Life history responses of meerkats to seasonal changes in extreme environments

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 363 (6427) ◽  
pp. 631-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Paniw ◽  
Nino Maag ◽  
Gabriele Cozzi ◽  
Tim Clutton-Brock ◽  
Arpat Ozgul
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Extreme Environments ◽  
Arid Environment ◽  
Vital Rates ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Seasonal Climate ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Species Vulnerability ◽  
Adult Mass

Species in extreme habitats increasingly face changes in seasonal climate, but the demographic mechanisms through which these changes affect population persistence remain unknown. We investigated how changes in seasonal rainfall and temperature influence vital rates and viability of an arid environment specialist, the Kalahari meerkat, through effects on body mass. We show that climate change–induced reduction in adult mass in the prebreeding season would decrease fecundity during the breeding season and increase extinction risk, particularly at low population densities. In contrast, a warmer nonbreeding season resulting in increased mass and survival would buffer negative effects of reduced rainfall during the breeding season, ensuring persistence. Because most ecosystems undergo seasonal climate variations, a full understanding of species vulnerability to global change relies on linking seasonal trait and population dynamics.

Effects of reproduction on maternal survival and subsequent reproduction in northern Peromyscus maniculatus

1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1129-1134 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Millar ◽  
Elissa M. Derrickson ◽  
S. T. P. Sharpe
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Maternal Survival ◽  
Female Survival ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Reproductive Processes ◽  
Local Habitat

Female survival, number of young weaned, and offspring survival were documented for 130 individual Peromyscus maniculatus in the Kananaskis Valley, southwestern Alberta. Reproductive success was highly variable, ranging from 0 to 19 young per female at weaning and from 0 to 12 young per female at the end of the breeding season. Breeding success was not related to body size of the female prior to breeding, and the commitment to reproductive processes had no negative effects on female survival or the survival of the offspring. Most of the variation in reproductive success was attributable to female survival. Females that survived the entire breeding season weaned, on average, twice as many young as females that did not survive the breeding season. We suggest that physiological and behavior compensation and local habitat effects mask potential costs of reproduction during the breeding season. We speculate that any negative effects of high reproductive success may be evident during the nonbreeding season, or prior to breeding in the spring.

Reflections on a seminal paper in conservation biology: the legacy of Peters and Darling (1985)

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 267
Author(s):  
Lesley Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Conservation Biology ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Logical Framework ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Seminal Paper ◽  
Species Vulnerability ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Species Translocation ◽  
Rapid Environmental Change

‘The Greenhouse Effect and Nature Reserves’ by Robert Peters and Joan Darling, published in the journal Bioscience more than 30 years ago, was a ground-breaking synthesis. Drawing on paleoecology, community ecology and biogeography, the review laid out many concepts about species vulnerability to climate change that have become central tenets of research on climate change adaptation in natural ecosystems. Remarkably, the paper also provided a clear and logical framework for flexible, forward-thinking and interventionist management action, including recommendations about the design of protected areas, and the need for species translocation to reduce extinction risk. Reflecting on the legacy of this paper, it is clear that the uptake of such approaches over the intervening decades has been extremely slow, representing many lost opportunities to reduce species vulnerability to rapid environmental change. This paper is a tribute to the prescience of Peters and Darling, and a call to revisit their farsighted advice to meet conservation challenges that continue to accelerate.

Age-structured models in a random environment

2019 ◽  
pp. 194-213
Author(s):  
Louis W. Botsford ◽  
J. Wilson White ◽  
Alan Hastings
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Population Viability Analysis ◽  
Leslie Matrix ◽  
Vital Rates ◽  
Viability Analysis ◽  
Practical Concern ◽  
Probability Of Extinction ◽  
Age Structured

Most ecological populations exist in a randomly fluctuating environment, and these fluctuations influence vital rates, thus changing population dynamics. These changes are the focus of this chapter. The primary practical concern about environmental variability is the possibility that it could cause a population to go extinct, so the chapter describes several approaches to estimating the probability of extinction. The first is the small fluctuations approximation (SFA) to describe the growth of a population with a randomly varying Leslie matrix. The results reveal that randomly varying populations grow more slowly on average than the equivalent deterministic population. Further applications of the SFA examine how correlated variation in different vital rates affects the probability of extinction, when variability is too large to use the SFA, and how it has been applied to population time series. Finally, several other approaches to estimating extinction risk—also known as population viability analysis—are compared.

scholarly journals Reintroduced wolves and hunting limit the abundance of a subordinate apex predator in a multi-use landscape

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1938) ◽  
pp. 20202202
Author(s):  
L. Mark Elbroch ◽  
Jake M. Ferguson ◽  
Howard Quigley ◽  
Derek Craighead ◽  
Daniel J. Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Model ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Apex Predator ◽  
Vital Rates ◽  
Grey Wolf ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Species Abundances

