Flexible mating tactics and associated reproductive effort during the rutting season in male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758)
Abstract Polygynous males can change their mating tactics across their lifetime, but information is scarce on the flexibility of this trait within a given season and the relative costs and benefits of using different tactics. Here, we monitored individually marked male reindeer Rangifer tarandus and...
Published in: | Current Zoology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Oxford University Press (OUP)
2015
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/61.5.802 http://academic.oup.com/cz/article-pdf/61/5/802/32970643/czoolo61-0802.pdf |
id |
croxfordunivpr:10.1093/czoolo/61.5.802 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
croxfordunivpr:10.1093/czoolo/61.5.802 2024-09-15T18:31:45+00:00 Flexible mating tactics and associated reproductive effort during the rutting season in male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) Pintus, Eliana Uccheddu, Stefania Røed, Knut H. Gonzaléz, Javier Pérez Carranza, Juan Nieminen, Mauri Holand, Øystein 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/61.5.802 http://academic.oup.com/cz/article-pdf/61/5/802/32970643/czoolo61-0802.pdf en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) Current Zoology volume 61, issue 5, page 802-810 ISSN 2396-9814 1674-5507 journal-article 2015 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/61.5.802 2024-07-08T04:24:01Z Abstract Polygynous males can change their mating tactics across their lifetime, but information is scarce on the flexibility of this trait within a given season and the relative costs and benefits of using different tactics. Here, we monitored individually marked male reindeer Rangifer tarandus and classified their mating tactics as harem-defense, sneaking, or mixed. The costs of the male reproductive effort were assessed using both direct (i.e. percentage of body mass lost) and indirect measures (i.e. activity patterns such as feeding, standing, and walking), while mating group size and reproductive success were recorded as mating effort benefits. Our results show that reindeer males may switch between the harem-defense and sneaking tactics throughout the same breeding season, providing further support to the notion that reproductive tactics are flexible in ungulates. The costs and benefits of male mating effort vary according to the mating tactic, reaching the highest values in harem-holders and the lowest values in sneaking males. Moreover, males who switched between the sneaking tactic and the harem-defence tactic tended to achieve higher mating success than males who consistently used the least costly tactic. Indeed, all harem-holders successfully sired offspring, whereas only two out of three mixed-tactic males sired one calf, and sneaking males did not sire any calves. In conclusion, our results show that reindeer males can modulate their mating efforts during the same breeding season by switching between the most costly harem-defense tactic and the least costly sneaking tactic, suggesting individual solutions to the balance between reproductive effort and mating opportunities. Article in Journal/Newspaper Rangifer tarandus Oxford University Press Current Zoology 61 5 802 810 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Oxford University Press |
op_collection_id |
croxfordunivpr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Polygynous males can change their mating tactics across their lifetime, but information is scarce on the flexibility of this trait within a given season and the relative costs and benefits of using different tactics. Here, we monitored individually marked male reindeer Rangifer tarandus and classified their mating tactics as harem-defense, sneaking, or mixed. The costs of the male reproductive effort were assessed using both direct (i.e. percentage of body mass lost) and indirect measures (i.e. activity patterns such as feeding, standing, and walking), while mating group size and reproductive success were recorded as mating effort benefits. Our results show that reindeer males may switch between the harem-defense and sneaking tactics throughout the same breeding season, providing further support to the notion that reproductive tactics are flexible in ungulates. The costs and benefits of male mating effort vary according to the mating tactic, reaching the highest values in harem-holders and the lowest values in sneaking males. Moreover, males who switched between the sneaking tactic and the harem-defence tactic tended to achieve higher mating success than males who consistently used the least costly tactic. Indeed, all harem-holders successfully sired offspring, whereas only two out of three mixed-tactic males sired one calf, and sneaking males did not sire any calves. In conclusion, our results show that reindeer males can modulate their mating efforts during the same breeding season by switching between the most costly harem-defense tactic and the least costly sneaking tactic, suggesting individual solutions to the balance between reproductive effort and mating opportunities. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pintus, Eliana Uccheddu, Stefania Røed, Knut H. Gonzaléz, Javier Pérez Carranza, Juan Nieminen, Mauri Holand, Øystein |
spellingShingle |
Pintus, Eliana Uccheddu, Stefania Røed, Knut H. Gonzaléz, Javier Pérez Carranza, Juan Nieminen, Mauri Holand, Øystein Flexible mating tactics and associated reproductive effort during the rutting season in male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) |
author_facet |
Pintus, Eliana Uccheddu, Stefania Røed, Knut H. Gonzaléz, Javier Pérez Carranza, Juan Nieminen, Mauri Holand, Øystein |
author_sort |
Pintus, Eliana |
title |
Flexible mating tactics and associated reproductive effort during the rutting season in male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) |
title_short |
Flexible mating tactics and associated reproductive effort during the rutting season in male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) |
title_full |
Flexible mating tactics and associated reproductive effort during the rutting season in male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) |
title_fullStr |
Flexible mating tactics and associated reproductive effort during the rutting season in male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Flexible mating tactics and associated reproductive effort during the rutting season in male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) |
title_sort |
flexible mating tactics and associated reproductive effort during the rutting season in male reindeer (rangifer tarandus, l. 1758) |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/61.5.802 http://academic.oup.com/cz/article-pdf/61/5/802/32970643/czoolo61-0802.pdf |
genre |
Rangifer tarandus |
genre_facet |
Rangifer tarandus |
op_source |
Current Zoology volume 61, issue 5, page 802-810 ISSN 2396-9814 1674-5507 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/61.5.802 |
container_title |
Current Zoology |
container_volume |
61 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
802 |
op_container_end_page |
810 |
_version_ |
1810473501607329792 |