The Effects of Drought on Desert Bighorn Sheep

Start Date

2013-07

End Date

2017-08-31

Release Date

2013

Desert bighorn sheep are the epitome of the rugged desert mountain ranges in the southwestern U.S. While they are adapted to harsh, desert conditions, the fragmented and isolated distribution of the desert mountain ranges makes them particularly susceptible to climate change and drought. Unlike other desert ungulates (e.g., desert mule deer), they cannot simply adjust their distribution to take advantage of distant rain storms without crossing broad valleys at significant risk of mortality. In the long term, if the changing climate in the Southwest renders some currently occupied mountain ranges as uninhabitable, northward movements of desert bighorn populations tracking areas with suitable climatic conditions will likely require significant translocation efforts. Project researchers will assess the responses of desert bighorn sheep to the severe drought observed in 2002. The specific objectives are to investigate: 1) seasonal habitat selection patterns across widely differing climatic periods to determine if desert bighorn use certain habitat features and or behavioral mechanisms to cope with extreme drought; 2) changes in diet selection across climatic periods to determine which forage species are used a buffer resources to maintain populations during droughts; and 3) nutritional intake resulting from dietary shifts across climatic periods. These analyses provide a unique opportunity to assess multiple behavioral responses (e.g., forage selection, habitat selection) of desert bighorn sheep to severe drought through which we hope to identify habitat conditions and key forage species that might buffer desert bighorn populations during future droughts.

ScienceBase WMS

• National CASC
• National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Data source

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