Growth and survival of juvenile yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)

Lenihan, Colleen; Vuren, Dirk Van

doi:10.1139/z96-037

Cited by 56 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The absence of heritability in juvenile alarm calls could be proximately associated with the strong effect of the day of the year. In their first year, marmots undergo rapid structural growth, and must put on two to three times their emergence body mass to have a good chance of surviving their first winter [55]. Vocalizations are influenced by physical structures, such as the size and shape of the vocal tract [56], suggesting strong acoustic consequences of rapid juvenile growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogenetic variation of heritability and maternal effects in yellow-bellied marmot alarm calls

Blumstein¹,

Nguyen

Martin

2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Individuals of many species produce distinctive vocalizations that may relay potential information about the signaller. The alarm calls of some species have been reported to be individually specific, and this distinctiveness may allow individuals to access the reliability or kinship of callers. While not much is known generally about the heritability of mammalian vocalizations, if alarm calls were individually distinctive to permit kinship assessment, then call structure should be heritable. Here, we show conclusively for the first time that alarm call structure is heritable. We studied yellow-bellied marmots ( Marmota flaviventris ) and made nine quantitative measurements of their alarm calls. With a known genealogy, we used the animal model (a statistical technique) to estimate alarm call heritability. In juveniles, only one of the measured variables had heritability significantly different from zero; however, most variables had significant maternal environmental effects. By contrast, yearlings and adults had no significant maternal environmental effects, but the heritability of nearly all measured variables was significantly different from zero. Some, but not all of these heritable effects were significantly different across age classes. The presence of significantly non-zero maternal environmental effects in juveniles could reflect the impact of maternal environmental stresses on call structure. Regardless of this mechanism, maternal environmental effects could permit kinship recognition in juveniles. In older animals, the substantial genetic basis of alarm call structure suggests that calls could be used to assess kinship and, paradoxically, might also suggest a role of learning in call structure.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogenetic variation of heritability and maternal effects in yellow-bellied marmot alarm calls

Blumstein¹,

Nguyen

Martin

2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Low survival in 1981 was the consequence of heavy badger predation that resulted in the disappearance of at least 25 young and three adults (Armitage 2004). Overwinter survival is poor for young hibernating at lower mass (Lenihan and Van Vuren 1996). Poor growth is associated with weather factors, especially low summer rainfall and long winters (Armitage 1994, Schwartz andArmitage 2002) or with late weaning, which does not provide sufficient time for adequate mass gain before the vegetation senesces (Armitage et al 1976, Van Vuren andArmitage 1991).…”

Section: Fig 5 Life-table Response Experiments (Ltre) Analysis Of Spmentioning

confidence: 99%

Yellow-Bellied Marmot Population Dynamics: Demographic Mechanisms of Growth and Decline

Oli

Armitage

2004

Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Multiple environmental factors may act synergistically to influence demographic characteristics, and ultimately the dynamics, of biological populations. Using prospective and retrospective analyses of demographic data from a 40-year study of individually marked animals, we investigated the demographic mechanisms of the temporal and spatial dynamics of a yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) population. Prospective elasticity analyses indicated juvenile survival (P j ) would have the largest relative influence on the projected population growth rate (). Relative magnitudes of elasticities did not differ between years characterized by positive ( Ͼ 1.0) and negative ( Ͻ 1.0) population growth. However, retrospective analyses of a life table response experiment (LTRE) revealed that changes in fertility (F), followed by age of first reproduction (␣) made the largest contributions to observed annual changes in . Changes in F and ␣ made the largest contributions to annual declines in , whereas changes in P j also were important to cause increases in . Population dynamic differences among marmot colonies were due primarily to spatial variations in ␣ and P j . Our results indicate that changes in reproductive parameters (␣ and F) primarily drive the temporal dynamics of our study population, and that demographic mechanisms of population increases might differ from those of population declines. Studies of the regulation of yellow-bellied marmot populations should focus on the factors or processes influencing reproductive parameters.

show abstract

“…Most hibernation-related mortality appeared to result from a complex interaction between physiological condition and length of winter (Armitage & Downhower, 1974;Schwartz & Armitage, in press b). Young and adults of low mass at entry into hibernation were unlikely to survive (Armitage et al, 1976;Armitage, 1994;Lenihan & Van Vuren, 1996). Survival of young and of adults was greater when winter terminated early (Armitage & Downhower, 1974).…”

Section: Sources Of Mortalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

A 32‐year demography of yellow‐bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris)

1998

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Yellow-bellied marmots Marmota¯aviventris in the East River Valley of Colorado were live-trapped and individually marked annually from 1962 through 1993. These pooled data were used to produce a demography and life table for these years. Females had signi®cantly better survivorship than males beyond the ®rst-year age class, and the sex ratio became progressively female biased. The major mortality factors of predation and unsuccessful hibernation acted evenly on all age classes as shown by the constant rates of survivorship. The rate of senescence indicated that the probability of mortality did not increase with age. Females produced litters from ages 2 to 10 years. Mean litter size was 4.1 and did not differ among age classes. The female generation length of 4.49 years was 2.4 times the life expectancy and the median survivorship. The net reproductive rate (R o ) was 0.67, yet the population did not continually decline; adjustments to these data increased R o to 0.85. Reproductive values (V x ) were approximately equal across the reproductive age classes. The polygynous mating system is both cause and effect of the demography. Marmot population size is affected by weather factors that in¯uence reproduction and survival, by predation, and by movement into and out of the study area.

show abstract

Growth and survival of juvenile yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris)

Cited by 56 publications

References 41 publications

Ontogenetic variation of heritability and maternal effects in yellow-bellied marmot alarm calls

Ontogenetic variation of heritability and maternal effects in yellow-bellied marmot alarm calls

Yellow-Bellied Marmot Population Dynamics: Demographic Mechanisms of Growth and Decline

A 32‐year demography of yellow‐bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About