Sex Differences In Habitat Use Research Articles

Sex differences in habitat use, positional behavior, and gaits of Golden Snub-Nosed Monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) in the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China.

Studies of positional behavior, gait, and habitat use are important for understanding how animals adapt to the challenges of their environment. In turn, this information is useful for advancing research on primate morphology, life history, and ecology. Data on eco-mechanical variables can be used to develop concrete conservation and management plans for understudied and threatened primate groups. The present study explores the positional behavior, gaits, and habitat use of male and female adult golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana), an endemic, endangered, and highly dimorphic species of central China. Using focal animal sampling and opportunistic videorecording in the Guanyinshan National Nature Reserve on the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains, it was determined that gait parameters were largely the same between sexes. By contrast, habitat use and, to a lesser extent, positional behavior varied significantly between males and females. In general, males were more terrestrial than females. When they moved arboreally, males also used a greater proportion of horizontal and large substrates compared to females. Furthermore, males used more standing postures, forelimb suspensory positional behaviors, and quadrupedal walking. These data suggest that, when faced with the mechanical challenges of large body size, primates such as R. roxellana are more likely to respond by altering habitat use rather than positional behaviors or intrinsic kinematics and timing.

Risk exposure trade-offs in the ontogeny of sexual segregation in Antarctic fur seal pups.

Sexual segregation has important ecological implications, but its initial development in early life stages is poorly understood. We investigated the roles of size dimorphism, social behavior, and predation risk on the ontogeny of sexual segregation in Antarctic fur seal, Arctocephalus gazella, pups at South Georgia. Beaches and water provide opportunities for pup social interaction and learning (through play and swimming) but increased risk of injury and death (from other seals, predatory birds, and harsh weather), whereas tussock grass provides shelter from these risks but less developmental opportunities. One hundred pups were sexed and weighed, 50 on the beach and 50 in tussock grass, in January, February, and March annually from 1989 to 2018. Additionally, 19 male and 16 female pups were GPS-tracked during lactation from December 2012. Analysis of pup counts and habitat use of GPS-tracked pups suggested that females had a slightly higher association with tussock grass habitats and males with beach habitats. GPS-tracked pups traveled progressively further at sea as they developed, and males traveled further than females toward the end of lactation. These sex differences may reflect contrasting drivers of pup behavior: males being more risk prone to gain social skills and lean muscle mass and females being more risk averse to improve chances of survival, ultimately driven by their different reproductive roles. We conclude that sex differences in habitat use can develop in a highly polygynous species prior to the onset of major sexual size dimorphism, which hints that these sex differences will increasingly diverge in later life.

From habitat use to social behavior: natural history of a voiceless poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius.

Descriptive studies of natural history have always been a source of knowledge on which experimental work and scientific progress rely. Poison frogs are a well-studied group of small Neotropical frogs with diverse parental behaviors, distinct calls, and bright colors that warn predators about their toxicity; and a showcase of advances in fundamental biology through natural history observations. The dyeing poison frog, Dendrobates tinctorius, is emblematic of the Guianas region, widespread in the pet trade, and increasingly popular in research. This species shows several unusual behaviors, such as the lack of advertisement calls and the aggregation around tree-fall gaps, which remain poorly described and understood. Here, we summarize our observations from a natural population of D. tinctorius in French Guiana collected over various field trips between 2009 and 2017; our aim is to provide groundwork for future fundamental and applied research spanning parental care, animal dispersal, disease spread, habitat use in relation to color patterns, and intra-specific communication, to name a few. We report sex differences in habitat use and the striking invasion of tree-fall gaps; describe their courtship and aggressive behaviors; document egg development and tadpole transport; and discuss how the knowledge generated by this study could set the grounds for further research on the behavior, ecology, and conservation of this species.

