What, if anything, does visual asymmetry in fallow deer antlers reveal?
Article Abstract:
It has been possible to confirm the occurrence of directional asymmetry (DA) in fallow deer, Dama dama, antlers for the number of tines and spellers. This research tested whether antlers visually reflect individual quality in fallow deer, looking at the connections between antler asymmetry, age and dominance among bucks. It was established that antler complexity and the level of DA reliably reflect the age of fallow bucks. The total number of tines and spellers on antlers may predict individual dominance, but this is not the case for the level of DA. Absence of reliable signalling of individual quality in fallow deer antlers supports the view that a quality indicator should be more variable in time during the rut.
Publication Name: Animal Behaviour
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0003-3472
Year: 2000
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Movement patterns and the conservation of amphibians breeding in small, temporary wetlands
Article Abstract:
A five-year study of a small temporary wetland area in northcentral Florida indicated the importance of considering adjacent terrestrial habitat along with wetlands in conservation efforts for wetland-breeding amphibians. Both distance and directional elements need to be accounted for in designating terrestrial buffer zones. In the study of striped newts (Notophthalmus perstriatus) and eastern narrow-mouthed toads (Gastrophryne carolinensis), a nonrandom orientation of movements occurred when the amphibians were entering and exiting the pond.
Publication Name: Conservation Biology
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0888-8892
Year: 1998
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Habitat matrix effects on pond occupancy in newts
Article Abstract:
The influence of habitat matrix on populations of three newt species Triturus helveticus, T.alpestris, and T.cristatus is studied by comparing their abundances in sites that varied in amount of cultivated ground. The study demonstrates that the relationship between newt abundance and width of uncultivated sector agrees with present knowledge of the orientation mechanisms.
Publication Name: Conservation Biology
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0888-8892
Year: 2001
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