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Behavioral Ecology Vol. 10 No. 5: 612-616
© 1999 International Society for Behavioral Ecology
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The evolution of reproductive systems in pinnipeds
Universidad Nacional de Luján and Organización PROFAUNA, Argentina
Received 25 January 1998; revised 16 September 1998; accepted 31 March 1999.
Key words: breeding system, evolution, Otariidae, phocidae, pinnipeds, reproductive behavior.
The order Pinnipedia is the only mammalian group that shows a combination
of marine feeding and terrestrial breeding
(Bartholomew, 1970
). This order
comprises three families: Otariidae, Phocidae, and Odobenidae. The latter
group contains only the walrus Odobenus rosmarus, whose behavior has
been poorly investigated (Renouf,
1991) and thus will not be considered here.
Table 1 summarizes the
characteristics of the mating systems of otariids and phocids. In both groups,
males play no role in rearing offspring, and the mating system is defined in
terms of the degree of female monopolization by males
(Boness et al., 1993). In most
pinnipeds, parturition and mating are seasonal and highly synchroniszed
(Stirling, 1975).
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Otariids are among the most sexually dimorphic mammals, and breeding
females are particularly gregarious
(Bartholomew, 1970). Their
mating system has been characterized as extreme polygyny, based on
observations
Predation risk as determinant of female aggregation
Mate choice as determinant of female aggregation
Male harassment as determinant of female aggregation
Male harassment and mating substrate
The evolutionary consequences of male harassment
Phocids that copulate on land
Conclusions
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
REFERENCES
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