McLoughlin Philip D, Coulson Tim, Clutton-Brock Tim
Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada.
Ecology. 2008 Dec;89(12):3317-26. doi: 10.1890/07-1044.1.
We used long-term data on movements, survival, and reproduction of female red deer (Cervus elaphus Linnaeus) of the Isle of Rum, Scotland (1970-2001), to explain variation in life history (age at maturity) from a hind's access to habitat resources and exposure to local density, and cross-generational (maternal) effects on observed relationships. We described each hind's use of resources relative to availability in the study area from an individual-based resource selection function (RSF); we defined local density as the total number of hinds aged > or = 1 year within the subpopulation cluster to which an individual belonged. The likelihood of a hind producing her first calf in the period from birth to the end of the summer in which she turned age 3 was positively related to relative use of Agrostis/Festuca grasslands and other low-elevation communities, and inversely related to a hind's mean annual local density. However, when we considered both a daughter's RSF and exposure to local density and her mother's RSF and exposure to local density, maternal data alone most parsimoniously explained variation in age at maturity of daughters. Mothers were able to lower age at maturity in their daughters in two, non-mutually exclusive ways. First, birth mass of daughters was inversely related to age at maturity, and mothers that used relatively less uplands (Calluna-dominated heath and heather moorland) and occupied areas of lower density produced larger offspring. Second, mothers could establish a home range that enabled daughters to mature in areas with access to high quality Agrostis/Festuca grasslands at low density. Lifetime reproductive success was inversely associated with a hind's age at maturity via extension of the reproductive life span. Longevity did not change in association with age at maturity. Patterns in how animals use available habitat resources may depend on that of previous generations, especially at larger scales of resource selection.
我们利用了苏格兰拉姆岛雌性马鹿（Cervus elaphus Linnaeus）1970 - 2001年的长期运动、生存和繁殖数据，从雌鹿获取栖息地资源的情况、当地密度以及跨代（母系）效应来解释生活史（成熟年龄）的变化，以及这些效应如何影响观察到的关系。我们通过基于个体的资源选择函数（RSF）描述了每只雌鹿相对于研究区域内资源可利用性的资源利用情况；我们将当地密度定义为个体所属亚种群集群中年龄大于或等于1岁的雌鹿总数。雌鹿在出生至3岁那年夏末期间产下第一头幼崽的可能性与对翦股颖/羊茅草原和其他低海拔群落的相对利用呈正相关，与雌鹿的年平均当地密度呈负相关。然而，当我们同时考虑女儿的RSF、当地密度暴露情况以及她母亲的RSF和当地密度暴露情况时，仅母系数据就能最简洁地解释女儿成熟年龄的变化。母亲能够通过两种并非相互排斥的方式降低女儿的成熟年龄。首先，女儿的出生体重与成熟年龄呈负相关，使用相对较少高地（以石南属植物为主的荒地和石南荒原）且占据低密度区域的母亲会产下体型更大的后代。其次，母亲可以建立一个家园范围，使女儿能够在低密度且能获取高质量翦股颖/羊茅草原的区域成熟。终生繁殖成功率通过延长繁殖寿命与雌鹿的成熟年龄呈负相关。寿命与成熟年龄无关。动物利用可用栖息地资源的模式可能取决于前几代的模式，尤其是在更大规模的资源选择中。
