Data from: Life-history theory provides a framework for detecting resource limitation: a test of the Nutritional Buffer Hypothesis ...

• Main Authors: Jesmer, Brett, Kauffman, Matthew, Courtemanch, Alyson, Kilpatrick, Steve, Thomas, Timothy, Yost, Jeff, Monteith, Kevin, Goheen, Jacob
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2020
• Subjects: FOS Natural sciences; Alces alces; Keigley live-dead index; kidney fat index; nitrogen limitation; Carrying capacity; plant phenology; Pregnancy; life history theory; Nutritional Buffer Hypothesis
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.z8w9ghx9s; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.z8w9ghx9s

For ungulates and other long-lived species, life-history theory predicts that nutritional reserves are allocated to reproduction in a state-dependent manner because survival is highly conserved. Further, as per-capita food abundance and nutritional reserves decline (i.e., density-dependence intensifies), reproduction and recruitment become increasingly sensitive to weather. Thus, the degree to which weather influences vital rates should be associated with proximity to nutritional carrying capacity—a notion that we refer to as the Nutritional Buffer Hypothesis. We tested the Nutritional Buffer Hypothesis using six moose (Alces alces) populations that varied in calf recruitment (33-69 calves/ 100 cows). We predicted that populations with high calf recruitment were nutritionally buffered against the effects of unfavorable weather, and thus were below nutritional carrying capacity. We applied a suite of tools to quantify habitat and nutritional condition of each population and found that increased browse ... : see manuscript and its supplemental materials ...