Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal
Developmental differences in vital rates are especially profound in polygamous mating systems. Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) are highly dimorphic and extremely polygynous marine mammals. A demographic model, supported by long-term capture–mark–recapture records, investigated the influen...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:dbe85a3abba644e8b14656a992039a5e 2023-05-15T16:05:20+02:00 Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal Sophia Volzke Jaimie B. Cleeland Mark A. Hindell Stuart P. Corney Simon J. Wotherspoon Clive R. McMahon 2023-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221635 https://doaj.org/article/dbe85a3abba644e8b14656a992039a5e EN eng The Royal Society https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221635 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.221635 2054-5703 https://doaj.org/article/dbe85a3abba644e8b14656a992039a5e Royal Society Open Science, Vol 10, Iss 3 (2023) Cormack–Jolly–Seber model demography southern elephant seal mark–recapture Mirounga leonina Science Q article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221635 2023-03-26T01:31:45Z Developmental differences in vital rates are especially profound in polygamous mating systems. Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) are highly dimorphic and extremely polygynous marine mammals. A demographic model, supported by long-term capture–mark–recapture records, investigated the influence of sex and age on survival in this species. The study revealed clear differences between female and male age-dependent survival rates. Overall juvenile survival estimates were stable around 80–85% for both sexes. However, male survival estimates were 5–10% lower than females in the same age classes until 8 years of age. At this point, male survival decreased rapidly to 50% ± 10% while female estimates remained constant at 80% ± 5%. Different energetic requirements could underpin intersex differences in adult survival. However, the species' strong sexual dimorphism diverges during early juvenile development when sex-specific survival rates were less distinct. Maximizing growth is especially advantageous for males, with size being a major determinant of breeding probability. Maturing males may employ a high-risk high-reward foraging strategy to compensate for extensive sexual selection pressures and sex-specific energetic needs. Our findings suggest sex-specific adult survival is a result of in situ ecological interactions and evolutionary specialization associated with being a highly polygynous marine predator. Article in Journal/Newspaper Elephant Seal Elephant Seals Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seal Southern Elephant Seals Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Royal Society Open Science 10 3 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Cormack–Jolly–Seber model demography southern elephant seal mark–recapture Mirounga leonina Science Q |
spellingShingle |
Cormack–Jolly–Seber model demography southern elephant seal mark–recapture Mirounga leonina Science Q Sophia Volzke Jaimie B. Cleeland Mark A. Hindell Stuart P. Corney Simon J. Wotherspoon Clive R. McMahon Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal |
topic_facet |
Cormack–Jolly–Seber model demography southern elephant seal mark–recapture Mirounga leonina Science Q |
description |
Developmental differences in vital rates are especially profound in polygamous mating systems. Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) are highly dimorphic and extremely polygynous marine mammals. A demographic model, supported by long-term capture–mark–recapture records, investigated the influence of sex and age on survival in this species. The study revealed clear differences between female and male age-dependent survival rates. Overall juvenile survival estimates were stable around 80–85% for both sexes. However, male survival estimates were 5–10% lower than females in the same age classes until 8 years of age. At this point, male survival decreased rapidly to 50% ± 10% while female estimates remained constant at 80% ± 5%. Different energetic requirements could underpin intersex differences in adult survival. However, the species' strong sexual dimorphism diverges during early juvenile development when sex-specific survival rates were less distinct. Maximizing growth is especially advantageous for males, with size being a major determinant of breeding probability. Maturing males may employ a high-risk high-reward foraging strategy to compensate for extensive sexual selection pressures and sex-specific energetic needs. Our findings suggest sex-specific adult survival is a result of in situ ecological interactions and evolutionary specialization associated with being a highly polygynous marine predator. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Sophia Volzke Jaimie B. Cleeland Mark A. Hindell Stuart P. Corney Simon J. Wotherspoon Clive R. McMahon |
author_facet |
Sophia Volzke Jaimie B. Cleeland Mark A. Hindell Stuart P. Corney Simon J. Wotherspoon Clive R. McMahon |
author_sort |
Sophia Volzke |
title |
Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal |
title_short |
Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal |
title_full |
Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal |
title_fullStr |
Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal |
title_full_unstemmed |
Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal |
title_sort |
extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221635 https://doaj.org/article/dbe85a3abba644e8b14656a992039a5e |
genre |
Elephant Seal Elephant Seals Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seal Southern Elephant Seals |
genre_facet |
Elephant Seal Elephant Seals Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seal Southern Elephant Seals |
op_source |
Royal Society Open Science, Vol 10, Iss 3 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221635 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.221635 2054-5703 https://doaj.org/article/dbe85a3abba644e8b14656a992039a5e |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.221635 |
container_title |
Royal Society Open Science |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
3 |
_version_ |
1766401237356380160 |