Behavior and dispersal of white-tailed deer during the breeding season

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S Rosenberry ◽  
Mark C Conner ◽  
Richard A Lancia

Sexual competition and aggression by adult females have been hypothesized to prompt dispersal by male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We observed behavioral interactions of 21 yearling males (14 dispersers and 7 nondispersers) at Chesapeake Farms during the early part of the breeding season prior to actual breeding. Interactions with adult males and females constituted a small portion of all interactions and yearling males were similarly subordinate to adults. Dispersers participated in breeding-season behaviors with yearling males more often than nondispersers did (P = 0.005), and tended to be more subordinate than nondispersers (P = 0.095). Behavioral differences related to sexual competition with other yearlings appeared to be correlated with dispersal by yearling males at Chesapeake Farms. We recommend that both sexual competition and aggression by adult females be considered in future attempts to understand the dispersal behavior of white-tailed deer.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vida Hojati ◽  
Reza Babaei Savasari

The Caspian bent-toed gecko,Tenuidactylus caspius, is one of the most common nocturnal lizards of Iran with widespread distribution especially in the northern provinces. This research was done in order to study the diet and sexual dimorphism of this species in Sari County from 5 May to 20 October. During this research, 40 specimens of them including 20 males and 20 females were studied for diet and 140 specimens including 70 adult males and 70 adult females were studied for sexual dimorphism. Prey items identified were insects that belong to 15 species of 8 families and 6 orders. The most common prey items wereCulex pipiensandMusca domestica. There is no significant difference between diets of males and females. Results show that the adult males in addition of having the apparent femoral and preanal pores are heavier than females and have larger body, head, and tail length.


Parasitology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. CROOK ◽  
M. E. VINEY

Strongyloides ratti is a parasitic nematode of rats. The host immune response against S. ratti affects the development of its free-living generation, favouring the development of free-living adult males and females at the expense of directly developing, infective 3rd-stage larvae. However, how the host immune response brings about these developmental effects is not clear. To begin to investigate this, we have determined the effect of non-immune stresses on the development of S. ratti. These non-immune stresses were subcurative doses of the anthelmintic drugs Ivermectin, Dithiazanine iodide and Thiabendazole, and infection of a non-natural host, the mouse. These treatments produced the opposite developmental outcome to that of the host immune response. Thus, in infections treated with subcurative doses of Ivermectin, Dithiazanine iodide and in infections of a non-natural host, the sex ratio of developing larvae became more female-biased and the proportion of female larvae that developed into free-living adult females decreased. This suggests that the mechanism by which the host immune response and these non-immune stresses affect S. ratti development differs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (10) ◽  
pp. 2877-2884
Author(s):  
Zahid Farooq ◽  
Irfan Baboo ◽  
Muhammad Younas ◽  
Khalid Javed Iqbal ◽  
Sana Asad ◽  
...  

Management practices/strategies to re-modulate the wild behaviour of animal species could increase their number in natural areas. The captive herd of hog deer showed slight changes from wild behaviour due to captive stress with no alteration in wild behaviour pattern except captive stress. Adult males (6), adult females (6) and fawns (6) were selected and observed round the clock for thirty days across season after one-hour interval on each activity. All subjects in hotter part of the day spent more time in sitting and rest. While, few hours of night in sleeping, resting and rumination. Fawn spent more time in sitting, resting, and hiding compared to adults. During wandering, they also spent some time in standing. It was noticed that all hog deer in herd not slept together but few of them remain active. Only male fighting was observed and maximum was noticed in August and September during breeding season. Hog deer were mainly crepuscular in feeding with irregular short intakes, and grazing on grasses present in enclosure. This study provides guideline to rehabilitate wild hog deer for better breeding management, conservation and raising practices.


1992 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 137 ◽  
Author(s):  
GW Arnold ◽  
DE Steven ◽  
A Grassia ◽  
J Weeldenburg

The home ranges were studied from 1977 to 1981 of western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) living in a 300-ha remnant of wandoo [Eucalyptus wandoo] surrounded by farmland at Baker's Hill, Western Australia. The M. fuliginosus population varied from 140 to 200 animals during the study. In 1979, four females (>30 kg) and 2 adult males (31 kg and 47 kg) were fitted with radio-transmitters and their movements recorded. The home ranges of these animals varied from 39 to 70 ha; the average overlap in the area used during the day and that used at night was 16.4%. Many of the kangaroos fed on farmland at night. The night ranges of 51 marked kangaroos were recorded using a spotlight. The animals showed a strong fidelity to their home ranges. Only 3 males (about 5-yr-old) shifted their night ranges; the centres of the ranges moved only 600-800 m. Older males had significantly larger night ranges than younger males and females. Individual females and the younger males showed preferences for using particular access points to get onto farmland; the older males showed no preferences. The core areas of the night ranges of many adult females overlapped closely in 'groups', but there was no evidence of 'mob' home ranges that were socially separated.


