Silver-spoon effect in agricultural crop consumers: Relationship between
crop consumption and body growth in sika deer
Abstract
Owing to agricultural expansion worldwide, agricultural crops can have
major effects on the life history traits of wildlife. However, the
functional role of crop consumption on the life history traits of
long-lived mammals is seldom evaluated quantitatively. Body size is an
important life history trait because it is directly related to fitness.
In this study, we investigated the functional role of long-term crop
consumption on body growth of sika deer (Cervus nippon). Crop
consumption accelerated body growth of not only the consumer but also
the next generation, and its effect differed by sex. In females and
males, the degree of crop consumption produced maximum differences of
about 2 and 1 years in the ages at which 98% asymptotic size was
attained, respectively. However, this difference did not always occur in
males. The degree of crop consumption by mothers generated a maximum
difference of about 15% in the hind-foot length of their fetus. This
study revealed that the degree of long-term crop consumption affects the
body growth of deer at an individual level, even within the same
population. The crop consumption had a positive effect on the consumer
and the next generation. Further examination of the effects of
accelerated body growth on population growth rates will elucidate more
accurately the effects of crop consumption on population dynamics in the
landscape, including agricultural crop lands.