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In group-living species, reproductive competition can occur through post-natal competition among the offspring of co-breeding females. Spontaneous abortion could be a response to such competition, allowing females to curtail reproductive expenditure on offspring that are unlikely to survive and to conserve resources for future breeding opportunities. We tested this hypothesis using long-term data on banded mongooses, Mungos mungo, in which multiple females within a group give birth synchronously to a communal litter that is cared for by other group members. As predicted, abortions were more likely during dry periods when food is scarce, and in breeding attempts with more intense reproductive competition. Within breeding events, younger, lighter females carrying smaller fetuses were more likely to abort, particularly those that were also of lower rank. Our results suggest that abortion may be a means by which disadvantaged females conserve resources for future breeding attempts in more benign conditions, and highlight that female reproductive competition may be resolved long before the production of offspring.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1098\/rsbl.2019.0529","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,12,4]],"date-time":"2019-12-04T03:06:30Z","timestamp":1575428790000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1098\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Spontaneous abortion as a response to reproductive conflict in the banded mongoose"],"prefix":"10.1098","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"E.","family":"Inzani","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK 1","department":["Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter,"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2120-243X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"H. H.","family":"Marshall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK 1","department":["Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter,"]},{"name":"London, UK 2","department":["Centre for Research in Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour, University of Roehampton,"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"F. J.","family":"Thompson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK 1","department":["Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter,"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G.","family":"Kalema-Zikusoka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Entebbe, Uganda 3","department":["Conservation Through Public Health,"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1530-3077","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"M. 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