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Feeding habits, forage selection, and diet overlap in Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra L.) and domestic sheep

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Ecological Research

Abstract

Fecal microhistological analyses have been used to assess the summer diet of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra L., 1758) and domestic sheep and to evaluate diet overlap. The aim of our work was to investigate interspecific interactions and to assess the effects of sheep grazing on the summer feeding habits of chamois. A high dietary overlap (Pianka’s index = 0.93–0.99) was found, despite differences in the use of some plant groups. Sheep presence strongly affected chamois feeding habits: a reduction of highly digestible forbs was observed in the chamois diet during August, when both species grazed in the same range. As a consequence of sheep grazing, chamois may have been forced to reduce niche breadth and to change their food habits, increasing percentages of monocotyledons in the diet and feeding mainly on Cyperaceae. The diet overlap between sheep and chamois suggests that resource-mediated interactions as well as direct competition must be taken into account when evaluating chamois and sheep compatibility on Alpine meadows.

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Acknowledgments

This study was part of a collaborative research program between Italy and France, funded by the European Union (Interreg II). Thanks are due to Prof. Sandro Lovari for the revision of an early draft of the paper, to Achaz Von Hardenberg for his suggestions, and to two anonymous referees for their useful comments.

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  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell’Uomo, Università di Torino, via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Torino, Italy

    Valentina La Morgia

  2. Alpine Wildlife Research Center, Gran Paradiso National Park, Via della Rocca 47, 10123, Torino, Italy

    Bruno Bassano

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  1. Valentina La Morgia
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  2. Bruno Bassano
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Correspondence to Valentina La Morgia.

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La Morgia, V., Bassano, B. Feeding habits, forage selection, and diet overlap in Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra L.) and domestic sheep. Ecol Res 24, 1043–1050 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-008-0581-2

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