Antler Size Provides an Honest Signal of Male Phenotypic Quality in Roe Deer
Antler Size Provides an Honest Signal of Male Phenotypic Quality in Roe Deer
复制标题
鹿角大小提供了狍雄性表型质量的真实信号
DOI：
--
复制
发表时间：
2007
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
A. J. Mark Hewison
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
C. Vanpé;J. Gaillard;P. Kjellander;A. Mysterud;P. Magnien;D. Delorme;G. Laere;F. Klein;O. Liberg;A. J. Mark Hewison
确定塑造第二性征的因素对于理解它们的变化如何影响男性健康至关重要。很少有资料可用于资源分配的鹿茸生长领域的有蹄类动物与低性别大小二型。我们调查了表型和环境因素影响的绝对和相对鹿茸大小的雄性梅花鹿在法国和瑞典的三个对比种群。在这三个种群中，我们发现鹿茸大小存在明显的年龄特异性变化，在一岁和壮年阶段之间，鹿茸的绝对和相对大小都有所增加，然后是7岁以上雄性的减少（衰老）。鹿茸大小随体重异速生长。这一增长是特别强大的衰老男性，这表明两个生殖策略的演变：沉重的老男性投资特别重的鹿角增长（潜在的竞争力的领土），而轻老男性增长小鹿角（潜在的放弃领土防御）。最后，环境条件对鹿茸大小的影响不大：只有人口密度的负面影响绝对鹿茸大小的三个人口之一。因此，鹿茸的大小可能提供了一个诚实的信号，雄性表型质量的梅花鹿。我们讨论了领土保有权和交配竞争的影响，这些结果。
Identifying factors shaping secondary sexual traits is essential in understanding how their variation may influence male fitness. Little information is available on the allocation of resources to antler growth in territorial ungulates with low sexual size dimorphism. We investigated phenotypic and environmental factors affecting both absolute and relative antler size of male roe deer in three contrasting populations in France and Sweden. In the three populations, we found marked age‐specific variation in antler size, with an increase in both absolute and relative antler size between yearling and prime‐age stages, followed by a decrease (senescence) for males older than 7 years. Antler size increased allometrically with body mass. This increase was particularly strong for senescent males, suggesting the evolution of two reproductive tactics: heavy old males invested particularly heavily in antler growth (potentially remaining competitive for territories), whereas light old males grew small antlers (potentially abandoning territory defense). Finally, environmental conditions had little effect on antler size: only population density negatively affected absolute antler size in one of the three populations. Antler size may therefore provide an honest signal of male phenotypic quality in roe deer. We discuss the implications of these results in terms of territory tenure and mating competition.