological and medical sciences; Changes; Demecology; Ecological balance; Ecosystem; Environment; Environmental monitoring; Female; Females; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Grasses; Group Experience; Lion; Lions; Lions - physiology; Male; Mammalia; Modeling; Models, Biological; Numbers; Observations; Panthera leo; Plants; Population biology; Population Density; Population Dynamics; Population ecology; Population growth; Population size; Population Trends; Predatory Behavior; Pride; Reproduction; Research Article; Seasons; Social Behavior; Stochastic Processes; Tanzania; Territoriality; Vertebrata; Wildcats; Wildebeest; Woodlands; Africa; Tanzania; United States; Serengeti National Park; Fissipedia; Carnivora; Panthera leo; Social structure; Environmental factor; Time variation; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Territorial behavior; Population dynamics; Plant cover; Simulation model; Population density
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1105122

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.