Effects of seasonal variation,group size and sex on the activity budget and diet composition of the addax antelope |
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| Authors: | Hicham Seri Mohsen Chammem Luis MM Ferreira Marwa Kechnebou Touhami Khorchani Severiano R Silva |
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| Institution: | 1. Laboratoire d’Elevage et de la Faune Sauvage, Institut des Régions Arides-Médenine, Médenine, Tunisia;2. CITAB-Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environment and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal;3. CECAV-Animal Science Department, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal |
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| Abstract: | Behaviour and diet composition are critical elements in conservation biology within the scope of reintroduction programs. Here we focused on addax (Addax nasomaculatus), a Critically Endangered antelope species, in the Jbil National Park, Tunisia. In this study, we advanced the hypothesis that season, day period, sex and social structure have an effect on the activity budgets and diet composition of addax. Three groups were selected (large group, adult pair and solitary male). Resting, moving, grazing, vigilance and other behaviours were recorded during two seasons (dry and wet) and in the morning and the afternoon. In addition, faecal samples were collected. The results indicate that season and day period were the main factors affecting the activity budgets. The resting behaviour increased from the wet to the dry season, and from morning to afternoon. The grazing and moving behaviours increased during the wet season and decreased from morning to afternoon. Addax select a mixed diet composed of perennial and herbaceous plant species notably during the wet season. In addition, we observed that addax modify their behaviour according to the season and forage availability. This represents an adaptive strategy to survive in a desert climate with a stochastic low-resource environment and depending on ambient climatic conditions. |
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| Keywords: | activity budgets addax antelope faecal microhistological analysis Jbil National Park seasonal variations |
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