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Age-dependent mating tactics in male bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus)

Apio, A, Plath, M, Tiedemann, R and Wronski, T (2008) Age-dependent mating tactics in male bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus). In: Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Säugetierkunde. 82nd Annual Meeting of the German Society of Mammalogy, 14 Sep 2008. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Intra-specific variation in mating behaviour has been described for a number of taxa including arthropods, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the various mating behavioural variations observed in mammals. For example, an individual’s behaviour may be constrained by its condition or status (making-the- best of-a-bad-job strategy) or an alternative phenotype may be maintained by frequency-dependent selection influencing a genetic polymorphism (alternative strategies). In the majority of ungulates, variation in mating tactics is most likely maintained as a conditional strategy influenced by multiple internal factors like age, health or body size, as well as external factors such as population density, number of competitors and social dominance rank. In the present study, we investigated male mating tactics in a cryptic, bush-dwelling antelope from tropical Africa, the bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus (Figures.1, 2). Different mating strategies are expected to emerge, if variation in mating tactic is maintained as a conditional strategy influenced by age and / or body size: 1) Defending a territory when old and strong, what allows the owner to associating more frequently with females within the combined territory and home-range area. 2) No territory defence when young and weak, thereby associating with females less frequently and therefore sneak-mating with them.

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Poster)
Additional Information: Presented at: Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Säugetierkunde. 82nd Annual Meeting of the German Society of Mammalogy
Subjects: Q Science > QH Natural history
Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions: Natural Sciences & Psychology (closed 31 Aug 19)
Date Deposited: 14 Aug 2017 09:19
Last Modified: 13 Apr 2022 15:15
URI: https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/6909
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