Quantifying dominance of adult female white-tailed deer in the presence of abundant food

Behaviour ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric S. Michel ◽  
Stephen Demarais ◽  
Bronson K. Strickland ◽  
Jerrold L. Belant ◽  
Joshua J. Millspaugh
Keyword(s):  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Adult Female ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Consistency Index ◽  
Resource Abundance ◽  
Testosterone Levels ◽  
Plastic Behaviour ◽  
Abundant Food ◽  
Behavioural Mechanism

Dominance is a behavioural mechanism that allows individuals to access and monopolize resources which should ultimately improve their fitness. Hierarchy strength should be strongest when resources are limited; however, this relationship is not consistent. We provided abundant food to assess whether hierarchy strength was consistent with resource abundance using 9 groups of captive female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We further assessed how body mass, age and testosterone levels were associated with rank position. Deer displayed a weak hierarchy with a mean linearity () of 0.39 (SD = 0.09) and a mean directional consistency index of 0.83 (SD = 0.06). Rank was related to body mass (, slope = 0.011), but not age or testosterone levels (). We demonstrate that hierarchy strength was weak in the presence of abundant food resources and suggest the possibility that dominance is a plastic behaviour that may vary with resource abundance.

Cardiorespiratory capacity and body mass index in a periodization of the adult female futsal team from Universidade Norte do Paraná – Londrina

2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 441-445
Author(s):  
Túlio Pacheco ◽  
Antonio Carlos Gomes ◽  
Mario Carlos Balvedi ◽  
Rosangela Busto ◽  
Vanda Cristina Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Adult Female

Rumen–reticulum characteristics, scaling relationships, and ontogeny in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (11) ◽  
pp. 1351-1358 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.S. Luna ◽  
A. Duarte ◽  
F.W. Weckerly
Keyword(s):  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Digestive Efficiency ◽  
Acid Detergent Fiber ◽  
Scaling Relationships ◽  
Organ Mass ◽  
A Minor

Scaling relationships between body mass and gut capacity are valuable to predicting digestive efficiency. Interspecific scaling relationships between body mass and gut capacity have consistently estimated a slope of 1.0; however, intraspecific scaling relationships between body mass and gut capacity have been highly variable. We examined the influence of demands of growth and production on scaling relationships of body mass and rumen–reticulum characteristics in white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) because little is known about how juvenile and subadult ruminants accommodate increased digesta masses. We sampled 108 animals over a 2-year period and assessed the influence of body mass, time of kill, crude protein (%), and acid detergent fiber (%) in the rumen, lactation, sex, and back fat on rumen–reticulum organ mass, rumen–reticulum capacity, wet mass of the digesta, and the dry mass of the digesta. Juvenile and subadult white-tailed deer had rumen–reticulum organ masses, capacity, and digesta masses that were similar to adults because body mass and rumen–reticulum scaling relationships all had scalars similar to 1.0. Thus, under the confines of our study, ontogeny plays only a minor role in the physiological characteristics of the rumen–reticulum and the scaling relationships of body mass and rumen–reticulum capacity.

scholarly journals Variance component analysis of body mass in a wild population of deer (Odocoileus virginianus): results from two decades of research

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen L. Webb ◽  
Kenneth L. Gee ◽  
Randy W. DeYoung ◽  
Seth M. Harju
Keyword(s):  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Phenotypic Variance ◽  
Components Of Variance ◽  
Habitat Improvement ◽  
Capture Recapture ◽  
Sources Of Variation

Context Long-term studies of large, vertebrate mammals using capture–recapture data are scarce, even though long-term ecological studies are requisite to understanding quantitative genetics and evolutionary processes that can be applied as part of management programs. Aims Objectives were to (1) partition components of variation in body mass to understand the differential effects of environmental variation on the sexes during ontogeny, to better prescribe habitat-improvement projects, and (2) estimate repeatability to assess potential for selection on body mass. Methods We used a 23-year dataset (1983–2005) of capture–recapture records of wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to estimate components of variance and repeatability of body mass. We used an animal-model approach that employed the use of general linear mixed models and restricted maximum likelihood to adjust for the effects of age (i.e. fixed effect), and to partition the total phenotypic variance into among-individual (i.e. the deer), permanent environmental (i.e. year of birth) and temporary environmental (i.e. year of measurement and residual) effects (all modelled as random effects). Key results We found that body mass increased with age in both sexes, repeatability of body mass was 0.595 for females and 0.716 for males, and among-individual variation was more influential on body mass than were permanent and temporary environmental effects combined. Year of birth was more important in males than females, but changed during the course of ontogeny for both sexes. Year of measurement did not influence post-rut body mass in males, but did contribute to variation in body mass of females. Conclusions These long-term data offer insights into the sources of variation that influence body mass of deer, which can be used to understand how environmental sources of variation influence phenotypic traits, and for developing management plans and making selection decisions. Implications Knowledge of repeatability (as an upper limit to heritability) can be used to make management decisions related to selection, culling and breeding, whereas understanding environmental effects can lead to better management recommendations (e.g. habitat-improvement projects).

