@article{fdi:010096514,
  title = {{C}hanges in age-related sexual selection in a humpback whale population recovering from exploitation},
  author = {{E}ichenberger, {F}. and {C}arroll, {E}. {L}. and {G}arrigue, {C}laire and {J}arman, {S}. and {S}teel, {D}. {J}. and {R}obbins, {J}. and {R}endell, {L}. and {G}arland, {E}. {C}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{W}haling, one of the most extensive and prolonged global commercial hunting operations, pushed many large whales to the brink of extinction. {T}o understand how evolutionary processes may be directly impacted by the consequences of exploitation, we assessed age-dependent population dynamics, reproductive tactics, and reproductive success of 485 male humpback whales ({M}egaptera novaeangliae) from a recovering breeding ground in {N}ew {C}aledonia. {O}ver 19 years (2000-2018), the population age structure switched from a left-skewed, rapidly increasing low-density population toward a more evenly distributed age structure when abundance was higher in later years. {C}oncurrent with the change in population age structure across time, there was a shift in age-related male mating tactics. {M}ost strikingly, during years of higher abundance, the key reproductive tactics of singing and escorting were over-represented by older age categories when compared with the underlying age structure, suggesting age-and/or density-related tactic choice in males. {T}his behavioral shift corresponded with an increase in the relative reproductive success of the oldest males during periods of higher abundance compared with lower abundance. {O}verall, our work suggests that at lower population densities, young males were less constrained by age-related restrictions on reproductive success. {A} reduction of age-related sexual selection could have acted to buffer genetic diversity loss during a time of lower abundance, when this was most critical. {I}ntegrating these changes in the pattern of sexual selection with population dynamics provides critical insights into the evolutionary consequences of exploitation and recovery in long-lived species.},
  keywords = {{NOUVELLE} {CALEDONIE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{C}urrent {B}iology},
  volume = {36},
  numero = {5},
  pages = {1115--1127},
  ISSN = {0960-9822},
  year = {2026},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.cub.2026.01.018},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096514},
}