Resource Selection by Sheep and Goats in Queensland Australia

Abiotic and biotic factors influence sheep and goat landscape distribution. Resource selection functions allow us to determine which factors influence distribution the most. This study tested distance to water, distance to trees, tree count, wind direction, and vegetation metrics as resources influencing the distribution of sheep and goats on extensive pastures in Queensland, Australia. Vegetation metrics were computed from remotely sensed data, and are measured as green vegetation, nongreen vegetation, bare ground, and total standing dry matter. We found the location of water, trees, and the prevailing wind direction were the most influential factors affecting sheep and goat distribution. Both sheep and goats selected for areas close to water, trees, and in the direction of the prevailing wind. At one site, goats showed a preference for green vegetation mainly in treed areas, while sheep showed a preference for nongreen vegetation which in the drought conditions of this study were found in less treed areas and can be interpreted as a selection for herbaceous material. At the other sites, the influence of water, trees, and wind was too strong to see a direct influence of vegetation on resource selection. Further research in nondrought conditions would help to better explain vegetation influence on sheep and goat landscape utilization.