Journal
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
Volume 97, Issue 6, Pages 1671-1681Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyw133
Keywords
density dependence; generalized linear mixed models; large carnivores; Poland; primeval forest; red deer; reproduction; survival
Categories
Funding
- Polish Ministry of Sciences and Higher Education [N N304 094034]
- budget of Mammal Research Institute PAS
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Reproductive performance of mammalian females depends on a broad set of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. One of the most important attributes for a female ungulate is body condition, which depends on food availability. Forage supply, in turn, is dependent on habitat quality, weather conditions, and animal density. The main objectives of our study, conducted in Augustow, Knyszyn, and Bialowieza Forests in northeastern Poland from 2006 to 2011, were to quantify reproductive characteristics of female red deer (Cervus elaphus) and determine factors affecting their fertility. Targeted populations of nonmigratory deer were part of an almost natural system, which included seminatural closed forests, a multispecies ungulate guild, and large carnivores. Red deer in northeastern Poland occurred at relatively low densities and females exhibited good reproductive potential, reflected by high fertility rate, low age at 1st reproduction, and lack of reproductive senescence. Fertility was affected by age and body condition. The positive effect of body mass on female fertility declined with age, while the opposite relationship occurred with mandible fat content-its effect increased with female age. Environmental factors and population density did not affect fertility. Early survival and recruitment of young were high (73% and 52 young per 100 females, respectively). Survival of young increased with age of mother in young and prime-aged females and decreased in older females. Summer weather conditions at the time of the study were stable; therefore, their effect on female fertility was not evident. The negative effects of density dependence, which operate mainly through female body condition in this large ungulate, were weak, resulting in adequate food resources, and high fertility rates and population productivity.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available