Social factors influencing reproduction in wild lions

This early study documented how takeovers of prides by new male coalitions are followed by the death of dependent cubs, and how females then return to estrus and breed with the incoming males. By tracing the consequences of male turnover for female reproduction, it provided field evidence for sexually selected infanticide in lions and explained why females synchronize breeding and form crches to defend cubs collectively. The work connected the instability of male tenure to the reproductive scheduling of females, showing that pride dynamics are shaped by the recurring threat of takeover. It became a classic reference for understanding infanticide as an adaptive male strategy and the female counter-strategies that follow, themes central to interpreting the boom-and-bust cycles of cub survival that long-term lion watchers observe.