Sexual Segregation in Ungulates: New Directions for Research

Main, Martin B.; Weckerly, Floyd W.; Bleich, Vernon C.

doi:10.2307/1382821

Cited by 337 publications

(285 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The role of ecological mechanisms in sexbiased fecal larvae counts has not been sufficiently addressed, despite sexual segregation being well-documented in bighorn sheep and other ungulates (Main and Coblentz, 1990;Main et al, 1996;Bowyer, 2004). On Antelope Island, distribution of ram and nursery groups differed during the summer, with similar patterns in the Newfoundland Mountain population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology of Gastropod and Bighorn Sheep Hosts of Lungworm on Isolated, Semiarid Mountain Ranges in Utah, Usa

Rogerson

Fairbanks

Cornicelli

2008

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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ABSTRACT:Isolated, nonmigratory populations of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) may experience high exposure to lungworms (Protostrongylus spp.) through a build-up of fecal material. However, semiarid climates may hinder lungworm transmission by limiting terrestrial gastropods, the intermediate hosts. We assessed potential for lungworm transmission, documented occurrence of transmission, and identified habitat types where transmission was likely to occur on ranges of two recently introduced populations of bighorn sheep in northern Utah. Gastropods were collected weekly on Antelope Island and the Newfoundland Mountains, May-August 2001-02, from each of the four major habitat types (riparian, rock, desert shrub, and grass). Distribution of 113 bighorn sheep groups was observed, and 421 fecal pellet groups were collected to estimate lungworm levels. A total of 1,595 gastropods representing five genera were collected from both ranges. Vallonia made up 85% of all gastropods collected. Of 980 gastropods collected on Antelope Island in 2002, only Vallonia were found infected with protostrongylid-type larvae (10 of 98051%). Lungworm prevalence in bighorn fecal samples was 97% on Antelope Island and 90% on the Newfoundland Mountains. Lungworm prevalence in lambs indicated lungworm transmission was occurring on Antelope Island. Lungworm transmission was likely occurring in riparian habitat due to abundant gastropods, presence of infected gastropods, and reliance by bighorn sheep on few water sources. Differences in spatial distribution between ram and nursery groups may partly explain higher fecal larvae counts in nursery than in ram groups. We suggest lungworm levels in bighorn sheep on semiarid ranges may increase in dry years as bighorn sheep concentrate use on fewer perennial water sources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology of Gastropod and Bighorn Sheep Hosts of Lungworm on Isolated, Semiarid Mountain Ranges in Utah, Usa

Rogerson

Fairbanks

Cornicelli

2008

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

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“…A number of differences between the sexes in both species' composition of a diet and its quality have been reported in ungulate species. Main et al (1996) reported that in ungulates, sexes segregate because sexual differences and body size lead to different energy requirements and hence food selection. This variation between the male and female is also attributed to their body size.…”

Section: Effect Of Sex On Forage Preference By the Camelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, energy expenditure and transfer of nutrients through lactation increase selectivity in reproducing females for food sources rich in nitrogen, sodium or calcium (Clutton-Brock et al, 1986b;Iason et al, 1986). Sexually dimorphic males and females may, therefore, select different plant species or habitats with differing plant and nutrient availability and hence segregate in space (Main et al, 1996). Males and females often use different habitat types, but also overlap in habitat use (Villaret and Bon, 1995).…”

Section: Effect Of Sex On Forage Preference By the Camelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative forage preference by camel (Camelus dromedarius) as influenced by season, sex and age in the Sahel zone of north western Nigeria

Alkali¹,

Muhammad²,

Njidda³

et al. 2017

Afr. J. Agric. Res.

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A study on effect of age, sex and seasonal variation in forage preference of camel was conducted in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of north western Nigeria. A total number of 12 camels were used in the study. Data were collected at an interval of 5 min for each category of animal for 3 consecutive days in dry and rainy seasons using scan sampling method. Based on the observation, the number of plants preferred in this study by young camel calves was less than that preferred by matured camel. Matured animals consume mostly diversified, thorny and taller plant species which might not be easily accessed by the camel calves. Leptadania hastata was found to be the most preferred forage during the rainy season, while Ziziphus mauritiana was the preferred forage during dry season with mean feeding time of 87.33 and 46.66 min/day, respectively; while the least preferred forage during the rainy and dry seasons were Acacia sieberiana and Bauhinia rufescens with mean feeding time of 0.11 and 15.00 min/day, respectively. Browse species found in the study area are extremely important as feed for camels.

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“…Sex-specific differences in mother-infant interactions could conceivably give way to early life sex-specific social learning patterns of habitat preference. Such differences could be the underlying mechanism responsible for sexual segregation of habitat selection, a widespread phenomenon which occurs in mouflon (Guilhem et al, 2006) and bighorn sheep (Geist and Petocz, 1977) as well as ibex (Villaret and Bon, 1995), and other mammals (Main et al, 1996).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal influence on feeding site selection of male and female lambs

Wesley¹,

Cibils

Black-Rubio

et al. 2014

Animal

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We conducted an experiment to determine whether early-life social learning of feeding site selection in lambs was sex-specific. Sixteen ewes and their new born lambs were used in a controlled experiment. Eight ewe-lamb pairs included a male lamb and the remaining eight a female lamb. All pairs were individually exposed to an experimental arena containing a safe and unsafe artificial feeding site (SFS, UFS) each consisting of nine bowls which contained either ground Bermuda grass hay (SFS) or ground alfalfa hay (UFS). The bowls in UFS were surrounded by bright orange traffic cones (visual cues). Half the ewes were trained with controlled electric shock to avoid UFS. Thus, pairs were randomly assigned to: (1) shock aversion training (SAT) to mothers of male lambs (MS); (2) SAT to mothers of female lambs (FS); (3) no aversion training (NAT, control) to mothers of male lambs (MC); and (4) NAT (control) to mothers of female lambs (FC). None of the lambs were subjected to SAT. During training, testing, extinction, and retraining ewe-lamb pairs were exposed to the arena together. Ewes were then removed from the experiment and two additional extinction phases were conducted with weaned lambs alone. Fear conditioning elicited UFS avoidance of both the trained ewes (means ± s.e.m. % times observed in UFS during testing phase: FC = 95.3 ± 1.70; MC = 94.4 ± 4.87; FS = 1.6 ± 1.63; MS = 0 ± 0; P < 0.01) and their naïve lambs (FC = 83.8 ± 6.07%; MC = 76.6 ± 6.56%; FS = 30.4 ± 7.90%; MS = 33.9 ± 9.23%; P < 0.01). UFS avoidance in lambs occurred regardless of sex and tended to persist after weaning (% times observed in UFS during 1st post-weaning extinction phase: FC = 92.6 ± 4.50%; MC = 89.8 ± 6.09%; FS = 45.1 ± 10.57%; MS = 43.5 ± 10.42%; P = 0.06). Fear conditioning in mothers appeared to alter sex-related differences in mother-infant behavioral synchrony by increasing and decreasing feeding synchrony of male and female lambs, respectively (FC: r = 0.52, P < 0.01; MC: r = − 0.02, P = 0.86; FS: r = 0.14, P = 0.26; MS: r = 0.46, P < 0.01). During the extinction phase mothers of ram lambs were observed feeding more often (FC = 85.0 ± 2.33%; MC = 92.7 ± 1.45%; FS = 47.3 ± 8.81%; MS = 72 ± 5.68%; P = 0.02) and standing less often than ewes with daughters (FC = 7.3 ± 2.40%; MC = 2.7 ± 0.83%; FS = 39.3 ± 9.04%; MS = 18.0 ± 5.29%; P = 0.06). This study suggests that social conditioning at an early age could be a viable tool to induce learning of feeding site avoidance in female and male lambs alike.Keywords: feeding site selection, social learning, sex-biased learning, diet selection, sheep ImplicationsSocial learning that occurs during early-life as a consequence of mother-infant interactions has a long-lasting influence on an individual's behavioral patterns. However, we do not know whether sex-specific early life learning patterns exist. If such patterns were present, then well-known sex-related differences in spatial behaviors of grazing adult sheep could be explained by early life social learning and would underscore the importa...

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Sexual Segregation in Ungulates: New Directions for Research

Cited by 337 publications

References 44 publications

Ecology of Gastropod and Bighorn Sheep Hosts of Lungworm on Isolated, Semiarid Mountain Ranges in Utah, Usa

Ecology of Gastropod and Bighorn Sheep Hosts of Lungworm on Isolated, Semiarid Mountain Ranges in Utah, Usa

Relative forage preference by camel (Camelus dromedarius) as influenced by season, sex and age in the Sahel zone of north western Nigeria

Maternal influence on feeding site selection of male and female lambs

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