Direct and indirect effects of density on FCM level and reproductive traits
SEM showed that the number of female or male founders had positive association with FCM level in both years (Fig. 4). The number of female founder number indirectly affected the proportion of reproductive females in 2012 (Fig. 4A) and recruitment in 2015 (Fig. 4B) through FCM level, and directly affected the recruitment in 2012 and proportion in 2015. For males (Fig. 4C), the effect of the number of male founders on the proportion of reproductive males was mediated by FCM level in 2012, and the number of males directly affected the proportion in 2015.