Description
Book SynopsisWhy does it benefit some male and female animals to live separately?Winner of the Wildlife Society Publication Best Authored Book Award by The Wildlife SocietySexual segregation, wherein the sexes of a species live apart for long periods of time, has far-reaching consequences for the ecology, behavior, and conservation of hooved mammals, which are called ungulates. Award-winning researcher R. Terry Bowyer has spent the past four decades unravelling the causes and consequences of this perplexing phenomenon by studying ungulates and the large carnivores that prey upon them. In Sexual Segregation in Ungulates, Bowyer's critical, thought-provoking approach helps resolve long-standing disagreements concerning sexual segregation and offers future pathways for species and habitat conservation. He highlights important elements of the natural history of wild ungulate species, including bighorn sheep and elk. He then uses this perspective to frame and test hypotheses illuminating the motivations
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview
Historical Perspectives
Ungulate Characteristics and Relevant Aspects of Their Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation
Mating Systems
Predator Pits, Apparent Competition, and Territorial Regulation of Populations
Sexual Segregation in Plants and Animals
Chapter 2. Differences between the Sexes
Definitions of Sexual Segregation
Sexual Differences in Morphology, Physiology, and Foraging Behavior
Sexual Dimorphism
The Role of Resources and Predation Risk in Gregariousness
Chapter 3. Temporospatial Patterns
Defining Social Groups
Temporal Patterns of Sexual Segregation and Aggregation
Spatial Patterns of Sexual Segregation
Chapter 4. Detection and Measurement
Detecting Sexual Segregation
Measuring Sexual Segregation
Effects of Scale
Chapter 5. Failed Concepts
Setting Aside Rejected Hypotheses
Social Hypotheses
Ecological Hypotheses
Limiting Overutilization of Habitats
Chapter 6. The Role of Social Behavior
Social Aggression and Sexual Affinities
Activity Patterns
The Social-Constraints Hypothesis
Chapter 7. Ecological Aspects of Sexual Segregation
Competition Hypothesis
Gastrocentric Hypothesis
Niche-Partitioning Hypothesis
Predation-Risk Hypothesis
Multiple Causations and Tradeoffs
Chapter 8. Consequences of Sexual Segregation for Theory and Management
Paternal Investment and Sexual Selection
Population Dynamics
Chapter 9. Failing to Consider Sexual Segregation
Moose
North American Elk
White-Tailed Deer
Bighorn Sheep
Chapter 10. The Future
Defining Sexual Segregation
Why Is Sexual Segregation Overlooked?
Future Questions and Directions
Relevance to Other Organisms
Literature Cited
Index
