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FAMILY EFFECTS ON GROWTH AND SURVIVAL OF JUVENILE ROE DEER
Author(s) -
Gaillard J.-M.,
Andersen R.,
Delorme D.,
Linnell J. D. C.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/0012-9658(1998)079[2878:feogas]2.0.co;2
Subject(s) - roe deer , juvenile , capreolus , biology , demography , sibling , population , density dependence , ecology , psychology , developmental psychology , sociology
This paper reports evidence for family effects (i.e., nonindependence between siblings) on components of juvenile fitness in two high‐performance populations of roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ). In Trois Fontaines (eastern France), 51 sets of twins were ear‐tagged as newborns and then intensively monitored until adulthood (to ≥4 yr of age). On the island of Storfosna (central western Norway), 79 sets of twins and 40 sets of triplets were radiotracked from birth to ≥1 mo of age. In both populations, family effects were observed for measures of early body development and winter body mass. Measurements for sibling fawns were more similar than the same measures for nonsiblings. During unfavorable years (i.e., poor deer survival in summer or high population density), sibling fawns survived or died together much more often than expected by chance. Conversely, during favorable years (i.e., high fawn survival or low density), there was no evidence for family effects on survival of either twins or triplets. These results demonstrate that family effects on juvenile fitness of roe deer are pervasive, and that family effects on early survival differ among years. To assess the consequences of family effects on population dynamics, we tested the model of J. F. Crow and N. E. Morton. This model proposes that family effects should cause increased variance in recruitment among females. Consistent with this model, family effects led to a threefold increase in the variance of total reproductive success over 5 yr of 37 females in Trois Fontaines. Data from Storfosna (11 females monitored for 3 yr) also supported Crow and Morton’s model. Ultimately, family effects in polytocous species could reduce the intensity of sexual selection and modify the genetic structure of populations.