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Tyler NJC, Post E, Hazlerigg DG. Weak coupling between energetic status and the timing of reproduction in an Arctic ungulate. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6352. [PMID: 38491083 PMCID: PMC11322327 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56550-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Bioenergetic constraints are the ultimate determinant of the timing of reproduction, and seasonal breeding is consequently a widely observed trait. Consistent with this, attention has focused on plasticity in reproductive phenology conceptualized as a response to concomitant advances in the phenology of the environmental energy supply caused by climate change. Few studies, however, have directly compared timing of reproduction with energetic status in free-living wild animals. Here we demonstrate that neither body mass nor adiposity are strong proximate predictors of date of conception in wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). Weak coupling between energetic status and the phenology of reproduction accounts for the increasing discrepancy between the phenology of forage (energy supply) and the phenology of reproduction (energy demand) observed across the last 2-4 decades in two populations of this species. The results emphasise that phenological plasticity is not a passive response to changes in energy supply but derives from the way in which environmental factors interact with the core control mechanisms that govern timing. Central in this respect is integration, within the rheostatic centres of the hypothalamus, of information on nutritional status with the circannual life-history calendar.
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Affiliation(s)
- N J C Tyler
- Centre for Saami Studies, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037, Tromsø, Norway.
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand.
| | - E Post
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, UC Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - D G Hazlerigg
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037, Tromsø, Norway
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2
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Oosthuizen WC, Pistorius PA, Bester MN, Altwegg R, de Bruyn PJN. Reproductive phenology is a repeatable, heritable trait linked to the timing of other life-history events in a migratory marine predator. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231170. [PMID: 37464761 PMCID: PMC10354465 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Population-level shifts in reproductive phenology in response to environmental change are common, but whether individual-level responses are modified by demographic and genetic factors remains less well understood. We used mixed models to quantify how reproductive timing varied across 1772 female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) breeding at Marion Island in the Southern Ocean (1989-2019), and to identify the factors that correlate with phenological shifts within and between individuals. We found strong support for covariation in the timing of breeding arrival dates and the timing of the preceding moult. Breeding arrival dates were more repeatable at the individual level, as compared with the population level, even after accounting for individual traits (wean date as a pup, age and breeding experience) associated with phenological variability. Mother-daughter similarities in breeding phenology were also evident, indicating that additive genetic effects may contribute to between-individual variation in breeding phenology. Over 30 years, elephant seal phenology did not change towards earlier or later dates, and we found no correlation between annual fluctuations in phenology and indices of environmental variation. Our results show how maternal genetic (or non-genetic) effects, individual traits and linkages between cyclical life-history events can drive within- and between-individual variation in reproductive phenology.
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Affiliation(s)
- W C Oosthuizen
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
- Marine Apex Predator Research Unit, Institute for Coastal and Marine Research and Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha 6031, South Africa
| | - P A Pistorius
- Marine Apex Predator Research Unit, Institute for Coastal and Marine Research and Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha 6031, South Africa
| | - M N Bester
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - R Altwegg
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - P J N de Bruyn
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
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3
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Prather RM, Dalton RM, barr B, Blumstein DT, Boggs CL, Brody AK, Inouye DW, Irwin RE, Martin JGA, Smith RJ, Van Vuren DH, Wells CP, Whiteman HH, Inouye BD, Underwood N. Current and lagged climate affects phenology across diverse taxonomic groups. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222181. [PMID: 36629105 PMCID: PMC9832555 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The timing of life events (phenology) can be influenced by climate. Studies from around the world tell us that climate cues and species' responses can vary greatly. If variation in climate effects on phenology is strong within a single ecosystem, climate change could lead to ecological disruption, but detailed data from diverse taxa within a single ecosystem are rare. We collated first sighting and median activity within a high-elevation environment for plants, insects, birds, mammals and an amphibian across 45 years (1975-2020). We related 10 812 phenological events to climate data to determine the relative importance of climate effects on species' phenologies. We demonstrate significant variation in climate-phenology linkage across taxa in a single ecosystem. Both current and prior climate predicted changes in phenology. Taxa responded to some cues similarly, such as snowmelt date and spring temperatures; other cues affected phenology differently. For example, prior summer precipitation had no effect on most plants, delayed first activity of some insects, but advanced activity of the amphibian, some mammals, and birds. Comparing phenological responses of taxa at a single location, we find that important cues often differ among taxa, suggesting that changes to climate may disrupt synchrony of timing among taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M. Prather
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Rebecca M. Dalton
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, USA
| | - billy barr
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Carol L. Boggs
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
| | - Alison K. Brody
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
| | - David W. Inouye
