The aims of the proposed work are to continue longitudinal study of a group of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in which detailed records of early social experience and behavior of individual exist. The general goal is to discover the aspects of natural variability in early experience that set individuals on diverging developmental pathways, and to assess the lifetime consequences of such differential development. This is part of the information required to discover the general set of rules by which mammalian behavior develops. Three sets of questions will be addressed: I--Is there lifetime continuity in social status, arising from birth order related asymmetries among fawns? If not, what events mediate a shift in status? Is differential social status biologically significant? How are female birth-order related dominance matrilines perpetuated? II-Are there lifetime consequences of early variability in locomotor-rotational play? III-Does the size of the fawn social group in which an individual is reared affect its subsequent ability to compete effectively in social interactions? Pronghorn at the study site (National Bison Range, Moiese, MT) are easily observed and have a simple behavioral repertoire composed of discrete, quantifiable acts. The animals are protected from hunting and are permanently enclosed. Individuals marked as fawns may be followed throughout their lives. Focal observation of individuals provides the data on activity, spacing patterns, and social behavior required to answer the questions posed.
