Sex-specific effects of early-life adversity on adult fitness in a wild mammal

Early-life adversity influences adult fitness across vertebrate species. In polygynous systems with intense intrasexual competition, males may be more sensitive to conditions experienced during development. However, the importance of different aspects of the early-life environment and how their effects differ between the sexes remains poorly understood. Here, we used a long-term study of wild Soay sheep to characterise the early-life environment in terms of weather, infection risk, resource competition and maternal investment, and test the hypothesis that males are more vulnerable to early adversity. Birth weight, reflective of maternal investment and conditions during gestation, positively predicted lifetime breeding success in both sexes, suggesting a classic ‘silver spoon’ effect, though the effects were stronger in males. Males that experienced increased resource competition in their first year had lower lifetime breeding success, suggesting lasting negative consequences of nutritio..., , , # Data from: Sex-specific effects of early-life adversity on adult fitness in a wild mammal

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dfn2z359k](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dfn2z359k)

## SOAY SHEEP PROJECT DATA REUSE:

The attached files contain data derived from the long term field project monitoring individual Soay sheep on St Kilda and their environment. This is a request to please let us know if you use them. Several people have spent the best part of their careers collecting the data. If you plan to analyse the data, there are a number of reasons why it would be very helpful if you could contact Dan Nussey ([[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])) before doing so.

\[NB. If you are interested in analysing the detailed project data in any depth you may find it helpful to have our full relational database rather than the files available here. If so, then we have a simple process for bringing you onto the project as a collaborator.]

1\) The data can be subject to change due to...