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. 2006 Jun 22;273(1593):1449-54.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3486.

Lifetime reproductive success and density-dependent, multi-variable resource selection

Philip D McLoughlin  1 , Mark S Boyce, Tim Coulson, Tim Clutton-Brock
Affiliations

Lifetime reproductive success and density-dependent, multi-variable resource selection

Philip D McLoughlin et al. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

Individuals are predicted to maximize lifetime reproductive success (LRS) through selective use of resources; however, a wide range of ecological and social processes may prevent individuals from always using the highest-quality resources available. Resource selection functions (RSFs) estimate the relative amount of time an individual spends using a resource as a function of the proportional availability of that resource. We quantified the association between LRS and coefficients of individual-based RSFs describing lifetime resource selection for 267 female red deer (Cervus elaphus) of the Isle of Rum, Scotland, from 1970 to 2001. LRS was significantly related to first- and second-order effects of selection for Agrostis/Festuca grassland and proximity to the sea coast (quality of forage within Agrostis/Festuca grassland was highest nearest the coast (ratio of short:long grassland)). The benefits of selecting for quality in Agrostis/Festuca grassland, however, traded-off with increases in LRS gained by avoiding conspecific density. LRS was inversely associated with local density, which was highest along the coast, and reproductive benefits of selecting Agrostis/Festuca grassland diminished with increasing density. We discuss the relevance of these results to our understanding of the spatial distribution of red deer abundance, and potential applications of our approach to evolutionary and applied ecology.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of LRS (1.46±1.35 (mean±s.d.)) for 267 hinds living to at least age 3, Isle of Rum, Scotland, 1970–2001.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Predicted response in LRS (resampled means) with changes in βAgrostis/Festuca (encompassing the mean and approximately 1 s.d. of observed values) and three levels of local density, holding all other β coefficients constant at population mean values except βdistcoast2. Levels of local density include the population mean±1 s.d. (a) 47.0 hinds, (b) 72.3 hinds (mean), (c) 97.6 hinds. We varied βdistcoast2 as the observed mean in βdistcoast2 for hinds having centroids of movement less than 1 km from the coast (solid circles) and greater than 1 km from the coast (open circles).
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References

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