Thesis
The effects of energetic expenditure tactics and life-history variability on European badger (Meles meles) ecology
- Abstract:
-
Wild animals have evolved a diverse range of energy-budgeting tactics to cope in situ with rapid environmental change. My thesis investigates these tactics and their underlying mechanisms in a population of wild European badgers (Meles meles): 1) over the course of an individual’s lifetime and 2) in response to fine-scale changes in energetic context.
Chapter 1 derives a novel minimum number alive abundance estimator, incorporating variable capture efficiency to more accurately quantify changing social context for subsequent analyses. Chapter 2 exposes how changing population metrics and weather drive sex-specific life-history responses, producing diverse co-occurring paces-of-life and potentially contributing to substantial sex ratio skew at higher densities. Chapter 3 uncovers a threshold-bounded relationship between body condition and survival probability, whereby most badgers exhibit flexible somatic phenotypes within what I term an “energetic safe zone”; adverse weather and life-history risk factors can tip individuals over the threshold, but a minority of high-quality individuals exhibit high reproduction probability and lower mortality risk despite reduced body condition.
Chapter 4 uses 3D printing to streamline production and reusability of bespoke multi-sensor collars, enabling simultaneous fine-scale quantification of overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA, measuring mechanical energy expenditure) for multiple individuals. Chapter 5 applies this technology and finds season-specific fine-scale activity responses to prevailing weather conditions, according to individual energetic context; in particular, low body condition constrains energetic tactics. Chapter 6 combines ODBA with quantification of daily energy expenditure (DEE) using doubly-labelled water, demonstrating that individuals expend energy differently under the same conditions; ODBA/DEE, measuring proportional energy expenditure on activity, correlated negatively with next-season body condition.
The range of energetic expenditure tactics sustained in this population support the existence of adaptive heterogeneity. I present an argument predicated on Jensen’s Inequality for the maintenance of this diversity, and reflect on implications for resilience to ongoing anthropogenic change.
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Authors
Contributors
- Institution:
- University of Oxford
- Division:
- MPLS
- Department:
- Zoology
- Research group:
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit
- Oxford college:
- Lady Margaret Hall
- Role:
- Supervisor
- ORCID:
- 0000-0003-0607-9373
- Institution:
- University of Oxford
- Division:
- MPLS
- Department:
- Zoology
- Research group:
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit
- Oxford college:
- Lady Margaret Hall
- Role:
- Supervisor
- ORCID:
- 0000-0002-9284-6526
- Institution:
- University of Oxford
- Division:
- MPLS
- Department:
- Computer Science
- Oxford college:
- Kellogg College
- Role:
- Supervisor
- ORCID:
- 0000-0001-5716-3941
- Institution:
- University of Oxford
- Division:
- SSD
- Department:
- SOGE
- Sub department:
- Environmental Change Institute
- Role:
- Supervisor
- ORCID:
- 0000-0002-3503-4783
- Institution:
- University of Oxford
- Division:
- MPLS
- Department:
- Zoology
- Research group:
- Edward Grey Institute
- Role:
- Examiner
- ORCID:
- 0000-0002-5240-7828
- Funder identifier:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100002861
- Funding agency for:
- Bright Ross, J
- Grant:
- Mamont Scholar Grant
- Programme:
- Young Explorers Grant
- Funder identifier:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100014014
- Funding agency for:
- Bright Ross, J
- Grant:
- Marshall Scholarship 2017
- Funder identifier:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004789
- Funding agency for:
- Macdonald, D
- Grant:
- 0005109
- DOI:
- Type of award:
- DPhil
- Level of award:
- Doctoral
- Awarding institution:
- University of Oxford
- Language:
-
English
- Keywords:
- Subjects:
- Pubs id:
-
1609810
- Local pid:
-
pubs:1609810
- Deposit date:
-
2021-10-18
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