Sex differences in feeding activity results in sexual segregation of feral goats

Sexual segregation is common in ungulates. We show, in a high latitude population of feral goats where behavioural synchrony and fission rates have been shown to be the best explanation for segregation, that it is differences explicitly in the feeding time requirements of the two sexes (but not thos...

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Main Authors: Dunbar, R, Shi, J
Other Authors: Ethologische Gesellschaft e. V.
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2008
Subjects:
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author Dunbar, R
Shi, J
author2 Ethologische Gesellschaft e. V.
author_facet Ethologische Gesellschaft e. V.
Dunbar, R
Shi, J
author_sort Dunbar, R
collection OXFORD
description Sexual segregation is common in ungulates. We show, in a high latitude population of feral goats where behavioural synchrony and fission rates have been shown to be the best explanation for segregation, that it is differences explicitly in the feeding time requirements of the two sexes (but not those for other activities) that best explains the variations in monthly frequencies of segregation. However, this effect is less marked during winter months when short day length forces the time budgets of the two sexes to converge. We argue that the various explanations for segregation can best be interpreted as separate factors in a multivariate model in which species- and habitat-specific weightings influence the relative importance of these variables, and thus the likelihood that segregation will occur.
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spelling oxford-uuid:f4f974e3-9007-4b94-bbdc-0ed259ec68cf2022-03-27T12:23:49ZSex differences in feeding activity results in sexual segregation of feral goatsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:f4f974e3-9007-4b94-bbdc-0ed259ec68cfBiologyEnglishOxford University Research Archive - ValetWiley-Blackwell2008Dunbar, RShi, JEthologische Gesellschaft e. V.Sexual segregation is common in ungulates. We show, in a high latitude population of feral goats where behavioural synchrony and fission rates have been shown to be the best explanation for segregation, that it is differences explicitly in the feeding time requirements of the two sexes (but not those for other activities) that best explains the variations in monthly frequencies of segregation. However, this effect is less marked during winter months when short day length forces the time budgets of the two sexes to converge. We argue that the various explanations for segregation can best be interpreted as separate factors in a multivariate model in which species- and habitat-specific weightings influence the relative importance of these variables, and thus the likelihood that segregation will occur.
spellingShingle Biology
Dunbar, R
Shi, J
Sex differences in feeding activity results in sexual segregation of feral goats
title Sex differences in feeding activity results in sexual segregation of feral goats
title_full Sex differences in feeding activity results in sexual segregation of feral goats
title_fullStr Sex differences in feeding activity results in sexual segregation of feral goats
title_full_unstemmed Sex differences in feeding activity results in sexual segregation of feral goats
title_short Sex differences in feeding activity results in sexual segregation of feral goats
title_sort sex differences in feeding activity results in sexual segregation of feral goats
topic Biology
work_keys_str_mv AT dunbarr sexdifferencesinfeedingactivityresultsinsexualsegregationofferalgoats
AT shij sexdifferencesinfeedingactivityresultsinsexualsegregationofferalgoats