Paying the energetic costs of reproduction: reliance on postpartum foraging and stored reserves

Heiko G. Rödel, Teresa G. Valencak, Alexandra Handrek and Raquel Monclús

Behavioral Ecology, 2016, vol. 27, issue 3, 748-756

Abstract: Lay Summary Most female mammals increase their food intake to fuel the increased energy demands of offspring production and care. However, stored body reserves also play a role. In wild European rabbits, our study shows that a higher body mass supports mothers’ reproductive performance. Feeding behavior is markedly higher in lactating females compared with pregnant or nonreproducing ones. Finally, mothers’ feeding effort during lactation is gradually increased by a higher reproductive effort, but decreased in females with higher initial body mass.

Keywords: European rabbit; feeding behavior; income breeder; litter size; Oryctolagus cuniculus; trade-off (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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