Sex-specific differences in the seasonal habitat use of a coastal dolphin population

Understanding the factors that contribute to a population’s habitat use is important for conservation planners and managers to identify reasons behind a population’s distribution. Habitat use often differs between sexes, however few studies on sexually monomorphic species document this difference, resulting in misleading ecological interpretations and non-targeted management actions. The aim of this study was to test for sex-specific differences in the seasonal habitat use of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) off Bunbury, Australia. Systematic, boat-based, photographic identification dolphin surveys (n = 587) were conducted across seasons over 6 years during 2007–2013. Generalised additive models explored relationships between the presence-absence of dolphins and sex, water depth and benthic habitat type. Results highlighted that: (i) habitat use differed seasonally for males and females, (ii) depth had a strong influence on habitat use, which differed between sexes for summer, winter and spring, and (iii) there were no sex differences in habitat use in autumn, which coincides with the peak breeding season. In summer and autumn dolphins were concentrated in shallow, near-shore waters predominantly over reef and sand, and in winter and spring dolphins had a broader distribution over reef and mud/silt with the use of deeper, offshore waters. This pattern is consistent with the seasonally-dependent dolphin abundance that has been documented for this population. Identification of sex differences in habitat use provides management agencies with insights to implement informed actions for the conservation of this coastal dolphin population which is forecast to decline by 50% in the next two decades.

Seasonal home range dynamics and sex differences in habitat use in a threatened, coastal marsh bird.

A comprehensive understanding of spatiotemporal ecology is needed to develop conservation strategies for declining species. The king rail (Rallus elegans) is a secretive marsh bird whose range historically extended across the eastern United States. Inland migratory populations have been greatly reduced with most remaining populations inhabiting the coastal margins. Our objectives were to determine the migratory status of breeding king rails on the mid‐Atlantic coast and to characterize home range size, seasonal patterns of movement, and habitat use. Using radiotelemetry, we tracked individual king rails among seasons, and established that at least a segment of this breeding population is resident. Mean (±SE) home range size was 19.8 ± 5.0 ha (95% kernel density) or 2.5 ± 0.9 (50% kernel density). We detected seasonal variation and sex differences in home range size and habitat use. In the nonbreeding season, resident male home ranges coincided essentially with their breeding territories. Overwintering males were more likely than females to be found in natural emergent marsh with a greater area of open water. Females tended to have larger home ranges than males during the nonbreeding season. We report for the first time the use of wooded natural marsh by overwintering females. Brood‐rearing king rails led their young considerable distances away from their nests (average maximum distance: ~600 ± 200 m) and used both wooded natural and impounded marsh. King rails moved between natural marsh and managed impoundments during all life stages, but the proximity of these habitat types particularly benefitted brood‐rearing parents seeking foraging areas with shallower water in proximity to cover. Our results demonstrate the importance of interspersion of habitat types to support resident breeders. Summer draining of impounded wetlands that are seasonally flooded for wintering waterfowl allows regrowth of vegetation and provides additional habitat at a critical time for wading birds.

City life makes females fussy: sex differences in habitat use of temperate bats in urban areas.

Urbanization is a major driver of the global loss of biodiversity; to mitigate its adverse effects, it is essential to understand what drives species' patterns of habitat use within the urban matrix. While many animal species are known to exhibit sex differences in habitat use, adaptability to the urban landscape is commonly examined at the species level, without consideration of intraspecific differences. The high energetic demands of pregnancy and lactation in female mammals can lead to sexual differences in habitat use, but little is known of how this might affect their response to urbanization. We predicted that female Pipistrellus pygmaeus would show greater selectivity of forging locations within urban woodland in comparison to males at both a local and landscape scale. In line with these predictions, we found there was a lower probability of finding females within woodlands which were poorly connected, highly cluttered, with a higher edge : interior ratio and fewer mature trees. By contrast, habitat quality and the composition of the surrounding landscape were less of a limiting factor in determining male distributions. These results indicate strong sexual differences in the habitat use of fragmented urban woodland, and this has important implications for our understanding of the adaptability of bats and mammals more generally to urbanization.

Sex differences in habitat use by African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: is size really the deciding factor?

