Interbirth intervals in wild baboons: environmental predictors and hormonal correlates

Objectives: Interbirth intervals (IBIs) are a key metric of female reproductive success; understanding how they are regulated by environmental, social, and demographic factors can provide insight into sources of variance in female fitness. Materials and Methods: Using 36 years of reproductive data on 490 IBIs for 160 wild female baboons, we identified sources of variance in the duration of IBIs and of their component phases: postpartum amenorrhea (PPA), sexual cycling, and pregnancy. We also examined how body fat and fecal hormone concentrations varied during female IBI.
Results: We found that IBIs tended to be shorter (reproduction was accelerated) when female traits and environmental variables promoted energy acquisition, but with different specific effects for different component phases of the IBI. We also found that females lost a substantial amount of body fat during PPA, indicating that PPA imposes accumulating energetic costs as it progresses. Prior to cycle resumption females b...