EFFECTS OF AGE, SEX, DISEASE, AND DENSITY ON SURVIVAL OF BIGHORN SHEEP

Abstract

Longitudinal studies of survival are valuable because age-specific survival affects population dynamics and the evolution of several life history traits. We used capture–mark–recapture models to assess the relationship between survival and sex, age, population, year of study, disease, winter weather, and population density in two populations of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in Alberta, Canada. The Ram Mountain population, monitored for 20 yr, more than doubled in density; the Sheep River population, monitored for 13 yr, experienced a pneumonia epizootic. Yearling survival varied among years and was lower than that of older sheep of the same sex, except for yearling males at Ram Mountain. Yearling females at Ram Mountain were the only sex-age class exhibiting density dependence in survival. Senescence was evident for both sexes in both populations. Female survival from age 2 to age 7 was very high in both populations, but males aged 2 and 3 yr enjoyed better survival than males aged 4–6 yr. Our data support the suggestion that where hunters remove many males older than 5 yr of age, the natural mortality of males increases at 3–5 yr, possibly because young males suffer a mortality cost of participating in rutting activity. The decline in survival for sheep older than 7 yr was greater for males than for females. Survival was lower for males than for females, both among prime-aged sheep (0.896 vs. 0.939 at Sheep River; 0.837 vs. 0.945 at Ram Mountain) and among older sheep (0.777 vs. 0.859 at Sheep River; 0.624 vs. 0.850 at Ram Mountain), but not among yearlings. Survival of sheep aged 2–7 yr was not significantly different between the two populations. Winter weather did not affect survival. Survival of sheep 2 yr of age and older did not vary significantly between years, except at Sheep River where survival of prime-aged sheep of both sexes was lower in the year of the pneumonia epizootic. Studies of survival of mountain sheep based upon skull collections may have overestimated survival of young rams. Our results underline the need for accurate information on age-specific survival.