Litter reductions reveal a trade-off between offspring size and number in brown bears

Abstract

Experimental manipulations have revealed positive effects of litter reduction on offspring mass in small mammals, but little is known about this trade-off in large mammals. We examined the determinants of natural litter size variation and quantified the effects of litter size, maternal characteristics, and litter composition on yearling mass using 24 years of data on marked brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Sweden. Infanticide by adult males is a major cause of cub-of-the-year mortality, leading to litter size reductions. Litter size (n = 265) at den emergence ranged from one to four cubs (average, 2. 7) and increased with maternal age. Litter size, however, appeared independent of maternal size, population density, interlitter interval, study area, or previous litter sex ratio. Yearling body mass increased with maternal body size but was independent of litter sex ratio. Litter size and yearling mass were negatively correlated, mostly because singletons were about 30 % heavier than yearlings from litters of two to four cubs. In reduced litters, survivors were on average 8 % heavier as yearlings than individuals from intact litters, suggesting that sibling competition reduces growth. Trade-offs between litter size and yearling mass in bears appear similar in magnitude to those found in small mammals. Show more