Abstract

RODRIGUEZ GARCIA, Alondra; GONZALEZ SALDIVAR, Fernando N.; CANTU AYALA, César M.  and  UVALLE SAUCEDA, José I.. Food competition between Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia Pallas, 1777) and Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis Shaw, 1804) in Coahuila State. Rev. mex. de cienc. forestales [online]. 2023, vol.14, n.79, pp.294-316.  Epub Oct 06, 2023. ISSN 2007-1132.  https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v14i79.1358.

The botanical composition of diet and trophic competition between the bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and the barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) were determined during 2021 to 2023, in San Juan hunting ranch, at northeast Coahuila State. The rosetophyllous desert scrub was the most extended vegetation type in lower regions, while the chaparral was the most extended in the higher region of the Sierra, with a total record of 52 and 48 plant species, respectively. The diet of the barbary sheep consisted of 31 species, being 22 of them consumed in spring, 18 in summer, 19 in autumn and 22 in winter. The diet of the bighorn sheep consisted of 40 species, being 33 consumed in spring, 24 in summer, 20 in autumn and 27 in winter. The lowest competition for food between both bovid species was found in spring and the highest in summer with 40.76 and 64.97 %, respectively. Based on these results, an annual average coincidence of 52 % of the food between both species was determined. It can be concluded that the food competition rate between both species is medium to high depending on the year season.

Keywords : Wild sheeps; exotic species; native species; rosetophyllous desert scrub; microhistology; diet similarity.

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