Reproductive Behavior in Female Iberian Red Deer: Effects of Aggregation and Dispersion of Food

Sánchez-Prieto, Cristina B.; Carranza, Juan; Pulido, Fernando

doi:10.1644/bjk-122

Cited by 30 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Loud calls allow long range communication and are more effective than visual signals to advertise individual location, motivation and status to remote receivers (BRADBURY & VEHRENCAMP 1998). According to these findings, habitat type may not be a major determinant of rutting pattern, although it does affect the acoustic structure (frequencies) of calls (LONG et al 1998;REBY et al 1998;SÁNCHEZ-PRIETO et al 2004). It should be stressed that some factors not considered here, such as social ones, species ecology or human disturbance may be involved in roaring patterns as well.…”

Section: Roaring Rate: Daily Patternmentioning

confidence: 83%

Determinants of the acoustic behaviour of red deer during breeding in a wild alpine population, and implications for species survey

Bocci

Telford

Laiolo

2013

Ethology Ecology & Evolution

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A necessary step in the application of animal communication studies to population ecology involves quantitative descriptions of acoustic variation within individuals. Stereotypy is in fact fundamental to allow individual recognition based on call structure and, in turn, to establish the number of different calling individuals in a population (complementing censuses), or to track individuals through years by the acoustic characteristics of their signals (complementing monitoring). Here we centred on the acoustic behaviour of red deer stags during reproduction to analyze its ecological determinants and to test whether calls are individual specific. Scanty information is available on how day time and weather may affect red deer acoustic activity, and whether spectrotemporal analyses of calls could permit to discriminate among different individuals. We centred on roars, the loud repeated calls given by stags throughout the rut, in a mountainous forest habitat, over two rutting seasons. Significant inter-annual differences were found in the duration of the roaring period and in the magnitude of roaring rates. Roaring rate dropped in the wettest days, suggesting that counts by ear may be biased by changeable environmental conditions within and among breeding seasons. By analysing the spectrotemporal features of roars, we found that several spectro-temporal variables varied more among than within individuals. Discriminant analysis classified a posteriori the 72% of the calls to the individuals that uttered them, and the fundamental frequency was the acoustic parameter that best discriminated individuals. Therefore, in areas in which visual information is limited by habitat characteristics, surveys by ear should be performed in dry weather and over several nights to well cover the roaring period. This count method could be complemented by spectrografic analysis of Acoustic activity and stereotypy in red deer 53 stag call bouts to assist in censusing populations and reduce the probability of double counts when stags are moving.

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Section: Roaring Rate: Daily Patternmentioning

confidence: 83%

Determinants of the acoustic behaviour of red deer during breeding in a wild alpine population, and implications for species survey

Bocci

Telford

Laiolo

2013

Ethology Ecology & Evolution

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“…Many studies have concluded that the availability of food resources plays a key role in determining female home range size in mammals (e.g. Goldingay et al 2001;Ostfeld 1985;Sanchez-Prieto et al 2004). In tufted capuchin monkeys, Cebus apella nigritus, for example, fruit abundance and distribution were the most important factors determining home range size and use (Di Bitetti 2001).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Essentially, a female's reproductive success is limited by the access she has to the resources she needs in order to successfully raise young (Clutton-Brock and Vincent 1991). Resource availability can therefore be a key factor underlying much of the intraspeciWc variation in female distribution that occurs in mammal populations (Clutton-Brock and Harvey 1978;Davies 1991;Ims 1987;Ostfeld 1985;Sanchez-Prieto et al 2004). In turn, the spatio-temporal distribution of females often determines the spatial distribution of males because a male's reproductive success is usually limited only by the number of successful matings he can achieve (Altmann 1990;Clutton-Brock 1989;Clutton-Brock and Parker 1992;Mitani et al 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resource distribution influences mating system in the bobuck (Trichosurus cunninghami: Marsupialia)

Martin

2007

Oecologia

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Mammalian mating systems are thought to be shaped by the spatial distribution and abundance of key resources, which in turn influence the spacing behaviour of individuals. In particular, female home range size is predicted to reflect the availability of key resources. We documented the availability and distribution of food and shelter resources for two neighbouring populations of bobucks, or mountain brushtail possums, Trichosurus cunninghami, that were characterised by different mating systems: our "forest population" was socially monogamous, whereas the "roadside population" was polygynous. Both silver wattle, Acacia dealbata, the main food resource for bobucks, and den-trees, which provided shelter, occurred at significantly higher density at the roadside site. The pattern of distribution of these two resources also differed between the sites. Both food and den-trees were scattered evenly throughout the roadside habitat. In contrast, den-trees were located predominantly at one end of the forest site, while silver wattle trees were located at the other. There was no significant difference in the amount of silver wattle, or in the number of den-trees, located within the home ranges of individual females at the two sites. However, forest females had home ranges, on average, almost three times the size of those of roadside females. At the roadside site, the size of female home ranges varied inversely with the density of silver wattle, indicating that these females ranged over as large an area as necessary to gain access to sufficient silver wattle trees. There was no such relationship among forest females. These populations provide a clear example of resource distribution determining female home range size. This influenced the number of female home ranges a male's home range overlapped with, which in turn determined the mating system. Such clear links between resource availability and mating system have not previously been established in a marsupial.

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“…Red deer are highly polygynous and usually have a harem mating system (Clutton-Brock et al 1982a, b). In rarer cases, where food resources are clumped in space, red deer males may be territorial (Carranza et al 1995;Sa´nchez-Prieto et al 2004). In the case of harems, males herd females and compete among themselves for control of the resulting groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Female aggression in red deer: Does it indicate competition for mates?

Bebié

McElligott

2006

Mammalian Biology

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Female-female competition over mates is often considered of minor importance, particularly in polygynous species. In red deer (Cervus elaphus), female-female aggression within harems during the breeding season has not been studied to date. Herein, we examined if oestrous female red deer in harems show elevated aggression rates, compared to when they are in harems but not in oestrous, and also when they are in foraging groups outside of the breeding season. Any increased levels of aggression involving oestrous females, could indicate the potential for female-female competition for mates in this species. We found that aggressive interactions among female red deer were clearly evident. The most common forms of aggression were displacements, nose threats and kicking. Biting and ear threats occurred less frequently, and chases were rare. There were no differences in the proportion of the different aggression types in the three social contexts. More importantly, we found that the highest overall rates of aggression were for oestrous females in harems, and for females in foraging groups. The lowest rates of aggression were found in harems (when the focal female was not in oestrous). If high rates of aggression also occur when several females are simultaneously in oestrous within single harems, then it is possible that this aggression could affect either mate choice or mating order. These results suggest that female-female competition over mates could play a role in the mating behaviour of red deer.

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Reproductive Behavior in Female Iberian Red Deer: Effects of Aggregation and Dispersion of Food

Cited by 30 publications

References 26 publications

Determinants of the acoustic behaviour of red deer during breeding in a wild alpine population, and implications for species survey

Determinants of the acoustic behaviour of red deer during breeding in a wild alpine population, and implications for species survey

Resource distribution influences mating system in the bobuck (Trichosurus cunninghami: Marsupialia)

Female aggression in red deer: Does it indicate competition for mates?

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