The spatial patterns of Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra) and their influence on population dynamics in the Swiss National Park
| Autor: | Cristina Boschi, Bernhard Nievergelt |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2003 |
| Předmět: |
education.field_of_study
biology National park Ecology Home range media_common.quotation_subject Population Rupicapra Territoriality biology.organism_classification Competition (biology) Animal ecology Spatial ecology Animal Science and Zoology education Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics media_common Demography |
| Zdroj: | Mammalian Biology. 68:16-30 |
| ISSN: | 1616-5047 |
| DOI: | 10.1078/1616-5047-1610058 |
| Popis: | Summary From the birth season in the spring until the beginning of rut in the autumn, individually marked chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra) were observed in the Swiss National Park. The focus was on the spatial patterns and habitat characteristics of three chamois classes: females with young, females without young though sexually mature, and adult males. The summer home ranges of females with young were larger and overlapped more than those of females without young. In comparison, males had extremely small territories. Within the study area, some sporadically observed females were never seen to impinge on the home ranges of the regularly observed females. It must be inferred that they belong to other subpopulations. Habitat parameters provided little evidence for individual differences between the members of a given class: females with young, unlike females without young, generally avoided exposed places, whereas males seemed to favour them. There were also distinct grouping patterns: females with young and without young shared their ranges with other females, independently of the animal class they belonged to, but females with young stayed in larger groups than females without young, whereas males were mostly solitary. It is inferred that females with young displayed a spatial behaviour that allows best possible protection and feeding conditions for their young, whereas females without young and males try to build up fat reserves during summer. The competition for food between females with overlapping ranges and the social interactions between males, apparently reduce the survival rate of chamois. Therefore, the territorial behaviour is likely to play an essential role in the natural regulation of the chamois population. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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