Feeding habits of sympatric aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) and desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) in West Texas

Journal of Wildlife Management
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Abstract

Aoudad (Ammotragus lervia), native to northern Africa, were introduced as exotic game animals to the Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas, USA, and have become invasive. Aoudad and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) are adapted to rugged terrain in arid climates, and both persist in desert regions with low primary productivity and limited perennial water availability, which suggests potential for competition for food and water resources. Aoudad are highly adaptable, which could make them more resilient to a changing environment with extreme conditions, providing a competitive edge over bighorn sheep. To evaluate the potential for exploitative competition between invasive aoudad and endemic desert bighorn sheep, we used genetic metabarcoding to assess diet composition using fecal samples collected from adults of each species in the Sierra Vieja Mountains in West Texas. We collected 32 composite samples from aoudad and 27 composite samples for bighorn sheep and identified 88 genera consumed. Bighorn sheep and aoudad diets (as inferred by genera) were most different during the warm-wet season (16 June–15 October; Kulczynski similarity index = 0.81) and most similar during the warm-dry season (16 February–15 June; Kulczynski similarity index = 1.05). During the warm-wet season, the 2 herbivores tended to consume different genera, suggesting the possibility of resource partitioning, with less likelihood of resource partitioning during the warm-dry season when forage was more limited and diets were similar. Diet diversity, measured by Shannon's diversity index, did not vary substantially between species, but for aoudad it was highest during the warm-wet season (1.1 ± 0.0.1 [SE]) and lowest during the cool-dry season (16 October–15 February, 0.9 ± 0.0.1). For bighorn sheep, diet richness was highest during the cool-dry season (1.1 ± 0.2) and lowest during the warm-dry season (0.8 ± 0.10). Bighorn sheep may specialize on high-quality forage species, particularly during the warm-wet season, while aoudad have a more generalist foraging strategy, although temporal windows for increased competition for food resources likely occur. Aoudad are well-adapted to low-quality forage and arid climates, which could increase their competitive ability and compromise bighorn sheep conservation efforts in areas of sympatry.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Feeding habits of sympatric aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) and desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) in West Texas
Series title Journal of Wildlife Management
DOI 10.1002/jwmg.70008
Volume 89
Issue 4
Publication Date February 19, 2025
Year Published 2025
Language English
Publisher The Wildlife Society
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Seattle
Description e70008, 19 p.
Country United States
State Texas
Other Geospatial Sierra Vieja Mountains
Additional publication details