Sea Lion Island, Falklands Islands

• Main Authors: Simona Sanvito, Chiara Braschi, Luigi Boitani, F. Galimberti, S. Sanvito, C. Braschi, L. Boitani
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Southern elephant seal. Mirounga leonina; Lion Island; Elephant Seal; Elephant Seals; Mirounga leonina; Southern Elephant Seal; Southern Elephant Seals
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.424.2017; http://www.eleseal.org/papers/bes_07.pdf

Abstract Reproductive effort is a key parameter of life history because it measures the resources allocated to reproduction at the expense of growth and maintenance. Male reproductive effort always had a minor role with respect to female effort both in the development of theories and in field research. Elephant seals are an ideal subject for reproductive effort studies because they fast during the breeding season, splitting the phase of energy acquisition from the phase of energy use for breeding. In this paper, we present results on male reproductive effort (weight loss estimated by photogrammetry) in southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), the most dimorphic and polygynous of all mammal species. We show that total reproductive effort increases with age, with no sign of late decrease or senescence. Male reproductive effort in this species