Craig Packer (University of Minnesota)
Abstract. Group territoriality in African lions has arisen as an emergent property of individuals defending discrete hotspots on a heterogeneous savanna landscape. Female prides compete for access to prime "real estate," and male coalitions compete for mating opportunities. Females are egalitarian such that there is no dominance hierarchy or reproductive skew within prides, whereas males show skewed reproduction within coalitions. Larger groups gain such profound advantages in competition against smaller groups that like-sexed companions are obligately cooperative in many contexts. Though group size is the most important determinant of reproductive success for both sexes and lion groups survive and reproduce in the same way as individuals, true group-level adaptations are rudimentary and the grinding petty conflicts of individuals living together in a small community remain common.