Data from: Born in heterogenous landscapes: birth timing, body mass and growth of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) fawns in contrasting habitats

Although the widespread effects of global change impact almost all
ecosystems, we lack a detailed understanding of how wildlife that thrive
in human-dominated environments are able to adjust their life history to
modifications in land use of their natural habitat. In particular, spatial
variation in environmental conditions is predicted to influence
development during the crucial early life phase, with marked impacts on
individual performance and population dynamics for long-lived species.
Large herbivores such as roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), a synanthropic
species, have increased substantially in number and distribution over the
last half century across Europe. Roe deer have been particularly
successful, gradually colonizing agricultural landscapes to cope with a
global warming-driven phenological mismatch in their natural forest
habitat. However, to date, little is known about how habitat heterogeneity
impacts their demographic performance in this heavily human-impacted
environment. Specifically, we predicted that fawns born in predominantly
cultivated local habitats would achieve faster early development due to
the food subsidies obtained by their mothers from agricultural crops.
Contrary to our expectations, fawns in semi-natural forest habitats were
around 10% heavier at birth than those born in more mixed (by 0.163 ±
0.058 kg) and open (by 0.169 ± 0.006 kg) agricultural habitats. However,
all fawns subsequently grew at a similar average rate (0.148 ± 0.058
kg/day), irrespective of their habitat. This habitat-dependent variation
in birth mass appeared to be driven by reproductive phenology, as i)
early-born fawns were heavier than late-born fawns, and ii) mothers living
in the forest gave birth around 10 days earlier than those living in the
mixed and open habitats. As natural habitats become increasingly scarce
and fragmented due to the activities of humans, the prospects for many
wild populations will depend on their ability to subsist in the heavily
modified habitats of anthropogenic landscapes.