Individual Differences, Density Dependence And Offspring Birth Traits In A Population Of Red Deer

Main Category: Veterinary
Also Included In: Genetics
Article Date: 04 Jun 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Variation between individuals is the keystone of natural selection: without it, there could be no evolutionary change.

However, to date we know little about the way in which persistent differences between individuals affect how they respond to environmental variation: for example, can high quality individuals cope better under adverse conditions?

Here we use data from a long-term study population of red deer, Cervus elaphus, to show that variation in quality between mothers affects the way in which the birth mass of their male, but not female, offspring changes with population density.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

www.publishing.royalsociety.org/proceedingsb

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