Top-down effects of apex predators are modulated by human impacts on community composition and species abundances. Consequently, research supporting top-down effects of apex predators occurs almost entirely within protected areas rather than the multi-use landscapes dominating modern ecosystems. Here, we developed an integrated population model to disentangle the concurrent contributions of a reintroduced apex predator, the grey wolf, human hunting and prey abundances on vital rates and abundance of a subordinate apex predator, the puma. Increasing wolf numbers had strong negative effects on puma fecundity, and subadult and adult survival. Puma survival was also influenced by density dependence. Overall, puma dynamics in our multi-use landscape were more strongly influenced by top-down forces exhibited by a reintroduced apex predator, than by human hunting or bottom-up forces (prey abundance) subsidized by humans. Quantitatively, the average annual impact of human hunting on equilibrium puma abundance was equivalent to the effects of 20 wolves. Historically, wolves may have limited pumas across North America and dictated puma scarcity in systems lacking sufficient refugia to mitigate the effects of competition.

The Development of Sociosexual Behaviours in Japanese Macaques Macaca Fuscata

Behaviour ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 49 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 152-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannette P. Hanby ◽  
Conrad E. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Macaca Fuscata ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Japanese Macaques ◽  
Partner Choice ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Rearing Conditions ◽  
Process Factors

AbstractSociosexual behaviours were observed over a two-year period in a natural troop of about 100 Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) confined in a two-acre corral. The development and mature expression of integrated patterns of mounting, presenting, thrusting, and related behaviours were examined. The frequency and type of mounting varied dramatically with the season of the year. Male-female, female-male, and female-female mounting were most frequent during the 6-month breeding season when males 4½ years and older can ejaculate and females 3½ years and older can conceive. Ejaculation generally occurred only after a series of mounts. Mountings in series by and on either sex were largely confined to the breeding season. Female presenting and male thrusting and certain other behaviours accompanied mounting more often at that time of year also. In the nonbreeding season, heterosexual interactions decreased but male-male mounting increased though it never reached breeding season levels for male-female mounting. Nonbreeding season mount events between both sexes and all ages typically involved only a single mount, but most were accompanied by thrusts. The type of interaction between pair members also differed; most mounting occurred during play. In males, mounting and thrusting were integrated gradually according to the season and sex of partner. By six months of age, males oriented to a partner's buttocks and used a double-foot-clasp posture on most mounts. At 1½ males mounted females more frequently than males and by 2½ showed the seasonal cycles in mount frequency and partner choice. They reached peaks in mount event frequency at 4½, but the most efficient and stable patterns were seen in males over 7 years of age. Although females showed thrusting movements early in life, they seldom mounted except on males during breeding season and occasionally during play or agonistic situations. They were most active as mount partners and actors after 3½ years of age. Their subsequent activity varied with the individual and her reproductive state. Several conclusions can be drawn from this and other studies on the development of sociosexual behaviours in primates. 1. Rearing conditions are crucial to the development and integration of postures, thrusting, intromission, and ejaculation. The most important element for normal development is the mother; however, the presence of other adult and encouraging females helps a young male to integrate the various elements. Peer males and females also facilitate or allow the expression of a variety of patterns and probably provide a source of enduring attachments and mature partner preferences. The role of the adult males in development is both positive and negative depending on the male, the group, and the species. 2. The most important aspect of normal sociosexual development is the differentiation and integration of elements such as mounting, presenting, thrusting, intromission into two patterns : the primarily copulatory and the primarily contacting. Intromission seems to be a key element in the differentiation process. Factors that facilitate intromission speed the process; factors that inhibit intromission delay the development of the young primate male's ability to distinguish correctly between postures, partners, and situations. The copulatory patterns of females seem less affected by unsatisfactory rearing conditions, but the sociosexual patterns of contact may be disturbed. 3. Mature sociosexual patterns develop from close physical contact with the mother or mother substitutes. Erection and thrusting appear independently but soon become linked to ventral clinging, embracing, riding, and mounting. Mount and present postures develop quickly and vary according to species and pairings and contexts. The most stereotyped posturing and patterns appear in the copulatory context: the sociosexual patterns retain their variability in form and variety of expression in different contexts, mainly affiliative and more rarely, agonistic,

scholarly journals Testicular expression of NGF, TrkA and p75 during seasonal spermatogenesis of the wild ground squirrel (Citellus dauricus Brandt)

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Zhang ◽  
Y. Wang ◽  
J. Zhang ◽  
L. Wang ◽  
Q. Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Leydig Cells ◽  
Testicular Function ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Function Change ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Neuronal Systems

