Variations in fecundity with age and environment in olive baboons (Papio anubis)

Abstract

Ten years of reproductive data on a troop of savanna baboons (Papio anubis) demonstrated that females had an age-specific fecundity pattern similar to that of other mammals. Average yearly fecundity has also varied over the period of study and can be explained by variations in food abundance with interspecific competition from ungulate competitors, rather than by female age structure or density-dependent factors. The implications of age-specific fecundity for primate ecology, behavior, reproduction, and life-history strategies are discussed. The need to consider primate ecology within a broader community framework which includes human activity is also considered.