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Rebecca E. Irwin
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Julien G. A. Martin
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 9A7
| | - Rosemary J. Smith
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209, USA
| | - Dirk H. Van Vuren
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Caitlin P. Wells
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Howard H. Whiteman
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Murray State University, Murray, KY 42071, USA
| | - Brian D. Inouye
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Nora Underwood
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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4
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Van de Walle J, Larue B, Pigeon G, Pelletier F. Different proxies, different stories? Imperfect correlations and different determinants of fitness in bighorn sheep. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9582. [PMID: 36514553 PMCID: PMC9731912 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Measuring individual fitness empirically is required to assess selective pressures and predicts evolutionary changes in nature. There is, however, little consensus on how fitness should be empirically estimated. As fitness proxies vary in their underlying assumptions, their relative sensitivity to individual, environmental, and demographic factors may also vary. Here, using a long-term study, we aimed at identifying the determinants of individual fitness in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) using seven fitness proxies. Specifically, we compared four-lifetime fitness proxies: lifetime breeding success, lifetime reproductive success, individual growth rate, individual contribution to population growth, and three multi-generational proxies: number of granddaughters, individual descendance in the next generation, and relative genetic contribution to the next generation. We found that all proxies were positively correlated, but the magnitude of the correlations varied substantially. Longevity was the main determinant of most fitness proxies. Individual fitness calculated over more than one generation was also affected by population density and growth rate. Because they are affected by contrasting factors, our study suggests that different fitness proxies should not be used interchangeably as they may convey different information about selective pressures and lead to divergent evolutionary predictions. Uncovering the mechanisms underlying variation in individual fitness and improving our ability to predict evolutionary change might require the use of several, rather than one, the proxy of individual fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanie Van de Walle
- Biology DepartmentWoods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods HoleMassachusettsUSA
| | - Benjamin Larue
- Département de BiologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQuébecCanada
| | - Gabriel Pigeon
- Institut de recherche sur les forêtsUniversité du Québec en Abitibi‐TémiscamingueRouyn‐NorandaQuébecCanada
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de BiologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQuébecCanada
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Thel L, Chamaillé‐Jammes S, Bonenfant C. How to describe and measure phenology? An investigation on the diversity of metrics using phenology of births in large herbivores. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Thel
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5558, Université Lyon I Villeurbanne France
| | - Simon Chamaillé‐Jammes
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Montpellier France
- Mammal Research Inst., Dept of Zoology&Entomology, Univ. of Pretoria Pretoria South Africa
- LTSER France, Zone Atelier ‘Hwange', Hwange National Park Dete Zimbabwe
| | - Christophe Bonenfant
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5558, Université Lyon I Villeurbanne France
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Renaud LA, Festa-Bianchet M, Pelletier F. Testing the match-mismatch hypothesis in bighorn sheep in the context of climate change. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:21-32. [PMID: 34619002 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In species with long gestation, females commit to reproduction several months before parturition. If cues driving conception date are uncoupled from spring conditions, parturition could be mistimed. Mismatch may increase with global change if the rate of temporal changes in autumn cues differs from the rate of change in spring conditions. Using 17 years of data on climate and vegetation phenology, we show that autumn temperature and precipitation, but not vegetation phenology, explain parturition date in bighorn sheep. Although autumn cues drive the timing of conception, they do not predict conditions at parturition in spring. We calculated the mismatch between individual parturition date and spring green-up, assessed whether mismatch increased over time and investigated the consequences of mismatch on lamb neonatal survival, weaning mass and overwinter survival. Mismatch fluctuated over time but showed no temporal trend. Temporal changes in green-up date did not lead to major fitness consequence of mismatch. Detailed data on individually marked animals revealed no effect of mismatch on neonatal or overwinter survival, but lamb weaning mass was negatively affected by mismatch. Capital breeders might be less sensitive to mismatch than income breeders because they are less dependent on daily food acquisition. Herbivores in seasonal environments may access sufficient forage to sustain lactation before or after the spring 'peak' green-up, and partly mitigate the consequences of a mismatch. Thus, the effect of phenological mismatch on fitness may be affected by species life history, highlighting the complexity in quantifying trophic mismatches in the context of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limoilou-Amélie Renaud
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marco Festa-Bianchet
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Centre de la science de la biodiversité du Québec, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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7
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Hayama SI, Kawabata Y, Ochi A, Nakanishi S, Kawamoto Y, Yamazaki H. Reproductive characteristics of Japanese monkeys on Shimokita Peninsula, Japan, the northernmost habitat of wild primates in the world. J Vet Med Sci 2021; 83:1389-1394. [PMID: 34234069 PMCID: PMC8498827 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.21-0141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Shimokita Peninsula in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, which is inhabited by Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata), is the northernmost habitat for wild primates in the world.
