While sexual selection in mammals with female defense systems has historically received considerable attention, much less is known about the factors affecting reproductive success in mammalian species with scramble competition mating systems. Using mark–recapture techniques and DNA microsatellite loci to assign parentage, we examined the mating system and factors affecting the variation of the annual reproductive success in an introduced population of the Siberian chipmunk, Tamias sibiricus, a small, monomorphic, solitary squirrel. Our analyses showed that breeding females were spatially dispersed, setting the stage for a scramble competition mating system. Male reproductive success was positively associated with the size of the home range. The strength of sexual selection on this behavioral trait was very strong, equaling previous estimates for morphological traits in female defense mating systems. These findings suggest that a behavioral trait, space use, strongly influences the annual reproductive success in males, which is consistent with expectations in a scramble competition mating system. In both sexes, reproductive success was influenced by habitat, with twice as many juveniles produced in semi-open than in closed habitat, possibly due to differences in food availability between the two habitats. 相似文献
Predators hunting for cryptic prey use search images, but how do prey search for cryptic predators? We address this question using the interaction between bumblebees and the colour-changing crab spider Misumena vatia which can camouflage itself on some flowers. In laboratory experiments, we exposed bumblebees to an array of flowers concealing robotic predators (a trapping mechanism combined with a 3D life-sized model of a crab spider or a circle). Groups of bees were trained to avoid either cryptic yellow spiders or yellow circles (equal area to the spiders) or remained predator naive. The bees were then exposed to a new patch of white flowers containing some cryptic predators (either white spiders, white circles or a mixture of both). We monitored individual foraging choices and used a 3D video tracking system to quantify the bees’ flight behaviour. The bees trained to avoid cryptic spiders, chose 40% fewer spider-harbouring flowers than expected by chance, but were indifferent to cryptic circles. They also aborted a higher proportion of landings on flowers harbouring spiders, ultimately feeding from half as many ‘dangerous’ flowers as naive bees. Previous encounters with cryptic spiders also influenced the flight behaviour of bees in the new flower patch. Experienced bees spent more time inspecting the flowers they chose to reject (both with and without concealed spiders) and scanned from side to side more in front of the flowers to facilitate predator detection. We conclude that bees disentangle shape from colour cues and thus can form a generalised search image for spider shapes, independent of colour. 相似文献
Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is a natural and biodegradable polyester which represents an alternative to replace conventional plastics in the packaging... 相似文献
Environmental Modeling & Assessment - Lucas–Washburn equation is a fundamental expression which is used to describe capillary rise in porous materials according to average pore radius,... 相似文献
In mammalian polygynous mating systems, male reproductive effort consists mainly of male–male competition and courting of
females, which entail substantial somatic costs. Males are thus expected to adjust their reproductive effort according to
their age and condition. In this study, we examined how activity budgets of male mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), a polygynous ungulate, varied with age in a marked population over two periods: (1) summers 1995–2006 and (2) ruts 2004–2006.
We then assessed if the proportions of time spent in male–male competition and courtship behaviors were influenced by age-specific
body mass and social rank during the rut. Males spent most of their time foraging and resting during summer, and rested more
and foraged less with increasing age. During the rut, pronounced shifts in activity budgets occurred as juveniles (1–2 years)
increased time spent foraging, whereas adults (≥3 years) increased standing and time spent in social interactions at the expense
of foraging. At old age, reproductive effort either stabilized or decreased slightly, providing weak support for the ‘mating
strategy–effort’ hypothesis, predicting that courtship behaviors should peak in prime-aged males. Age-specific body mass did
not affect time spent in male–male competition, but was positively related with time spent in courtship behaviors, providing
support for the ‘individual quality’ hypothesis, predicting that males with more resources at the start of the rut should
spend more time in mating-related activities. Age-specific social rank did not affect reproductive effort. Surviving to prime
age while increasing mass each year should thus allow male ungulates to gain greater ability to court estrus females. 相似文献
Combined archaeological and ecological investigations in a large ancient oak forest in Central France have revealed a dense network of ancient human settlements dating from the Roman period. We demonstrate a strong correlation between present-day forest plant diversity patterns and the location of Roman farm buildings. Plant species richness strongly increases toward the center of the settlements, and the frequency of neutrophilous and nitrogen-demanding species is higher. This pattern is paralleled by an increase in soil pH, available P, and delta(15)N, indicating the long-term impact of former agricultural practices on forest biogeochemical cycles. These extensive observations in a forested region on acid soils complement and confirm previous results from a single Roman settlement on limestone. Ancient Roman agricultural systems are increasingly being identified in contemporary French forests; the broad extent and long-lasting effects of previous cultivation shown in this study require that land-use history be considered as a primary control over biodiversity variations in many forest landscapes, even after millennia of abandonment. 相似文献
Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - This work focuses on the issue of emergency prevention in the operation of municipal solid waste landfills. In this work, an emergency is... 相似文献
Rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) and willow ptarmigan (L. lagopus) are Arctic birds with a circumpolar distribution but there is limited knowledge about their status and trends across their circumpolar distribution. Here, we compiled information from 90 ptarmigan study sites from 7 Arctic countries, where almost half of the sites are still monitored. Rock ptarmigan showed an overall negative trend on Iceland and Greenland, while Svalbard and Newfoundland had positive trends, and no significant trends in Alaska. For willow ptarmigan, there was a negative trend in mid-Sweden and eastern Russia, while northern Fennoscandia, North America and Newfoundland had no significant trends. Both species displayed some periods with population cycles (short 3–6 years and long 9–12 years), but cyclicity changed through time for both species. We propose that simple, cost-efficient systematic surveys that capture the main feature of ptarmigan population dynamics can form the basis for citizen science efforts in order to fill knowledge gaps for the many regions that lack systematic ptarmigan monitoring programs.
Ambio - Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) are an integral component of Arctic biodiversity. Given low genetic diversity, their ability to respond to future and rapid Arctic change is unknown, although... 相似文献
The impact of succession stage on the share of clonal plants in the plant cover, seed rain and seedling pool has been studied in the years 2014 and 2015. The investigations were carried out in abandoned Molinion caeruleae meadows dominated by small-statured species (Patch I), tall growing large-tussock grasses (Patch II) and shrub-willows (Patch III). Although the clonal taxa dominated in the plant cover, seed rain and seedling pool, their share in subsequent study sites was quite different. The spectra of life-history traits relevant to clonality in the plant cover and seed rain were similar and did not vary significantly among subsequent locations, while they mostly differed as observed in the seedling pool. The various spectra observed in seedling pool in subsequent study sites might be due to fact that the seed germination and recruitment of offspring are strongly influenced by habitat conditions which varied remarkably in the successive Patches. 相似文献