Why does drought have such an effect on desert bighorn sheep population size?
A2 Drought has certainly been a normal part of the evolution of the Kofa ecosystem for hundreds if not thousands of years. The length of the current drought is exceeding any previous drought for which we have records. Besides the obvious drying up of water sources, drought also significantly reduces quantity, palatability and diversity of the plants bighorn feed on. As a drought intensifies, it may also result in the concentration of animals around the remaining sources of food and water. Among other factors, this can make the animals more susceptible to disease, predation, and human disturbance.
