Data from: Early life expenditure in sexual competition is associated with increased reproductive senescence in male red deer

The evolutionary theories of senescence predict that investment in
reproduction in early life should come at the cost of reduced somatic
maintenance, and thus earlier or more rapid senescence. There is now
growing support for such trade-offs in wild vertebrates, but these
exclusively come from females. Here, we test this prediction in male red
deer (Cervus elaphus) using detailed longitudinal data collected over a
40-year field study. We show that males which had larger harems and
thereby allocated more resources to reproduction during early adulthood
experienced higher rates of senescence in both harem size and rut
duration. Males that carried antlers with more points during early life
did not show more pronounced declines in reproductive traits in later
life. Overall, we demonstrate that sexual competition shapes male
reproductive senescence in wild red deer populations and provide rare
empirical support for the disposable soma theory of ageing in males of
polygynous vertebrate species.