title: Males do not senesce faster in large herbivores with highly seasonal rut.
abstract: Patterns of actuarial senescence vary among long-lived species. A proposed explanation of the evolution of species-specific senescence patterns is that increased levels of energy allocation to intra-male competition decrease the amount of energy available for somatic maintenance, leading to earlier or faster actuarial senescence. Previous studies did not provide support for such relationships, but did not focus on the intensity of allocation likely to shape inter-specific variation in actuarial senescence in males. Here, by analyzing data from 56 species of captive large herbivores, we tested whether actuarial senescence is more pronounced in species displaying a well-defined 'rut' period than in species with year-round reproduction. Using an original quantitative metric of the annual duration of reproductive activity, we demonstrated that the length of the mating season has no detectable effect on actuarial senescence. On the other hand, both diet and body mass are important factors shaping actuarial senescence patterns in male captive herbivores.
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, F-69000 Lyon, France. Electronic address: morgane.tidiere@univ-lyon1.fr.
authors.forename: Morgane
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tidière
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, F-69000 Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gaillard
authors.affiliation: National Park "Bavarian Forest", Freyunger Str. 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany.
authors.forename: Dennis W H
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: 1230 Oakland Street, Hendersonville, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Laurie Bingaman
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Lackey
authors.affiliation: UMR 5175, Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, campus CNRS, 1919 route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gimenez
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clauss
authors.affiliation: Université de Lyon, F-69000 Lyon, France; Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lemaître
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001835:Body Weight; D004032:Diet; D060434:Herbivory / Q000502:physiology; D008136:Longevity / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D012418:Ruminants / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D012621:Seasons; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D013045:Species Specificity
keywords: Aging; Captivity; Mating season; Ruminants; Sexual selection