1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 661 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Lindenmayer ◽  
A. Welsh ◽  
C. F. Donnelly

Radio-tracking was used to examine the spatial configuration and co-occupancy of large trees with hollows occupied by 16 mountain brushtail possums (Trichosurus caninus) at Cambarville in the central highlands of Victoria, south-eastern Australia. The distance that animals moved between trees on successive days was also examined. Our analyses showed that animals often remained in a given den tree on successive days. On nights when animals did shift between den sites, they typically moved to a new tree that was relatively nearby (< 200 m). Long-distance movements (e.g. > 300 m) between den trees were rare. Considerable variation was found between individuals in the size of areas encompassing trees used frequently (≥5 times) (‘core denning range’) and those encompassing all occupied trees [i.e. including those used infrequently (< 5 times)] (‘total denning range’). The mean area of the core denning range averaged about 1·1 ha for males and 0·7 ha for females. The mean value for the total denning range was approximately 2·6 ha for males and females respectively. Considerable overlap was found in the total denning ranges of pairs of adult males and pairs of adult females. For most animals, the total denning range was shared with the total denning ranges of several other animals. There was substantial variation in the extent of this overlap, ranging from complete enclosure to the sharing of a single tree. The extent of overlap was more limited for the core denning ranges, particularly among females. We observed differences in the extent of the overlap of the total denning ranges of pairs of males and pairs of females in the breeding season (January–March) and non-breeding season (the remaining months of the year). Fewer instances of overlapping total denning ranges among pairs of both males and females were found during the breeding season. The total denning ranges in the breeding season were generally smaller than those in the non- breeding season. Simultaneous co-occupancy of a given den tree by T. caninus was relatively common. Unexpectedly, there was a number of instances of groups of three or four adult animals sharing the same den site on the same night. We recorded several instances of sharing by pairs of animals of the same sex, especially adult males. However, most records of simultaneous tree use were by an adult male and an adult female T. caninus. The extent of overlap in the denning ranges of animals and the prevalence of simultaneous co-occupancy of den trees indicate that the social behaviour of T. caninus at Cambarville may be different from that observed among populations of the species elsewhere in Australia. Possible reasons for these differences are outlined.


2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 121-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.Y. Mosleh ◽  
L.H. Yousry ◽  
A. Alo-El-Elaa

The peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders, Diptera: Tephritidae), has been a serious pest in the last decade attacking a wide range of fruits in Egypt. The toxicity of Malathion, Diazinon, Methoxyfenozide and Lufenuron to adult males and females of B. zonata was studied under laboratory conditions. The results showed that Diazinon was the most toxic among the tested compounds followed by Malathion, Lufenuron and Methoxyfenozide. LC<sub>50</sub> values for adult males and females were 0.20 ppm, 0.09 ppm and 0.02 ppm (for males), 0.91 ppm, 0.14 ppm and 0,01 ppm (for females), respectively. The results showed that the level of glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) of treated adult males and females in 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h post treatment increased compared to untreated adults. The highest activities of GOT in treated adult males in 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h were 92.11&micro;M, 101.99&micro;M and 112.21&micro;M pyruvate released &times; 10<sup>3</sup>/min/g FW (fresh weight), respectively, for Methoxyfenozide LC<sub>10</sub>, and in treated adult females after 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h they were 84.24&micro;M, 94.33&micro;M, and 111.12&micro;M pyruvate released &times; 10<sup>3</sup>/min/g FW, respectively, for Diazinon LC<sub>25</sub>. The activities of acetylcholine esterase of treated adults decreased compared to untreated adults. The highest activities of acid phosphatase in adult males after 24 h and 48 h were 249.43 &micro;g and 270.52 &micro;g AchI hydrolysed/min/g FW, respectively, for Methoxyfenozide LC<sub>25</sub>. The highest activities of alkaline phosphatase in adult males were 139.04 &micro;g, 175.67 &micro;g, and 199.29 &micro;g phenol &times; 10<sup>3</sup>/min/g FW for Malathion LC<sub>10</sub> and in adult females they were 123.31 &micro;g, 162.10 &micro;g and 199.59 &micro;g phenol.10<sup>3</sup>/min/g FW, respectively, for Lufenuron LC<sub>25</sub> in 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h post treatment.


2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (No. 3) ◽  
pp. 115-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.Y. Mosleh ◽  
S.F.M. Moussa ◽  
L.H.Y. Mohamed

Peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae), has been a serious pest in the last decade attacking a wide range of fruits in Egypt. The toxicity of Malathion, Diazinon, Methoxyfenozide, and Lufenuron to adult males and females of Bactrocera zonata was studied under laboratory conditions. Diazinon was the most toxic among the tested compounds followed by Malathion, Lufenuron and Methoxyfenozide to Bactrocera zonata at 24 h post treatment, the respective LC<sub>50</sub> values were 0.20 ppm, 0.48ppm, 8.97ppm, and 9.73ppm for males and 0.26 ppm, 0.91ppm, 11.26ppm, and 14.12ppm for females. At 48 h post treatment Diazinon was the most toxic followed by Malathion, Methoxyfenozide and Lufenuron to Bactrocera zonata, LC<sub>50</sub> values were 0.09ppm, 0.34ppm, 1.60ppm, and 1.88 ppm for males and 0.14 ppm, 0.44ppm, 1.68ppm and 2.17 ppm for females. At 72&nbsp;h post treatment Diazinon was the most toxic followed by Malathion, Lufenuron and Methoxyfenozide to Bactrocera zonata, LC<sub>50</sub> values were 0.02 ppm, 0.13ppm, 0.22ppm and 0.51ppm for males and 0.07 ppm, 0.16ppm, 0.55 ppm and 0.62 ppm for females. It is observed that LC<sub>50</sub> values for treated adult females increased more than in the treated adult males at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h post treatment. It means that the adult males were more susceptible to the tested insecticides than the adult females.


