1
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Robinson C, McDonald MM, Stirk J, Hoppe P, Ferrie GM. Infant survival is significantly impacted by dam- and management-related factors in zoo-managed Eulemur populations. Zoo Biol 2024; 43:236-254. [PMID: 38345149 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Due to their potential impact on population growth, many studies have investigated factors affecting infant survival in mammal populations under human care. Here we used more than 30 years of Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) studbook data and contraception data from the AZA Reproductive Management Center, along with logistic regression models, to investigate which factors affect infant survival in four Eulemur species managed as Species Survival Plans® in AZA. Across species, infant survival to 1 month ranged from 65% to 78%. Previous experience producing surviving offspring was positively correlated to infant survival in collared (Eulemur collaris), crowned (Eulemur coronatus), and mongoose (Eulemur mongoz) lemurs. Both dam age and previous use of contraception were negatively correlated to infant survival for collared lemurs, though our results suggest the latter may be confounded with other factors. Blue-eyed black lemurs (Eulemur flavifrons) were affected by birth location, suggesting differences in husbandry that may affect infant survival. These results can be used to assist in reproductive planning or to anticipate the likelihood of breeding success. Population managers may also be able to focus their reproductive planning on younger dams or those with previous experience to predict successful births. Future studies should seek to determine what aspects of previous dam success are most important to infant survival, investigate sire-related factors, and examine factors related to cause of death in infants that may lead to differential survival. Our hope is to present a framework that may be useful for investigating infant survival in other mammal species' breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Robinson
- Science Operations, Disney's Animals, Science and Environment, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA
| | - Monica M McDonald
- AZA Reproductive Management Center, Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jodi Stirk
- Duke Lemur Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Peggy Hoppe
- Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Draper, Utah, USA
| | - Gina M Ferrie
- Science Operations, Disney's Animals, Science and Environment, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA
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2
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Putnam AS, Ferrie GM, Ivy JA. Ex situ breeding programs benefit from science-based cooperative management. Zoo Biol 2023; 42:5-16. [PMID: 35560574 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Science-based management confers a variety of benefits to wildlife populations that are cooperatively managed by zoos and aquariums, including those managed through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Briefly, when management strategies are successful, they result in reproductively robust populations that better retain genetic diversity and limit inbreeding than unmanaged populations. Although the benefits of demographic and genetic management have been well documented throughout both the scientific and popular literature, it has also been established that the majority of managed populations in zoos and aquariums are not meeting the minimum criteria believed to convey long-term biological viability. For most of these populations, an inability to meet viability criteria is not an inherent failure of how cooperative management is implemented. Furthermore, in recent years, we have perceived that the need to meet specific viability goals sometimes has obscured the benefits that these populations receive from rigorous, science-based management. To better clarify the conversation surrounding population viability in zoos and aquariums, we seek to decouple viability measures and how they predict population persistence from the benefits conferred to populations through science-based management. A primary goal of population management is to facilitate the persistence of priority species for longer than would be expected if no such management were implemented. Although current viability measures and future projections of viability are important tools for assessing the likelihood of population persistence, they are not indicators of which populations may most benefit from science-based management. Here, we review the history and purpose of applying science-based management to zoo and aquarium populations, describe measures of population viability and caution against confusing those measures of viability with population management goals or long-term population sustainability, and clearly articulate the benefits conferred to zoo and aquarium populations by science-based management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea S Putnam
- Department of Exhibit-Curators, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Gina M Ferrie
- Disney's Animals, Science and Environment, Disney's Animal Kingdom®, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA
| | - Jamie A Ivy
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
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3
