Effect of ecological and anthropogenic factors on grouping patterns in African lions across Kenya

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  • Mumbi Chege
  • Bertola, Laura
  • Geert R. De Snoo
  • Shadrack Ngene
  • Tobias Otieno
  • Irene Amoke
  • Maarten van 't Zelfde
  • Stephanie Dolrenry
  • Femke Broekhuis
  • Will Tamis
  • Hans H. De Iongh
  • Nicholas B. Elliot
Social carnivores frequently live in fission–fusion societies, where individuals that share a common territory or home range may be found alone, in subgroups, or altogether. Absolute group size and subgroup size is expected to vary according to resource distribution, but for species that are susceptible to anthropogenic pressures, other factors may be important drivers. African lions (Panthera leo) are the only truly social felid and lion prides are characterized by fission–fusion dynamics with social groups frequently splitting and reforming, and subgroup membership can change continuously and frequently. The number of individuals in a group can be reflective of social, ecological, and anthropogenic conditions. This dynamic behavior makes understanding lion grouping patterns crucial for tailoring conservation measures. The evolution of group living in lions has been the topic of numerous studies, and we drew on these to formulate hypotheses relating to group size and subgroup size variation. Based on data collected from 199 lion groups across eight sites in Kenya, we found that group sizes were smaller when lions were closer to human settlements, suggesting that edge effects are impacting lions at a national scale. Smaller groups were also more likely when they were far from water, and were associated with very low and very high levels of non-tree vegetation. We found significant differences between the study sites, with the Maasai Mara having the largest groups (mean ± SD = 7.7 ± 4.7, range = 1–19), and Amboseli conservation area the smallest (4.3 ± 3.5, range = 1–14). While long-term studies within a single site are well suited to thoroughly differentiate between absolute group size and subgroup size, our study provides unique insight into the correlates of grouping patterns in a vulnerable species at a national scale.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummere10982
TidsskriftEcology and Evolution
Vol/bind14
Udgave nummer2
Antal sider14
ISSN2045-7758
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2024

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
We thank the Kenya Wildlife Service, Lion Guardians and the Kenya Wildlife Trust for providing the data for this research. The survey carried out in 2017, 2018 and 2019 would not have been possible without the funding from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), World Wildlife Fund-Kenya, Wildlife Conservation Network's Lion Recovery Fund, Liz Claiborne Art Ortenberg Foundation, the National Geographic Society, ICEA Lion Insurance Group and the African Wildlife Foundation. The survey would also not have been possible without the support of other non-governmental organizations that provided the necessary support in terms of equipment and skilled staff: KWS, KWT, the Leo foundation, Lion Guardians, Ewaso Lions, Wildlife Works, Zoological Society of London, Laikipia Wildlife Forum, Northern Rangeland Trust, Tsavo Trust, Lion Landscapes and Born Free Foundation. The community and private ranches and conservancies in Taita Taveta, Laikipia, Samburu, Marsabit, Isiolo and Meru Counties. Gratitude also goes to Moses Maloba and Grace Waiguchu (KWS) for offering technical support in GIS. We also thank all reviewers especially reviewer 2 for providing constructive feedback that greatly improved this manuscript.

Funding Information:
We thank the Kenya Wildlife Service, Lion Guardians and the Kenya Wildlife Trust for providing the data for this research. The survey carried out in 2017, 2018 and 2019 would not have been possible without the funding from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), World Wildlife Fund‐Kenya, Wildlife Conservation Network's Lion Recovery Fund, Liz Claiborne Art Ortenberg Foundation, the National Geographic Society, ICEA Lion Insurance Group and the African Wildlife Foundation. The survey would also not have been possible without the support of other non‐governmental organizations that provided the necessary support in terms of equipment and skilled staff: KWS, KWT, the Leo foundation, Lion Guardians, Ewaso Lions, Wildlife Works, Zoological Society of London, Laikipia Wildlife Forum, Northern Rangeland Trust, Tsavo Trust, Lion Landscapes and Born Free Foundation. The community and private ranches and conservancies in Taita Taveta, Laikipia, Samburu, Marsabit, Isiolo and Meru Counties. Gratitude also goes to Moses Maloba and Grace Waiguchu (KWS) for offering technical support in GIS. We also thank all reviewers especially reviewer 2 for providing constructive feedback that greatly improved this manuscript.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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