1995 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Frederico Duarte Rocha

AbstractThe growth of males and females of the tropidurid lizard Liolaemus lutzae was studied in the seasonal tropical habitat of the restinga da Barra de Maricá, Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil. Growth rates of lizards decreased with size in both sexes; the size specific growth rates of females were significantly lower than those of males. Adult males were larger than adult females. The data indicate that despite maturing at a larger size, males grow faster than females and mature at similar ages. There was a significant relationship between amount of rainfall and lizard growth rate in both sexes.


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9694
Author(s):  
Keren Klass ◽  
Sarie Van Belle ◽  
Alvaro Campos-Villanueva ◽  
Fernando Mercado Malabet ◽  
Alejandro Estrada

Habitat loss and fragmentation are leading threats to biodiversity today, and primates are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic habitat disturbance. However, few studies have examined how differential effects of variation in forest fragment characteristics on males and females in a primate population may affect demography and population persistence. We quantified the effects of variation in forest fragment characteristics on the within-fragment demography of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) in forest fragments around Palenque National Park, Mexico, and how these effects differed between adult males and females. We quantified forest loss in the landscape between 2000 and 2017, and used a redundancy analysis to examine the effects of 15 variables quantifying fragment dimensions, forest composition and physical structure, and isolation on fragment population size and density, the proportion of adult males and females in the fragment population, and the mean number of adult males and females per group in 34 fragments (N = 393 monkeys). We hypothesized that (i) population size is positively correlated with fragment area, while population density is negatively correlated, and (ii) the composition of fragment populations results from differential effects of fragment variables on adult males and females. Forest cover decreased by 23.3% from 2000 to 2017. Our results showed a significant effect of fragment variables on population demography in fragments, accounting for 0.69 of the variance in the demographic response variables. Population size increased with fragment area and connectivity, while density decreased. Larger, less isolated fragments with better connectivity, characteristics indicative of abundant secondary growth, and those with more diverse vegetation but lower Simpson’s evenness indices tended to have more adult females per group and a higher proportion of adult females in the population. In contrast, fragments that were largely similar in characteristics of forest composition and structure, but that were more isolated from nearby fragments, had more adult males per group and a higher proportion of adult males. These results may stem from black howler females preferentially remaining in natal groups and fragments when possible, and dispersing shorter distances when they disperse, while males may be more likely to disperse between fragments, traveling longer distances through the matrix to more isolated fragments. These differential effects on males and females have important conservation implications: if females are more abundant in larger, less isolated fragments, while males are more abundant in more isolated fragments, then to effectively conserve this population, both landscape connectivity and fragment areas should be maintained and increased.


2019 ◽  
Vol 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jersei N. Silva ◽  
Guilherme de Oliveira ◽  
Sérgio S. da Rocha

ABSTRACT We analyzed the microhabitat preferences of Macrobrachium jelskii (Miers, 1877) males and females inhabiting an urban water reservoir in Cruz das Almas, Bahia, Brazil. Prawns were collected monthly, from March 2015 to February 2016, in three microhabitats, using a sieve. Each microhabitat was dominated by one macrophyte species: Eleocharis sp. (M1), Cabomba sp. (M2), and Nymphaea sp. (M3). The prawns were measured (carapace length), and categorized as juvenile males, adult males, juvenile females, non-ovigerous adult females and ovigerous adult females. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the number and size of individuals. The sex ratio and frequency of ovigerous females in the three microhabitats were also calculated. The sex ratio was biased towards females in M1 and did not deviate from 1:1 in M2 and M3. When prawns were separated into five categories we observed that non-ovigerous adult females were more abundant in M1, while adult males were the most abundant demographic category in M2 and M3. Juveniles of both sexes and ovigerous females showed no microhabitat preference, although M1 and M2 appeared to be more suitable for the latter. Adult females were the largest individuals in all microhabitats. Food availability, lower depth and lower predation pressure in M1 are the main factors that make M1 more suitable for M. jelskii, particularly non-ovigerous adult females and larger adult males. Intraspecific competition for shelter in M1 might also occur and adult females win this competition due to their larger body size. Therefore, adult males are found in higher abundance in M2 and M3 and the juvenile of both sexes spread evenly across all microhabitats. Our results help to understand the ecological role and the niche used by M. jelskii. Future studies on the habitat choice and predation under laboratory conditions should help to understand the behavior of this species.


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