title: Anticipatory reproduction and population growth in seed predators.
abstract: Mast seeding, the intermittent, synchronous production of large seed crops by a population of plants, is a well-known example of resource pulses that create lagged responses in successive trophic levels of ecological communities. These lags arise because seed predators are thought capable of increasing reproduction and population size only after the resource pulse is available for consumption. The resulting satiation of predators is a widely cited explanation for the evolution of masting. Our study shows that both American and Eurasian tree squirrels anticipate resource pulses and increase reproductive output before a masting event, thereby increasing population size in synchrony with the resource pulse and eliminating the population lag thought to be universal in resource pulse systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada. stan.boutin@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Stan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boutin
authors.forename: Lucas A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Wauters
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: McAdam
authors.forename: Murray M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Humphries
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tosi
authors.forename: André A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Dhondt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001530:Belgium; D003463:Cues; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D007558:Italy; D008098:Litter Size; D008297:Male; D011158:Population Growth; D012098:Reproduction; D012589:Sciuridae / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons; D012639:Seeds / Q000254:growth & development; D014197:Trees; D015874:Yukon Territory