Male personality,life‐history strategies and reproductive success in a promiscuous mammal |
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| Authors: | D. RÉALE J. MARTIN D. W. COLTMAN J. POISSANT M. FESTA‐BIANCHET |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Ecology, Groupe de Recherche en écologie Comportementale et Animale, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada;2. Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada;3. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada |
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| Abstract: | Recent theoretical work suggests that personality is a component of life history, but links between personality and either age‐dependent reproductive success or life‐history strategy are yet to be established. Using quantitative genetic analyses on a long‐term pedigree we estimated indices of boldness and docility for 105 bighorn sheep rams (Ovis canadensis), born between 1983 and 1999, and compared these indices to their reproductive history from 2 years of age until death. Docility and boldness were highly heritable and negatively genetically correlated. Docile and bold rams survived longer than indocile and shy rams. Docility and boldness had a weak negative effect on reproductive success early in life, but a strong positive effect on older rams. Our findings highlight an important role of personality on reproductive success and suggest that personality could be an important component of life‐history strategy. |
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| Keywords: | bighorn sheep boldness docility heritability longevity Ovis canadensis predicted breeding values temperament |
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