Horn growth patterns in Alpine chamois

Corlatti, Luca; Gugiatti, Alessandro; Imperio, Simona

doi:10.1016/j.zool.2015.01.003

Cited by 20 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(48 reference statements)

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“…We then fitted a linear model to regress the cumulative length of horn segments L3–L5 (response variable) against the length of the second horn segment (L2) corrected for cohort and age, with population fitted as categorical predictor. Since all models were conceptually developed prior to analyses, following the methodological framework used in previous studies (Alpine ibex: Toïgo et al, ; chamois: Corlatti et al, ; Kavčić et al, ), we did not use any model selection procedure.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In these species, individuals with relatively shorter horns in early life tend invest more in horn development in later years, that is, they show partial compensatory horn growth (Rughetti & Festa-Bianchet, 2010). This mechanism of counter-selection reduces individual heterogeneity in weapon growth, thus leading to horn length distributions with relatively shorter tails (Corlatti, Gugiatti, & Imperio, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contrasting patterns of sexually selected traits in Mediterranean and continental populations of European mouflon

Kavčić

Corlatti

Safner

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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The expression of sexually selected traits in highly dimorphic ungulates may be influenced by environmental quality. Variations in habitat conditions can impose different constraints on the allocation of energy resources to male life‐history traits, and possibly alter the female preferences for specific features. Here, we compared the horn growth patterns in male European mouflon Ovis aries musimon living in different habitats (Mediterranean vs. continental) but sharing a common genetic origin. We hypothesized that the expression of sexually selected traits such as horn development should be promoted in more favorable habitat conditions (i.e., Mediterranean). Using linear mixed models on data retrieved from individuals harvested under the same hunting regime, we found longer horns and greater individual variance in horn segment length in the Mediterranean population than in the continental one. Furthermore, Mediterranean rams showed no evidence of compensatory horn growth, as opposed to the continental rams. Unexpectedly, horn base circumference was greater in the continental habitat than in the Mediterranean one. The overall results suggest different patterns of investment in horns in the two populations, with seemingly stronger pressure and consequences of sexual selection on mouflon rams living in more favorable environments. Although the role of hunters' selectivity cannot be excluded a priori, our data suggest that the differences in the expression of sexually selected traits in our study populations may be influenced by environmental conditions. Because sexual selection can impose substantial fitness costs on individuals, further investigations on the trade‐offs between reproduction and survival would improve our understanding of the dynamics of mouflon populations living in different environmental conditions.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrasting patterns of sexually selected traits in Mediterranean and continental populations of European mouflon

Kavčić

Corlatti

Safner

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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“…For Sondrio, we used the same dataset as Corlatti, Gugiatti, et al. (), which consisted of 194 individuals ≥3 years of age (101 males and 93 females) legally shot during the hunting seasons of 2009 and 2010. The age at death was set at x.5 years, because all individuals were shot between September and November, during about the sixth month of their current year of life.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We expect that trade‐offs between early horn growth and natural survival should be easier to detect in chamois than in highly dimorphic mountain ungulates. Individual heterogeneity, in fact, does not significantly affect the global pattern of horn growth in either sex in chamois: The absence of significant individual‐specific horn growth trajectories, in turn, may limit the occurrence of positive covariation between these fitness components (Corlatti, Gugiatti, et al., ). Specifically, we predict that the two sexes have similar trade‐offs: Females should show a weak negative relationship between early horn growth and survival (Bleu et al., ) because of the costs of early reproduction (Rughetti & Festa‐Bianchet, ); males should show a weak negative relationship because horns are under weak pressure of sexual selection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does selection on horn length of males and females differ in protected and hunted populations of a weakly dimorphic ungulate?

