Fluctuating food resources influence developmental plasticity in wild boar

Abstract

To maximize long-term average reproductive success, individuals can diversify the phenotypes of offspring produced within a reproductive event by displaying the 'coin-flipping' tactic. Wild boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) females have been reported to adopt this tactic. However, whether the magnitude of developmental plasticity within a litter depends on stochasticity in food resources has not been yet investigated. From long-term monitoring, we found that juvenile females produced similar-sized fetuses within a litter independent of food availability. By contrast, adult females adjusted their relative allocation to littermates to the amount of food resources, by providing a similar allocation to all littermates in years of poor food resources but producing highly diversified offspring phenotypes within a litter in years of abundant food resources. By minimizing sibling rivalry, such a plastic reproductive tactic allows adult wild boar females to maximize the number of littermates for a given breeding event.

Wild boar populations up, numbers of hunters down? A review of trends and implications for Europe

“…Wild boar reproductive rates are significantly affected by food availability; the fact that sows can maximise reproductive success by adjusting their relative allocation to littermates in relation to the amount of food available could also contribute to population growth …”

“…With regard to hunters, these strategies could include identifying and addressing the reasons for lack of retention of hunters and promotion of hunter recruitment . Preventing further wild boar population growth will rely on shifting the focus of hunters towards specific age classes, involving other stakeholders as well as professional hunters, introducing more effective hunting methods and equipment and exploring the use of new tools for hunting. Moreover, educating the public in wild boar control and testing new methods such as fertility control in areas where hunting is unfeasible may assist in controlling wild boar.…”

Pollen limitation as a main driver of fruiting dynamics in oak populations

“…Whatever its evolutionary cause, masting leads to increased plant recruitment and thereby drives plant demography and the diversity of plant species in forest ecosystems. By impacting the seed consumer dynamics and evolution (Yang et al 2010;Venner et al 2011;Gamelon et al 2013;P elisson et al 2013;Rey et al 2015;Zwolak et al 2016) and through cascade effects, masting may even affect the whole forest community and all its forest ecosystem services (Crawley 2000;Ostfeld & Keesing 2000;Frey et al 2007; _ Zywiec et al 2013;Moreira et al 2016;Nussbaumer et al 2016). However, despite masting's substantial evolutionary, ecological and societal effects, the proximate causes of masting are still poorly understood.…”

The influence of environmental and physiological factors on the litter size of wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) in an agriculture dominated area in Germany

“…On the other hand, it has by far the highest reproductive potential and fecundity of all ungulate species world-wide in relation to its body mass (Boitani et al, 1995b;Focardi et al, 2008;Fonseca et al, 2011;Gaillard et al, 1993;Servanty et al, 2009), so that it can reach high population densities within a very short time period (Geisser and Reyer, 2005). Additionally, it is also an opportunistic omnivore with a high adaptability to changing environmental conditions (Baubet et al, 2004;Gamelon et al, 2013;Schley and Roper, 2003;Servanty et al, 2011).…”