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Martine P, Aude A. Parental age at conception on mouse lemur's offspring longevity: Sex-specific maternal effects. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265783. [PMID: 36580457 PMCID: PMC9799291 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental age at conception often influences offspring's longevity, a phenomenon referred as the "Lansing effect" described in large variety of organisms. But, the majority of the results refer to the survival of juveniles, mainly explained by an inadequate parental care by the elderly parents, mostly the mothers. Studies on the effect of parental age on offspring's longevity in adulthood remain few, except in humans for whom effects of parental age vary according to statistical models or socioeconomic environments. In a small primate in which the longevity reaches up to 13 years, we investigated the effects of parental age at conception on the longevity of offspring (N = 278) issued from parents with known longevity. None of the postnatal parameters (body mass at 30 and 60 days after birth, size and composition of the litter) influenced offspring's longevity. Mothers' age at conception negatively affected offspring's longevity in males but not in females. By contrast, fathers' age at conception did not influence offspring's longevity. Finally, the longevity of female offspring was significantly positively related to the longevity of both parents. Compared with current studies, the surprisingly minor effect of fathers 'age was related to the high seasonal reproduction and the particular telomere biology of mouse lemurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perret Martine
- UMR 7179, Adaptive mechanisms and Evolution, MECADEV, Brunoy, France
- * E-mail:
| | - Anzeraey Aude
- UMR 7179, Adaptive mechanisms and Evolution, MECADEV, Brunoy, France
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4
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de Visser M, Prins E, Bosse M, Crooijmans R, Ter Meulen T. Maximum longevity and juvenile mortality in zoo-housed mangabeys. Zoo Biol 2022; 41:522-532. [PMID: 35365901 PMCID: PMC10084074 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about the biology of grey-cheeked and black crested mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena and Lophocebus aterrimus, respectively). As these primates face threats in the wild, well-monitored zoo-housed populations with up to date registries are becoming increasingly valuable to acquire species knowledge and to support conservation efforts. We used international studbooks to extract demographic and genetic information on 519 mangabeys to investigate how life history and parent-related variables influence maximum longevity and juvenile mortality. Generalized linear mixed models, as well as survival analyses, were applied. Results showed that females lived significantly longer than males, which is not uncommon in primates. Furthermore, our results indicated that the maximum longevity is lower for individuals living in European zoos versus individuals from North American zoos, which may be due to a combination of environmental differences and potential founder effects. We also show that the maternal maximum longevity is positively related to the maximum longevity of the offspring, which may be explained by the inheritance of "good genes". However, the age of the mother at the moment of birth was negatively related to the maximum longevity of the offspring, which contradicts literature that states that, in primates, more experienced and thus older mothers will raise their offspring better than less experienced mothers. Instead, it is more likely that an "optimal age range" exists for breeding mothers. Our study provides insights into the population biology of captive mangabeys and may be helpful for identifying future research priorities to optimize primate health and welfare directly ex situ, and indirectly in situ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon de Visser
- Wageningen University & Research, Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,GaiaZOO, Kerkrade, The Netherlands.,Evolution & Biodiversity, Institute of Biology Leiden, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Mirte Bosse
- Wageningen University & Research, Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Richard Crooijmans
- Wageningen University & Research, Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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5
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Kappeler PM, Pethig L, Prox L, Fichtel C. Reproductive Senescence in Two Lemur Lineages. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.894344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between age and reproductive performance is highly variable across species. Humans and some cetaceans exhibit an extreme form of reproductive senescence in that female reproduction ceases years or even decades before average life expectancy is reached. However, neither the existence of reproductive senescence in some taxa nor its absence in others is fully understood. Comparative data from other long-lived mammals may contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the evolution of menopause, but data from wild primates, in particular, are scarce. We therefore investigated age-related female reproductive performance in two wild sympatric populations of Malagasy primates: Verreaux’s sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) and redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons), which have a maximal longevity of more than 20 years. Based on 25 years of long-term demographic data, we extracted information on reproductive output of 38 female Verreaux’s sifakas and 42 female redfronted lemurs. We modeled variation in female reproductive performance and interbirth intervals as a function of age, the number of adult females within a group to account for female competition, and rainfall as a proxy for annual variation in food availability. We also compared our results for these two species with data on captive populations of the same two genera that are buffered from fluctuations in environmental variables. Our analyses disclosed statistical evidence for reproductive senescence in three out of four populations (captive Coquerel’s sifakas, wild redfronted lemurs, and captive red lemurs) but not for wild Verreaux’s sifakas. Compared to wild populations, reproductive senescence was therefore not less pronounced in captive animals, even though the latter are buffered from environmental adversities. In wild redfronted lemurs, mothers were more likely to give birth in years with more rainfall, but neither the number of co-resident females, nor annual rainfall did predict variation in the probability of giving birth in wild Verreaux’s sifakas. Thus, our study contributes valuable comparative information on reproductive senescence in a basal group of primates, and offers insights into the modulating effects of environmental, social and phylogenetic factors on patterns and dynamics of age-specific female reproduction.
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6
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Tidière M, Douay G, Müller P, Siberchicot A, Sliwa A, Whipple M, Douhard M. Lifespan decreases with proportion of sons in males but not females of zoo-housed tigers and lemurs. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1061-1070. [PMID: 33914999 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have shown higher costs of rearing sons than daughters in mammals where males are larger than females. These studies typically focus on females by examining how the offspring sex ratio during a single reproductive event affected mothers' subsequent reproduction or survival probability. Here, we examine relationships between offspring sex ratio during single or multiple reproductive events and several survival metrics in mothers and fathers, using data from zoo-housed tigers (Panthera tigris) and ruffed lemurs (Varecia sp.). Our analyses failed to reveal an overall cost of reproduction or a higher cost of sons to mothers. In male ruffed lemurs, the proportion of sons produced during early life (before 10 years old) was negatively correlated with lifespan later in life. In tigers, males with a higher proportion of sons during their lifetime had shorter lifespans. One likely mechanism is the difference in testosterone levels between males: a high concentration of testosterone can increase the proportion of sons and compromise immune function. Our results suggest studies in wild populations should address the outstanding challenge of understanding consequences of sex allocation for males, and open an opportunity to predict lifespan in an applied conservation context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Tidière
- Université de Lyon, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558 CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Guillaume Douay
- Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Conservation, Research and Veterinary Department, Singapore
| | | | - Aurélie Siberchicot
- Université de Lyon, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558 CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | | | | | - Mathieu Douhard
- Université de Lyon, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558 CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
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7
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Tidière M, Müller P, Sliwa A, Siberchicot A, Douay G. Sex-specific actuarial and reproductive senescence in zoo-housed tiger (Panthera tigris): The importance of sub-species for conservation. Zoo Biol 2021; 40:320-329. [PMID: 33861886 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
A fifth of all known species are currently classified as threatened in the wild: the rate of biodiversity loss is rapid, continuous, and mostly due to anthropogenic activities. To slow down this decline, the accurate estimation of demographic parameters for threatened species is critical. With this aim, zoo institutions play an important role, giving access to data on zoo-housed animals, which aids researchers working on species life-history traits and intrinsic factors influencing the fitness of both sexes, such as age. While tigers (Panthera tigris) are particularly threatened in their natural environment, few of their demographic parameters have been determined because of their solitary and elusive nature as well as low population density. Using individual-based information for more than 9200 tigers (from 1938 to 2018) recorded in the International Tiger Studbook 2018, we aimed to determine sub-species and sex-specific variability of survival and reproductive parameters with age. No significant sex-difference in actuarial senescence (i.e., decline of survival probabilities with age) was observed but males tended to have a higher juvenile mortality and a faster senescence than females. Reproductive senescence (i.e., decline of reproductive parameters with age) was more pronounced in females than males. Moreover, we observed sub-species-specific variation in mortality and reproductive patterns, pointing out the necessity to consider them independently for conservation goals. Our findings can provide meaningful improvements to the husbandry of zoo-housed tigers, emphasizing the importance of adult breeding females of 7-9 years-old to control zoo-housed population size, but also providing accurate demographic estimates, crucial to set up effective conservation plans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgane Tidière
- Conservation Science Alliance, Species360, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55425, USA.,Interdisciplinary Center on Population Dynamics, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | | | | | - Aurélie Siberchicot
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558 CNRS, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Guillaume Douay
- Conservation, Research, and Veterinary Department, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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8
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Depeux C, Lemaître JF, Moreau J, Dechaume-Moncharmont FX, Laverre T, Pauhlac H, Gaillard JM, Beltran-Bech S. Reproductive senescence and parental effects in an indeterminate grower. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1256-1264. [PMID: 32574391 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Reproductive senescence is the decrease of reproductive performance with increasing age and can potentially include trans-generational effects as the offspring produced by old parents might have a lower fitness than those produced by young parents. This negative effect may be caused either by the age of the father, mother or the interaction between the ages of both parents. Using the common woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare, an indeterminate grower, as a biological model, we tested for the existence of a deleterious effect of parental age on fitness components. Contrary to previous findings reported from vertebrate studies, old parents produced both a higher number and larger offspring than young parents. However, their offspring had lower fitness components (by surviving less, producing a smaller number of clutches or not reproducing at all) than offspring born to young parents. Our findings strongly support the existence of trans-generational senescence in woodlice and contradict the belief that old individuals in indeterminate growers contribute the most to recruitment and correspond thereby to the key life stage for population dynamics. Our work also provides rare evidence that the trans-generational effect of senescence can be stronger than direct reproductive senescence in indeterminate growers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Depeux
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 9, France.,Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR CNRS 558, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne cedex, France
| | - Jean-François Lemaître
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR CNRS 558, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne cedex, France
| | - Jérôme Moreau
- UMR CNRS 6282 Biogéosciences, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France.,Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372, CNRS & La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-bois, France
| | | | - Tiffany Laverre
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Hélène Pauhlac
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, UMR CNRS 558, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne cedex, France
| | - Sophie Beltran-Bech
- Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers Cedex 9, France
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9
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean‐Michel Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558 CNRS Université Lyon 1 University of Lyon Villeurbanne France
| | - Jean‐François Lemaître
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR5558 CNRS Université Lyon 1 University of Lyon Villeurbanne France
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10
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Vanpé C, Gaillard JM, Hewison AJM, Quemere E, Kjellander P, Pellerin M, Lemaître JF. Old females rarely mate with old males in roe deer, Capreolus capreolus. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Little is known about whether female mating tactics vary with age based on their preference for mates. To fill this knowledge gap, we examined how maternal age is related to the age of their mates using detailed individual long-term monitoring of a genotyped and pedigreed European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758) population. We found that mating between old females and prime-aged males was more frequent than mating between prime-aged females and prime-aged males. This suggests that old females avoid old mates. Old females might be more selective in their mate choice than prime-aged females owing to increased mate-sampling effort. Our finding is in line with the terminal investment/allocation hypothesis. The study of age-related variation in female mating behaviour is particularly important because this behaviour can influence the intensity and direction of sexual selection and the maintenance of variation in male sexually selected traits. Further studies are needed to quantify the exact fitness benefits of age-specific mating tactics in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Vanpé
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et de Biologie Evolutive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et de Biologie Evolutive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - A J Mark Hewison
- Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage, Université de Toulouse, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Castanet Tolosan, France
| | - Erwan Quemere
- Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage, Université de Toulouse, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Castanet Tolosan, France
| | - Petter Kjellander
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Maryline Pellerin
- Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Direction de la Recherche et de l’Expertise – Unité Ongulés Sauvages, Gières, France
| | - Jean-François Lemaître
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et de Biologie Evolutive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR5558, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
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11
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Tanaka Y, Fukano Y, Nakamura M. Effect of paternal age on the birth sex ratio in captive populations of aye‐aye (
Daubentonia madagascariensis
(Gmelin)). Zoo Biol 2019; 38:389-392. [DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yosuke Tanaka
- Ueno Zoological GardensTokyo Zoological Park SocietyTokyo Japan
| | - Yuya Fukano
- Institute for Sustainable Agro‐ecosystem Services, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life SciencesThe University of TokyoTokyo Japan
| | - Masato Nakamura
- Ueno Zoological GardensTokyo Zoological Park SocietyTokyo Japan
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