Different Sex Allocations in Two Related Species: The Case of the Extant Hippopotamus

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00027014%3A_____%2F15%3A%230002206" target="_blank" >RIV/00027014:_____/15:#0002206 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="http://www.vuzv.cz/sites/File/_privat/15047.pdf" target="_blank" >http://www.vuzv.cz/sites/File/_privat/15047.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/eth.12357" target="_blank" >10.1111/eth.12357</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Different Sex Allocations in Two Related Species: The Case of the Extant Hippopotamus

Original language description

Social and reproductive systems remain among the main predictors affecting mammalian birth sex ratio. The two extant hippopotamus species differ in their social and reproductive systems. While common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) form herds and tend to be polygynous, solitary living pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) are promiscuous. Although it is one of the most studied topics, only few empirical studies using large sample sizes have reported distorted birth sex ratio. We examined the birth sex ratio in both hippopotamus species using international studbooks including large data sets exceeding a thousand individuals (1138 for common hippopotamus and 1161 for pygmy ones). In both species, the birth sex ratio differed from 1:1. Whereas more males than females were recorded in common hippopotamus (53.9% males), the opposite was found in pygmy hippopotamus (41.5% males). We also found that the birth sex ratio was affected by individual dams in common hippopotamus, and by individual sires in pygmy hippopotamus. The most plausible explanation for differentially skewed birth sex ratios in both species may be related to differences in social and reproductive systems. Whereas the polygynous, sexually dimorphic common hippopotamus biased the birth sex ratio towards males, the promiscuous and sexually monomorphic pygmy hippopotamus skewed the sex ratio in favour of females. Our results are in line with recent studies showing that not only manipulation by the mother (in common hippopotamus), but also by the father (in pygmy hippopotamus), may be responsible for the birth sex ratio in different species.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_x - Unclassified - Peer-reviewed scientific article (Jimp, Jsc and Jost)

CEP classification

EG - Zoology

OECD FORD branch

—

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2015

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Ethology

ISSN

0179-1613

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

121

Issue of the periodical within the volume

5

Country of publishing house

DE - GERMANY

Number of pages

10

Pages from-to

462-471

UT code for WoS article

000352579500006

EID of the result in the Scopus database

—