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Serengeti real estate: density vs. fitness‐based indicators of lion habitat quality
Author(s) -
Mosser Anna,
Fryxell John M.,
Eberly Lynn,
Packer Craig
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01359.x
Subject(s) - habitat , ecology , ideal free distribution , abundance (ecology) , reproductive success , foraging , geography , quality (philosophy) , biology , demography , population , philosophy , epistemology , sociology
Habitat quality is typically inferred by assuming a direct relationship between consumer density and resource abundance, although it has been suggested that consumer fitness may be a more accurate measure of habitat quality. We examined density vs. fitness‐based measures of habitat quality for lions in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. A 40‐year average of female reproductive success (yearling cubs per female) was best explained by proximity to river confluences, whereas patterns of productivity (yearling cubs per km 2 ) and adult female density (individuals per km 2 ) were associated with more general measures of habitat quality and areas of shelter in poor habitat. This suggests that density may not accurately distinguish between high‐quality ‘source’ areas and low‐quality sites that merely provide refuges for effectively non‐reproductive individuals. Our results indicate that density may be a misleading indicator of real estate value, particularly for populations that do not conform to an ideal free distribution.