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Nature 399, 407-408 (3 June 1999) | doi:10.1038/20794

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Deer destiny determined by density

Andrew Cockburn

Theory predicts that socially dominant females will produce more sons than daughters. But when times are hard, the higher growth rate of males means that proportionately more will die during development. New work shows that, in red deer, these effects can operate in concert.

  1. Andrew Cockburn is in the Evolutionary Ecology Group, Division of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
    e-mail: Email: andrew.cockburn@anu.edu.au