Journal
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Volume 12, Issue 8, Pages -Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9147
Keywords
carnivore; demography; Lynx lynx; reproductive phenology
Categories
Funding
- Charity Foundation from Liechtenstein
- Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt
- EU Program Interreg IV [18]
- European Commission [LIFE16 NAT/SL/000634]
- Federal Office for Environment in Switzerland
- Haldimann Foundation
- Interreg IIIA Neighbourhood Programme
- Javna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RS [P4-0059, N1-0163]
- Karl Mayer Stiftung
- MAVA Foundation
- Nature Protection Division of the County Governor Office for Innlandet
- Norges Forskningsrad [251112, 281092, 156810]
- Ormella Foundation
- People's Trust for Endangered Species
- Program GEF-Biodiversity Protection
- Rufford Foundation [RSGF 11447-1]
- Scientific Research Committee in Poland [6P205 034 05, 3P04F 019 24]
- Stiftung Temperatio
- Environmental Investment Centre
- Miljodirektoratet
- Naturvardsverket
- Norsk institutt for naturforskning
- SCOPES programme
- Stotzer-Kastli-Stiftung
- Svenska Forskningsradet Formas [2010-1007 and 2015-01207]
- German Academic Exchange Service
- Turkish General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks
- World Wildlife Fund
- Zigerli-Hegi Foundation
- Zurcher Tierschutz
- Nature Protection Division of the County Governor Office for Viken
- Nature Protection Division of the County Governor Office for Vestfold Telemark
- Nature Protection Division of the County Governor Office for Trondelag
- Nature Protection Division of the County Governor Office for Nordland
- Nature Protection Division of the County Governor Office for Troms & Finnmark County
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This study investigates the reproductive phenology of the Eurasian lynx in Europe and finds that birth timing varies across regions and is influenced by temperature. The Eurasian lynx shows a degree of adaptability to different environmental conditions and may adjust its reproductive timing in response to climate change.
The ecology and evolution of reproductive timing and synchrony have been a topic of great interest in evolutionary ecology for decades. Originally motivated by questions related to behavioral and reproductive adaptation to environmental conditions, the topic has acquired new relevance in the face of climate change. However, there has been relatively little research on reproductive phenology in mammalian carnivores. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) occurs across the Eurasian continent, covering three of the four main climate regions of the world. Thus, their distribution includes a large variation in climatic conditions, making it an ideal species to explore reproductive phenology. Here, we used data on multiple reproductive events from 169 lynx females across Europe. Mean birth date was May 28 (April 23 to July 1), but was similar to 10 days later in northern Europe than in central and southern Europe. Birth dates were relatively synchronized across Europe, but more so in the north than in the south. Timing of birth was delayed by colder May temperatures. Severe and cold weather may affect neonatal survival via hypothermia and avoiding inclement weather early in the season may select against early births, especially at northern latitudes. Overall, only about half of the kittens born survived until onset of winter but whether kittens were born relatively late or early did not affect kitten survival. Lynx are strict seasonal breeders but still show a degree of flexibility to adapt the timing of birth to surrounding environmental conditions. We argue that lynx give birth later when exposed to colder spring temperatures and have more synchronized births when the window of favorable conditions for raising kittens is shorter. This suggests that lynx are well adapted to different environmental conditions, from dry and warm climates to alpine, boreal, and arctic climates. This variation in reproductive timing will be favorable in times of climate change, as organisms with high plasticity are more likely to adjust to new environmental conditions.
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