Étude des variations spatio-temporelles de l'activité et de l'utilisation des ressources par les herbivores (l'exemple du mouflon méditerranéen (Ovis gmelini musimon x Ovis sp.) et du chevreuil (Capreolus capreolus))

According to the spatio-temporal constraints encountered, animals should adopt tactics enabling them to ensure their survival and reproduction. We sought to identify the tactics of resource use and time-budget as well as the factors causing their variation in two populations of large mammalian herbivores: the Mediterranean mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon x Ovis sp.) and the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus). We found that mouflon were particularly sensitive to strong summer heats and responded by decreasing their activity, in particular during the diurnal period. Concerning the habitat use, active mouflon used more the open habitats and less the deciduous forests than inactive mouflon. The location data used in this study came from GPS collars whose fix success is influenced by both animal behaviour and habitat characteristics (vegetation, topography). Lastly, we found that female roe deer adjusted the size of their home range according mainly to the abundance of resources, the number of fawns at heel, their age and the season. Based on these two case studies, our results highlight that large mammalian herbivores can adjust their activity and resource use according to their internal state and in response to changes of environmental conditionsLYON1-BU.Sciences (692662101) / SudocSudocFranceF