Incidence and biomarkers of pregnancy, spontaneous abortion, and neonatal loss during an environmental stressor: Implications for female reproductive suppression in the cooperatively breeding meerkat

Publication date: 1 September 2018Source: Physiology & Behavior, Volume 193, Part AAuthor(s): Kristin A. Dimac-Stohl, Charli S. Davies, Nicholas M. Grebe, Alexandra C. Stonehill, Lydia K. Greene, Jessica Mitchell, Tim Clutton-Brock, Christine M. DreaAbstractMeerkats are group-living, insectivorous herpestids in which subordinate members provide extensive care for the dominant female's young. In contrast to some cooperative breeders, subordinate female meerkats are physiologically able to reproduce and occasionally do so successfully; their attempts are more frequently ‘suppressed’ via eviction or infanticide by the dominant female. Spontaneous abortion and neonatal loss occur with some regularity, further negatively impacting reproductive success. Here, we compared the reproductive outcomes and endocrine profiles, including of serum progesterone (P4), serum estradiol (E2), and fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCm), of dominant and subordinate dams residing within their clans in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa. Our study spanned years of drought, which reduced insect abundance and represented a substantial environmental stressor. Meerkat pregnancies were identified at mid-term and culminated either in spontaneous abortions or full-term deliveries, after which pups were either lost prior to emergence from the natal den (usually within 2 days of birth) or emerged at 2–3 weeks. Neonatal loss exceeded fetal loss for all females, and contributed to narrowing t...
Source: Physiology and Behavior - Category: Physiology Source Type: research