Social support drives female dominance in the spotted hyaena

@article{Vullioud2018SocialSD,
  title={Social support drives female dominance in the spotted hyaena},
  author={Colin Vullioud and Eve Davidian and Bettina Wachter and François Rousset and Alexandre Courtiol and Oliver P. H{\"o}ner},
  journal={Nature Ecology \& Evolution},
  year={2018},
  volume={3},
  pages={71-76}
}
Identifying how dominance within and between the sexes is established is pivotal to understanding sexual selection and sexual conflict. In many species, members of one sex dominate those of the other in one-on-one interactions. Whether this results from a disparity in intrinsic attributes, such as strength and aggressiveness, or in extrinsic factors, such as social support, is currently unknown. We assessed the effects of both mechanisms on dominance in the spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta), a… 
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38 Citations

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Sex and dominance: How to assess and interpret intersexual dominance relationships in mammalian societies
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It is shown that sexual signaling affects patterns of female spatial association differently in chimpanzees and bonobos, indicating its relevance in shaping the respective social systems and highlighting that the temporal distribution of female sexual receptivity is an important factor to consider when studying mammalian sociality.
Reproduction within a hierarchical society from a female's perspective.
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The effects of rank on the various phases of reproduction, from mating to weaning, are examined and the effect of rank at these different reproductive phases leads to dramatic rank-related variation in fitness among females and their lineages.
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Female Power in Verreaux’s Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) Is Based on Maturity, Not Body Size
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Social alliances improve rank and fitness in convention-based societies
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It is found that females who are strongly allied with their group-mates are more likely to improve their status, and that upward social mobility is often achieved with support from their closest allies, suggesting that social alliances facilitate revolutionary social change.
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References

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