Sociality, Mate Choice, and Timing of Mating in American Bison (<i>Bison bison</i>): Effects of Large Males

Bowyer, R. Terry; Bleich, Vernon C.; Manteca, Xavier; Whiting, Jericho C.; Stewart, Kelley M.

doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01411.x

Cited by 33 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…However, whether variation in body weight resulting from bison or cattle mtDNA translates into significant differences in fitness for bison across their range or in particular environments, such as Catalina Island, remains an open question. Results of some studies demonstrate a correlation between male reproductive success and body mass or age, which is strongly correlated with body mass (Wilson et al ; Bowyer et al ), whereas results of other studies show no such correlation (Wolff ). The correlation between body mass and reproductive success of females appears to be variable, depending on the environment and other factors that determine dominance hierarchy (Rutberg ; Lott & Galland ; Vervaecke et al ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic Effects of Cattle Mitochondrial DNA in American Bison

Derr

Hedrick

Halbert

et al. 2012

Conservation Biology

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Hybridization between endangered species and more common species is a significant problem in conservation biology because it may result in extinction or loss of adaptation. The historical reduction in abundance and geographic distribution of the American plains bison (Bison bison bison) and their recovery over the last 125 years is well documented. However, introgression from domestic cattle (Bos taurus) into the few remaining bison populations that existed in the late 1800s has now been identified in many modern bison herds. We examined the phenotypic effect of this ancestry by comparing weight and height of bison with cattle or bison mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from Santa Catalina Island, California (U.S.A.), a nutritionally stressful environment for bison, and of a group of age-matched feedlot bison males in Montana, a nutritionally rich environment. The environmental and nutritional differences between these 2 bison populations were very different and demonstrated the phenotypic effect of domestic cattle mtDNA in bison over a broad range of conditions. For example, the average weight of feedlot males that were 2 years of age was 2.54 times greater than that of males from Santa Catalina Island. In both environments, bison with cattle mtDNA had lower weight compared with bison with bison mtDNA, and on Santa Catalina Island, the height of bison with cattle mtDNA was lower than the height of bison with bison mtDNA. These data support the hypothesis that body size is smaller and height is lower in bison with domestic cattle mtDNA and that genomic integrity is important for the conservation of the American plains bison.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phenotypic Effects of Cattle Mitochondrial DNA in American Bison

Derr

Hedrick

Halbert

et al. 2012

Conservation Biology

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“…Nontheless, in our small group with known individuals, the adult male led 52% of all foraging movements during rut. Female ungulates seek out groups with large males during rut (Bowyer et al 2007); evidence is increasing that such males synchronize estrus (Rowell et al 2007;Whittle et al 2000). How such changes in group size, composition, and social behavior might influence leadership, however, remains largely unstudied.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leadership in mixed-sex groups of muskoxen during the snow-free season

Ihl

Bowyer

2011

J Mammal

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In social ungulates particular individuals or cohorts, such as adult females, can lead or initiate foraging movements. We use muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) as a model system to test hypotheses regarding the sex and age class of leaders and the potential costs of leadership in 3 different behavioral contexts: activity initiation, foraging-bout movements, and spontaneous group movements. We conducted research on approximately 160 muskoxen at Cape Krusenstern National Monument adjacent to the coast of the Chuckchi Sea in northwestern Alaska. We observed free-ranging, mixed-sex groups of muskoxen from the ground during 5 June-22 September 2002. Adult females emerged as leaders in all 3 contexts, and other group members were more likely to follow adult females than adult males during initiations of activity. Half of successful initiations by adult males included aggressive behavior toward females. Males took a more active role during rut (the mating season) by provoking females to initiate group activity and by actively manipulating spontaneous movements led by females through herding and blocking activities. Leaders incurred no obvious costs in terms of lost foraging time. Costs and benefits of leadership can be subtle and difficult to measure in the field and can include foraging and reproductive trade-offs and increased risk of predation.

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“…We investigated pairwise, post hoc comparisons using a TukeyKramer test (T). Additionally, we arbitrarily adjusted a to 0.02 to help reduce the potential problem of lack of independence for groups of bighorns visiting multiple water sources in a day (Bowyer et al, 2007;Whiting et al, 2009a). We observed bighorn sheep an average of three times each month from April to November 2005 and 2006.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual segregation and use of water by bighorn sheep: implications for conservation

Whiting

Bowyer

Flinders

et al. 2010

Animal Conservation

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Males and females of most dimorphic ruminants segregate outside the mating season, which may necessitate that conservation efforts focus on differential resources used by the sexes. Dimorphic bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis are one of the rarest ungulates in North America with some populations listed as endangered. Water sources are important for the persistence of populations of bighorns, especially in a changing climate. Understanding whether the sexes use different water sources could influence the conservation of this species and the habitats they occupy; however, little research exists regarding this important topic. We tested hypotheses relating to use of water sources by reintroduced male and female bighorns in Utah, USA. We investigated whether use of this resource differed across seasons by sex, and if sexes used water more during drought compared with non-drought conditions. Bighorns used small, adjacent core areas during segregation, and males and females used different sources of water during that time. Males visited water sources used by females more during aggregation. Males and females used water sources more in summer, and males visited water sources more during rut than did females. Males and females did not use water sources more during drought compared with non-drought conditions; however, sexes visited water sources more during the season following drought than following non-drought conditions, indicating a time-lag in use of this resource. Our results highlight the importance of water sources used by sexes of bighorns, and indicate that the existing criterion for distance of bighorn reintroductions from water may be inadequate for successful establishment of populations. We recommend conservationists assess availability of water sources near habitat used by male and female ungulates before conserving and manipulating habitat, siting artificial sources of water and reintroducing animals.

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Sociality, Mate Choice, and Timing of Mating in American Bison (Bison bison): Effects of Large Males

Cited by 33 publications

References 87 publications

Phenotypic Effects of Cattle Mitochondrial DNA in American Bison

Phenotypic Effects of Cattle Mitochondrial DNA in American Bison

Leadership in mixed-sex groups of muskoxen during the snow-free season

Sexual segregation and use of water by bighorn sheep: implications for conservation

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