The effect of male age on patterns of sexual segregation in Siberian ibex

Scientific Reports
Muyang WangK E Ruckstuhl

Abstract

Sexual segregation is very common in sexually size dimorphic ungulates and may be the result of different habitat preferences and/or differential social behaviours of males and females. Various hypotheses have been put forward to explain this phenomenon. In the present research, we examined sexual segregation in a quite poorly understood species, the Siberian ibex. The species presents a marked sexual size dimorphism, with adult males weighing double as much as females. We use the Sexual Segregation and Aggregation Statistics (SSAS) to analyze the sex-age patterns of sexual segregation in this species, to understand the relevance of social factors. Our results show that adult Siberian ibex males were socially segregated from females all year round, except during the rutting season. Furthermore, the degree of segregation between females and males was influenced by the age of males. Moreover, the patterns of social segregation within males also increased with male age, reaching maximum values for males of 9 years-old and older, which means male age plays an important role in the sexual segregation of this species. This study clearly shows that social factors play a key role in the sexual segregation of Siberian ibex.

References

Dec 16, 1998·Animal Behaviour·K E Ruckstuhl
Jun 21, 2001·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·L Conradt, T J Roper
Mar 26, 2002·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·K E Ruckstuhl, P Neuhaus
Feb 4, 2006·Oecologia·Pablo MichelenaRichard Bon
Oct 3, 2007·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·F Javier Pérez-BarberíaRobin I M Dunbar
Jan 31, 2008·Ecology·Christophe BonenfantDaniel Chessel
Jul 28, 2017·Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology·Mark A WhitesideJoah R Madden

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Citations

Jun 7, 2021·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Florian OrgeretPierre A Pistorius

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