Life-history theory provides a framework for detecting resource limitation: a test of the Nutritional Buffer Hypothesis

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dc.contributor.authorJesmer, Brett R.en
dc.contributor.authorKauffman, Matthew J.en
dc.contributor.authorCourtemanch, Alyson B.en
dc.contributor.authorKilpatrick, Steveen
dc.contributor.authorThomas, Timothyen
dc.contributor.authorYost, Jeffen
dc.contributor.authorMonteith, Kevin L.en
dc.contributor.authorGoheen, Jacob R.en
dc.contributor.departmentFish and Wildlife Conservationen
dc.date.accessioned2021-07-13T18:18:18Zen
dc.date.available2021-07-13T18:18:18Zen
dc.date.issued2021-06en
dc.description.abstractFor ungulates and other long-lived species, life-history theory predicts that nutritional reserves are allocated to reproduction in a state-dependent manner because survival is highly conserved. Further, as per capita food abundance and nutritional reserves decline (i.e., density dependence intensifies), reproduction and recruitment become increasingly sensitive to weather. Thus, the degree to which weather influences vital rates should be associated with proximity to nutritional carrying capacity-a notion that we refer to as the Nutritional Buffer Hypothesis. We tested the Nutritional Buffer Hypothesis using six moose (Alces alces) populations that varied in calf recruitment (33-69 calves/100 cows). We predicted that populations with high calf recruitment were nutritionally buffered against the effects of unfavorable weather, and thus were below nutritional carrying capacity. We applied a suite of tools to quantify habitat and nutritional condition of each population and found that increased browse condition, forage quality, and body fat were associated with increased pregnancy and calf recruitment, thereby providing multiple lines of evidence that declines in calf recruitment were underpinned by resource limitation. From 2001 to 2015, recruitment was more sensitive to interannual variation in weather (e.g., winter severity, drought) and plant phenology (e.g., duration of spring) for populations with reduced browse condition, forage quality, and body fat, suggesting these populations lacked the nutritional reserves necessary to buffer demographic performance against the effects of unfavorable weather. Further, average within-population calf recruitment was determined by regional climatic variation, suggesting that the pattern of reduced recruitment near the southern range boundary of moose stems from an interaction between climate and resource limitation. When coupled with information on habitat, nutrition, weather, and climate, life-history theory provides a framework to estimate nutritional limitation, proximity to nutritional carrying capacity, and impacts of climate change for ungulates.en
dc.description.adminPublic domain – authored by a U.S. government employeeen
dc.description.notesWe thank Aimee Hurt, Ngaio Richards, Wicket, and Orbee from Working Dogs for Conservation for their assistance with locating moose feces, B. Davitt and the staff of the Washington State Wildlife Habitat Lab for estimating fecal N and NDF, J. Brown and the Center for Species Survival at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute for quantifying fecal progestogen concentrations, J. Branen and the staff of BioTracking LLC for conducting the BioPryn Wild ELISA assays, the Matson Laboratory for analyzing tooth age, Jerod Merkle for assistance with quantifying plant phenology from NDVI data, and Melanie Murphy for providing laboratory space and guidance in fecal DNA analysis. This work was supported by grants from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Wildlifeen
dc.description.sponsorshipWyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Wildlifeen
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2299en
dc.identifier.eissn1939-5582en
dc.identifier.issn1051-0761en
dc.identifier.issue4en
dc.identifier.pmid33428817en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/104150en
dc.identifier.volume31en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsPublic Domainen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/en
dc.subjectAlces alcesen
dc.subjectdiet qualityen
dc.subjectKeigley live&#8208en
dc.subjectdead indexen
dc.subjectkidney fat indexen
dc.subjectnitrogen limitationen
dc.subjectnutritional carrying capacityen
dc.subjectnutritional ecologyen
dc.subjectplant phenologyen
dc.subjectpregnancyen
dc.subjectrecruitmenten
dc.titleLife-history theory provides a framework for detecting resource limitation: a test of the Nutritional Buffer Hypothesisen
dc.title.serialEcological Applicationsen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.dcmitypeStillImageen

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