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Vuillaume B, Richard JH, Hamel S, Taillon J, Festa-Bianchet M, Côté SD. Birth date determines early calf survival in migratory caribou. Oecologia 2023; 202:819-830. [PMID: 37640888 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05441-7] [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: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The decline of most caribou (Rangifer tarandus) populations underlines the need to understand the determinants of key demographic parameters. In migratory caribou, we have limited information on rates and drivers of pre-weaning mortality. We fitted 60 pregnant females of the Rivière-aux-Feuilles caribou herd with GPS camera collars to track the survival of calves from birth to weaning in 2016-2018. Over the three years, calf survival rate before weaning, i.e. to 01-Sep, approximately three months of age, was 0.63 (CI 0.50-0.77). Summer mortality risk was mainly influenced by calf birth date, with calves born earlier in the calving season having a lower mortality risk than those born later. Mortality also increased when calves experienced low or high temperature during calving. This study provides the first estimates of pre-weaning survival of migratory caribou calves in this herd, illustrating the value of new technologies to collect data otherwise difficult to obtain in widely distributed migratory populations. This approach can easily be extended to other large herbivores and predators. Our study brings new insights on how climate change may affect summer juvenile survival given the increased temperatures and faster changes in plant phenology expected in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Vuillaume
- Département de Biologie, Caribou Ungava, Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, 1045, Ave. de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Julien H Richard
- Département de Biologie, Caribou Ungava, Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, 1045, Ave. de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Sandra Hamel
- Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Joëlle Taillon
- Ministère des Forêts de la Faune et des Parcs, Québec, QC, G1S 2L2, Canada
| | - Marco Festa-Bianchet
- Département de Biologie, Caribou Ungava, Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2 R1, Canada
| | - Steeve D Côté
- Département de Biologie, Caribou Ungava, Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, 1045, Ave. de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
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2
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Blum ME, Stewart KM, Shoemaker KT, Cox M, Wakeling BF, Dilts TE, Bennett JR, Bleich VC. Changes in selection of resources with reproductive state in a montane ungulate. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:20. [PMID: 37020241 PMCID: PMC10077753 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00378-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Animals select habitats based on food, water, space, and cover. Each of those components are essential to the ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in a particular habitat. Selection of resources is linked to reproductive fitness and individuals likely vary in how they select resources relative to their reproductive state: during pregnancy, while provisioning young when nutritional needs of the mother are high, but offspring are vulnerable to predation, or if they lose young to mortality. We investigated the effects of reproductive state on selection of resources by maternal female desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) by comparing selection during the last trimester of gestation, following parturition when females were provisioning dependent young, and if the female lost an offspring. We captured, and recaptured each year, 32 female bighorn sheep at Lone Mountain, Nevada, during 2016-2018. Captured females were fit with GPS collars and those that were pregnant received vaginal implant transmitters. We used a Bayesian approach to estimate differences in selection between females provisioning and not provisioning offspring, as well as the length of time it took for females with offspring to return levels of selection similar to that observed prior to parturition. Females that were not provisioning offspring selected areas with higher risk of predation, but greater nutritional resources than those that were provisioning dependent young. When females were provisioning young immediately following parturition, females selected areas that were safe from predators, but had lower nutritional resources. Females displayed varying rates of return to selection strategies associated with access to nutritional resources as young grew and became more agile and less dependent on mothers. We observed clear and substantial shifts in selection of resources associated with reproductive state, and females exhibited tradeoffs in favor of areas that were safer from predators when provisioning dependent young despite loss of nutritional resources to support lactation. As young grew and became less vulnerable to predators, females returned to levels of selection that provided access to nutritional resources to restore somatic reserves lost during lactation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus E Blum
- Natural Resources Institute, Texas A&M University, 1001 Holleman Dr, College Station, TX, 77840, USA.
| | - Kelley M Stewart
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., MS 186, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Kevin T Shoemaker
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., MS 186, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Mike Cox
- Nevada Department of Wildlife, 6980 Sierra Center Parkway #120, Reno, NV, 89511, USA
| | - Brian F Wakeling
- Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT, 59620, USA
| | - Thomas E Dilts
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., MS 186, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Joe R Bennett
- Nevada Department of Wildlife, 6980 Sierra Center Parkway #120, Reno, NV, 89511, USA
| | - Vernon C Bleich
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, 1664 N. Virginia St., MS 186, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
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3
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Garcia F, Alves da Silva A, Ruckstuhl K, Neuhaus P, Coelho C, Wang M, Sousa JP, Alves J. Differences in the Diets of Female and Male Red Deer: The Meaning for Sexual Segregation. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12040540. [PMID: 37106741 PMCID: PMC10136149 DOI: 10.3390/biology12040540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Sexual segregation is a common phenomenon among animals, particularly dimorphic ones. Although widely addressed, the reasons and consequences of sexual segregation are still an important topic in need of better understanding. In this study, we mainly evaluate the diet composition and feeding behaviour of animals, which are related to the use of different habitats by the sexes, a special case of sexual segregation also termed habitat segregation. Sexually size dimorphic males and females often have different energetic and nutritional needs and, thus, different diets. We collected fresh faecal samples from wild Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) in Portugal. Samples were analysed in terms of diet composition and quality. As expected, both sexes differed in their diet composition, with males eating more arboreous species than females, but this difference was affected by sampling periods. Diet composition of both sexes had the biggest differences (and the lowest overlap) in spring, which corresponds to the end of gestation and beginning of birth. These differences might be a consequence of the sexual body size dimorphism characteristic of this species, as well as of different needs due to different reproductive costs. No differences regarding the quality of the excreted diet were observed. Our results may help to understand some patterns of sexual segregation observed in this red deer population. However, besides foraging ecology, other factors may also be contributing to sexual segregation in this Mediterranean population of red deer, and further studies focusing on sexual differences regarding feeding behaviour and digestibility are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Garcia
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - António Alves da Silva
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Kathreen Ruckstuhl
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Peter Neuhaus
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Catarina Coelho
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Muyang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
- Sino-Tajikistan Joint Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Biological Resources, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - José Paulo Sousa
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Joana Alves
- Centre for Functional Ecology (CFE), TERRA Associate Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
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Whiting JC, Bleich VC, Bowyer RT, Epps CW. Restoration of bighorn sheep: History, successes, and remaining conservation issues. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1083350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammals are imperiled worldwide, primarily from habitat loss or modification, and exhibit downward trends in their populations and distributions. Likewise, large-bodied herbivores have undergone a collapse in numbers and are at the highest extinction risk of all mammals. Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are among those large-bodied herbivores that possess a slow-paced life history, suffer from debilitating diseases, and have experienced range contractions across their historical distribution since the late 1800s. Translocations and reintroductions of these mountain ungulates are key aspects of restoration and often are used to re-establish populations in historical habitat or to supplement declining herds. Millions of US dollars and much effort by state and federal natural resource agencies, as well as public and private organizations, have been expended to restore bighorn sheep. Despite those efforts, translocated populations of bighorn sheep have not always been successful. We assessed restoration of bighorn sheep to provide insights in the context of conservation of populations of bighorn sheep, because this management tool is a frequently used to re-establish populations. We focused briefly on past efforts to restore bighorn sheep populations and followed with updates on the value of habitat enhancements, genetic issues, the importance of ecotypic or phenotypic adaptations when restoring populations, predation, and disease transmission. We also raised issues and posed questions that have potential to affect future decisions regarding the restoration of bighorn sheep. This information will help conservationists improve the success of conserving these iconic large mammals.
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Milošević-Zlatanović S, Vukov T, Chovancová G, Anderwald P, Corlatti L, Tomašević Kolarov N. Cranial integration and modularity in chamois: The effects of subspecies and sex. J MAMM EVOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-022-09644-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
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6
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Blum ME, Stewart KM, Cox M, Shoemaker KT, Bennett JR, Sullivan BW, Wakeling BF, Bleich VC. Variation in diet of desert bighorn sheep around parturition: Tradeoffs associated with parturition. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1071771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Selection of forage and habitats is driven by nutritional needs of individuals. Some species may sacrifice nutritional quality of forage for the mother in favor of safety of offspring (risk-averse strategy), immediately following parturition. We studied diet quality and forage selection by bighorn sheep before and following parturition to determine how nutritional demands associated with rearing offspring influenced forage acquisition. We used desert bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis nelsoni, to investigate that potential tradeoff. We captured and radio-collared female bighorn sheep from 2016 to 2018. We used vaginal implant transmitters (VIT)s in pregnant females to identify parturition and to capture and radio-collar neonates to monitor survival of young. We collected fecal samples throughout the breeding season and throughout the year to understand diet quality and composition throughout those temporal periods. We determined diet quality and composition for pre-parturient females, females provisioning offspring, females that lost offspring, and non-pregnant individuals using fecal nitrogen and DNA metabarcoding analyses. Additionally, we compared the diet quality and composition of offspring and adult females during the spring, as well as summer and winter months. Our results indicated differences in diet quality between individuals provisioning offspring and those whose offspring had died. Females that were provisioning dependent young had lower quality diets than those that lost their offspring. Diet composition among those groups was also markedly different; females that had lost an offspring had a more diverse diet than did females with dependent young. Diet quality differed among seasons, wherein offspring and adult females had higher quality diets during the spring months, with decreasing quality as the year progressed. Diet diversity was similar across seasons, although spring months tended to be most diverse. Our results support tradeoffs associated with risk-averse strategies made by adult females associated with parturition. Nutritional quality of forage was linked to provisioning status, indicating that females were trading diet quality for safety of offspring, but those females whose offspring had died selected high quality forages. Those results help explain habitat selection observed in mountain ungulates around parturition and provide further insight into the evolutionary processes and adaptive significance exhibited by those specialized artiodactyls.
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7
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Stewart DG, Gulsby WD, Ditchkoff SS, Collier BA. Spatiotemporal patterns of male and female white-tailed deer on a hunted landscape. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9277. [PMID: 36110880 PMCID: PMC9465197 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Resource selection in sexually dimorphic ungulates is at least partially explained by sex‐specific resource requirements and risk aversion strategies. Females generally spend more time in areas with less risk and abundant, high‐quality forage due to their smaller body size. However, demographically variable responses to risk are context dependent, and few have concurrently quantified male and female behavior within areas with the same resource base. We captured 111 (54 males, 57 females) adult white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from 2009 to 2018 on a site in South Carolina, USA, where hunters were the primary source of adult mortality. We fit each deer with a GPS collar programmed to collect locations at 30‐min intervals. Upon collar recovery, we analyzed the data to estimate sex‐ and time‐specific selection for, and distance to, various cover types. While both sexes generally avoided risky areas (i.e., sites hunted more frequently) during the day, females (p = .41) were more likely than males (p = .16) to use risky areas containing abundant food resources during the day, where p = probability of selection. Our findings indicate that female white‐tailed deer may be forced to utilize high risk areas during high risk periods due to their smaller body size and increased nutritional demands, whereas larger males are better able to forgo foraging opportunities during risky periods to mitigate risk; however, our study design left room for the possibility that our observations were driven by innate sex‐specific patterns in white‐tailed deer. Nonetheless, our study contributes information to the literature by describing sex‐specific resource selection by diel period on a site where sexes shared the same resources and were presented with the same landscape of risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan G Stewart
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Auburn University Auburn Alabama USA
| | - William D Gulsby
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Auburn University Auburn Alabama USA
| | - Stephen S Ditchkoff
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Auburn University Auburn Alabama USA
| | - Bret A Collier
- School of Renewable Natural Resources Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana USA
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8
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Bakhteeva I, Timofeev V. Some Peculiarities of Anthrax Epidemiology in Herbivorous and Carnivorous Animals. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12060870. [PMID: 35743901 PMCID: PMC9224990 DOI: 10.3390/life12060870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Anthrax is an especially dangerous zooanthroponosis caused by the Gram-positive spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. A notable feature of this disease is the difference in susceptibility to it among different groups of animals. Anthrax primarily affects herbivorous ungulate mammals; they are easily infected, and their disease often leads to rapid, even sudden, death. However, predators and scavengers are extremely resistant to anthrax, and if they become infected, they usually become mildly ill. As the result of the increased sensitivity of ungulates to anthrax and the possibility of disease transmission from them to humans, most studies of anthrax have focused on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infection in farm animals and humans. The issues of anthrax in other animals, such as predators, and the peculiarities of anthrax epidemiology in wild ungulates have not been sufficiently detailed in the literature. In this article, we provide a review of literature sources that describe the differential susceptibility to infection of various groups of animals to anthrax and some epidemiological features of anthrax in animals that are not the main hosts of B. anthracis.
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9
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Zhong C, Griffin LL, Heussaff O, O’Dea R, Whelan C, Stewart G. Sex-Related Differences in UT-B Urea Transporter Abundance in Fallow Deer Rumen. Vet Sci 2022; 9:vetsci9020073. [PMID: 35202326 PMCID: PMC8878845 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9020073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Rumen studies have focused almost exclusively on livestock species under strictly regimented diets. This means that the ruminal condition of free-living and free-feeding wildlife remains practically unstudied. Urea nitrogen salvaging, a process by which urea is passed into the rumen, to both provide a valuable source of nitrogen for bacterial growth and to buffer the potentially harmful acidic effects of bacterial short chain fatty acids, has remained unexplored in wild ruminants, such as deer. UT-B2 transporters are the key proteins reported to facilitate the transepithelial ruminal urea transport. In this study, we investigate the expression, abundance and localisation of urea transporters in the rumen of a semi-wild fallow deer (Dama dama) population. Physical measurements confirmed that males had larger rumen than females, while adults had longer papillae than juveniles. Initial RT-PCR experiments confirmed the expression of UT-B2, while immunolocalisation studies revealed that strong UT-B staining was present in the stratum basale of deer rumen. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that a 50 kDa UT-B2 protein was significantly more abundant in adult females compared to adult males. This study confirms the presence of UT-B2 urea transporters in deer rumen and suggests that sex-related differences occur, bringing new insight into our understanding of rumen physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chongliang Zhong
- School of Biology & Environmental Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (C.Z.); (L.L.G.); (O.H.); (R.O.); (C.W.)
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Laura L. Griffin
- School of Biology & Environmental Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (C.Z.); (L.L.G.); (O.H.); (R.O.); (C.W.)
| | - Orla Heussaff
- School of Biology & Environmental Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (C.Z.); (L.L.G.); (O.H.); (R.O.); (C.W.)
| | - Ruairi O’Dea
- School of Biology & Environmental Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (C.Z.); (L.L.G.); (O.H.); (R.O.); (C.W.)
| | - Conor Whelan
- School of Biology & Environmental Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (C.Z.); (L.L.G.); (O.H.); (R.O.); (C.W.)
| | - Gavin Stewart
- School of Biology & Environmental Science, University College Dublin, D04 V1W8 Dublin, Ireland; (C.Z.); (L.L.G.); (O.H.); (R.O.); (C.W.)
- Correspondence:
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10
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Smith GP, Gardner J, Gibbs J, Griswold T, Hauser M, Yanega D, Ponisio LC. Sex‐associated differences in the network roles of pollinators. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gordon P. Smith
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior Cornell University W361 Mudd Hall, 215 Tower Road Ithaca New York 14853 USA
- Department of Biology Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Oregon 272 Onyx Bridge Eugene Oregon 97403 USA
- Department of Entomology University of California, Riverside 417 Entomology Bldg. Riverside California 92521 USA
| | - Joel Gardner
- Department of Entomology University of Manitoba 12 Dafoe Road Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
| | - Jason Gibbs
- Department of Entomology University of Manitoba 12 Dafoe Road Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
| | - Terry Griswold
- USDA‐ARS Pollinating Insects Research Unit Utah State University 1410 North 800 East Logan Utah 84322 USA
| | - Martin Hauser
- Plant Pest Diagnostics Branch California Department of Food and Agriculture 3294 Meadowview Road Sacramento California 95832 USA
| | - Doug Yanega
- Department of Entomology University of California, Riverside 417 Entomology Bldg. Riverside California 92521 USA
| | - Lauren C. Ponisio
- Department of Biology Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Oregon 272 Onyx Bridge Eugene Oregon 97403 USA
- Department of Entomology University of California, Riverside 417 Entomology Bldg. Riverside California 92521 USA
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11
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Staudenmaier AR, Shipley LA, Camp MJ, Forbey JS, Hagerman AE, Brandt AE, Thornton DH. Mule deer do more with less: comparing their nutritional requirements and tolerances with white-tailed deer. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Congeneric species often share ecological niche space resulting in competitive interactions that either limit co-occurrence or lead to niche partitioning. Differences in fundamental nutritional niches mediated through character displacement or isolation during evolution are potential mechanisms that could explain overlapping distribution patterns of congenerics. We directly compared nutritional requirements and tolerances that influence the fundamental niche of mule (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus), which occur in allopatry and sympatry in similar realized ecological niches across their ranges in North America. Digestible energy and protein requirements and tolerances for plant fiber and plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) of both deer species were quantified using in vivo digestion and intake tolerance trials with six diets ranging in content of fiber, protein, and PSMs using tractable deer raised under identical conditions in captivity. We found that compared with white-tailed deer, mule deer required 54% less digestible protein and 21% less digestible energy intake per day to maintain body mass and nitrogen balance. In addition, they had higher fiber, energy, and dry matter digestibility and produced glucuronic acid (a byproduct of PSM detoxification) at a slower rate when consuming the monoterpene α-pinene. The mule deers’ enhanced physiological abilities to cope with low-quality, chemically defended forages relative to white-tailed deer might minimize potential competitive interactions in shared landscapes and provide a modest advantage to mule deer in habitats dominated by low-quality forages.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lisa A Shipley
- School of the Environment, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Meghan J Camp
- School of the Environment, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Jennifer S Forbey
- Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
| | - Ann E Hagerman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - Abigail E Brandt
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA
| | - Daniel H Thornton
- School of the Environment, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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12
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Wang M, Liu W, Alves da Silva A, Xu W, Yang W, Ruckstuhl KE, Alves J. Low size dimorphism does not lead to reduced sexual segregation: exploring effects of habitat divergence and activity. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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13
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Wright CA, McRoberts JT, Rota CT, Wiskirchen KH, Keller BJ, Millspaugh JJ. Female White‐tailed deer (
Odocoileus virginianus
) Behavior During Pregnancy, Parturition, and Lactation in 2 Contrasting Ecoregions. WILDLIFE SOC B 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chloe A. Wright
- University of Montana, W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, Wildlife Biology Program 32 Campus Drive Missoula MT 59812 USA
| | - Jon T. McRoberts
- University of Missouri Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences 302 Anheuser‐Busch Natural Resources Building Columbia MO 65211 USA
| | - Christopher T. Rota
- West Virginia University, School of Natural Resources PO Box 6125 Morgantown WV 26506 USA
| | - Kevyn H. Wiskirchen
- Missouri Department of Conservation 3500 East Gans Road Columbia MO 65201 USA
| | - Barbara J. Keller
- Missouri Department of Conservation 3500 East Gans Road Columbia MO 65201 USA
| | - Joshua J. Millspaugh
- University of Montana, W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, Wildlife Biology Program 32 Campus Drive Missoula MT 59812 USA
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14
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Shakeri YN, White KS, Waite JN. Staying close to home: Ecological constraints on space use and range fidelity in a mountain ungulate. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:11051-11064. [PMID: 34429902 PMCID: PMC8366887 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding patterns of animal space use and range fidelity has important implications for species and habitat conservation. For species that live in highly seasonal environments, such as mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), spatial use patterns are expected to vary in relation to seasonal changes in environmental conditions and sex- or age-specific selection pressures. To address hypotheses about sex, age, and seasonality influence on space-use ecology, we collected GPS location data from 263 radio-collared mountain goats (males, n = 140; females, n = 123) in coastal Alaska during 2005-2016. Location data were analyzed to derive seasonal and sex-specific fixed-kernel home range estimates and to quantify the degree of seasonal range and utilization distribution overlap. Overall, we determined that home range size was smallest during winter, expanded coincident with the onset of green-up and parturition, and was largest during summer. Home range size of males and females did not differ significantly during winter, but females had larger home ranges than males during summer, a relationship that was switched during the mating season. Pairwise comparisons involving individual females across subsequent years indicated home ranges were significantly smaller during years when they gave birth to offspring. Mountain goats exhibited a strong degree of range fidelity, and 99% (n = 138) of individual animals returned to their previous year's seasonal range with an average annual Bhattacharyya's affinity utilization distribution overlap index of 68%. Similarity of seasonal home range utilization distributions varied in relation to sex and season in some respects. Home range overlap was highest during the summer vegetation growing season, particularly among females. These findings advance our understanding about how environmental variation and sex- and age-related reproductive constraints influence space use and range fidelity among alpine ungulates. Documentation of the high degree of range fidelity among mountain goats has important conservation implications in landscapes increasingly altered by anthropogenic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasaman N. Shakeri
- Division of Wildlife ConservationAlaska Department of Fish and GameJuneauAlaskaUSA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitDepartment of Zoology and PhysiologyUniversity of WyomingLaramieWyomingUSA
| | - Kevin S. White
- Division of Wildlife ConservationAlaska Department of Fish and GameJuneauAlaskaUSA
| | - Jason N. Waite
- Division of Wildlife ConservationAlaska Department of Fish and GameJuneauAlaskaUSA
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15
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Esmaeili S, Jesmer BR, Albeke SE, Aikens EO, Schoenecker KA, King SRB, Abrahms B, Buuveibaatar B, Beck JL, Boone RB, Cagnacci F, Chamaillé-Jammes S, Chimeddorj B, Cross PC, Dejid N, Enkhbyar J, Fischhoff IR, Ford AT, Jenks K, Hemami MR, Hennig JD, Ito TY, Kaczensky P, Kauffman MJ, Linnell JDC, Lkhagvasuren B, McEvoy JF, Melzheimer J, Merkle JA, Mueller T, Muntifering J, Mysterud A, Olson KA, Panzacchi M, Payne JC, Pedrotti L, Rauset GR, Rubenstein DI, Sawyer H, Scasta JD, Signer J, Songer M, Stabach JA, Stapleton S, Strand O, Sundaresan SR, Usukhjargal D, Uuganbayar G, Fryxell JM, Goheen JR. Body size and digestive system shape resource selection by ungulates: A cross-taxa test of the forage maturation hypothesis. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:2178-2191. [PMID: 34311513 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The forage maturation hypothesis (FMH) states that energy intake for ungulates is maximised when forage biomass is at intermediate levels. Nevertheless, metabolic allometry and different digestive systems suggest that resource selection should vary across ungulate species. By combining GPS relocations with remotely sensed data on forage characteristics and surface water, we quantified the effect of body size and digestive system in determining movements of 30 populations of hindgut fermenters (equids) and ruminants across biomes. Selection for intermediate forage biomass was negatively related to body size, regardless of digestive system. Selection for proximity to surface water was stronger for equids relative to ruminants, regardless of body size. To be more generalisable, we suggest that the FMH explicitly incorporate contingencies in body size and digestive system, with small-bodied ruminants selecting more strongly for potential energy intake, and hindgut fermenters selecting more strongly for surface water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeideh Esmaeili
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Brett R Jesmer
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Shannon E Albeke
- Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Ellen O Aikens
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Kathryn A Schoenecker
- US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sarah R B King
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Briana Abrahms
- Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey L Beck
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Randall B Boone
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and the Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Simon Chamaillé-Jammes
- CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France.,Department of Zoology & Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Buyanaa Chimeddorj
- Mongolia Program Office, World Wide Fund for Nature, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Paul C Cross
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Nandintsetseg Dejid
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | | | | | - Adam T Ford
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, BC, Canada
| | | | - Mahmoud-Reza Hemami
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Jacob D Hennig
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Takehiko Y Ito
- Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan.,International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
| | - Petra Kaczensky
- Department of Terrestrial Biodiversity, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway.,Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Matthew J Kauffman
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - John D C Linnell
- Department of Terrestrial Biodiversity, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Badamjav Lkhagvasuren
- Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - John F McEvoy
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Joerg Melzheimer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jerod A Merkle
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Jeff Muntifering
- Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, MN, USA.,Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Kirk A Olson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolia Program, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Manuela Panzacchi
- Department of Terrestrial ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | - John C Payne
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolia Program, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.,Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Luca Pedrotti
- Stelvio-Stilfserjoch National Park, Bormio, SO, Italy
| | - Geir R Rauset
- Department of Terrestrial ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - John D Scasta
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Johannes Signer
- Wildlife Sciences, Faculty of Forest and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Melissa Songer
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Jared A Stabach
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | | | - Olav Strand
- Department of Terrestrial ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | | | | | - John M Fryxell
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
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16
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Crampe JP, Gerard JF, Goulard M, Milleret C, Gonzalez G, Bon R. Year-round sexual segregation in the Pyrenean chamois, a nearly monomorphic polygynous herbivore. Behav Processes 2021; 184:104300. [PMID: 33422643 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Adult females and males live apart outside the mating period in many social vertebrates, but the causes of this phenomenon remain a matter of debate. Current prevailing hypotheses predict no sexual segregation outside the early period of maternal care in nearly monomorphic species such as the Pyrenean chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica). We examined sexual segregation in a population of the species, using data collected over 143 consecutive months on groups' location and composition, and extending statistical procedures introduced by Conradt (1998b) and Bonenfant et al. (2007). In addition, we analysed the social interactions recorded between group members. As expected, habitat segregation was low throughout the year, with a maximum during the early lactation period. However, social and spatial segregation was consistently high, contradicting the predictions of the current prevailing hypotheses, while suggesting social causes were predominant. The scarcity of social interactions outside the mating season makes unlikely the hypothesis that males segregate to improve their reproductive success. We rather suspect that higher social affinities within than between the two sexes are at work. However, this hypothesis alone is probably insufficient to account for spatial segregation. Our results should revive the debate regarding the causes of sexual segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Paul Crampe
- Parc National des Pyrénées, 2 rue du 4 septembre, 65000, Tarbes, France
| | - Jean-François Gerard
- INRAE, Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage, B.P. 52627, 31326, Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, France.
| | - Michel Goulard
- INRAE, UMR 1201 Dynamiques et Ecologie des Paysages Agriforestiers, B.P. 52627, 31326, Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, France
| | - Cyril Milleret
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, NO-1432 Norway
| | - Georges Gonzalez
- INRAE, Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage, B.P. 52627, 31326, Castanet-Tolosan Cedex, France
| | - Richard Bon
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale, Centre de Biologie Intégrative, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France.
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17
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Spilinek S, Reitz R, Weckerly F. Rumen–reticulum organ mass and rumen mucosa surface area of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) consuming two energy diets. CAN J ZOOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2020-0043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Flexibility in gut morphology has fitness consequences in herbivores. To accommodate dietary variation in energy concentration, rumen–reticulum absorptive capacity and organ mass might also covary. We hypothesized that low energy diets result in greater food intake but lower volatile fatty acid concentrations. The consequence would be heavy rumen–reticulum organs and low absorptive capacity. We measured rumen–reticulum organ mass and absorptive capacity in captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) from central Texas, USA. Deer consumed a pelleted ration, ad libitum, of 1.77 kcal/g (low) or 2.67 kcal/g (standard) digestible energy from the time animals were weaned. In December, 4.5- and 5.5-year-old deer were euthanized, the rumen–reticulum was extracted, thoroughly rinsed, wrung out, and weighed. Four 1 cm × 3 cm samples were extracted from four regions of the rumen and mucosal surface area was measured. Our surrogate of food intake and mastication intensity was first molar height. Molar height was lower in animals consuming the low energy diet. Analyses indicated sex-specific responses. Males eating the low energy diet had heavier rumen–reticulum organs, but females did not. Females consuming the low energy diet had a lower surface enlargement factor, but males did not. The processes driving variation in rumen–reticulum morphology from dietary variation require further examination.
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Affiliation(s)
- S.G. Spilinek
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - R. Reitz
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - F.W. Weckerly
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
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18
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Wright CA, Adams IT, Stent P, Ford AT. Comparing Survival and Movements of Non‐Urban and Urban Translocated Mule Deer. J Wildl Manage 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chloe A. Wright
- University of British Columbia, Department of Biology, The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Kelowna BC V1V 1V7 Canada
| | - Ian T. Adams
- Larix Ecological Consulting 3396 Simms Rd Cranbrook BC V1C 6T1 Canada
| | - Patrick Stent
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development 205 Industrial Road G Cranbrook BC V1C 7G5 Canada
| | - Adam T. Ford
- University of British Columbia, Department of Biology, The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Kelowna BC V1V 1V7 Canada
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19
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Hecker LJ, Coogan SCP, Nielsen SE, Edwards MA. Latitudinal and seasonal plasticity in American bison
Bison bison
diets. Mamm Rev 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lee J. Hecker
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton AlbertaT6G 2H1Canada
- Royal Alberta Museum Edmonton AlbertaT5J 0G2Canada
| | - Sean C. P. Coogan
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton AlbertaT6G 2H1Canada
| | - Scott E. Nielsen
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton AlbertaT6G 2H1Canada
| | - Mark A. Edwards
- Department of Renewable Resources University of Alberta Edmonton AlbertaT6G 2H1Canada
- Royal Alberta Museum Edmonton AlbertaT5J 0G2Canada
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20
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Jesmer BR, Kauffman MJ, Murphy MA, Goheen JR. A test of the Niche Variation Hypothesis in a ruminant herbivore. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2825-2839. [PMID: 32961601 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Despite the shared prediction that the width of a population's dietary niche expands as food becomes limiting, the Niche Variation Hypothesis (NVH) and Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT) offer contrasting views about how individuals alter diet selection when food is limited. Classical OFT predicts that dietary preferences do not change as food becomes limiting, so individuals expand their diets as they compensate for a lack of preferred foods. In contrast, the NVH predicts that among-individual variation in cognition, physiology or morphology create functional trade-offs in foraging efficiency, thereby causing individuals to specialize on different subsets of food as food becomes limiting. To evaluate (a) the predictions of the NVH and OFT and (b) evidence for physiological and cognitive-based functional trade-offs, we used DNA microsatellites and metabarcoding to quantify the diet, microbiome and genetic relatedness (a proxy for social learning) of 218 moose Alces alces across six populations that varied in their degree of food limitation. Consistent with both the NVH and OFT, dietary niche breadth increased with food limitation. Increased diet breadth of individuals-rather than increased diet specialization-was strongly correlated with both food limitation and dietary niche breadth of populations, indicating that moose foraged in accordance with OFT. Diets were not constrained by inheritance of the microbiome or inheritance of diet selection, offering support for the little-tested hypothesis that functional trade-offs in food use (or lack thereof) determine whether populations adhere to the predictions of the NVH or OFT. Our results indicate that both the absence of strong functional trade-offs and the digestive physiology of ruminants provide contexts under which populations should forage in accordance with OFT rather than the NVH. Also, because dietary niche width increased with increased food limitation, OFT and the NVH provide theoretical support for the notion that plant-herbivore interaction networks are plastic rather than static, which has important implications for understanding interspecific niche partitioning. Lastly, because population-level dietary niche breadth and calf recruitment are correlated, and because calf recruitment can be a proxy for food limitation, our work demonstrates how diet data can be employed to understand a populations' proximity to carrying capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett R Jesmer
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Matthew J Kauffman
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Melanie A Murphy
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
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21
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Goldberg AR, Conway CJ, Tank DC, Andrews KR, Gour DS, Waits LP. Diet of a rare herbivore based on DNA metabarcoding of feces: Selection, seasonality, and survival. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7627-7643. [PMID: 32760553 PMCID: PMC7391308 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In herbivores, survival and reproduction are influenced by quality and quantity of forage, and hence, diet and foraging behavior are the foundation of an herbivore's life history strategy. Given the importance of diet to most herbivores, it is imperative that we know the species of plants they prefer, especially for herbivorous species that are at risk for extinction. However, it is often difficult to identify the diet of small herbivores because: (a) They are difficult to observe, (b) collecting stomach contents requires sacrificing animals, and (c) microhistology requires accurately identifying taxa from partially digested plant fragments and likely overemphasizes less-digestible taxa. The northern Idaho ground squirrel (Urocitellus brunneus) is federally threatened in the United States under the Endangered Species Act. We used DNA metabarcoding techniques to identify the diet of 188 squirrels at 11 study sites from fecal samples. We identified 42 families, 126 genera, and 120 species of plants in the squirrel's diet. Our use of three gene regions was beneficial because reliance on only one gene region (e.g., only trnL) would have caused us to miss >30% of the taxa in their diet. Northern Idaho ground squirrel diet differed between spring and summer, frequency of many plants in the diet differed from their frequency within their foraging areas (evidence of selective foraging), and several plant genera in their diet were associated with survival. Our results suggest that while these squirrels are generalists (they consume a wide variety of plant species), they are also selective and do not eat plants relative to availability. Consumption of particular genera such as Perideridia may be associated with higher overwinter survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda R. Goldberg
- Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitDepartment of Fish and Wildlife SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
| | - Courtney J. Conway
- U.S. Geological SurveyIdaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitUniversity of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
| | - David C. Tank
- Department of Biological Sciences and Stillinger HerbariumUniversity of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
| | - Kimberly R. Andrews
- Department of Fish & Wildlife Sciences and Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies (IBEST)University of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
| | - Digpal S. Gour
- Department of Fish and Wildlife SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
| | - Lisette P. Waits
- Department of Fish and Wildlife SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
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22
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Han L, Blank D, Wang M, da Silva AA, Yang W, Ruckstuhl K, Alves J. Diet differences between males and females in sexually dimorphic ungulates: a case study on Siberian ibex. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-020-01387-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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23
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Bowyer RT, McCullough DR, Rachlow JL, Ciuti S, Whiting JC. Evolution of ungulate mating systems: Integrating social and environmental factors. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:5160-5178. [PMID: 32551090 PMCID: PMC7297761 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ungulates exhibit diverse mating systems that range from monogamous pair territories to highly polygynous leks. We review mating systems and behaviors across ungulates and offer a new approach synthesizing how interacting factors may shape those mating systems. Variability exists in mating systems among and within species of ungulates and likely is affected by predation risk, availability of resources (food and mates), habitat structure, and sociality. Ungulate mating systems may be labile as a consequence of the varying strength of those interacting factors. In addition, degree of polygyny and sexual dimorphism in size are associated with the evolution of mating systems. Neither male-male combat nor paternal care, however, can completely explain differences in sexual size dimorphism for ungulates, a necessary component in understanding the development of some mating systems. Whatever the evolutionary pathway, sexual segregation limits paternal care allowing more intense male-male competition. Selection of habitat structure, because it modifies risk of predation, is a major determinant of sociality for ungulates. Likewise, ruggedness and steepness of terrain limit the types of mating systems that can occur because of limitations in group size and cohesiveness, as well as the ability of males to herd even small groups of females effectively. The quality and defensibility of resources affect mating systems, as does the defensibility of females. Population density of females also may be a critical determinant of the types of mating systems that develop. Size of groups likewise constrains the types of mating tactics that males can employ. Our aim was to use those relationships to create a broad conceptual model that predicts how various environmental and social factors interact to structure mating systems in ungulates. This model provides a useful framework for future tests of the roles of both ecological and social conditions in influencing the social systems of ungulates.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Terry Bowyer
- Institute of Arctic BiologyUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAKUSA
| | - Dale R. McCullough
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and ManagementUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeleyCAUSA
| | - Janet L. Rachlow
- Department of Fish and Wildlife SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
| | - Simone Ciuti
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and BehaviourSchool of Biology and Environmental ScienceUniversity College DublinDublinIreland
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24
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Tyler NJC, Gregorini P, Parker KL, Hazlerigg DG. Animal responses to environmental variation: physiological mechanisms in ecological models of performance in deer (Cervidae). ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1071/an19418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Context
Proper assessment of the consequences of environmental variation on animals depends on our ability to predict how they will perform under different circumstances. This requires two kinds of information. We need to know which environmental factors influence animal performance and their mode of action, i.e. whether a given factor acts alone or through interaction with other factors, directly or indirectly, instantaneously or after a delay and so on. This essentially correlative process falls within the domain of ecology. We also need to know what determines the direction, amplitude and limits of animal responses to environmental variation and change. This essentially experimental process falls within the domain of physiology. Physiological mechanisms are frequently poorly integrated within the correlative framework of ecological models. This is evident where programmed responses are attributed to environmental forcing and where the effect of environmental factors is evaluated without reference to the physiological state and regulatory capacity of the animal on which they act.
Aims
Here we examine ways in which the impacts of external (environmental) stimuli and constraints on performance are moderated by the animals (deer) on which they impinge.
Key results
The analysis shows (1) how trade-offs in foraging behaviour, illustrated by the timing of activity under the threat of predation, are modulated by integration of short-term metabolic feedback and animal emotions that influence the motivation to feed, (2) how the influence of thermal and nutritional challenges on performance, illustrated by the effect of weather conditions during gestation on the body mass of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) calves at weaning, depends on the metabolic state of the female at the time the challenge occurs and (3) how annual cycles of growth, appetite and reproduction in seasonal species of deer are governed by innate circannual timers, such that their responses to seasonal changes in food supply are anticipatory and governed by rheostatic systems that adjust homeostatic set- points, rather than being purely reactive.
Conclusions
Concepts like ‘maintenance’ and ‘energy balance’, which were originally derived from non-seasonal domestic ruminants, are unable to account for annual cycles in metabolic and nutritional status in seasonal deer. Contrasting seasonal phenotypes (fat and anoestrous in summer, lean and oestrous in winter) represent adaptive solutions to the predictable challenges presented by contrasting seasonal environments, not failure of homeostasis in one season and its success in another.
Implications
The analysis and interpretation of responses to environment in terms of interaction between the external stimuli and the internal systems that govern them offer a more comprehensive, multifaceted understanding of the influence of environmental variation on performance in deer and open lines of ecological enquiry defined by non-intuitive aspects of animal function.
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25
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Ma Y, Bao H, Bencini R, Raubenheimer D, Dou H, Liu H, Wang S, Jiang G. Macro-Nutritional Adaptive Strategies of Moose ( Alces alces) Related to Population Density. Animals (Basel) 2019; 10:ani10010073. [PMID: 31906149 PMCID: PMC7022907 DOI: 10.3390/ani10010073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The distribution area of moose in China has been shrinking back toward the north and northeast because of climate change and human disturbance, and the population number has been declining. Between 2011 and 2015, we studied moose at six sites in the northeast of China during the snowy seasons. We collected fecal samples and plant samples that were used to estimate population densities for moose, as well as their macro-nutrient selection. Out of a total of 257 fecal samples collected at six sites, we identified a total of 120 individual moose (57 females and 63 males). The population density (moose/km2 ± SE) was highest at Hanma with 0.305 ± 0.064 moose/km2 and lowest at Meitian with only 0.028 ± 0.013 moose/km2. Forage availability was different among sites, with the lowest availability at Mohe (58.17 number/20 m2) and highest was Zhanhe (250.44 number/20 m2). Moose at Zhanhe, Hanma, and Nanwenghe had a balanced diet with higher N:C (1:7), while at Meitian, Shuanghe and Mohe the N:C was 1:8. Our results indicate that the southern areas had low forage quality and quantity and this may be the reason for the distribution of the population of moose shrinking northward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingjie Ma
- Feline Research Center of Chinese State Forestry Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Areas, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, China; (Y.M.); (H.B.); (S.W.)
- Key Lab of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1-5 Beichenxi Road, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Heng Bao
- Feline Research Center of Chinese State Forestry Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Areas, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, China; (Y.M.); (H.B.); (S.W.)
| | - Roberta Bencini
- School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth 6009, Australia;
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia;
| | - Hongliang Dou
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Jinlin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China;
| | - Hui Liu
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, No. 58, Renmin Avenue, Haikou 570228, China;
| | - Sirui Wang
- Feline Research Center of Chinese State Forestry Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Areas, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, China; (Y.M.); (H.B.); (S.W.)
| | - Guangshun Jiang
- Feline Research Center of Chinese State Forestry Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Areas, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, China; (Y.M.); (H.B.); (S.W.)
- Correspondence:
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Fuster F, Traveset A. Importance of intraspecific variation in the pollination and seed dispersal functions of a double mutualist animal species. OIKOS 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Fuster
- Global Change Research Group, Inst. Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats (CSIC‐UIB), Miquel Marqués 21, ES‐07190‐Esporles Mallorca Balearic Islands Spain
| | - Anna Traveset
- Global Change Research Group, Inst. Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats (CSIC‐UIB), Miquel Marqués 21, ES‐07190‐Esporles Mallorca Balearic Islands Spain
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Longest terrestrial migrations and movements around the world. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15333. [PMID: 31654045 PMCID: PMC6814704 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51884-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-distance terrestrial migrations are imperiled globally. We determined both round-trip migration distances (straight-line measurements between migratory end points) and total annual movement (sum of the distances between successive relocations over a year) for a suite of large mammals that had potential for long-distance movements to test which species displayed the longest of both. We found that caribou likely do exhibit the longest terrestrial migrations on the planet, but, over the course of a year, gray wolves move the most. Our results were consistent with the trophic-level based hypothesis that predators would move more than their prey. Herbivores in low productivity environments moved more than herbivores in more productive habitats. We also found that larger members of the same guild moved less than smaller members, supporting the ‘gastro-centric’ hypothesis. A better understanding of migration and movements of large mammals should aid in their conservation by helping delineate conservation area boundaries and determine priority corridors for protection to preserve connectivity. The magnitude of the migrations and movements we documented should also provide guidance on the scale of conservation efforts required and assist conservation planning across agency and even national boundaries.
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Fitzhenry LB, Cawthorn DM, Muchenje V, Bureš D, Kotrba R, Hoffman LC. Carcass Composition and Yields of Wild Fallow Deer (Dama dama) in South Africa. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2019. [DOI: 10.3957/056.049.0100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leon B. Fitzhenry
- Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of AgriSciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7600 South Africa
| | - Donna M. Cawthorn
- Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of AgriSciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7600 South Africa
| | - Voster Muchenje
- Department of Livestock and Pasture Science, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice, 5700 South Africa
| | - Daniel Bureš
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Kotrba
- Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Louwrens C. Hoffman
- Department of Animal Sciences, Faculty of AgriSciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7600 South Africa
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Debeffe L, Rivrud IM, Meisingset EL, Mysterud A. Sex-specific differences in spring and autumn migration in a northern large herbivore. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6137. [PMID: 30992511 PMCID: PMC6468013 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42639-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Ongoing global warming is now affecting migratory cycles in a large variety of taxa in seasonally variable environments. Disruption of migratory systems can cause population decline and affect ecosystem function across the globe. It is therefore urgent to understand the drivers of migration and how the different fitness limitations of the sexes affect migration, but studies seldom considered the full annual cycle. We analysed the annual migration cycle of 237 red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Norway and investigate how different seasonal limitations affected the variation in a suite of migration characteristics. We found fundamental differences in migration phenology between seasons, and migratory traits were much more variable in males. Spring migratory movements were characterized by longer distance roamed, lower speed, lasted longer, more frequent use of stopovers, timing was more synchronized and coincided with onset of plant growth, and with higher daily activity levels. Timing of autumn migration was more variable and not closely related to cease of plant growth. Our study emphasizes the benefits of studying the full annual cycle to gain further insight into the migration process, and how understanding the limitations of the full annual migration process of both sexes is critical for conservation purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Debeffe
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway.
- CEFS, Université de Toulouse, INRA, 31326, Castanet-Tolosan, France.
| | - Inger Maren Rivrud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
| | - Erling L Meisingset
- Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Department of Forestry and Forestry resources, NO-6630, Tingvoll, Norway
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
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Smith GP, Bronstein JL, Papaj DR. Sex differences in pollinator behavior: Patterns across species and consequences for the mutualism. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:971-985. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gordon P. Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Arizona Tucson Arizona
| | - Judith L. Bronstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Arizona Tucson Arizona
| | - Daniel R. Papaj
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of Arizona Tucson Arizona
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31
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Thu AM, Li GG, Zhang M, Thang TH, Soe AM, Naing W, Quan RC. Group size and social organization of the endangered Eld's deer (Rucervus eldii thamin): Results from a long-term study in Myanmar. Glob Ecol Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Crawford DA, Cherry MJ, Kelly BD, Garrison EP, Shindle DB, Conner LM, Chandler RB, Miller KV. Chronology of reproductive investment determines predation risk aversion in a felid-ungulate system. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:3264-3275. [PMID: 30962891 PMCID: PMC6434540 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear of predators can behaviorally mediate prey population dynamics, particularly when predation risk influences reproductive investment. However, the costs of reproductive investment may mitigate predation risk aversion relative to periods when the link between reproductive output and prey behavior is weaker.We posit that intensity of reproductive investment in ungulates may predict their response to predation risk such that the sexes increase risk exposure during biological seasons that are pivotal to reproductive success, such as the fawn-rearing and breeding seasons for females and males, respectively.We examined the activity patterns of sympatric white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), a sexually segregated polygynous ungulate, and Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) in the context of the "risky times - risky places hypothesis" and the reproductive strategy hypothesis. We compared detection rates and diel activity overlap of both species using motion-triggered camera traps positioned on (n = 120) and off (n = 60) anthropogenic trails across five reproductive seasons.Florida panthers were nocturnal and primarily observed on-trail providing an experimental framework with risky times and risky places. Contrary to studies in other taxa inversely correlating prey reproductive investment to predation risk, the sexes of deer were more risk prone during sex-specific seasons associated with intense reproductive investment.Our results suggest spatiotemporally variable predation risk influences sex-specific behavioral decision-making in deer such that reproductive success is maximized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel A. Crawford
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgia
| | - Michael J. Cherry
- College of Natural Resources and EnvironmentVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburgVirginia
| | - Brian D. Kelly
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgia
| | - Elina P. Garrison
- Fish and Wildlife Research InstituteFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionGainesvilleFlorida
| | | | | | - Richard B. Chandler
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgia
| | - Karl V. Miller
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgia
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33
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Peterson LM, Weckerly FW. Social behavior and changes in foraging behavior in a gregarious ungulate. J Mammal 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyy129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Leah M Peterson
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | - Floyd W Weckerly
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
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Lavrenčič A, Veternik D. Gas and short-chain fatty acid production from feeds commonly fed to red deer ( Cervus elaphus
L.) and incubated with rumen inoculum from red deer and sheep. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) 2018; 102:1146-1153. [DOI: 10.1111/jpn.12943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrej Lavrenčič
- Biotechnical Faculty; Department of Animal Sciences; University of Ljubljana; Domžale Slovenija
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Whiteside MA, van Horik JO, Langley EJG, Beardsworth CE, Madden JR. Size dimorphism and sexual segregation in pheasants: tests of three competing hypotheses. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5674. [PMID: 30280042 PMCID: PMC6166633 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Fine scale sexual segregation outside of the mating season is common in sexually dimorphic and polygamous species, particularly in ungulates. A number of hypotheses predict sexual segregation but these are often contradictory with no agreement as to a common cause, perhaps because they are species specific. We explicitly tested three of these hypotheses which are commonly linked by a dependence on sexual dimorphism for animals which exhibit fine-scale sexual segregation; the Predation Risk Hypothesis, the Forage Selection Hypothesis, and the Activity Budget Hypothesis, in a single system the pheasant, Phasianus colchicus; a large, sedentary bird that is predominantly terrestrial and therefore analogous to ungulates rather than many avian species which sexually segregate. Over four years we reared 2,400 individually tagged pheasants from one day old and after a period of 8–10 weeks we released them into the wild. We then followed the birds for 7 months, during the period that they sexually segregate, determined their fate and collected behavioural and morphological measures pertinent to the hypotheses. Pheasants are sexually dimorphic during the entire period that they sexually segregate in the wild; males are larger than females in both body size and gut measurements. However, this did not influence predation risk and predation rates (as predicted by the Predation Risk Hypothesis), diet choice (as predicted by the Forage Selection Hypothesis), or the amount of time spent foraging, resting or walking (as predicted by the Activity Budget Hypothesis). We conclude that adult sexual size dimorphism is not responsible for sexual segregation in the pheasant in the wild. Instead, we consider that segregation may be mediated by other, perhaps social, factors. We highlight the importance of studies on a wide range of taxa to help further the knowledge of sexual segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Whiteside
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom.,Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, United Kingdom
| | - Jayden O van Horik
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
| | - Ellis J G Langley
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
| | - Christine E Beardsworth
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
| | - Joah R Madden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
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The effect of male age on patterns of sexual segregation in Siberian ibex. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13095. [PMID: 30166602 PMCID: PMC6117266 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-31463-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual segregation is very common in sexually size dimorphic ungulates and may be the result of different habitat preferences and/or differential social behaviours of males and females. Various hypotheses have been put forward to explain this phenomenon. In the present research, we examined sexual segregation in a quite poorly understood species, the Siberian ibex. The species presents a marked sexual size dimorphism, with adult males weighing double as much as females. We use the Sexual Segregation and Aggregation Statistics (SSAS) to analyze the sex-age patterns of sexual segregation in this species, to understand the relevance of social factors. Our results show that adult Siberian ibex males were socially segregated from females all year round, except during the rutting season. Furthermore, the degree of segregation between females and males was influenced by the age of males. Moreover, the patterns of social segregation within males also increased with male age, reaching maximum values for males of 9 years-old and older, which means male age plays an important role in the sexual segregation of this species. This study clearly shows that social factors play a key role in the sexual segregation of Siberian ibex.
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Visscher DR, Merrill EH. Functional connectivity in ruminants: A generalized state-dependent modelling approach. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0199671. [PMID: 29944693 PMCID: PMC6019401 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal behaviour is increasingly seen as an important component in maintaining functional connectivity between patches in fragmented landscapes. However, models that explicitly incorporate behavioural trade-offs are rarely applied to landscape planning problems like connectivity. The aim of this study was to explore how state-dependent behaviour influenced functional connectivity between patches from a theoretical perspective. We investigated how inter-patch distances influenced functional connectivity using a dynamic state variable model framework. The decision making process of an individual ruminant facing fitness trade-offs in staying in its patch of origin or moving to another patch at various distances were explicitly modelled. We incorporated energetic costs and predation costs of feeding, ruminating, and resting while in the patch and for transit between patches based on inter-patch distance. Functional connectivity was maintained with isolated patches when they offered high intake and the inactivity of rumination associated with rapid gut fill resulted in reduced predation risk. Nevertheless, individuals in high energetic state often would forgo moving to another patch, whereas individuals in poor energetic states were forced to accept the cost of movement to best meet their requirements in the distant patch. The inclusion of state-dependent behavioural models provides important insights into functional connectivity in fragmented landscapes and helps integrate animal behaviour into landscape planning. We discuss the consequences of our findings for landscape planning to show how the approach provides a heuristic tool to assess alternative scenarios for restoring landscape functional connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darcy R. Visscher
- Department of Biology, The King’s University, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- * E-mail:
| | - Evelyn H. Merrill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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Silva NCD, Härter CJ, Figueiredo FOM, Leite RF, Neto JMS, Negrão JA, Teixeira IAMA, Resende KT. Growing goats of different sexes have distinct metabolic responses to continuous feed restriction. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2018. [DOI: 10.1071/an16419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of sex on the hormonal and metabolic changes in growing goats subjected to levels of feed restriction. We used 72 Saanen kids, including 24 intact males, 24 castrated males and 24 females with initial bodyweight of 15.76 ± 0.174 kg and initial age of 108.4 ± 18.86 days respectively. A split-plot design was employed (3 sexes = intact males, castrated males, and females; 3 levels of feed restriction = 0% (ad libitum), 25% and 50%). Groups of three goat kids were formed by sex (each goat eating one level of feed restriction); goats of each group were slaughtered when animals fed ad libitum reached 30 kg bodyweight. Fat and protein deposition were calculated by the difference between the determinations performed on samples of homogenates of control animals slaughtered at the start of the experiment and the experimental animals. Blood samples were collected every 10 days to evaluate glucose, total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine, cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acid, β-hydroxybutyrate, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma glutamyltransferase, creatine kinase, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine and insulin-like growth factor. Females presented greater fat deposition than did castrated and intact males, regardless of feed restriction (P < 0.0001). Protein body retention (kg) was affected only by feed restriction (P < 0.0001). In females, aspartate aminotransferase activity was greater in those subjected to 50% feed restriction (83.83 ± 4.96 U/L). Regardless of sex, the greatest serum β-hydroxybutyrate concentration was observed when animals were subjected to 50% feed restriction (P < 0.0149). Plasma concentration of insulin-like growth factor 1 was similar in castrated and females, being lower than in intact males. Intact males showed lower plasma T3 concentration than did females (P < 0.05). Females changed their glycolytic metabolism to retain fat deposition even under feed restriction, whereas males mainly changed their protein metabolism to retain protein synthesis, and were less affected by feed restriction.
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Male group size, female distribution and changes in sexual segregation by Roosevelt elk. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187829. [PMID: 29121076 PMCID: PMC5679572 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual segregation, or the differential use of space by males and females, is hypothesized to be a function of body size dimorphism. Sexual segregation can also manifest at small (social segregation) and large (habitat segregation) spatial scales for a variety of reasons. Furthermore, the connection between small- and large-scale sexual segregation has rarely been addressed. We studied a population of Roosevelt elk (Cervus elaphus roosevelti) across 21 years in north coastal California, USA, to assess small- and large-scale sexual segregation in winter. We hypothesized that male group size would associate with small-scale segregation and that a change in female distribution would associate with large-scale segregation. Variation in forage biomass might also be coupled to small and large-scale sexual segregation. Our findings were consistent with male group size associating with small-scale segregation and a change in female distribution associating with large-scale segregation. Females appeared to avoid large groups comprised of socially dominant males. Males appeared to occupy a habitat vacated by females because of a wider forage niche, greater tolerance to lethal risks, and, perhaps, to reduce encounters with other elk. Sexual segregation at both spatial scales was a poor predictor of forage biomass. Size dimorphism was coupled to change in sexual segregation at small and large spatial scales. Small scale segregation can seemingly manifest when all forage habitat is occupied by females and large scale segregation might happen when some forage habitat is not occupied by females.
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Li B, Wang M, Blank DA, Xu W, Yang W, Ruckstuhl KE. Sexual segregation in the Darwin's wild sheep,Ovis ammon darwini, (Bovidae, Artiodactyla), in the Mengluoke Mountains of Xinjiang, China. FOLIA ZOOLOGICA 2017. [DOI: 10.25225/fozo.v66.i2.a7.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bang Li
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China;, , ,
| | - Muyang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China;, , ,
| | - David A. Blank
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China;, , ,
- Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
| | - Wenxuan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China;, , ,
| | - Weikang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China;, , ,
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Berini JL, Badgley C. Diet segregation in American bison (Bison bison) of Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, USA). BMC Ecol 2017; 17:27. [PMID: 28705156 PMCID: PMC5513210 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-017-0137-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Body size is a major factor in the nutritional ecology of ruminant mammals. Females, due to their smaller size and smaller rumen, have more rapid food-passage times than males and thereby require higher quality forage. Males are more efficient at converting high-fiber forage into usable energy and thus, are more concerned with quantity. American bison are sexually dimorphic and sexually segregate for the majority of their adult lives, and in Yellowstone National Park, they occur in two distinct subpopulations within the Northern and Central ranges. We used fecal nitrogen and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen from American bison to investigate sex-specific differences in diet composition, diet quality, and dietary breadth between the mating season and a time period spanning multiple years, and compared diet indicators for these different time periods between the Northern and Central ranges. Results During mating season, diet composition of male and female American bison differed significantly; females had higher quality diets, and males had greater dietary breadth. Over the multi-year period, females had higher quality diets and males, greater dietary breadth. Diet segregation for bison in the Central Range was more pronounced during the mating season than for the multi-year period and females had higher quality diets than males. Finally, diet segregation in the Northern Range was more pronounced during the multi-year period than during the mating season, and males had greater dietary breadth. Conclusions Female bison in Yellowstone National Park have higher quality diets than males, whereas males ingest a greater diversity of plants or plants parts, and bison from different ranges exhibited more pronounced diet segregation during different times. Collectively, our results suggest that diet segregation in bison of Yellowstone National Park is associated with sex-specific differences in nutritional demands. Altogether, our results highlight the importance of accounting for spatial and temporal heterogeneity when conducting dietary studies on wild ungulates.
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Affiliation(s)
- John L Berini
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 135 B Skok Hall, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55108-1052, USA.
| | - Catherine Badgley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1109 Geddes Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1079, USA
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Body condition, diet and ecosystem function of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in a fenced nature reserve. Glob Ecol Conserv 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2017.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
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Differences in social preference between the sexes during ontogeny drive segregation in a precocial species. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017; 71:103. [PMID: 28747810 PMCID: PMC5486806 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2332-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Revised: 05/30/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Hypotheses for why animals sexually segregate typically rely on adult traits, such as differences in sexual roles causing differential habitat preferences, or size dimorphism inducing differences in diet or behaviour. However, segregation can occur in juveniles before such roles or size dimorphism is well established. In young humans, leading hypotheses suggest that (1) sexes differ in their activity and the synchronisation of behaviour causes segregation and (2) sexes separate in order to learn and maximise future reproductive roles. We reared pheasants, Phasianus colchicus, from hatching in the absence of adults in a controlled environment. Females aggregated with their own sex from hatching, whereas males initially exhibited random association, but segregation became pronounced with age. The increase in segregation corresponded to an increase in sexual size dimorphism. By standardising habitat availability and diet and by removing predation risk, we could disregard the Predation Risk and the Forage Selection Hypotheses operating at this age. Activity budgets did not differ between the sexes, providing no support for the Behavioural Synchrony or the Activity Budget Hypotheses. Both sexes preferentially approached groups of unfamiliar, same-sex birds in binary choice tests, providing support for the Social Preference Hypothesis. Females may segregate to avoid male aggression. Sexual segregation may become established early in development, especially in precocial species, such as pheasants. A clear understanding of ontogenetic factors is essential to further our understanding of adult assortment patterns. Assortment by sex may not be inherent, but rather emerge as a consequence of social interactions early in life. Significance statement Hypotheses pertaining to the force driving sexual segregation typically rely on adult traits, such as size dimorphism or differences in sexual roles. However, in some species, animals segregate as juveniles, so that most hypotheses previously invoked to explain sexual segregation in adults are irrelevant. We reared pheasants, Phasianus colchicus, from hatching and monitored multiple aspects of the chicks’ life history in an effort to determine what causes sexual segregation. Females aggregate with their own sex from hatching, whereas males initially have a more random association, but segregation becomes pronounced as both sexes got older, coinciding with greater sexual dimorphism. We controlled for influences of predation risk and dietary/habitat choice and found that activity budgets did not differ between the sexes. Instead, we found that both sexes preferred their own sex when presented with a binary choice, providing evidence that social preference could drive sexual segregation in pheasants.
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Sexual segregation of forage patch use: Support for the social-factors and predation hypotheses. Behav Processes 2017; 136:36-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Revised: 12/31/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Milošević‐Zlatanović S, Tomašević Kolarov N, Vukov T, Stamenković S. Correlation patterns in roe deer cranium: sexual dimorphism across different habitats. J Zool (1987) 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - N. Tomašević Kolarov
- Department of Evolutionary Biology University of Belgrade Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković” Belgrade Serbia
| | - T. Vukov
- Department of Evolutionary Biology University of Belgrade Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković” Belgrade Serbia
| | - S. Stamenković
- Faculty of Biology University of Belgrade Belgrade Serbia
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Roffler GH, Adams LG, Hebblewhite M. Summer habitat selection by Dall’s sheep in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. J Mammal 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyw135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Stewart KM, Bowyer RT, Kie J, Dick BL, Ben-David M. Niche partitioning among mule deer, elk, and cattle: Do stable isotopes reflect dietary niche? ECOSCIENCE 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2003.11682777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Mysterud A, Austrheim G. The Role of Individual Traits and Environmental Factors for Diet Composition of Sheep. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0146217. [PMID: 26731411 PMCID: PMC4701509 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Large herbivore consumption of forage is known to affect vegetation composition and thereby ecosystem functions. It is thus important to understand how diet composition arises as a mixture of individual variation in preferences and environmental drivers of availability, but few studies have quantified both. Based on 10 years of data on diet composition by aid of microhistological analysis for sheep kept at high and low population density, we analysed how both individual traits (sex, age, body mass, litter size) linked to preference and environmental variation (density, climate proxies) linked to forage availability affected proportional intake of herbs (high quality/low availability) and Avenella flexuosa (lower quality/high availability). Environmental factors affecting current forage availability such as population density and seasonal and annual variation in diet had the most marked impact on diet composition. Previous environment of sheep (switch between high and low population density) had no impact on diet, suggesting a comparably minor role of learning for density dependent diet selection. For individual traits, only the difference between lambs and ewes affected proportion of A. flexuosa, while body mass better predicted proportion of herbs in diet. Neither sex, body mass, litter size, ewe age nor mass of ewe affected diet composition of lambs, and there was no effect of age, body mass or litter size on diet composition of ewes. Our study highlights that diet composition arises from a combination of preferences being predicted by lamb and ewes’ age and/or body mass differences, and the immediate environment in terms of population density and proxies for vegetation development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1066 Blindern, NO-0316, Oslo, Norway
- * E-mail:
| | - Gunnar Austrheim
- Museum of Natural History and Archaeology, Section of Natural History, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway
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