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<p>Although global change and landscape modifications have degraded natural habitats, some species are able to thrive in anthropized landscapes by exploiting agricultural subsidies. In heterogeneous agroecosystems, spatial variation in landscape composition is predicted to impact demographic performance of wildlife depending on predominant agricultural practices and the distribution of remnant fragments of semi-natural habitat. Body mass is a key driver of among-individual variation in performance which varies at a fine scale, depending on landscape structure. We tested the hypothesis that the availability of rich crops (i.e. sorghum, corn and sunflower) in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes promotes rapid first-year growth of roe deer fawns, potentially driving spatial variation in demographic performance. We used GPS data of 166 juveniles (8–10&#xa0;months old) inhabiting a heterogeneous agricultural landscape to predict their home range and evaluate its composition in terms of crops that may provide complementary resources. We hypothesized that juveniles with a post-weaning home range that included these crop types would be the heaviest at the onset of winter. Winter body mass of juveniles decreased by 35 ± 5&#xa0;g per percentage point increase of woodland in their home range, so that juveniles with almost no woodland in their home range were about 3.5&#xa0;kg heavier than those living in pure forest. Further, individuals with at least some corn in their home range were, on average, 773 ± 237&#xa0;g heavier than those with none. Agricultural food subsidies reshape the habitat-dependent body mass trajectory of large herbivores, likely driving improved reproductive performance in agricultural landscapes.</p>

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Access to agricultural crops promotes first-year growth in a wild herbivore

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年2月26日

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  • Maureen Brunot,
  • Nicolas Morellet,
  • Arnaud Bonnet,
  • Nicolas Cebe,
  • Yannick Chaval,
  • Jean-Luc Rames,
  • Bruno Lourtet,
  • Joël Merlet,
  • Jean-Michel Gaillard,
  • Maryline Pellerin,
  • Mark A. J. Hewison

摘要

Although global change and landscape modifications have degraded natural habitats, some species are able to thrive in anthropized landscapes by exploiting agricultural subsidies. In heterogeneous agroecosystems, spatial variation in landscape composition is predicted to impact demographic performance of wildlife depending on predominant agricultural practices and the distribution of remnant fragments of semi-natural habitat. Body mass is a key driver of among-individual variation in performance which varies at a fine scale, depending on landscape structure. We tested the hypothesis that the availability of rich crops (i.e. sorghum, corn and sunflower) in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes promotes rapid first-year growth of roe deer fawns, potentially driving spatial variation in demographic performance. We used GPS data of 166 juveniles (8–10 months old) inhabiting a heterogeneous agricultural landscape to predict their home range and evaluate its composition in terms of crops that may provide complementary resources. We hypothesized that juveniles with a post-weaning home range that included these crop types would be the heaviest at the onset of winter. Winter body mass of juveniles decreased by 35 ± 5 g per percentage point increase of woodland in their home range, so that juveniles with almost no woodland in their home range were about 3.5 kg heavier than those living in pure forest. Further, individuals with at least some corn in their home range were, on average, 773 ± 237 g heavier than those with none. Agricultural food subsidies reshape the habitat-dependent body mass trajectory of large herbivores, likely driving improved reproductive performance in agricultural landscapes.