The nerve growth factor (NGF) not only has an essential effect on the nervous system, but also plays an important role in a variety of non-neuronal systems, such as the reproductive system. The aim of this study was to investigate the seasonal changes in<strong> </strong>expression of NGF and its receptors (TrkA and p75) in testes of the wild ground squirrel during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons.<strong> </strong>Immunolocalization for NGF was detected mainly in Leydig cells and Sertoli cells in testes of the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. The immunoreactivity of TrkA was highest in the elongated spermatids, whereas p75 in spermatogonia and spermatocytes in testes of the breeding season. In the nonbreeding season testes, TrkA showed positive immunostainings in Leydig cells, spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes, while p75 showed positive signals in spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes. Consistent with the immunohistochemical results, the mean mRNA and protein level of NGF and TrkA were higher in the testes of the breeding season, and then decreased to a relatively low level in the nonbreeding season. In addition, the concentration of plasma gonadotropins and testosterone were assayed by radioimmunoassay (RIA), and the results showed a significant seasonal change between the breeding and nonbreeding seasons. To conclude, these results of this study provide the first evidence on the potential involvement of NGF and its receptor, TrkA and p75 in the seasonal spermatogenesis and testicular function change of the wild ground squirrel.

407 SUPERSTIMULATORY RESPONSE WITH DECREASING DOSES OF FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE v. A SINGLE DOSE OF FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE - EQUINE CHORIONIC GONADOTROPIN DURING BREEDING AND NONBREEDING SEASON IN SHEEP

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 360
Author(s):  
M. I. Cueto ◽  
F. Pereyra-Bonnet ◽  
P. Silvestre ◽  
A. E. Gibbons
Keyword(s):  
Single Dose ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Recovery Rate ◽  
Follicle Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Ovulation Rate ◽  
Corpora Lutea ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Embryo Recovery ◽  
The One ◽  
Stimulating Hormone

The aim of the study was to assess possible variations in superovulatory yields due to different FSH treatments at 2 times of the year. Superovulation and embryo recovery were performed during the breeding (n = 63) andnonbreeding (n = 46) seasons in Merino ewes located at 41°S latitude. Animals were kept under the same conditions, housed outdoors in a sheltered and covered pen, and were fed a liveweight maintenance ration. All animals received 60-mg medroxyprogesterone acetate intravaginal sponges (Progespon®, Syntex, Buenos Aires, Argentina) for 14 days. Ewes were then randomly assigned to 2 different superovulatory treatments: classic (n = 74) and one shot (n = 35) in both seasons. Classic superovulatory treatment consisted of 7 decreasing doses (2 × 48 mg, 2 × 24 mg, 2 × 20 mg, and1 × 16 mg NIH-FSH-P1)ofFSH (Folltropin®-V, Bioniche, Belleville, Ontario, Canada), administered twice daily from 48 h before to 24 h after pessary removal. A dose of eCG (300 IU; Novormon®, Syntex) was administered at progestagen removal. One shot superovulatory treatment consisted of a single dose of FSH (70 mg NIH-FSH-P1) plus 300 UI of eCG injected at pessary withdrawal. Embryo donors were inseminated by laparoscopy with frozen-thawed semen (100 × 106 spz) 12 h after the onset of estrus. Surgical embryo recovery was done on Day 7 after sponge withdrawal and embryos were graded for quality according to morphology (Grade 1 = excellent or good; Grade 2 = fair; Grade 3 = poor; and Grade 4 = dead or degenerated; IETS 1998). A 2 × 2 factorial ANOVA was used to test the main effects (season and superovulatory treatment) and interactions. There were no significant differences in the proportion of responding ewes (>3 corpora lutea), ovulation rate, and recovered Grades 1 to 2 embryos between the breeding and nonbreeding season (Table 1; P > 0.05). However, number of recovered ova/embryos and ova/embryo recovery rate were higher during the breeding season compared with the nonbreeding season, whereas the percentage of nonfertilized ova was lower in the breeding season than in the nonbreeding season (P < 0.05). Analysis of data comparing superovulatory treatments showed that the proportion of responding ewes, ovulation rate, recovered embryos, and recovered Grades 1 to 2 embryos were lower for the one shot treatment than for the classic treatment (P < 0.05). Embryo recovery rate and nonfertilization rate did not differ between treatments (P > 0.05). It was concluded that there was an increase in the number of total recovered ova/embryos during the breeding season compared with the nonbreeding season, although the number of recovered good-quality embryos was not affected. The use of multiple FSH injections produced a higher number of total recovered and viable embryos in Merino sheep than the one shot superovulatory treatment. Table 1.Embryo yields in ewes submitted to superovulation

scholarly journals Pattern and Potential Causes of White-faced Ibis, Plegadis chihi, Establishment in the Northern Prairie and Parkland Region of North America

2007 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill A. Shaffer ◽  
Gregory A. Knutsen ◽  
Ron E. Martin ◽  
Joel S. Brice
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Missouri River ◽  
The State ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Early 21St Century ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Nesting Activity

