Comparative Breeding Behavior and Performance of Yearling vs. Prime-Age White-Tailed Bucks

Ozoga, John J.; Verme, Louis J.

doi:10.2307/3801533

Cited by 67 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Because density was not correlated with population age structure and sex ratio, a possible effect of increased number of females was discarded as an explanation of more sub-adult males in rutting activities. These observations confirm instead the inability of sub-adults to form large harems (Ozoga & Verme, 1985) even when competition from older males is low. At least in PPNR, adult males outcompete subadults rapidly at defending a harem, this pattern being more pronounced with high adult sex ratios.…”

Section: Harem Size Harem Distribution and Age Structuresupporting

confidence: 69%

Variation in harem size of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.): the effects of adult sex ratio and age‐structure

et al. 2004

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The relationships among harem size, adult sex ratio (proportion of males > 5 years in the adult population, i.e. males > 5 years plus females > 2 years) and male age-structure of red deer Cervus elaphus were investigated in La Petite Pierre National Reserve (PPNR) in France. We tested whether: (1) increasing adult sex ratio leads to a decrease in harem size along with an increase in the number of harems within a given rut period; (2) whether participation of sub-adult males in mating activities increases with decreasing adult sex ratio, and as the proportion of adult males decreases. Harem size did not vary over the mating period, suggesting a high turnover of haremholders leading to an increase in the costs of mating for males. Harem size averaged 1.43 ± 0.91 and was lower than harem sizes typically reported for red deer (e.g. > 2.5 in Scotland and Norway). In support of the first prediction, a decrease in harem size and an increase in the total number of harems seen with an increasing sex ratio was observed (harem size = 2.08 − 1.26 [ ± 0.43] × (sex ratio); r 2 = 0.25, F 1,18 = 6.19, P = 0.02). Both the uniform distribution of females among harem stags and the small harem sizes observed in PPNR might concur to a smaller variance in male reproductive success than previously reported in red deer. Lastly, in partial support of the second prediction, the proportion of sub-adult males observed during the mating season decreased with increasing adult sex ratio and with increasing proportions of adult males. Whether or not the lower proportion of sub-adults seen when competition among mature males increases means that fewer young males mate cannot be assessed from our study.

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Section: Harem Size Harem Distribution and Age Structuresupporting

confidence: 69%

Variation in harem size of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.): the effects of adult sex ratio and age‐structure

et al. 2004

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“…We are thus the first to report a skew in sex ratio related to mate attractiveness for mammals and, apart from peacock (Petrie 1994), for species with no paternal feeding or territoriality. Two earlier studies in the wildlife management literature report a similar effect of male age (and hence size) on offspring sex ratio (Ozoga & Verme 1985;Saether et al 2004), but with no link to any evolutionary model for optimal sex ratio adjustment. If differential allocation occurs, mothers can either produce more male offspring and/or invest more in offspring once they are conceived.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate

et al. 2006

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Evolutionary models of sex ratio adjustment applied to mammals have ignored that females may gain indirect genetic benefits from their mates. The differential allocation hypothesis (DAH) predicts that females bias the sex ratio of their offspring towards (more costly) males when breeding with an attractive male. We manipulated the number of available males during rut in a polygynous ungulate species, the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), and found that a doubling of average male mass (and thus male attractiveness) in the breeding herd increased the proportion of male offspring from approximately 40 to 60%. Paternity analysis revealed indeed that males of high phenotypic quality sired more males, consistent with the DAH. This insight has consequences for proper management of large mammal populations. Our study suggests that harvesting, by generating a high proportion of young, small and unattractive mates, affects the secondary sex ratio due to differential allocation effects in females. Sustainable management needs to consider not only the direct demographic changes due to harvest mortality and selection, but also the components related to behavioural ecology and opportunities for female choice.

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“…Ralls 1971;Eisenberg and Kleiman 1972;Walther 1984). This signalling behaviour, which is commonly associated with reproductive activities, is performed more frequently by mature males (Ozoga and Verme 1985) and may serve for male-male advertisement, female attraction, or both (e.g. Miller et al 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Habitat modification when scent marking: shrub clearance by roe deer bucks

Carranza

Mateos-Quesada

2001

Oecologia

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Marking activities in many ungulate species involve some aggression directed towards the vegetation which usually affects the understorey layer. Roe deer bucks (Capreolus capreolus) usually defend mating territories within the forest, where they mark the vegetation and the ground by using chemical signals which are typically associated with the visual ones used. Here we describe the presence of roe-made clearings of about 2700 m average size which contained a clump of marks. Roe bucks affected the vegetation mainly by means of fraying and scratching with antlers around the stem of bushes, and defoliation by leaf-biting. The analysis of these activities suggests that their evolution may have been moulded by the effect of shrub clearing. Defoliation affecting more than 50% of leaves was only found within clearings. Also, fraying affected the whole perimeter of the stem and hence desiccated the bushes at higher rates within the clearings than outside. We found only one cleared area per male range, selectively located in a concave land formation. Producing a clump of scent marks within the mating territory may reduce the costs of scent marking, improve the effectiveness of scent guarding and fits well with the hypothesis of reliable scent matching by recipients. The concave shape of the clump, coupled with the cleared vegetation, may improve the perception of visual signals allowing for the location of scents. It is proposed that selection may favour the modification of the habitat as a component of roe deer marking behaviour, via its benefits in improving the broadcasting of visual signals associated with chemical ones.

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Comparative Breeding Behavior and Performance of Yearling vs. Prime-Age White-Tailed Bucks

Cited by 67 publications

References 17 publications

Variation in harem size of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.): the effects of adult sex ratio and age‐structure

Variation in harem size of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.): the effects of adult sex ratio and age‐structure

Male phenotypic quality influences offspring sex ratio in a polygynous ungulate

Habitat modification when scent marking: shrub clearance by roe deer bucks

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