Natasa Djakovic
PhD. Student
Contact Information
Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
1432 Ås
Norway
phone: +47 64965120
mobile: +47 90231595
Education
2007 – Present: PhD student at Norwegian University of Life Sciences
2004-2006: M.Sc. in Feed Manufacturing Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
1998-2003: BSc in in Animal Breeding, University of Belgrade, Agricultural Faculty, Department of Animal Science
My Project
Females’ social dynamic and mate choice during rut
Background
The project is a part of the ongoing joint Nordic program “Reproductive ecology of reindeer” where the field and experimental work is conducted at the Kaamanen Experimental Reindeer Station, in Northern Finland. The experimental herd consists of around 100 collar-marked individuals (~80 females and ~20 males) living permanently within a fenced area (about 40 km2). The herd has been manipulated by changing the male age and structure during the rut since 1996. Before rut all males have been radio-collared. During the rut (from the 25th September to the end of October) they have been tracked daily and the composition and IDs of all animals within each mating group recorded. Their activity and rutting behavior have been recorded using focal sampling. The same recording methods will be used in 2008 and 2009. The data set is unique since all individuals are known and followed throughout their life, with detailed data including birth mass, date of birth, reproductive history, offspring survival and performance and body mass in winter, spring and autumn, as well as before and after the rut
Field Work
I will be working on the above mentionned population at the Kutuharju Field Reindeer Research Station in Kaamanen, Finland (69°N, 27°E). The pedegree of these animals is known, allowing me to do individual based investigations.
Objectives
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Females’ spatial organisation during rut
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Social dynamics in fertilised vs. non-fertilised females during rut
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Social dynamics in females with and without males in the herd during rut
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Mate choice and the MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex)
Publications
N. Djaković, K.H. Roed, R.B Weladji & Ø. Holand (2009). MHC and mate choice in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). 12th Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology will be held in Torino, Italy, August 24 – 29, 2009.
Todorčević M., Kjær M.A., Djaković N., Vegusdal A., Torstensen B.E., Ruyter B. (2009) Dietary n-3 fatty acids affect fat deposition, susceptibility to oxidative stress, and apoptosis in Atlantic salmon visceral adipose tissue. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 152(2):135-143.
Djaković N., Fjelstad E., Holand Ø., Weladji R.B., Roed K.H., and Nieminen M. (2009). Females’ spatial organization during rut. 15th Nordic Conference on Reindeer and Reindeer Husbandry Research, 26 – 29 January 2009, Luleå, Sweden.