The effects of capital on an income breeder: evidence from female Columbian ground squirrels

Abstract

To maximize fitness, organisms must optimally allocate resources to reproduction, daily metabolic maintenance, and survival. We examined multiple years of live-trapping and observational data from a known-aged population of female Columbian ground squirrels, Spermophilus columbianus (Ord, 1815), to determine the influences of stored resources and daily resource income on the reproductive investments of females. We predicted that because yearling females were not fully grown structurally while producing their first litter, they would rely exclusively on income for reproduction, while reproductive investment in older females (≥2 years of age) would be influenced by both stored resources (capital) and daily income. Results from path analysis indicated that both yearlings and older females were income breeders. However, initial capital indirectly influenced investment in reproduction of yearling and older females. Females with the greatest initial capital maintained high body masses while investing relatively more income in reproduction. By considering influences of both capital and income, important relationships can be revealed between these resources and their influence on life histories.