The Northern Prairie and Parkland Waterbird Conservation Plan calls for renewed attention to determining the current status of waterbird populations, their distributions, and conservation needs. It highlights the need for baseline information on the White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi). In response, we examined the historical and current distribution of the ibis in North Dakota and summarized first sightings and nest records for the provinces and other states composing the northern prairie and parkland region. The establishment of breeding colonies of White-faced Ibis here may be due to climate and precipitation patterns, invasion and spread of Narrowleaf Cattail (Typha angustifolia), changes in agricultural practices, habitat loss and range expansion in the southern and western portions of the species’ range, and increases in ibis populations in the Intermountain West. We placed special emphasis on North Dakota, a state for which there is scant published information concerning the current status of this species. In recent decades, the ibis has become a regular breeding-season resident in North Dakota and in other areas of the northern prairie and parkland region. From 1882 to 2002, there were 145 reports of one or more Whitefaced Ibis in North Dakota, including 93 reports during the breeding season (15 May to 31 August), 49 during the nonbreeding season (1 September to 14 May), and three for which the season of occurrence was not reported. Prior to the 1960s, there were only three records of the species in North Dakota. Observations of White-faced Ibises in North Dakota increased dramatically between the 1960s and the early 21st century, and the species has been observed nearly annually since 1971. The first White-faced Ibis nesting activity in the state was recorded in 1978, and to date, there have been 21 known records of nesting activity in the state. The species nested in large (>300 ha) semipermanent or permanent wetlands within mixed-species colonies ranging in areal extent from small (0.1 ha) to fairly large (27 ha), and colonies were located in patches of emergent vegetation dominated by cattails (Typha) and bulrushes (Scirpus). We classify the White-faced Ibis as a fairly common migrant and a locally uncommon breeder east of the Missouri River and a casual migrant west of the Missouri River.

scholarly journals Plumage Brightness and Breeding-Season Dominance in the House Finch: A Negatively Correlated Handicap?

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 456-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. McGraw ◽  
Geoffrey E. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Season ◽  
Social Dominance ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Carpodacus Mexicanus ◽  
Honest Signal ◽  
Apparent Paradox ◽  
House Finches ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Access To Food ◽  
Male House

Abstract A variety of observations indicate that the carotenoid-based coloration of male House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) is an honest signal of quality. Plumage redness in this species positively reveals male nutritional condition, over-winter survival, and nest attentiveness. As a result, in the breeding season, male House Finches with brighter ornamental plumage are preferred by females as social mates over males with drabber plumage. In the nonbreeding season, however, bright red plumage does not seem to confer an advantage in aggressive interactions, as males with drabber plumage tend to dominate males with brighter plumage. We investigated this apparent paradox by conducting a breeding-season dominance experiment using captive males. We paired unfamiliar males of contrasting plumage brightness in a series of dominance trials during the breeding season and found that drabber males were dominant to brighter males in competition for access to food. Furthermore, in two captive flocks of males, plumage brightness was significantly negatively associated with social dominance. Although we have no conclusive evidence to explain why drab male House Finches are dominant to bright males throughout the year, we believe that motivational asymmetry may contribute to the observed negative correlation between signal intensity and signaler quality (“negatively correlated handicap”). Drab males may be more willing to compete for access to food or to females than are bright males because of the nutritional and/or mating disadvantages from which they suffer.

Winter corticosterone and body condition predict breeding investment in a nonmigratory bird

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1642-1652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chloé Montreuil-Spencer ◽  
Kelsey Schoenemann ◽  
Ádám Z Lendvai ◽  
Frances Bonier
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Residual Body ◽  
Life History Stage ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Fat Reserves ◽  
Fat Score

Abstract Reproduction is an energetically demanding life history stage that requires costly physiological and behavioral changes, yet some individuals will invest more into reproduction and breed more successfully than others. To understand variation in reproductive investment, previous studies have evaluated factors during breeding, but conditions outside of this life history stage may also play a role. Using a free-ranging population of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), we assessed the repeatability of plastic traits relating to energetic condition (circulating initial corticosterone concentrations and body condition) during the nonbreeding season and evaluated whether these traits predicted reproductive investment in the subsequent breeding season. We found that initial corticosterone concentrations and an index of body condition, but not fat score, were moderately repeatable over a 1-week period in winter. This trait repeatability supports the interpretation that among-individual variation in these phenotypic traits could reflect an intrinsic strategy to cope with challenging conditions across life history stages. We found that females with larger fat reserves during winter laid eggs sooner and tended to spend more time incubating their eggs and feeding their offspring. In contrast, we found that females with higher residual body mass delayed breeding, after controlling for the relationship between fat score and timing of breeding. Additionally, females with higher initial corticosterone in winter laid lighter eggs. Our findings suggest that conditions experienced outside of the breeding season may be important factors explaining variation in reproductive investment.

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