Do female roe deer in good condition produce more sons than daughters

Wauters, L. A.; Crombrugghe, S. A. de; Nour, Nadia; Matthysen, Erik

doi:10.1007/s002650050180

Cited by 20 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…Singleton litters were malebiased (60%) and, for most populations, more so when an individual female was in better condition. No correlation between the mother's body mass and fawn sex ratio in twin pregnancies and weak tendency towards male offspring in singleton litters by females in better condition contradict the findings of previous studies (Wauters, 1995;Hewison and Gaillard, 1996;.…”

Section: Doe Body Mass(kg) /contrasting

confidence: 57%

“…Effects of density also reflected in fawn sex ratio, as the proportion of male fawns was higher in the area of higher density (Focardi et al, 2002). However, there was no observed link between density and fawn sex ratio in studies done in Belgium (Wauters et al, 1995).…”

Section: Dejavniki Ki Vplivajo Na Razmnoževalnimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the basis of three Belgian populations, Wauters et al (1995) concluded that heavier adult females produced larger embryos than lighter or primiparous females. Male embryos grew faster than female siblings.…”

Section: Doe Body Mass(kg) /mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Phenotype (especially body mass) influences the sex ratio of the offspring (Wauters et al, 1995;Hewison andGaillard, 1996, 1999;Macdonald and Johnson, 2008). According to the hypothesis of Trivers and Willard (1973), females should vary the sex ratio of offspring in relation to their body condition.…”

Section: Doe Body Mass(kg) /mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to the hypothesis of Trivers and Willard (1973), females should vary the sex ratio of offspring in relation to their body condition. Females with better body condition should invest more into male offspring and females with poorer body condition more in female offspring (Wauters et al 1995). Recent studies suggest two alternatives or modifications to the hypothesis: (i) mothers do not allocate differently, but there is differential mortality of offspring, especially in mothers with poor condition (Clutton-Brock 1991), and (ii) there is a minimum body size (body mass) required for producing good quality sons because they are more demanding in growth (Arnbom et al 1994).…”

Section: Doe Body Mass(kg) /mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproductive potential of Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus L.)

Flajšman¹,

Jelenko²,

Poličnik³

et al. 2013

Acta Silvae et Ligni

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(1) Gozdarski inštitut Slovenije, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, katarina.flajsman@gozdis.si (2) ERICo Velenje, Inštitut za ekološke raziskave d.o.o., Koroška cesta 58, 3320 Velenje, ida.jelenko@erico.si (3) ERICo Velenje, Inštitut za ekološke raziskave d.o.o., Koroška cesta 58, 3320 Velenje, helena.policnik@erico.si (4) ERICo Velenje, Inštitut za ekološke raziskave d.o.o., Koroška cesta 58, 3320 Velenje; Visoka šola za varstvo okolja, Trg mladosti 2, 3320 Velenje; Gozdarski inštitut Slovenije, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, bostjan.pokorny@erico.si ABSTRACTEuropean roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) is the most important game-management species not only in Slovenia but also in other European countries. For effective game management it is crucial to have an understanding of the ecology and population parameters that shape the population dynamics of the species. Knowledge about the variability of its reproductive potential, i.e. the proportion of fertilized females, litter size and fawn sex ratio, apart from the parameters that are already in use, would be very beneficial for methods of control as it could lead to more efficient adaptive game management, including proper planning of culling measures. Factors affecting the reproductive potential of roe deer include individual (particularly maternal phenotype, i.e. body size, body mass, physical condition), population (e.g. population density, demographic structure, social stress, genetics) and environmental characteristics (habitat quality, weather conditions, interspecific interactions, etc.). The final output of reproductive potential is the sum of all influencing factors and several combinations between them and therefore varies among different populations and environments. Higher densities can lower roe deer fertility rates and furthermore number of fawns per doe. Litter size is influenced by doe's body mass, as heavier females have more fawns in a litter. There are some contradictory findings in studies of sex ratio variation in connection to female body mass. Litter size can also be influenced by age of does, as primiparous females have smaller litters than adults, but also decreases with animal senescence. Roe deer populations from northern environments (Scandinavia) have higher body masses and larger litters than those from the south (e.g. Italy, Spain), which shows the importance of environment for roe deer reproduction. However, in Slovenia this issue has been neglected until now. In the following report we present an overview of the recent European research on factors affecting the fertility and reproductive potential of roe deer. Similar research in Slovenia would also be valuable, as roe deer is exposed to various environmental factors in this area. In addition, it is also involved in unique interspecific interactions that have not been studied in recent foreign research. Furthermore, Slovene distinguishing databases provide an outstanding platform for proficient understanding of different effects on roe deer yield in Central Europe.Key words: roe deer, re...

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Section: Doe Body Mass(kg) /contrasting

confidence: 57%

Section: Dejavniki Ki Vplivajo Na Razmnoževalnimentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Doe Body Mass(kg) /mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Doe Body Mass(kg) /mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Doe Body Mass(kg) /mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Reproductive potential of Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus L.)

Flajšman¹,

Jelenko²,

Poličnik³

et al. 2013

Acta Silvae et Ligni

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Effect of male age structure on reproduction in white‐tailed deer

et al. 2019

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Selective harvest regimes that create female‐biased sex ratios can potentially lead to delayed breeding, reduced breeding synchrony, reduced productivity, and a female‐biased sex ratio of offspring. These resulting changes in breeding behavior and population dynamics have potential to adversely affect population growth. In 2002, Pennsylvania implemented harvest regulation changes that reduced deer density (increased harvest of antlerless deer) and increased the number and age of antlered deer (implemented antler point restriction regulations) that resulted in a less female‐biased sex ratio. We monitored date of conception, productivity (embryos/female), and sex ratio of embryos during 1999–2006 to test if timing of breeding occurred earlier and with greater synchrony, if productivity of females increased, and if the sex ratio of offspring would shift towards more males. Deer density decreased 23% and the adult (≥1.5 yr old) sex ratio declined from 2.30 to 1.95 females/male. The ratio of ≥2.5‐year‐old to 1.5‐year‐old males shifted towards more older males (1:3.7 in 2002 to 1:1.59 in 2006) and the ≥2.5‐year‐old male population increased from 41,853 during 1999–2001 to 54,064 by 2006. We found no evidence of any change in the timing or variability of date of conception, productivity, or offspring sex ratio. We conclude that harvest regulation changes implemented in Pennsylvania, USA, were insufficient to affect timing of breeding or population dynamics and that efforts by managers to identify a desired sex ratio or manipulate sex ratios to achieve management goals on a statewide scale will be challenging. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

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