Effect of Prey Density on Reproduction, Foraging and Other Activities in the Adder, Vipera berus

1982 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claes Andrén
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Prey Density ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Cost Of Reproduction ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Island Population ◽  
Food Density ◽  
Vipera Berus ◽  
One Year ◽  
Reproductive Females

AbstractReproduction, foraging and other activities of an island population of adder, Vipera berus, were documented in 1974 after a high density of rodents in 1973. The study was repeated in 1975 after one year of diminished food resources. In spring 1974 the weight status (body mass/length) of all categories of island adders was significantly higher than in adjacent mainland populations. After one year of food scarcity mean body mass had decreased significantly in all categories of adders. At the same time mean body length in males, (but not in females) increased significantly. Survival after one year of low food resources was markedly higher in non-reproductive females than in reproductive ones, pointing to a high cost of reproduction at low food density. In 1975, spring sloughing in males was delayed and prolonged, and reproduction failed completely. The foraging period was prolonged and included spring. Most adders then left their normal spring habitats close to the hibernation area and moved to foraging habitats. Predator evasion distance was much shorter than in well-nourished adders.

scholarly journals Spider-Ant Associations: An Updated Review of Myrmecomorphy, Myrmecophily, and Myrmecophagy in Spiders

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula E. Cushing
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
The Third ◽  
Hunting Strategies ◽  
Abundant Food ◽  
Ant Association

This paper provides a summary of the extensive theoretical and empirical work that has been carried out in recent years testing the adaptational significance of various spider-ant associations. Hundreds of species of spiders have evolved close relationships with ants and can be classified as myrmecomorphs, myrmecophiles, or myrmecophages. Myrmecomorphs are Batesian mimics. Their close morphological and behavioral resemblance to ants confers strong survival advantages against visually hunting predators. Some species of spiders have become integrated into the ant society as myrmecophiles or symbionts. These spider myrmecophiles gain protection against their own predators, live in an environment with a stable climate, and are typically surrounded by abundant food resources. The adaptations by which this integration is made possible are poorly known, although it is hypothesized that most spider myrmecophiles are chemical mimics and some are even phoretic on their hosts. The third type of spider-ant association discussed is myrmecophagy—or predatory specialization on ants. A table of known spider myrmecophages is provided as is information on their biology and hunting strategies. Myrmecophagy provides these predators with an essentially unlimited food supply and may even confer other protections to the spiders.

Variation saisonnière dans la répartition des ressources alimentaires entre cinq espèces de poissons en fonction de la disponibilité des proies

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 796-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Élyse Harnois ◽  
Richard Couture ◽  
Pierre Magnan
Keyword(s):  
Resource Partitioning ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Resource Abundance ◽  
Variation Saisonnière ◽  
Golden Shiner ◽  
Food Overlap ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Benthic Resources

We observed that yellow perch, Perca flavescens, golden shiner, Notemigonus crysoleucas, spottail shiner, Notropis hudsonius, and log perch, Percina caprodes, partitioned food resources in relation to resource abundance in a small bay of Lake Saint-Pierre, Quebec. When the abundance of benthic resources was at its lowest, in May 1988, the fish showed a very low overlap in their diet. In contrast, when these resources were most abundant, in August 1988, the four species had a high degree of food overlap. Two other sampling periods, in June and July, revealed intermediate situations. A fifth species, the silvery minnow, Hybognathus nuchalis, was phytophagous and, therefore, did not compete with the other species for food resources. An ecomorphological analysis of the first four species suggests that these partition food resources according to their functional morphology. Our results support Schoener's hypothesis, which states that the intensity of interspecific competition, in terms of resource partitioning, varies according to the abundance of these resources.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document