Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Unbiased sex-specific survival in Alpine chamois

  • Original Investigation
  • Published:
Mammalian Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Many polygynous ungulates show higher mortality of males than of females, because of the intense male-male competition during the rut and the costs associated with the development of sexual-size dimorphism. In the weakly dimorphic Alpine chamois Rupicapra rupicapra the occurrence of differential sex-specific survival strategies is controversial. To date, only two studies investigated the survivorship of males and females in this species,producing conflicting results: these works, based on the use of life tables, require confirmation from researches carried out on living populations. We assessed the survival pattern of a protected Alpine chamois population in the Swiss National Park, where 116 individuals were marked and monitored over 13 years (1996–2008). We tested for sex-, age- and year-dependence of survival by means of capture-mark-resight models. Resighting probabilities were sex-dependent, and survival rates were time-dependent. Females had higher resighting probabilities (0.84) than males (0.74). All over the time periods, sex had a weak influence on survival probability (males=0.91; females=0.92) and survival rates remained surprisingly high until late age (1 year=0.90; 2–7 years=0.91; 8+ years=0.92). The growing evidence for a high adult survival and a weak differential mortality of the two sexes, together with the highly seasonal sexual-size dimorphism observed for Alpine chamois, might indicate the occurrence of a unique conservative survival strategy in both sexes and a low-risk mating strategy by males.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akaike, H., 1973. Informationtheory andextension of the maximum likelihood principle. In: Second International Symposium on Information Theory. Akademia Kaido, Budapest, Hungary, pp. 267–281.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bassano, B., Perrone, A., von Hardenberg, A., 2003. Body weight and horn develop-mentinAlpine chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra (Bovidae, Caprinae). Mammalia 67, 65–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertolino, S., 2003. Herd defensive behaviour of chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra, in response to predation on the young by a golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos. Z. Jagdwiss. 49, 233–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bocci, A., Canavese, G., Lovari, S., 2010. Even mortality patterns of the two sexes in a polygynous, near-monomorphic species: is there a flaw? J. Zool. Lond. 280, 379–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boer, A.H., 1988. Mortality rate of moose in New Brunswick: a life table analysis. J. Wildl. Manage. 52, 21–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruno, E., Lovari, S., 1989. Foraging behaviour of adult female Apennine chamois in relation to the seasonal variation in food supply. Acta Theriol. 34–37, 513–523.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burnham, K.P., Anderson, D.R., 2002. Model Selection and Multimodel Inference, second ed. Springer, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caughley, G., 1966. Mortality patterns in mammals. Ecology 47, 906–918.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ciucci, P., Chapron, G., Guberti, V., Boitani, L., 2007. Estimation of mortality parameters from (biased) samples at death: are we getting the basics right in wildlife field studies? A response to Lovari et al. (2007). J. Zool. Lond. 272, 125–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T.H., Isvaran, K., 2007. Sex differences inageing in natural populations of vertebrates. Proc. R. Soc. B 274, 3097–3104.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T.H., Albon, S.D., Guinness, F.E., 1985. Parental investment and sex differences in juvenile mortality in birds and mammals. Nature 313, 131–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T.H., Guinness, F.E., Albon, S.D., 1982. Red Deer. Behavior and Ecology of Two Sexes. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Festa-Bianchet, M., Gaillard, J.-M., Côté, S.D., 2003. Variable age structure and apparent density dependence insurvival ofadult ungulates.J.Anim. Ecol. 72, 640–649.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filli, F., 2006. Ungulate research in the Swiss National Park: development, current issues and future challenges. In: Filli, F., Suter, W.(Eds.), Nationalpark-Forschung in der Schweiz, vol. 93. Zernez, Switzerland, pp. 9–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaillard, J.-M., Festa-Bianchet, M., Yoccoz, N.G., Loison, A., Toïgo, C., 2000. Temporal variation in fitness components and population dynamics of large herbivores. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 31, 367–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garel, M., Loison, A., Jullien, J.-M., Dubray, D., Maillard, D., Gaillard, J.-M., 2009. Sex-specific growth in alpine chamois. J. Mammal 90, 954–960.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gauthier, D., Michallet, J., 1993. Bilan des expériences franc¸ aises en matière de capture par engin du Bouquetin des Alpes Capra i. Ibex. In: Dubray, D (Ed.), Techniques de Capture et de Marquage des Ongulés Sauvages. Office National de la Chasse, Montpellier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, G., Crampe, J.-P., 2001. Mortality patterns in a protected population of isards (Rupicapra pyrenaica). Can. J. Zool. 79, 2072–2079.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haller, H., 2006. Der schweizerische nationalpark. In: Konold, W., Böcker, R., Hampicke, U. (Eds.), Handbuch Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege. Landsberg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isaac, J.L., 2005. Potential causes and life-history consequences of sexual size dimorphism in mammals. Mamm. Rev. 35, 101–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krämer, A., 1969. Soziale organisation und sozialverhalten einer gemspopulation Rupicapra rupicapra der Alpen. Z. Tierpsychol. 26, 889–964.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krebs, C.J., 1999. Ecological Methodology. Addison Wesley Longman, Menlo Park CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laake, J., Rexstad, E., 2008. In: Cooch, E., White, G.C. (Eds.), RMark – An alternative approach to building linear models in MARK.(AppendixC).,seventhed.Program MARK: A Gentle Introduction.

