Figure 2. Relationships between climate variables (a mean spring temperature (oC); b mean spring snowpack (cm)) and pup emergence date. (number of females = 192; number of litters = 461).
Heritability of pup emergence date was low, approximately 8%, and not significantly different from zero (Table 3). We also report significant inter-annual and inter-individual variation in the date of pup emergence (Table 3).
Table 3. Variance components and ratios for colony, year, additive genetic, and permanent environment from the univariate animal model analyzing the association of changing average spring snowpack and temperature with pup emergence date. (number of females = 184; number of litters = 425).