Publications by authors named "Cristina Sanchez-Prieto"
With the exception of a few groups of birds, such as large raptors and colonial seabirds, direct counts of nests cannot be conducted over very large areas for most of the abundant and widely distributed species, and thus indirect methods are used to estimate their relative abundances and population sizes. However, many species of the Family Hirundinidae (swallows and martins) build their mud nests in discrete, predictable and accessible sites, which are reused across years. Therefore, the direct count of active nests could constitute a reliable method for estimating breeding population sizes and their changes at large spatial and temporal scales.
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- Climate change in southern Europe is causing higher temperatures and lower rainfall, impacting resource availability for herbivores and potentially affecting their reproductive performance and sexual selection.
- A study on Iberian red deer revealed that decreased rainfall correlates with a delayed rutting season and lower male rutting activity, while increasing opportunities for polygyny (one male mating with multiple females).
- The findings emphasize that environmental changes, particularly reduced rainfall, can influence mating conditions and sexual selection opportunities in wildlife, moderated by factors like population density and sex ratio.
Sexual signals play a central role in male-male competition in polygynous species. In red deer (Cervus elaphus), male's ventral area become dark during the rutting season due to urine spraying behaviour and retains many chemical compounds potentially revealing individual features. Here we investigate the variation in size of this trait, exploring its relationship with age and male competitive features such as antlers or body size, as well as populational level of intrasexual competition for mates.
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- Theory suggests that sex-trait expression, like antler size, is influenced by both production costs and social factors such as rivals and mates, although clear evidence is lacking.
- A study of over 4,000 male Iberian red deer showed that those in environments with low male competition developed smaller antlers, leading to reduced energy demands and less tooth wear, which may contribute to longer lifespans.
- Experimental results confirmed that males with rival competition grew larger antlers compared to those in female-only environments, providing new evidence of how social competition affects sexual traits and longevity.
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- Researchers suggest that the balance between reproduction and bodily repair can influence senescence, especially hard to study in large animals.
- They analyzed teeth wear in a large sample of red deer, finding that males had smaller molar teeth that wore down faster than females, indicating a higher workload and earlier aging.
- These results support the disposable-soma hypothesis, which posits that energy invested in bodily repair decreases when the benefits of survival or reproduction are uncertain.