Environment and the Sheep

摘要: The wild ancestors of domestic sheep have evolved specialisations to exploit a diverse range habitats and can survive in extreme environments, from the desert Arctic sub-Antarctic. They cope with poor quality diets, foraging on wide plant types including cactus, fruit, lichens seaweed. A consistent feature habitats, however, addition food water sources, is escape terrain, as their main defence against predators flight cover. Seasonal diurnal migrations about home occur response forage availability safety. In sheep, when given opportunity express these behaviours, similar habitat preferences movements occur. Selection for breed traits adaptation has led differences environmental adaptation, seasonality responses ability low availability. Behavioural are also seen between breeds social antipredator responses, fearfulness, shelter-seeking grazing behaviours. general, more specialised selected show greatest tolerance crowding least responsive or other fear-eliciting stimuli. environments which kept do not accurately represent situation, thus thermal extremes, predation by behavioural means may be impaired.