Litter loss triggers estrus in a nonsocial seasonal breeder.

ABSTRACT: Sexually selected infanticide (SSI) is often presumed to be rare among seasonal breeders, because it would require a near immediate return to estrus after the loss of an entire litter during the mating season. We evaluated changes in reproductive strategies and the reproductive fate of females that experienced litter loss during the mating season in a seasonal breeder with strong evidence for SSI, the brown bear. First, we used a long-term demographic dataset (1986-2011) to document that a large majority of females (>91%) that lose their entire litter during the mating season in fact do enter estrus, mate, and give birth during the subsequent birthing season. Second, we used high-resolution movement data (2005-2011) to evaluate how females changed reproductive strategies after losing their

SUBMITTER: Steyaert SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3925432 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature