SOCIAL ASSEMBLAGES AND MATING RELATIONSHIPS IN PRAIRIE DOGS - A DNA FINGERPRINT ANALYSIS

Mating system characterizations have been hindered by difficulties in accurately assigning parentage to offspring. We investigated the relat ionship between social assemblages and mating relationships in a terri torial harem polygynous mammal, the Gunnison's prairie dog, using a co mbination of behavioral and molecular analyses. We demonstrate multipl e paternity and an extraordinarily high incidence of extraterritorial fertilizations (i.e., 61% of all progeny), in combination with the exi stence of female kin groups. On this basis, we conclude that social as semblages alone provide a poor description of the Gunnison's prairie d og mating system, and suggest several potential reasons for the mainte nance of territoriality in this species.