A Field Test of the Activity Budget Hypothesis: The Case of Blue Sheep in Helan Mountains of Ningxia, China
A Field Test of the Activity Budget Hypothesis: The Case of Blue Sheep in Helan Mountains of Ningxia, China
Zhensheng Liu1,2, Hui Gao1,2, Jiapeng Dong1, Mingming Zhang3 and Liwei Teng1,2,*
ABSTRACT
Blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) is a sexually dimorphic ungulate. In general, males are larger than females and the two sexes live in separate groups outside the breeding season. We studied the seasonal activity of blue sheep from May 2010 through August 2012 to test the activity budget hypothesis, which predicts that females spend more time on feeding and that the activity synchronization of same-sex groups is higher than for mixed-sex groups. Our results support the hypothesis. Both males and females spent most of their time on feeding and moving. Feeding behavior differed significantly by sex but moving behavior did not. Activity synchronization indices of same-sex groups were higher than for mixed-groups and were highest for male groups. The activity budget hypothesis of sexual segregation was supported by blue sheep behavior in the Helan Mountains.
To share on other social networks, click on any share button. What are these?
August 2017
Vol. 49, Iss. 4, Pages 1151-1546
