Food Selection and Competition

Food Selection and Location Humans – love variety Animals - Food preferences do exist  But… survival prevails In the wild – balance is key

Food Location Some wildlife travel great distances  Balance – energy expenditure and gain  Short legs

Birds Flight  Takes a lot of energy  Is not universal for all birds  Short legs – small feeding range

Riparian areas Provide important corridors for movement  Lakes  Bogs  Streams  Marshes Human use can impeded wildlife travel for food sources

Safety  Trade-off between food and safety “Edge”  Transition between ecological areas  Provides food and safety

Competition Limited food – leads to competition Competition – affected by season  Spring/summer  Fall/winter Browsers Grazers Intermediate Feeders

Mule Deer and Cattle Competition – typically not serious Cattle stocking rates – don’t have a great influence on mule deer Summer months – mule deer prefer forage not previously grazed by cattle

Mule Deer & Sheep Antelope Bitterbrush  Sheep – ate throughout summer  Mule Deer – ate mid- to late-summer Competition existed

Elk and Cattle Summer  Substantial overlap in diet  Differences in elevation preferences Spring/Fall  Habitat and diet overlap  Differences in timing of use

Elk and Sheep Diets are similar, but the actual graminoids and shrubs differ Winter months  Largest potential for overlap

Bighorn Sheep & Cattle Both consume graminoids  But differ in preferences  Bighorn sheep – rugged terrain, higher elevation; decreases competition Geographic differences  Montana  B.C.  Colorado

Pronghorn Antelope & Cattle Competition dependent upon  Habitat selection  Season  Drought  Forage Availability

Pronghorn Antelope & Sheep Competition dependent upon  Geographic location  Forb vegetation for that location For example:  California  Idaho  Utah