Sexual size dimorphism in bighorn sheep (&lt;i&gt;Ovis canadensis&lt;/i&gt;): effects of population density

LeBlanc, Mylène; Festa-Bianchet, Marco; Jorgenson, Jon T.

doi:10.1139/cjz-79-9-1661

Cited by 55 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is likely that, because of their larger body mass and stronger immune systems, adults are able to withstand greater burdens than young animals. Furthermore, since it is known that ewes are flexible in their resource allocation patterns (LeBlanc et al 2001), it is possible that adults are more flexible in this regard than young animals and, although parasites also influence adult maternal condition, these effects are not great enough in adults to be passed on to influence the gestating or growing lamb which may take priority over self-maintenance (Coop & Kyriazakis 1999).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of early survival in Soay sheep: cohort-, maternal- and individual-level variation

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A demographic understanding of population dynamics requires an appreciation of the processes influencing survival--a demographic rate influenced by parameters varying at the individual, maternal and cohort level. There have been few attempts to partition the variance in demography contributed by each of these parameter types. Here, we use data from a feral population of Soay sheep (Ovis aries), from the island of St Kilda, to explore the relative importance of these parameter types on early survival. We demonstrate that the importance of variation occurring at the level of the individual, and maternally, far outweighs that occurring at the cohort level. The most important variables within the individual and maternal levels were birth weight and maternal age class, respectively. This work underlines the importance of using individual based models in ecological demography and we, therefore, caution against studies that focus solely on population processes.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of early survival in Soay sheep: cohort-, maternal- and individual-level variation

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Dimorphism in size decreases as a consequence of the greater sensitivity of males to food limitation (Clutton-Brock et al 1982;Leberg & Smith 1993;Ashley et al 1998;LeBlanc et al 2001). Body growth rate of the Mesola red deer was slower than that of the other European populations.…”

Section: Mature Adults Young Adults Subadults Yearlingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphometric characterization of Mesola red deerCervus elaphus italicus(Mammalia: Cervidae)

Mattioli¹,

Ferretti²

2014

Italian Journal of Zoology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The red deer of the Bosco Mesola Nature Reserve (northern Italy) constitute a population with relevance for zoogeography, genetics and conservation. We have analysed morphometrics of Mesola red deer (body weight, craniometry, stature, antler conformation and size) over a c. 30 year period , to (i) describe in detail their physical traits, (ii) compare them with those of other European populations and (iii) assess the effects of conservation actions on biometric measures of individuals. Mesola red deer were on average 15-50% lighter and at least 8-15% smaller than other European red deer. The sexual size dimorphism was low and significant only for adults. Body growth rate was also slower than that of the other European populations. While the average relative production of antler bone tissue appeared not to be different from that of other European red deer, antlers of Mesola stags were small and scarcely branched, with short trez tines. Bez tine and crown were rare and present almost exclusively in fully mature stags (2.2 and 3.6% of antler beams in adult stags, respectively). Environmental improvements led to significant favourable effects on antler size and complexity. All observed individuals had a distinct but slight spotting of the summer coat. These morphological characteristics, coupled with genetic peculiarities, make the Mesola red deer unique, deserving special protection.

show abstract

Early growth, dominance acquisition and lifetime reproductive success in male and female cooperative meerkats

English

Huchard

Nielsen

et al. 2013

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In polygynous species, variance in reproductive success is higher in males than females. There is consequently stronger selection for competitive traits in males and early growth can have a greater influence on later fitness in males than in females. As yet, little is known about sex differences in the effect of early growth on subsequent breeding success in species where variance in reproductive success is higher in females than males, and competitive traits are under stronger selection in females. Greater variance in reproductive success has been documented in several singular cooperative breeders. Here, we investigated consequences of early growth for later reproductive success in wild meerkats. We found that, despite the absence of dimorphism, females who exhibited faster growth until nutritional independence were more likely to become dominant, whereas early growth did not affect dominance acquisition in males. Among those individuals who attained dominance, there was no further influence of early growth on dominance tenure or lifetime reproductive success in males or females. These findings suggest that early growth effects on competitive abilities and fitness may reflect the intensity of intrasexual competition even in sexually monomorphic species.

show abstract

Sexual size dimorphism in bighorn sheep (<i>Ovis canadensis</i>): effects of population density

Cited by 55 publications

References 0 publications

Predictors of early survival in Soay sheep: cohort-, maternal- and individual-level variation

Predictors of early survival in Soay sheep: cohort-, maternal- and individual-level variation

Morphometric characterization of Mesola red deerCervus elaphus italicus(Mammalia: Cervidae)

Early growth, dominance acquisition and lifetime reproductive success in male and female cooperative meerkats

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About