This study was the first to determine the conception dates of specific individuals and estimate the pregnancy rate of wild populations in this region. The pregnancy rate of animals aged 5
years or more at delivery was estimated to be 40.9% (27/66). Conception dates of each fetus were also estimated using a regression line of Pig-tail monkeys (Macaca
nemestrina), which are taxonomically related to Japanese monkeys and have a similar physique. The conception dates were distributed across 90 days between September 24th and
December 23rd, with a mean conception date of November 4th (SD=22.3 days, n=53). Using these findings, the mean birth date was estimated as April 25th, more than two weeks earlier than the
mean birth date in previous research determined using direct observations carried out over the past 20 years ago. Global warming due to climate change is thought to be one of the main causes
of this difference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shin-Ichi Hayama
- Laboratory of Wildlife Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University
| | - Yuki Kawabata
- Laboratory of Wildlife Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University
| | - Aoi Ochi
- Laboratory of Wildlife Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University
| | - Setsuko Nakanishi
- Laboratory of Wildlife Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University
| | - Yoshi Kawamoto
- Laboratory of Wildlife Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University
| | - Hideharu Yamazaki
- Shimokita Peninsula Municipal Liaison Conference for Damage Control by Wild Monkeys
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Leu ST, Quiring K, Leggett KE, Griffith SC. Consistent behavioural responses to heatwaves provide body condition benefits in rangeland sheep. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2020.105204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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9
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Creech TG, Epps CW, Wehausen JD, Crowhurst RS, Jaeger JR, Longshore K, Holton B, Sloan WB, Monello RJ. Genetic and Environmental Indicators of Climate Change Vulnerability for Desert Bighorn Sheep. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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10
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Veylit L, Sæther B, Gaillard J, Baubet E, Gamelon M. How do conditions at birth influence early‐life growth rates in wild boar? Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lara Veylit
- Department of Biology Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology TrondheimNO‐7491Norway
| | - Bernt‐Erik Sæther
- Department of Biology Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology TrondheimNO‐7491Norway
| | - Jean‐Michel Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive (UMR 5558) Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 43 boulevard du 11 novembre 1918 Villeurbanne Cedex69622France
| | - Eric Baubet
- Unité Ongulés Sauvages Office Français de la Biodiversité Montfort BirieuxF‐01330France
| | - Marlène Gamelon
- Department of Biology Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology TrondheimNO‐7491Norway
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Froy H, Martin J, Stopher KV, Morris A, Morris S, Clutton-Brock TH, Pemberton JM, Kruuk LEB. Consistent within-individual plasticity is sufficient to explain temperature responses in red deer reproductive traits. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:1194-1206. [PMID: 31420999 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Warming global temperatures are affecting a range of aspects of wild populations, but the exact mechanisms driving associations between temperature and phenotypic traits may be difficult to identify. Here, we use a 36-year data set on a wild population of red deer to investigate the causes of associations between temperature and two important components of female reproduction: timing of breeding and offspring size. By separating within- versus between-individual associations with temperature for each trait, we show that within-individual phenotypic plasticity (changes within a female's lifetime) was entirely sufficient to generate the observed population-level association with temperature at key times of year. However, despite apparently adequate statistical power, we found no evidence of any variation between females in their responses (i.e. no "IxE" interactions). Our results suggest that female deer show plasticity in reproductive traits in response to temperatures in the year leading up to calving and that this response is consistent across individuals, implying no potential for either selection or heritability of plasticity. We estimate that the plastic response to rising temperatures explained 24% of the observed advance in mean calving date over the study period. We highlight the need for comparable analyses of other systems to determine the contribution of within-individual plasticity to population-level responses to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Froy
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Julien Martin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Katie V Stopher
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alison Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sean Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | | | - Loeske E B Kruuk
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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