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Updated: Sep 29, 2025
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Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
Published on: August 8, 2017
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Habitat and climate shape growth patterns in a mountain ungulate.
Rudolf Reiner1,2, Andreas Zedrosser2,3, Hubert Zeiler1,2,3,4,5,6
1Berchtesgaden National Park Berchtesgaden Germany.
Ecology and Evolution
|March 21, 2022
Summary
Alpine chamois body mass growth varies with forest cover and temperature. Forested habitats buffer chamois from temperature effects, suggesting greater climate change impacts for populations above the treeline.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Zoology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Energy uptake and use are critical for temperate ungulates facing seasonal forage changes.
- Individual fitness in ungulates is strongly linked to body mass gain, influenced by energy intake.
- Life-history traits are shaped by energy allocation, affected by internal and external environmental factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate variations in Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra) body growth patterns.
- Analyze the influence of sex, age, temperature, and habitat (forest cover) on chamois growth.
- Understand large-scale adaptability of chamois populations to environmental and climatic shifts.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large dataset (n=178,175) of hunted chamois over 27 years (1993-2019).
- Compared body mass growth patterns across 31 (sub)populations in the Central European Alps.
- Examined growth variations in relation to forest cover, spring, and summer temperatures.
Main Results:
- Body mass growth patterns differed significantly between mountain ranges.
- Increasing forest cover correlated with lower body mass but faster mass growth.
- Temperature effects on growth were more pronounced in areas with lower forest cover.
Conclusions:
- Alpine chamois exhibit high plasticity in body mass growth patterns, influenced by environmental and climatic conditions.
- Forest cover acts as a buffer against temperature impacts on chamois growth.
- Populations above the treeline may be more vulnerable to declining body mass due to increasing temperatures.
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