Age-specific patterns of reproductive success in wild female Eurasian lynx across Europe

Liang, Yutong (avtor), Mattisson, Jenny (avtor), Andrén, Henrik (avtor), Linnell, John (avtor), Nilsen, Erlend B. (avtor), Odden, John (avtor), Persson, Jens (avtor), Aronsson, Malin (avtor), Johansson, Örjan (avtor), Hemmingmoore, Heather (avtor), Krofel, Miha (avtor), Hočevar, Lan (avtor), Fležar, Urša (avtor), Oliveira, Teresa (avtor), Černe, Rok (avtor), Slana, Darja (avtor), Trajbarič, Aleksander (avtor), Molinari-Jobin, Anja (avtor), Molinari, Paolo (avtor)

Reproductive lifespan and age-specific reproductive performance are key life-history traits, shaping individual fitness and population dynamics. Here, we examine age-specific variation in reproductive success in a wild large carnivore, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), using 38 years of longitudinal data from 173 known-age females across Europe and western Asia. Female lynx exhibited age-related reproductive patterns: (i) breeding probability increased with age before declining at older ages, (ii) litter size remained generally stable at two kittens, although it declined to one kitten in older mothers at northern latitudes, and (iii) offspring survival peaked at intermediate female ages, with variation across individuals, years and latitudes. These patterns likely reflect physiological maturation and increased experience (ages 2 to 8), followed by declines due to reproductive and maternal effect senescence in older females. Temporal and latitudinal variations suggest that environmental conditions shape reproductive patterns in Eurasian lynx, with senescence particularly pronounced in resource-scarce environments. Our findings enhance the understanding of age-related reproductive patterns in carnivores across environmental contexts, contributing to life-history theory and improving evidence-based management by accounting for age structure in population forecasting.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: Lynx lynx, age-related reproduction, offspring survival, physiological development, senescence, life-history traits, felids, mammalian carnivores
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: BF - Biotehniška fakulteta
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Datum objave: 27.05.2026
• Leto izida: 2026
• Št. strani: 10 str.
• Številčenje: Vol. 22, issue 5, [article no.] 20250748
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183236
• UDK: 599.742.734
• ISSN pri članku: 1744-957X
• DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2025.0748
• COBISS.SI-ID: 280925955
• Datum objave v RUL: 09.06.2026

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Biology letters
• Skrajšan naslov: Biol. lett.
• Založnik: Royal Society
• ISSN: 1744-957X
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523004697

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: To je standardna licenca Creative Commons, ki daje uporabnikom največ možnosti za nadaljnjo uporabo dela, pri čemer morajo navesti avtorja.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: Lynx lynx, evrazijski ris, razmnoževanje, starost, preživetje mladičev, staranje, reproduktivni uspeh, mačke, zveri

Projekti

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: J1-50013
• Naslov: ExtremePredator: Odkrivanje ekološke vloge vrhovnih plenilcev v ekstremnih okoljih

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: P4-0059
• Naslov: Gozd, gozdarstvo in obnovljivi gozdni viri