Density dependence in foraging habitat preference of eastern grey kangaroos

Abstract

For a free-ranging forager, the suitability of a patch is dependent on population density, resource supply, resource quality, and the costs of foraging or dispersal. We quantified differences among three foraging habitats and compared this variation to temporal patterns of habitat preference by free-ranging eastern grey kangaroos, Macropus giganteus. We investigated selection on a fine-grained spatial scale, and asked whether habitat preference is constrained by density-dependent mechanisms. Variation in the quantity and quality of resources among habitats was greatest during spring, when biomass and quality were highest, and differences among habitats were most pronounced. However, consiste..