Despite their cute appearance, meerkats exhibit a dark and deadly side, particularly among females vying for dominance within their social groups. New research reveals that dominant female meerkats possess a unique gene expression that bolsters their immunity, making them highly competitive and potentially lethal to rivals. The study, available as a preprint on the bioRxiv server, highlights the genetic factors contributing to the extreme reproductive skew observed in female meerkats.
Meerkats, residing in family groups called mobs, are led by a dominant female matriarch who controls a substantial portion of breeding within the group. The dominance hierarchy is fiercely maintained, with subordinate females facing eviction and the killing of their offspring if they attempt to breed. This unique reproductive pattern was identified in a study involving 129 wild meerkats, including 69 males and 60 females, at the Kuruman River Reserve in South Africa.
The research, conducted over three years, involved monitoring behavior, recording agonistic interactions, and analyzing blood samples from meerkats. The study found that dominant males and females exhibited higher levels of cortisol, a stress-associated hormone. Additionally, dominant female meerkats displayed elevated levels of androgens, hormones related to growth and reproduction, compared to their subordinate counterparts.
Moreover, the dominant females exhibited a heightened response to inflammatory stimuli, indicating that their bodies were better prepared to combat infections. The findings support the hypothesis that social status in meerkats is linked to the energy required to attain dominance. The study sheds light on the competitive dynamics within meerkat mobs, where dominant females, driven by unique genetic factors, maintain control over breeding opportunities and are willing to eliminate rivals, showcasing a darker side to these seemingly harmless creatures.
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