The effect of season, sex and feeding style on home range area versus bodymass scaling in temperate ruminants

Sex-specific estimates of the summer and winter home range area of 19 speci es of temperate ruminants were collated from the literature. It was predict ed that there should be a shallower slope for the home range area against b ody mass relationship during winter than during summer, as large ruminants can meet more of their energy requirements from the fat reserves deposited during summer than small ruminants. Consequently, relatively large species do not need to range as widely during winter. There was a significant posit ive relationship between body mass and summer and winter home range area in both females and males. This relationship remained significant when analys ed within feeding styles (browser, mixed feeder, grazer), except in mixed f eeders in winter. As predicted, slope estimates were significantly lower du ring winter (b=0.59) than during summer (b=1.28), both before and after con trolling for phylogeny. After controlling for phylogeny, browsers had a ste eper slope (summer: b=1.48; winter, b=1.07) of the home range area against body mass relationship than did mixed feeders (summer: b=0.75; winter: b=-0 .11) or grazers (summer: b=1.10; winter: b=0.34). There was no effect of se x after body mass was controlled for. The effect of season, sex and feeding style on the home range area versus body mass relationship in temperate ru minants is discussed.