Seasonal use and selection of habitat by mouflon ( Ovis gmelini):Comparison of the sexes

Abstract

We studied seasonal habitat use of female, mixed-sex and male groups in a free-ranging mouflon ( Ovis gmelini) population. The three group types differed in the use of the five different habitats (forests, broom moorlands, heather moorlands, meadows and rocky areas) only in spring (lambing period) and in autumn (rutting period). To study habitat selection, we compared the proportion of groups observed in each habitat type with the proportion of each of these habitat types sampled. This revealed that, for the four seasons, all three group types selected certain habitats. Overall, mouflon selected meadows and/or broom moorlands, but male groups switched to forests in spring and autumn. We examined this pattern of habitat selection in relation to shelter value and feeding activity for the three group types. Wind strength played a role in determining patterns of habitat use during the climatic extremes of winter and summer. Male and female groups consistently fed in the same habitat types, even though they did not select the same habitats in spring and autumn and despite a marked segregation between the sexes in this population. Two commonly cited hypothesis for explaining sexual segregation based on sexual size dimorphism and on alternative reproductive strategies of males and females were not supported by our results. We suggest that simple behavioural mechanisms may suffice to explain sexual segregation in this population.