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Ecology and evolution2017; 7(15); 5580-5591; doi: 10.1002/ece3.3082

Individual quality and age but not environmental or social conditions modulate costs of reproduction in a capital breeder.

Abstract: Costs associated with reproduction are widely known to play a role in the evolution of reproductive tactics with consequences to population and eco-evolutionary dynamics. Evaluating these costs as they pertain to species in the wild remains an important goal of evolutionary ecology. Individual heterogeneity, including differences in individual quality (i.e., among-individual differences in traits associated with survival and reproduction) or state, and variation in environmental and social conditions can modulate the costs of reproduction; however, few studies have considered effects of these factors simultaneously. Taking advantage of a detailed, long-term dataset for a population of feral horses (Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada), we address the question of how intrinsic (quality, age), environmental (winter severity, location), and social conditions (group size, composition, sex ratio, density) influence the costs of reproduction on subsequent reproduction. Individual quality was measured using a multivariate analysis on a combination of four static and dynamic traits expected to depict heterogeneity in individual performance. Female quality and age interacted with reproductive status of the previous year to determine current reproductive effort, while no effect of social or environmental covariates was found. High-quality females showed higher probabilities of giving birth and weaning their foal regardless of their reproductive status the previous year, while those of lower quality showed lower probabilities of producing foals in successive years. Middle-aged (prime) females had the highest probability of giving birth when they had not reproduced the year before, but no such relationship with age was found among females that had reproduced the previous year, indicating that prime-aged females bear higher costs of reproduction. We show that individual quality and age were key factors modulating the costs of reproduction in a capital breeder but that environmental or social conditions were not, highlighting the importance of considering multiple factors when studying costs of reproduction.
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Publication Date: 2017-06-15 PubMed ID: 28811876PubMed Central: PMC5552958DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3082Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article studies the factors influencing the costs of reproduction in a population of feral horses on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. The results indicate that individual quality and age play significant roles, while environmental and social conditions have less impact.

Objective of the Research

  • The researchers aimed to understand how different factors – such as individual quality and age, as well as environmental and social conditions – influence the costs of reproduction in wild animals. Understanding this will provide insights into their reproductive behavior and may have implications for their population growth and environmental dynamics.

Methodology

  • The study utilised a long-term dataset about a population of feral horses on Sable Island in Nova Scotia, Canada.
  • The researchers used four key traits to measure individual quality, with an emphasis on traits linked to survival and reproduction. These traits were expected to highlight differences in the performance of individual female horses.
  • The intrinsic factors, such as quality and age; environmental factors, such as winter severity and location; and social conditions, including group size, composition and density were analysed for their potential effects on costs of reproduction.

Findings

  • The study found that individual quality interacted with the horses’ reproductive status from the previous year to determine current reproductive effort. High-quality females had higher chances of giving birth and caring for foals, regardless of their reproductive status the prior year.
  • Age was found to influence the cost of reproduction as well. Middle-aged females, termed as ‘prime’ females, had the highest probability of giving birth if they had not reproduced the year before. However, if these middle-aged females had reproduced in the prior year, age did not serve as a factor in the probability of them giving birth.

Significance

  • The study concluded that the individual quality and age of the animals greatly influence the reproduction costs in a capital breeder.
  • It challenged the common assumption that environmental or social conditions would have a large impact, as these factors did not appear to modulate the costs of reproduction in the feral horse population studied.
  • The findings suggest that it is essential to take individual factors into account when studying costs of reproduction, thus opening up avenues for further exploration and research in this field.

Cite This Article

APA
Debeffe L, Poissant J, McLoughlin PD. (2017). Individual quality and age but not environmental or social conditions modulate costs of reproduction in a capital breeder. Ecol Evol, 7(15), 5580-5591. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3082

Publication

Ecology and evolution
ISSN: 2045-7758
NlmUniqueID: 101566408
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 7
Issue: 15
Pages: 5580-5591

Researcher Affiliations

Debeffe, Lucie
  • Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SK Canada.
  • Present address: Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis Department of Biosciences University of Oslo Oslo Norway.
Poissant, Jocelyn
  • College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter Penryn UK.
McLoughlin, Philip D
  • Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SK Canada.

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Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
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  5. Rödel HG, Ibler B, Ozogány K, Kerekes V. Age-specific effects of density and weather on body condition and birth rates in a large herbivore, the Przewalski's horse. Oecologia 2023 Dec;203(3-4):435-451.
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