1. Old females rarely mate with old males in roe deer, Capreolus capreolus
- Author
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Maryline Pellerin, Cécile Vanpé, Petter Kjellander, Jean-François Lemaître, Erwan Quéméré, A. J. M. Hewison, Jean-Michel Gaillard, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - UMR 5558 (LBBE), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Unité de recherche Comportement et Ecologie de la Faune Sauvage (CEFS), Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)-Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage (ONCFS), Cécile Vanpé was funded by the ‘AGEX’ JCJC ANR project (ANR-15-CE32-0002-01) awarded to Jean-François Lemaître. The field study was supported by grants from ONCFS. Genetic data were produced thanks to the support of the ‘PATCH’ RPDOC ANR project (ANR-12-PDOC-0017-01) awarded to Cécile Vanpé., ANR-15-CE32-0002,AGEX,Vieillissement sexe-spécifique en milieu naturel(2015), ANR-12-PDOC-0017,PATCH,Plasticité comportementale et AdapTation du CHevreuil aux modifications du paysage(2012), Centre d'études biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Biodémographie évolutive, Département écologie évolutive [LBBE], Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (Inria)-VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement (VAS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive - UMR 5558 (LBBE), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU), Observatoire du Mont-Blanc, and Ecologie et évolution des populations
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,cervid ,senescence ,terminal allocation ,Population ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,03 medical and health sciences ,Capreolus ,biology.animal ,[SDV.BA.ZV]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Animal biology/Vertebrate Zoology ,terminal investment ,mate choice ,Mating ,education ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,education.field_of_study ,biology ,Age differences ,[SDV.BID.EVO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE] ,Maternal effect ,biology.organism_classification ,Roe deer ,030104 developmental biology ,age ,Mate choice ,mating tactic ,Sexual selection ,behavior and behavior mechanisms ,Demography - Abstract
Little is known about whether female mating tactics vary with age based on their preference for mates. To fill this knowledge gap, we examined how maternal age is related to the age of their mates using detailed individual long-term monitoring of a genotyped and pedigreed European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus Linnaeus, 1758) population. We found that mating between old females and prime-aged males was more frequent than mating between prime-aged females and prime-aged males. This suggests that old females avoid old mates. Old females might be more selective in their mate choice than prime-aged females owing to increased mate-sampling effort. Our finding is in line with the terminal investment/allocation hypothesis. The study of age-related variation in female mating behaviour is particularly important because this behaviour can influence the intensity and direction of sexual selection and the maintenance of variation in male sexually selected traits. Further studies are needed to quantify the exact fitness benefits of age-specific mating tactics in females.
- Published
- 2019
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