Experimental Comparisons of Diet Selection by Mountain Goats and Mountain Sheep in Colorado
- 1 July 1984
- journal article
- research article
- Published by JSTOR in The Journal of Wildlife Management
- Vol. 48 (3) , 799-806
- https://doi.org/10.2307/3801426
Abstract
Mountain goats (O. americanus) and mountain sheep (O. c. canadensis) grazing on the same alpie sites chose similar diets during summer but not during winter. Their diets were dominated by forbs in early summer; however, intake of graminoids increased with advancing season. Neutral detergent solubles and crude-protein levels of summer diets of both species declined; unlignified cell wall concentrations increased as summer progressed. During winter, mountain sheep chose diets containing more graminoids, unlignified cell wall and in vitro digestible dry matter, and less dicots, neutral detergent solubles and lignin than those selected by mountain goats. Findings of seasonal differences in diet overlap are consistent with contemporary competition theory. Mixtures of dicots and graminoids in winter habitats of sympatric mountain goats and mountain sheep can reduce the potential for food competition between these species.This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
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