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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Inter- And intrasexual variation in aging patterns across reproductive traits in a wild red deer population
American Naturalist, Volume 174, No. 3, Year 2009
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Description
In polygynous species, adult mortality is generally higher in males than in females, and theory predicts that this should result in the evolution of faster rates of senescence in males. Detailed investigations of sex differences in patterns of aging across the many and varied phenotypic characteristics associated with successful reproduction in wild populations of polygynous vertebrates are currently lacking. Here, we use longitudinal, data collected from a wild red deer population to compare aging patterns across a range of lifehistory, behavioral, and morphological traits in both sexes. While males showed more rapid age-related declines in annual breeding success than did females, there was evidence of variation in aging rates among traits within each sex. Traits associated with male breeding performance showed a rapid decline in old age, whereas the morphology and phenology of antlers, a key male secondary sexual characteristic, showed minimal senescence. Female reproductive traits associated with regulation of estrus and gestation showed delayed senescence relative to traits associated with investment in offspring growth during gestation and lactation. Our results suggest that either natural selection or physiological constraint has caused an uncoupling of senescence rates in different physiological systems and, thus, different reproductive traits in this wild vertebrate population. © 2009 by The University of Chicago.
Authors & Co-Authors
Nussey, Daniel H.
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
Kruuk, Loeske E.B.
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
Morris, Alison M.
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
United Kingdom, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Pemberton, Josephine M.
United Kingdom, Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh
Clutton-Brock, Tim H.
United Kingdom, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
Statistics
Citations: 141
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1086/603615
ISSN:
00030147
Research Areas
Sexual And Reproductive Health
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Participants Gender
Male
Female