Energetic limits: Defining the bounds and trade-offs of successful energy management in a capital breeder.

ABSTRACT: Judicious management of energy can be invaluable for animal survival and reproductive success. Capital breeding mammals typically transfer energy to their young at extremely high rates while undergoing prolonged fasting, making lactation a tremendously energy demanding period. Effective management of the competing demands of the mother's energy needs and those of her offspring is presumably fundamental to maximizing lifetime reproductive success. How does the mother maximize her chances of successfully rearing her pup, by ensuring that both her pup and herself have sufficient energy during this 'energetic fast'? While energy management models were first discussed in the 1990s, application of this analytical technique is still very much in its infancy. Recent work suggests that a broad rang

SUBMITTER: Shuert CR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7693042 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature