Only the Good Die Old? Ontogenetic Determinants of Locomotor Performance in Eastern Cottontail Rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus).

ABSTRACT: For many animals, the juvenile stage of life can be particularly perilous. Once independent, immature animals must often complete the same basic survival functions as adults despite smaller body size and other growth-related limits on performance. Because, by definition, juveniles have yet to reproduce, we should expect strong selection for mechanisms to offset these ontogenetic limitations, allowing individuals to reach reproductive adulthood and maintain Darwinian fitness. We use an integrated ontogenetic dataset on morphology, locomotor performance, and longevity in wild cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus, Allen 1848) to test the hypothesis that prey animals are under selective pressure to maximize juvenile performance. We predicted that (1) juveniles would accelerate more

SUBMITTER: Young JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8802217 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature