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Social, maternal, and environmental influences on reproductive success in female Alpine marmots ( Marmota marmota )

2002; NRC Research Press; Volume: 80; Issue: 12 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1139/z02-205

1480-3283

Wendy J. King, Dominique Allainé,

Avian ecology and behavior

We examined the social, maternal, and environmental factors affecting the reproductive success of female Alpine marmots (Marmota marmota) during 8 years in the French Alps. Successful production of juveniles was almost entirely limited to dominant females. Production of juveniles increased with maternal body condition and experience. Female body condition was positively correlated with body mass and negatively correlated with dominant-male takeovers in spring, while experience increased with age. We found little evidence for a pregnancy block with takeover of dominant males because male replacement occurred mostly after mid-May, when juveniles were susceptible to infanticide. Production of yearlings depended on the number of juveniles produced, dominant-male takeovers in summer, and exposure of the site. We found no significant influence of group size or composition on production of yearlings. Climatic conditions varied little and had no measurable effect on reproduction. Social factors such as female dominance and dominant-male takeovers that could lead to infanticide have a strong effect on female reproductive success in Alpine marmots.