Secondary sexual characters signal fighting ability and determine social rank in Alpine ibex (Capra ibex)

Bergeron, Patrick; Grignolio, Stefano; Apollonio, Marco; Shipley, Bill; Festa-Bianchet, Marco

doi:10.1007/s00265-010-0944-x

Cited by 63 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Direct and indirect causal relationships between individual genetic variability and life-history traits are not easy to disentangle, and the effect of MLH on one trait may actually be mediated by some other trait. Indeed, the traits used to assess individual quality are often not independent: heavier males are presumably of higher quality, and they may also be able to afford to grow bigger horns [64]. Using confirmatory path analysis, we showed that the effect of MLH on horn growth was not direct, but was instead mediated by body mass and FEC: only high-quality males (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

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Direct and indirect causal effects of heterozygosity on fitness-related traits in Alpine ibex

Brambilla

Biebach

Bassano³

et al. 2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) are a useful tool to investigate the effects of inbreeding in wild populations, but are not informative in distinguishing between direct and indirect effects of heterozygosity on fitness-related traits. We tested HFCs in male Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) in a free-ranging population (which suffered a severe bottleneck at the end of the eighteenth century) and used confirmatory path analysis to disentangle the causal relationships between heterozygosity and fitness-related traits. We tested HFCs in 149 male individuals born between 1985 and 2009. We found that standardized multi-locus heterozygosity (MLH), calculated from 37 microsatellite loci, was related to body mass and horn growth, which are known to be important fitness-related traits, and to faecal egg counts (FECs) of nematode eggs, a proxy of parasite resistance. Then, using confirmatory path analysis, we were able to show that the effect of MLH on horn growth was not direct but mediated by body mass and FEC. HFCs do not necessarily imply direct genetic effects on fitness-related traits, which instead can be mediated by other traits in complex and unexpected ways.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Body mass and horn growth have an effect on the dominance status of male Alpine ibex [64], and therefore probably contribute to reproductive success [72]. Secondary sexual traits are also known to be honest signals of individual quality [58,73].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect causal effects of heterozygosity on fitness-related traits in Alpine ibex

Brambilla

Biebach

Bassano³

et al. 2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…Although older males are also expected to have increased access to females in ungulates with faster life-histories (Isvaran 2005) we expected male reproductive success to be more heavily biased towards older individuals in Alpine ibex than in these other species. Male Alpine ibex can adopt two different mating tactics during the rut (Willisch and Neuhaus 2009), but only dominant (typically older and fully grown; see also Bergeron et al 2010) males are able to monopolize access to receptive females by the use of a socalled 'tending' tactic. Subordinate individuals have to make use of an alternative mating tactic termed 'coursing' to obtain transient mating access to females Neuhaus 2009, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Male reproductive pattern in a polygynous ungulate with a slow life-history: the role of age, social status and alternative mating tactics

et al. 2011

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According to life-history theory age-dependent investments into reproduction are thought to co-vary with survival and growth of animals. In polygynous species, in which size is an important determinant of reproductive success, male reproduction via alternative mating tactics at young age are consequently expected to be the less frequent in species with higher survival. We tested this hypothesis in male Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), a highly sexually dimorphic mountain ungulate whose males have been reported to exhibit extremely high adult survival rates. Using data from two offspring cohorts in a population in the Swiss Alps, the effects of age, dominance and mating tactic on the likelihood of paternity were inferred within a Bayesian framework. In accordance with our hypothesis, reproductive success in male Alpine ibex was heavily biased towards older, dominant males that monopolized access to receptive females by adopting the 'tending' tactic, while success among young, subordinate males via the sneaking tactic 'coursing' was in general low and rare. In addition, we detected a high reproductive skew in male Alpine ibex, suggesting a large opportunity for selection. Compared with other ungulates with higher mortality rates, reproduction among young male Alpine ibex was much lower and more sporadic. Consistent with that, further examinations on the species level indicated that in polygynous ungulates the significance of early reproduction appears to decrease with increasing survival. Overall, this study supports the theory that survival prospects of males modulate the investments into reproduction via alternative mating tactics early in life. In the case of male Alpine ibex, the results indicate that their life-history strategy targets for long life, slow and prolonged growth and late reproduction.

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“…Coltman et al 2002;Mainguy et al 2008), horn size (e.g. Geist 1971Preston et al 2003;Bergeron et al 2010), body weight (e.g. Preston et al 2001;Pelletier and Festa-Bianchet 2006;Bergeron et al 2010) and testosterone (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Geist 1971Preston et al 2003;Bergeron et al 2010), body weight (e.g. Preston et al 2001;Pelletier and Festa-Bianchet 2006;Bergeron et al 2010) and testosterone (e.g. Pelletier et al 2003;Corlatti et al 2012;Martin et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Male ruff colour as a rank signal in a monomorphic-horned mammal: behavioural correlates

Lovari

Fattorini

Boesi

et al. 2015

Sci Nat

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Coexistence of individuals within a social group is possible through the establishment of a hierarchy. Social dominance is achieved through aggressive interactions, and, in wild sheep and goats, it is related mainly to age, body size and weapon size as rank signals. Adult male Himalayan tahr are much larger than females and subadult males. They have a prominent neck ruff, ranging in colour from yellow (5.5-9.5 years old, i.e. young adults, golden males) to brown (7.5-14.5 years old, i.e. older individuals, pale and dark brown males), with golden males being the most dominant. We investigated the social behaviour of male tahr and analysed the relationships between ruff colour, courtship and agonistic behaviour patterns during the rut. Colour classes varied in their use of several behaviour patterns (male dominance: approach, stare, horning vegetation; courtship: low stretch, naso-genital contact, rush). Golden-ruffed males used more threats than darker ones. Pale brown and dark brown males addressed threats significantly more often to males of lower or their own colour classes, respectively, whereas golden ones addressed threats to all colour classes, including their own. The courtship of dominant males was characterised by the assertive rush, whereas that of subordinates did not. Ruff colour of male Himalayan tahr may have evolved as a rank signal, homologous to horn size in wild sheep and goats.

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Secondary sexual characters signal fighting ability and determine social rank in Alpine ibex (Capra ibex)

Cited by 63 publications

References 54 publications

Direct and indirect causal effects of heterozygosity on fitness-related traits in Alpine ibex

Direct and indirect causal effects of heterozygosity on fitness-related traits in Alpine ibex

Male reproductive pattern in a polygynous ungulate with a slow life-history: the role of age, social status and alternative mating tactics

Male ruff colour as a rank signal in a monomorphic-horned mammal: behavioural correlates

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