Reproductive output of female mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon × Ovis sp.): a comparative analysis

Abstract

Although many mouflon Ovis gmelini musimon populations have been introduced to continental southern and central Europe, little is known about their reproductive output. Based on post-mortem analysis of 344 harvested females, the variation in reproductive performance was investigated in three wild populations: two located in the French Alps and one in the south of France. Examination of tracts indicated a high pregnancy rate (> 80%) for females ${\ge}1.5$ years old. We found that a significant proportion of female lambs were pregnant in the Alps, c. 1 year earlier than generally reported for first reproduction in the mouflon, whereas female lambs did not conceive in the southern France population. Pregnant female lambs and yearling females always bore a single foetus. Among pregnant females ${\ge}1.5$ years old, twinning occurred less often in southern France (2.5%) than in the Alps (10.8% and 20.7%). The data required to relate body mass and reproductive output of ewes at individual level were lacking, but female lamb–ewe body mass ratio was used to test that the population with high reproductive output should have the highest ratio. As expected, the index was higher in the Alps than in southern France, suggesting between-population differences in the quality of the local environment. Differences in growth pattern and birth timing of lambs, or different tactics of maternal care could also have influenced the female lamb–ewe body mass ratio. Crossings between wild and domestic sheep during the recent history of these populations and differences in environmental conditions might have interplayed to shape age at first reproduction and twinning rates.