Corlatti

Storch

Filli

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Weaponry in ungulates may be costly to grow and maintain, and different selective pressures in males and females may lead to sex‐biased natural survival. Sexual differences in the relationship between weapon growth and survival may increase under anthropogenic selection through culling, for example because of trophy hunting. Selection on weaponry growth under different scenarios has been largely investigated in males of highly dimorphic ungulates, for which survival costs (either natural or hunting related) are thought to be greatest. Little is known, however, about the survival costs of weaponry in males and females of weakly dimorphic species. We collected information on horn length and age at death/shooting of 407 chamois Rupicapra rupicapra in a protected population and in two hunted populations with different hunting regimes, to explore sexual differences in the selection on early horn growth under contrasting selective pressures. We also investigated the variation of horn growth and body mass in yearling males (n = 688) and females (n = 539) culled in one of the hunted populations over 14 years. The relationship between horn growth and survival showed remarkable sexual differences under different evolutionary scenarios. Within the protected population, under natural selection, we found no significant trade‐off in either males or females. Under anthropogenic pressure, selection on early horn growth of culled individuals showed diametrically opposed sex‐biased patterns, depending on the culling regime and hunters’ preferences. Despite the selective bias between males and females in one of the hunted populations, we did not detect significant sex‐specific differences in the long‐term pattern of early growth. The relationship between early horn growth and natural survival in either sex might suggest stabilizing selection on horn size in chamois. Selection through culling can be strongly sex‐biased also in weakly dimorphic species, depending on hunters’ preferences and hunting regulations, and long‐term data are needed to reveal potential undesirable evolutionary consequences.

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“…Basic information of the individuals was also registered, including ocular signs, sex, age based on the annual horn segments for chamois and mouflon [34], date and location. Geographic coordinates were also recorded in PyFS from 2012 to 2015.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term dynamics of Mycoplasma conjunctivae at the wildlife-livestock interface in the Pyrenees

et al. 2017

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Functional roles of domestic and wild host populations in infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) epidemiology have been extensively discussed claiming a domestic reservoir for the more susceptible wild hosts, however, based on limited data. With the aim to better assess IKC epidemiology in complex host-pathogen alpine systems, the long-term infectious dynamics and molecular epidemiology of Mycoplasma conjunctivae was investigated in all host populations from six study areas in the Pyrenees and one in the Cantabrian Mountains (Northern Spain). Detection of M. conjunctivae was performed by qPCR on 3600 eye swabs collected during seven years from hunted wild ungulates and sympatric domestic sheep (n = 1800 animals), and cluster analyses of the strains were performed including previous reported local strains. Mycoplasma conjunctivae was consistently detected in three Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra p. pyrenaica) populations, as well as in sheep flocks (17.0% of sheep) and occasionally in mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) from the Pyrenees (22.2% in one year/area); statistically associated with ocular clinical signs only in chamois. Chamois populations showed different infection dynamics with low but steady prevalence (4.9%) and significant yearly fluctuations (0.0%– 40.0%). Persistence of specific M. conjunctivae strain clusters in wild host populations is demonstrated for six and nine years. Cross-species transmission between chamois and sheep and chamois and mouflon were also sporadically evidenced. Overall, independent M. conjunctivae sylvatic and domestic cycles occurred at the wildlife-livestock interface in the alpine ecosystems from the Pyrenees with sheep and chamois as the key host species for each cycle, and mouflon as a spill-over host. Host population characteristics and M. conjunctivae strains resulted in different epidemiological scenarios in chamois, ranging from the fading out of the mycoplasma to the epidemic and endemic long-term persistence. These findings highlight the capacity of M. conjunctivae to establish diverse interactions and persist in host populations, also with different transmission conditions.

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Horn growth patterns in Alpine chamois

Cited by 20 publications

References 32 publications

Contrasting patterns of sexually selected traits in Mediterranean and continental populations of European mouflon

Contrasting patterns of sexually selected traits in Mediterranean and continental populations of European mouflon

Does selection on horn length of males and females differ in protected and hunted populations of a weakly dimorphic ungulate?

Long-term dynamics of Mycoplasma conjunctivae at the wildlife-livestock interface in the Pyrenees

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