Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos

Autores
Marino, Andrea Ivana; Rodriguez, Maria Victoria; Pazos, Gustavo Enrique
Año de publicación
2016
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Although ecologists and managers have been increasingly preoccupied with the crowding consequences of overabundant herbivores,the potential role of territorial behavior as a self-regulatory agent has seldom been considered. The crowding mechanism underlies most regulation models in ungulate demography and relies on the assumption of an equal share of available supplies among individuals. In contrast, in territorial systems dominant individuals monopolize resources, predicting deviations from the expected demographic outcomes under the crowding approach. We used empirical data on a protected guanaco (Lama guanicoe) population to test competing hypotheses about crowding and territorial defense as the mechanism driving density regulation in a resource-defense polygyny ungulate. We assessed density dependence on recruitment at different spatial scales and density effects on preferred forage availability. The guanaco density inside the reserve increased rapidly and then stabilized during the last third of the study period. The absence of density effects on recruitment questions the existence of crowding mechanisms. Guanaco numbers stabilized belowthe environmental carrying capacity predicted by an equal share of available forage, supporting territorial defense as the mechanism shaping population density in the area. Variability in forage cover was independent from changes in population density, rejecting crowding effects on food supplies. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of a self-regulatory mechanism derived fromresource defense that may prevent overgrazing. Our findings suggest that other factors in addition to food availability may determine the demographic carrying capacity under resource defense systems, stressing the importance of accounting for behavioral traits when addressing management issues.
Fil: Marino, Andrea Ivana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina
Fil: Rodriguez, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina
Fil: Pazos, Gustavo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina
Materia
Carrying Capacity
Density Regulation
Lama Guanicoe
Territorial Defense
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/44746

id CONICETDig_3973a4d4f4313dfeaed9dce09f6c8712
oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/44746
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacosMarino, Andrea IvanaRodriguez, Maria VictoriaPazos, Gustavo EnriqueCarrying CapacityDensity RegulationLama GuanicoeTerritorial Defensehttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Although ecologists and managers have been increasingly preoccupied with the crowding consequences of overabundant herbivores,the potential role of territorial behavior as a self-regulatory agent has seldom been considered. The crowding mechanism underlies most regulation models in ungulate demography and relies on the assumption of an equal share of available supplies among individuals. In contrast, in territorial systems dominant individuals monopolize resources, predicting deviations from the expected demographic outcomes under the crowding approach. We used empirical data on a protected guanaco (Lama guanicoe) population to test competing hypotheses about crowding and territorial defense as the mechanism driving density regulation in a resource-defense polygyny ungulate. We assessed density dependence on recruitment at different spatial scales and density effects on preferred forage availability. The guanaco density inside the reserve increased rapidly and then stabilized during the last third of the study period. The absence of density effects on recruitment questions the existence of crowding mechanisms. Guanaco numbers stabilized belowthe environmental carrying capacity predicted by an equal share of available forage, supporting territorial defense as the mechanism shaping population density in the area. Variability in forage cover was independent from changes in population density, rejecting crowding effects on food supplies. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of a self-regulatory mechanism derived fromresource defense that may prevent overgrazing. Our findings suggest that other factors in addition to food availability may determine the demographic carrying capacity under resource defense systems, stressing the importance of accounting for behavioral traits when addressing management issues.Fil: Marino, Andrea Ivana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Pazos, Gustavo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaOxford Univ Press Inc2016-01info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/44746Marino, Andrea Ivana; Rodriguez, Maria Victoria; Pazos, Gustavo Enrique; Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos; Oxford Univ Press Inc; Behavioral Ecology; 27; 3; 1-2016; 757-7651045-22491465-7279CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1093/beheco/arv207info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/27/3/757/2364814info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-29T09:44:41Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/44746instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-29 09:44:41.451CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos
title Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos
spellingShingle Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos
Marino, Andrea Ivana
Carrying Capacity
Density Regulation
Lama Guanicoe
Territorial Defense
title_short Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos
title_full Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos
title_fullStr Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos
title_full_unstemmed Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos
title_sort Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Marino, Andrea Ivana
Rodriguez, Maria Victoria
Pazos, Gustavo Enrique
author Marino, Andrea Ivana
author_facet Marino, Andrea Ivana
Rodriguez, Maria Victoria
Pazos, Gustavo Enrique
author_role author
author2 Rodriguez, Maria Victoria
Pazos, Gustavo Enrique
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Carrying Capacity
Density Regulation
Lama Guanicoe
Territorial Defense
topic Carrying Capacity
Density Regulation
Lama Guanicoe
Territorial Defense
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Although ecologists and managers have been increasingly preoccupied with the crowding consequences of overabundant herbivores,the potential role of territorial behavior as a self-regulatory agent has seldom been considered. The crowding mechanism underlies most regulation models in ungulate demography and relies on the assumption of an equal share of available supplies among individuals. In contrast, in territorial systems dominant individuals monopolize resources, predicting deviations from the expected demographic outcomes under the crowding approach. We used empirical data on a protected guanaco (Lama guanicoe) population to test competing hypotheses about crowding and territorial defense as the mechanism driving density regulation in a resource-defense polygyny ungulate. We assessed density dependence on recruitment at different spatial scales and density effects on preferred forage availability. The guanaco density inside the reserve increased rapidly and then stabilized during the last third of the study period. The absence of density effects on recruitment questions the existence of crowding mechanisms. Guanaco numbers stabilized belowthe environmental carrying capacity predicted by an equal share of available forage, supporting territorial defense as the mechanism shaping population density in the area. Variability in forage cover was independent from changes in population density, rejecting crowding effects on food supplies. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of a self-regulatory mechanism derived fromresource defense that may prevent overgrazing. Our findings suggest that other factors in addition to food availability may determine the demographic carrying capacity under resource defense systems, stressing the importance of accounting for behavioral traits when addressing management issues.
Fil: Marino, Andrea Ivana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina
Fil: Rodriguez, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina
Fil: Pazos, Gustavo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina
description Although ecologists and managers have been increasingly preoccupied with the crowding consequences of overabundant herbivores,the potential role of territorial behavior as a self-regulatory agent has seldom been considered. The crowding mechanism underlies most regulation models in ungulate demography and relies on the assumption of an equal share of available supplies among individuals. In contrast, in territorial systems dominant individuals monopolize resources, predicting deviations from the expected demographic outcomes under the crowding approach. We used empirical data on a protected guanaco (Lama guanicoe) population to test competing hypotheses about crowding and territorial defense as the mechanism driving density regulation in a resource-defense polygyny ungulate. We assessed density dependence on recruitment at different spatial scales and density effects on preferred forage availability. The guanaco density inside the reserve increased rapidly and then stabilized during the last third of the study period. The absence of density effects on recruitment questions the existence of crowding mechanisms. Guanaco numbers stabilized belowthe environmental carrying capacity predicted by an equal share of available forage, supporting territorial defense as the mechanism shaping population density in the area. Variability in forage cover was independent from changes in population density, rejecting crowding effects on food supplies. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of a self-regulatory mechanism derived fromresource defense that may prevent overgrazing. Our findings suggest that other factors in addition to food availability may determine the demographic carrying capacity under resource defense systems, stressing the importance of accounting for behavioral traits when addressing management issues.
publishDate 2016
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2016-01
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/44746
Marino, Andrea Ivana; Rodriguez, Maria Victoria; Pazos, Gustavo Enrique; Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos; Oxford Univ Press Inc; Behavioral Ecology; 27; 3; 1-2016; 757-765
1045-2249
1465-7279
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/44746
identifier_str_mv Marino, Andrea Ivana; Rodriguez, Maria Victoria; Pazos, Gustavo Enrique; Resource-defense polygyny and self-limitation of population density in free-ranging guanacos; Oxford Univ Press Inc; Behavioral Ecology; 27; 3; 1-2016; 757-765
1045-2249
1465-7279
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1093/beheco/arv207
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article/27/3/757/2364814
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Oxford Univ Press Inc
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Oxford Univ Press Inc
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
_version_ 1844613406137516032
score 13.070432