SEXUAL SEGREGATION IN UNGULATES - NEW DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH

We reviewed the literature on sexual segregation in polygynous ungulat es in an effort to clarify terms and concepts, summarize recent inform ation that supports or discredits three broadly defined hypotheses, an d suggest directions for future research that should help resolve when and why the sexes segregate in these large mammals. The hypotheses di scussed include those based on intersexual differences in energetics a nd security (reproductive-strategy hypothesis), body size dimorphism a nd dietary requirements (sexual dimorphism-body size hypothesis), and social mechanisms (social-factors hypothesis). These hypotheses repres ent ecological, physiological, and social perspectives and are not mut ually exclusive. Most evidence reviewed supported the reproductive-str ategy hypothesis. Less support was available for either the sexual dim orphism-body size hypothesis or the social-factors hypothesis. Nonethe less, most available evidence is provided by field studies that conten d with many confounding variables. We suggest several areas of future study that may serve as critical tests and are likely to be productive in resolving why sexual segregation occurs in polygynous ungulates.