  • Lande, R., Engen, S., Sæther, B.-E., Filli, F., Matthysen, E., Weimerskirch, H., 2002. Estimating density dependence from population time series using demographic theory and life-history data. Am. Nat. 159, 321–337.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lebreton, J.-D., Burnham, K.P., Anderson, D.R., Clobert, J., 1992. Modeling survival and testing biological hypotheses using marked animals: a unified approach with case studies. Ecol. Monogr. 62, 67–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loison, A., Gaillard, J.-M., Houssin, H., 1994. New insight on survivorship of female chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) from observationof marked animals. Can. J.Zool. 72, 591–597.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loison, A., Festa-Bianchet, M., Gaillard, J.-M., Jorgenson, J.T., Jullien, J.-M., 1999. Age-specific survival in five populations of ungulates: evidence of senescence. Ecology 80, 2539–2554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oehlert, G.W., 2010. A note on the delta method. Am. Stat. 46, 27–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Barberìa, F.G., Mutuberrìa, G., Nores, C., 1998. Reproductive parameters, kidney fat index, and grazing activity relationships between the sexesin Cantabrian chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica parva. Acta Theriol. 43, 311–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Promislow, D.E.L., 1992. Costs of sexual selection innatural populationof mammals. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 247, 203–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team, 2011. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing (2.12.2). R Foundation for Statistical Computing.

  • Rughetti, M., Festa-Bianchet, M., 2010. Compensatory growth limits opportunities for artificial selection in Alpine chamois. J. Wildl. Manage. 74, 1024–1029.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rughetti, M., Festa-Bianchet, M., 2011. Seasonal changes in sexual-size dimorphism in northern chamois. J. Zool. Lond. 284, 257–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schröder, W., 1971. Untersuchungen zur okologie des gamswildes (Rupicapra rupi-capra) in einen vorkommen der Alpen. Z. Jagdwiss. 17, 114–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schröder, W., Elsner-Schack, I.V., 1985. Correct age determination in chamois. In: Lovari, S. (Ed.), The Biology and Management of Mountain Ungulates. Croom Helm, London, pp. 67–70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stearns, S.C., 1992. The Evolution of Life-Histories. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toïgo, C., Gaillard, J.-M., 2003. Causes of sex-biased adult survival in ungulates: sexual size dimorphism, mating tactic or environmental harshness? Oikos 101, 376–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toïgo, C., Gaillard, J.-M., Festa-Bianchet, M., Largo, E., Michallet, J., Maillard, D., 2007. Sex- and age-specific survival of the highly dimorphic Alpine ibex: evidence for a conservative life-history tactic. J. Anim. Ecol. 76, 679–686.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • von Hardenberg, A., Bassano, B., Peracino, A., Lovari, S., 2000. Male Alpine chamois occupy territories at hotspots before the mating season. Ethology 106, 617–630.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, G.C., Burnham, K.P., 1999. Program MARK: Survival estimation from populations of marked animals. Bird Study 46, 120–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zoller, H., 1995. Vegetationskarte des Schweizerischen Nationalparks. Kommission der Schweizerischen Akademie der Naturwissenschaften SANW zur Wis-senschaftlichen Erforschung des Nationalparks (WNPK). Zernez, Nr. 85.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor-Mendel Str. 33, 1180, Vienna, Austria

    Luca Corlatti

  2. Research Unit of Behavioural Ecology, Ethology and Wildlife Management, Department of Environmental Sciences ‘G. Sarfatti’, University of Siena, Via T. Pendola 62, 53100, Siena, Italy

    Luca Corlatti

  3. Institute for Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria

    Karin Lebl

  4. Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160, Vienna, Austria

    Karin Lebl & Thomas Ruf

  5. Swiss National Park, Chaste Planta-Wildenberg, 7530, Zernez, Switzerland

    Flurin Filli

Authors
  1. Luca Corlatti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Karin Lebl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Flurin Filli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Thomas Ruf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luca Corlatti.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Corlatti, L., Lebl, K., Filli, F. et al. Unbiased sex-specific survival in Alpine chamois. Mamm Biol 77, 135–139 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2011.09.007

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mambio.2011.09.007

Keywords

Search

Navigation