AbstractMany sexually dimorphic mammals show sexual segregation of habitat use. We studied habitat selection and use by male and female elephants in the Okavango Delta, and males of different ages and therefore sizes, to assess whether size was a driving force behind any sex differences in habitat selectivity. There was variation in habitat choices, with males preferring island vegetation and mopane woodland and avoiding grassland/floodplain and Terminalia woodland; females showed no selection for or against most habitats other than selecting for mopane woodland in the rainy season. Male habitat choice changed dramatically during the dry season, when resources were most limited and there was the least sexual difference in habitat selection. Females were more selective in the flood season, when access to resources was restricted. Contrary to other studies and the forage selection hypothesis, males showed greater habitat selectivity than females, but age, and therefore size, did not affect their habitat selection. Whilst our data suggested that males were superior competitors, we could not discount that females excluded males from preferred habitats. In the Okavango Delta, habitat selection by male elephants may be more dependent on social groupings, and hence the decisions of others, than individual size and energetic requirements.

Contemporary sexual selection on sexually dimorphic traits in the ambush bug Phymata americana

Sexual selection is a potent evolutionary force often invoked to explain observed cases of sexual dimorphism. However, evidence of this process operating on existing phenotypic variation is limited. We investigated whether sexual selection could account for sexual dimorphism in size and color pattern in the ambush bug Phymata americana. We considered the alternative hypothesis that dimorphism merely reflects sex differences in habitat use but found no evidence of sex differences in microhabitat during 2 sampling periods in the wild. Although the form of sexual (phenotypic) selection on male lateral color pattern varied between samples, selection consistently favored lateral coloration in males but not size. For females, weight was a consistent predictor of mating status in both the early and the late season. We performed 2 separate laboratory studies to investigate potential proximate mechanisms of sexual selection that might account for the field data. Although we found that male weight predicted male success in direct male‐male competition and male courtship intensity predicted success in male‐female interactions, we did not detect any role of male color pattern in either laboratory study. These data suggest that visual signaling is unlikely to play a role in the evolution of color pattern dimorphism in this species. Consistent with the field data, our laboratory results also found that female weight predicted the probability of copulation, possibly indicating that female receptivity coincides with female reproductive cycle (i.e., egg maturation). Key words: color pattern, phenotypic selection, sexual dimorphism, sexual selection. [Behav Ecol]

Sex Ratios of Dunlin Wintering at Two Latitudes on the Pacific Coast

Abstract Latitudinal clines in sex ratio during the nonbreeding season occur in some shorebirds of the Scolopacidae. We compared populations of nonbreeding Dunlin (Calidris alpina pacifica) from two latitudes along the Pacific flyway: the Fraser River Delta, British Columbia, and Bolinas Lagoon, California, to determine whether, and to what degree, they exhibited sex ratios consistent with a latitudinal cline. Dunlin are plumage monomorphic, so we used a maximum likelihood model to estimate overall and monthly sex ratios for each population based on culmen length distributions. Sex ratios in the Fraser River Delta were corrected for sex differences in habitat use. Monthly sex ratios were similar at the two sites but varied throughout the winter, likely reflecting differences in seasonal movement patterns between the sexes. Both populations showed an overall bias toward males (Fraser = 61% males, Bolinas = 65% males). Since there is no evidence to support the possibility of a skew toward males in C. a. pacifica as a whole, our data are consistent with some form of latitudinal cline in the sex ratio of C. a. pacifica. However, additional data from the Oregon coast, southern California, and Mexico are required to resolve this question. We also tested the hypothesis that mean body size within each sex is larger at the higher-latitude site (Fraser River Delta), but this did not appear to be the case.

SEX RATIOS OF DUNLIN WINTERING AT TWO LATITUDES ON THE PACIFIC COAST1

Abstract Latitudinal clines in sex ratio during the nonbreeding season occur in some shorebirds of the Scolopacidae. We compared populations of nonbreeding Dunlin (Calidris alpina pacifica) from two latitudes along the Pacific flyway: the Fraser River Delta, British Columbia, and Bolinas Lagoon, California, to determine whether, and to what degree, they exhibited sex ratios consistent with a latitudinal cline. Dunlin are plumage monomorphic, so we used a maximum likelihood model to estimate overall and monthly sex ratios for each population based on culmen length distributions. Sex ratios in the Fraser River Delta were corrected for sex differences in habitat use. Monthly sex ratios were similar at the two sites but varied throughout the winter, likely reflecting differences in seasonal movement patterns between the sexes. Both populations showed an overall bias toward males (Fraser = 61% males, Bolinas = 65% males). Since there is no evidence to support the possibility of a skew toward males in C. a. pac...

Sex differences in weather sensitivity can cause habitat segregation: red deer as an example

Sex differences in habitat use (habitat segregation) are widespread in sexually dimorphic ungulates. A possible cause is that males are more sensitive to weather than females, leading to sex differences in sheltering behaviour (the ‘weather sensitivity hypothesis’). However, this hypothesis has never been tested. We considered the allometric rates of net energy gain during times of cold weather and food shortage in a model. We argue that the higher absolute heat losses relative to intake rates of larger ungulates should indeed lead to higher weather sensitivity in males than in females. Furthermore, we tested the weather sensitivity hypothesis empirically in red deer, Cervus elaphus, on the Isle of Rum, U.K. We predicted that (1) use of relatively exposed, high-quality forage habitat should be negatively influenced by bad weather; and (2) this influence should be stronger in males. We found that bad weather (strong wind, low temperature, heavy rain) in winter and spring influenced use of high-quality forage habitat negatively in all deer; that adult males responded more strongly to low temperature and strong wind than did females; and that adult males foraged on windy days at better sheltered sites than did females. Thus, the weather sensitivity hypothesis is supported both theoretically and empirically. We suggest that the weather sensitivity hypothesis can potentially explain winter habitat segregation in a large number of ungulate species.

Habitat segregation in ungulates: are males forced into suboptimal foraging habitats through indirect competition by females?

Sex differences in habitat use (termed `habitat segregation') are widespread in sexually dimorphic ungulate species. They are a puzzling phenomenon, particularly when females use better foraging habitats than males. It has been suggested that males, owing to their larger body size and higher forage requirements, are inferior in indirect competition to females and are forced by female grazing pressure into marginal habitats (`indirect-competition hypothesis'). This hypothesis has been widely cited and has important theoretical and practical implications. However, evidence for it is inconclusive. The present paper presents the results of the first experimental test of the indirect-competition hypothesis. We manipulated female and male numbers of red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) on a large scale on the Isle of Rum, Scotland, and tested the influence of this manipulation on deer habitat use. We predicted that where female numbers were reduced, male use of preferred habitat should increase and sex differences in habitat use should decrease, while a reduction in male numbers should not have such effects. In contrast, we found that the manipulation of female and male numbers did not affect habitat use, and conclude that the indirect-competition hypothesis does not explain habitat segregation on Rum.

Social segregation is not a consequence of habitat segregation in red deer and feral soay sheep

In many sexually dimorphic mammals, adults tend to form single-sex groups (‘social segregation’). It has been assumed that social segregation is simply a by-product of sex differences in habitat use (‘habitat segregation’). I tested this assumption on red deer,Cervus elaphus, and feral soay sheep,Ovis aries, using data on group composition, habitat use and space use collected on the Scottish islands of Rum (1974–1993) and Hirta (1985–1994), respectively. If social segregation had been a by-product of habitat segregation, then (1) social segregation should have been influenced by the same environmental parameters that influence habitat segregation and (2) degree of social segregation should have equalled (and in no case been larger than) degree of habitat segregation. However, I found that weather parameters that influence habitat segregation did not influence social segregation in red deer and that degree of social segregation was significantly larger than degree of habitat segregation in both species. I conclude that social segregation is not a by-product of habitat segregation in either species, and discuss the implications of this finding.