Competition among Mountain Sheep and Other Ungulates

Competition for food, water, cover, or space with native, feral, and domestic ungulates plays an important role in habitat use and persistence of mountain sheep (bighorn sheep [ Ovis canadensis ], thinhorn [ Ovis dalli ]) populations. We reviewed the literature to describe competition between mountain sheep and other ungulates. Typically, competition among these ungulates is inversely related to forage or water availability, and competition can intensify if the availability of these resources is reduced by common use. Feral equids can have important influences on the availability of forage, water, cover, and areas used by Rocky Mountain ( O. c. canadensis ) and desert bighorn sheep ( O. c. spp.). Similar competition may occur for Dall’s ( O. dalli ) and Stone’s sheep ( O. d. stonei ). Now and in the future, as climate change continues and anthropogenic pressures intensify, competition among mountain sheep and feral and domestic ungulates is expected to increase. Future research should focus on how climate change and anthropogenic pressures alter the niches of these ungulates and, subsequently, the competition among them. Global positioning system technology can substantially aid in understanding how species may or may not compete temporally and spatially. Proper conservation of populations and habitat of mountain sheep will require biologists to understand and limit competition among mountain sheep and feral and domestic ungulates.