Play Behavior and Dominance Relationships of Bighorn Sheep on the National Bison Range
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University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1986 Play behavior and dominance relationships of bighorn sheep on the National Bison Range Christine C. Hass The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Hass, Christine C., "Play behavior and dominance relationships of bighorn sheep on the National Bison Range" (1986). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 7375. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/7375 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COPYRIGHT ACT OF 1976 This is an unpublished m a n u s c r i p t in w h i c h c o p y r i g h t s u b s i s t s . Any further r e p r i n t i n g of its c o n t e n t s m ust be a p p r o v e d BY THE AUTHOR. MANSFIELD L ibrary Un i v e r s i t y of McwTANA Date : 1 98ft. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Play Behavior and Dominance Relationships of Bighorn Sheep on the National Bison Range. by Christine C. Hass B.A., University of Montana, 1983. Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1986 Approved by: Chairman,Board^of Examiners D€?an, Graduate School ^ Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: EP38176 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI OisMrtaftk^ FHiMishing UMI EP38176 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code uest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 - 1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Hass, Christine C ., M.A., November 1986 Zoology Play Behavior and Dominance Relationships of Bighorn Sheep on the National Bison Range. {96 pp.) Director: Donald A. Jenni A 27-month study of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadens is) on the National Bison Range, Montana, focused on two aspects of social behavior: play behavior and dominance relations. Data collected from the lambs supported the Motor Training Hypothesis for the function of play behavior, but not the Social Cohesion or Social Competition Hypotheses. Male lambs played more than female lambs, and lambs chose partners closest to them in size and age. The most common components of play were those patterns used in intraspecific conflict and predator evasion. The number and sex of available play partners influenced the amount of play more than did maternal investment. Peak play periods coincided with the period of most rapid growth. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that play behavior, under certain environmental and social constraints, provides lambs with immediate, as well as delayed, motor training benefits. Dominance relationships among bighorn rams and ewes were examined to quantify structure, development, and reproductive correlates of rank. Both rams and ewes exhibited highly stable hierarchies that were strongly correlated with age. Dominance relationships were not « evident until after the sheep were one year old Behavioral interactions, particularly among the rams, were closely tied to dominance rank. Direct reproductive benefits of high rank, in terms of more breeding opportunities, were obvious for rams. No reproductive benefits, in terms of lamb weight, lamb sex, date of estrus or lambing, nor nursing duration or rate, could be found for ewes. 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the people and agencies who supported the research that went into this thesis: First, I would like to thank my advisor, Don Jenni, for the opportunity to study the NBR bighorns, and for providing support, assistance, and encouragement. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Phil Motta and Bart O 'Gara, for their gallant attempts at guiding my education and research. J.T. Hogg shared information on the NBR herd, as well as many insightful comments. L. Scott Mills assisted with data collection during September 1983. The study on the NBR was funded by grants (to Dr. Jenni) from the Boone and Crockett Club, Camp Fire Conservation, and the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep. Additional aid was provided by the UM Department of Zoology and the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, the staff of the National Bison Range, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Criticisms by Joe Ball and Beth Flint on earlier drafts are greatly appreciated. Thanks also to Phil Wright and Bart O'Gara for necropsying sheep, examining carcasses, and numerous other favors, large and small. Special thanks to the Zoology and Wildlife grads, for their enlightening criticism, advice, and humor. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................... Ü ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................. ill LIST OF TABLES ........................................ v LIST OF FIGURES................................................. vi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. .............. 1 II. MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................. 9 Study A r e a ............................................... 9 Study Population................ 10 Data Collection........................................12 C e n s u s e s ....................... 12 Observations ................................... 13 E t h o g r a m .......................................... 15 Calculations and Statistics ........................ 16 Play Patterns and Rates......................... 16 Maternal Investment.............................. 17 Dominance Assessment .......................... 17 Interaction Rates.............................. 2 0 Reproductive Correlates. ..................... 21 III. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF PLAY BEHAVIOR .... 23 Results. .............................................23 Survivorship .................................... 23 Structure of Play.................................24 Maternal Investment.............................. 36 Discussion.............................................37 IV. STRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE DOMINANCE HIERARCHIES....................... 46 Results................................................. 46 R a m s ............................................... 46 E w e s 6 0 Lambs............................................... 76 Discussion.............................................78 SUMMARY........................................................... 89 LITERATURE CITED ............................................. 91 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OP TABLES Table Page 1 Composition of the NBR herd on 1 September 1982-4. 11 2 Total play patterns initiated and received by lambs in 1983 .......................... 31 3 Distribution of Mounts by the two male lambs in 1983. .......................... 32 4 Win-loss matrix for rams, 1982...................... 47 5 Win-loss matrix for rams, 1983...................... 48 6 Win-loss matrix for rams, 1984 ...................... 49 7 Mean Dominance Values for class II, III, and IV rams......................................... 53 8 Dominance Values and ages for rams 1982-4 .... 59 9 Win-loss matrix for ewes, 1982 ...................... 62 10 Locations of displacements by ewes.................... 64 11 Win-loss matrix for ewes, 1983................. 65 12 Win-loss matrix for ewes, 1984.................. 66 13 Dominance Values and ages for ewes 1982-4 .... 77 V Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OP FIGURES Figure Page 1 Distribution of play bouts during the summer observation periods ..................... 25 2 Durations of play bouts versus the , number of players involved .......................... 26 3 Male and female initiated play patterns in 1983 ...................................... 28 4 Total contact and display patterns to male and female lambs in 1983 ................... 29 5 Weekly suckling and play rates, 1982-4 ............. 34 6 Play rates and growth rates for lambs. ...... 41 7 Ram Dominance Values versus age for all three years...................................... 51 8 Ram Dominance Values versus Dominance Values following year for all three years..............52 9 Ram Dominance Values versus copulation rate and number of