OPUS: Snythesis of the behavior, population, community and disease ecology of African lions

This award will support a synthesis of thirty-six years of research on African lions, focusing on how body size and habitat have molded the ecology and evolution of this unusually cooperative mammalian species. Large body size allows lions to dominate competing, carnivore species and to monopolize the best locations for ambushing prey. The distribution of these valuable hunting sites is limited to a few key areas in savanna landscapes, resulting in intense competition between neighbors, and ultimately in the evolution of cooperative behavior and group living. This synthesis will address whether lions' cooperative behavior can most profitably be understood as the product of the differential survival and reproduction of individuals or of entire social groups. The work will also assess the impact of lions on the population sizes of competing carnivore species, on the population sizes of the lions' preferred prey, and on the savanna vegetation consumed by these herbivores.

This project will produce a book to be published by the University of Chicago Press and written in a manner accessible for the general public. The book will include chapters that address how lion behavior and ecology increases the risk of their becoming cattle killers and man-eaters, and how to use this knowledge to design appropriate strategies for mitigating human-lion conflicts. The synthesis of information on this topic will be invaluable in designing effective conservation strategies for this iconic species.