Correlates of early reproduction and apparent fitness consequences in male Soay sheep.

ABSTRACT: Life history trade-offs are ubiquitous across species and place constraints on the timing of life history events, including the optimal age at first reproduction. However, studies on lifetime breeding success of male mammals are rare due to sex-biased dispersal and the requirement for genetic paternity inferences. We studied the correlates and apparent fitness consequences of early life reproduction among males in a free-living population of Soay sheep (Ovis aries) on St Kilda, Scotland. We investigated the factors associated with early breeding success and the apparent consequences of early success for survival and future reproduction. We used genetic paternity inferences, population data, and individual morphology measurements collected over 30 years. We found that individuals bor

SUBMITTER: Chapman EG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10164647 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature