Improved nutrition cues switch from efficiency to luxury phenotypes for a long-lived ungulate.

ABSTRACT: Cervid phenotype can be categorized as efficiency, which promotes survival but not extravagant growth, or luxury which promotes growth of large weaponry and body size. Although nutritional variation greatly influences these phenotypic forms, the potential for subspecies-linked genetic or founder effects from restocking efforts of harvested species has not been eliminated. We measured intergenerational phenotypic change of males in response to improved nutrition in three captive-reared populations of white-tailed deer. Study animals were offspring of females captured from three regions displaying variation in antler and body size as well as nutritional variation. We fed all animals a high-quality diet and measured antler and body size for two generations. We predicted that improved long-ter

SUBMITTER: Michel ES 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5127705 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature