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Cloutier Z, Festa-Bianchet M, Pelletier F. Direct and indirect effects of cougar predation on bighorn sheep fitness. Ecology 2024; 105:e4374. [PMID: 39031035 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Predation has direct effects on prey population dynamics through mortality, and it can induce indirect effects through fear. The indirect effects of predation have been documented experimentally, but few studies have quantified them in nature so that their role in prey population dynamics remains controversial. Given the expanding or reintroduced populations of large predators in many areas, the quantification of indirect effects of predation is crucial. We sought to evaluate the direct and indirect fitness effects of intense cougar (Puma concolor) predation using 48 years of data on marked bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) on Ram Mountain, Alberta, Canada. We compared years of intense cougar predation with years with no or occasional cougar predation. We first quantified the effects of predation on neonatal, weaning, and overwinter lamb survival, three metrics potentially affected by direct and indirect effects. We then investigated the possible indirect effects of intense cougar predation on lamb production, female summer mass gain, and lamb mass at weaning. We found strong effects of cougar predation on lamb survival, lamb production, and seasonal mass gain of lambs and adult females. In years with high predation, neonatal, weaning, and overwinter lamb survival declined by 18.4%, 19.7% and 20.8%, respectively. Indirect effects included a 14.2% decline in lamb production. Female summer mass gain decreased by 15.6% and lamb mass at weaning declined by 8.0% in years of intense cougar predation. Our findings bring key insights on the impacts of predation on prey fitness by reporting moderate to large effects on recruitment and illustrate the importance of indirect effects of predation on population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary Cloutier
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marco Festa-Bianchet
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Centre d'études nordiques, Québec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Centre d'études nordiques, Québec City, Quebec, Canada
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2
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John C, Avgar T, Rittger K, Smith JA, Stephenson LW, Stephenson TR, Post E. Pursuit and escape drive fine-scale movement variation during migration in a temperate alpine ungulate. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15068. [PMID: 38956435 PMCID: PMC11219842 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65948-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Climate change reduces snowpack, advances snowmelt phenology, drives summer warming, alters growing season precipitation regimes, and consequently modifies vegetation phenology in mountain systems. Elevational migrants track spatial variation in seasonal plant growth by moving between ranges at different elevations during spring, so climate-driven vegetation change may disrupt historic benefits of migration. Elevational migrants can furthermore cope with short-term environmental variability by undertaking brief vertical movements to refugia when sudden adverse conditions arise. We uncover drivers of fine-scale vertical movement variation during upland migration in an endangered alpine specialist, Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) using a 20-year study of GPS collar data collected from 311 unique individuals. We used integrated step-selection analysis to determine factors that promote vertical movements and drive selection of destinations following vertical movements. Our results reveal that relatively high temperatures consistently drive uphill movements, while precipitation likely drives downhill movements. Furthermore, bighorn select destinations at their peak annual biomass and maximal time since snowmelt. These results indicate that although Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep seek out foraging opportunities related to landscape phenology, they compensate for short-term environmental stressors by undertaking brief up- and downslope vertical movements. Migrants may therefore be impacted by future warming and increased storm frequency or intensity, with shifts in annual migration timing, and fine-scale vertical movement responses to environmental variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian John
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
| | - Tal Avgar
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia - Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada
- Wildlife Science Centre, Biodiversity Pathways Ltd., Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Karl Rittger
- Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Justine A Smith
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Logan W Stephenson
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Thomas R Stephenson
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, Bishop, CA, USA
| | - Eric Post
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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3
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Denryter K, Stephenson TR, Monteith KL. Migratory behaviours are risk-sensitive to physiological state in an elevational migrant. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 12:coae029. [PMID: 38779433 PMCID: PMC11109817 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Accretion of body fat by animals is an important physiological adaptation that may underpin seasonal behaviours, especially where it modulates risk associated with a particular behaviour. Using movement data from male Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae), we tested the hypothesis that migratory behaviours were risk-sensitive to physiological state (indexed by body fat). Sierra bighorn face severe winter conditions at high elevations and higher predation risk at lower elevations. Given that large body fat stores ameliorate starvation risk, we predicted that having small body fat stores would force animals to migrate to lower elevations with more abundant food supplies. We also predicted that body fat stores would influence how far animals migrate, with the skinniest animals migrating the furthest down in elevation (to access the most abundant food supplies at that time of year). Lastly, we predicted that population-level rates of switching between migratory tactics would be inversely related to body fat levels because as body fat levels decrease, animals exhibiting migratory plasticity should modulate their risk of starvation by switching migratory tactics. Consistent with our predictions, probability of migration and elevational distance migrated increased with decreasing body fat, but effects differed amongst metapopulations. Population-level switching rates also were inversely related to population-level measures of body fat prior to migration. Collectively, our findings suggest migration was risk-sensitive to physiological state, and failure to accrete adequate fat may force animals to make trade-offs between starvation and predation risk. In complex seasonal environments, risk-sensitive migration yields a layer of flexibility that should aid long-term persistence of animals that can best modulate their risk by attuning behaviour to physiological state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Denryter
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Bim Kendall House 804 E Fremont St, Laramie, WY 82072, USA
| | - Thomas R. Stephenson
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, 787 N Main St., Bishop, CA 93514, USA
| | - Kevin L. Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Bim Kendall House 804 E Fremont St, Laramie, WY 82072, USA
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4
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Brunet MJ, Huggler KS, Holbrook JD, Burke PW, Zornes M, Lionberger P, Monteith KL. Spatial prey availability and pulsed reproductive tactics: Encounter risk in a canid-ungulate system. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:447-459. [PMID: 38348546 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Predation risk is a function of spatiotemporal overlap between predator and prey, as well as behavioural responses during encounters. Dynamic factors (e.g. group size, prey availability and animal movement or state) affect risk, but rarely are integrated in risk assessments. Our work targets a system where predation risk is fundamentally linked to temporal patterns in prey abundance and behaviour. For neonatal ungulate prey, risk is defined within a short temporal window during which the pulse in parturition, increasing movement capacity with age and antipredation tactics have the potential to mediate risk. In our coyote-mule deer (Canis latrans-Odocoileus hemionus) system, leveraging GPS data collected from both predator and prey, we tested expectations of shared enemy and reproductive risk hypotheses. We asked two questions regarding risk: (A) How does primary and alternative prey habitat, predator and prey activity, and reproductive tactics (e.g. birth synchrony and maternal defence) influence the vulnerability of a neonate encountering a predator? (B) How do the same factors affect behaviour by predators relative to the time before and after an encounter? Despite increased selection for mule deer and intensified search behaviour by coyotes during the peak in mule deer parturition, mule deer were afforded protection from predation via predator swamping, experiencing reduced per-capita encounter risk when most neonates were born. Mule deer occupying rabbit habitat (Sylvilagus spp.; coyote's primary prey) experienced the greatest risk of encounter but the availability of rabbit habitat did not affect predator behaviour during encounters. Encounter risk increased in areas with greater availability of mule deer habitat: coyotes shifted their behaviour relative to deer habitat, and the pulse in mule deer parturition and movement of neonatal deer during encounters elicited increased speed and tortuosity by coyotes. In addition to the spatial distribution of prey, temporal patterns in prey availability and animal behavioural state were fundamental in defining risk. Our work reveals the nuanced consequences of pulsed availability on predation risk for alternative prey, whereby responses by predators to sudden resource availability, the lasting effects of diversionary prey and inherent antipredation tactics ultimately dictate risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell J Brunet
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Katey S Huggler
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Joseph D Holbrook
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | | | - Mark Zornes
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Green River, Wyoming, USA
| | - Patrick Lionberger
- Bureau of Land Management, Rock Springs Field Office, Rock Springs, Wyoming, USA
| | - Kevin L Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
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Whiting JC, Bleich VC, Bowyer RT, Epps CW. Restoration of bighorn sheep: History, successes, and remaining conservation issues. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1083350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Mammals are imperiled worldwide, primarily from habitat loss or modification, and exhibit downward trends in their populations and distributions. Likewise, large-bodied herbivores have undergone a collapse in numbers and are at the highest extinction risk of all mammals. Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) are among those large-bodied herbivores that possess a slow-paced life history, suffer from debilitating diseases, and have experienced range contractions across their historical distribution since the late 1800s. Translocations and reintroductions of these mountain ungulates are key aspects of restoration and often are used to re-establish populations in historical habitat or to supplement declining herds. Millions of US dollars and much effort by state and federal natural resource agencies, as well as public and private organizations, have been expended to restore bighorn sheep. Despite those efforts, translocated populations of bighorn sheep have not always been successful. We assessed restoration of bighorn sheep to provide insights in the context of conservation of populations of bighorn sheep, because this management tool is a frequently used to re-establish populations. We focused briefly on past efforts to restore bighorn sheep populations and followed with updates on the value of habitat enhancements, genetic issues, the importance of ecotypic or phenotypic adaptations when restoring populations, predation, and disease transmission. We also raised issues and posed questions that have potential to affect future decisions regarding the restoration of bighorn sheep. This information will help conservationists improve the success of conserving these iconic large mammals.
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Forshee SC, Mitchell MS, Stephenson TR. Predator avoidance influences selection of neonatal lambing habitat by Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shannon C. Forshee
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program University of Montana Missoula MT 59812 USA
| | | | - Thomas R. Stephenson
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program California Department of Fish and Wildlife 787 N. Main Street, Suite 220 Bishop CA 93514 USA
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7
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Denryter K, Conner MM, Stephenson TR, German DW, Monteith KL. Survival of the fattest: how body fat and migration influence survival in highly seasonal environments. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Denryter
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Wyoming, 804 East Fremont Laramie WY USA
| | - Mary M. Conner
- Utah State University Department of Wildland Resources, 5320 Old Main Hill Logan UT USA
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 787 North Main Street, Suite 220 Bishop CA USA
| | - Thomas R. Stephenson
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, 787 North Main Street, Suite 220 Bishop CA USA
| | - David W. German
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, 787 North Main Street, Suite 220 Bishop CA USA
| | - Kevin L. Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 804 East Fremont Laramie WY USA
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8
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Graves TA, Yarnall MJ, Johnston AN, Preston TM, Chong GW, Cole EK, Janousek WM, Cross PC. Eyes on the herd: Quantifying ungulate density from satellite, unmanned aerial systems, and GPScollar data. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2600. [PMID: 35343018 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Novel approaches to quantifying density and distributions could help biologists adaptively manage wildlife populations, particularly if methods are accurate, consistent, cost-effective, rapid, and sensitive to change. Such approaches may also improve research on interactions between density and processes of interest, such as disease transmission across multiple populations. We assess how satellite imagery, unmanned aerial system (UAS) imagery, and Global Positioning System (GPS) collar data vary in characterizing elk density, distribution, and count patterns across times with and without supplemental feeding at the National Elk Refuge (NER) in the US state of Wyoming. We also present the first comparison of satellite imagery data with traditional counts for ungulates in a temperate system. We further evaluate seven different aggregation metrics to identify the most consistent and sensitive metrics for comparing density and distribution across time and populations. All three data sources detected higher densities and aggregation locations of elk during supplemental feeding than non-feeding at the NER. Kernel density estimates (KDEs), KDE polygon areas, and the first quantile of interelk distances detected differences with the highest sensitivity and were most highly correlated across data sources. Both UAS and satellite imagery provide snapshots of density and distribution patterns of most animals in the area at lower cost than GPS collars. While satellite-based counts were lower than traditional counts, aggregation metrics matched those from UAS and GPS data sources when animals appeared in high contrast to the landscape, including brown elk against new snow in open areas. UAS counts of elk were similar to traditional ground-based counts on feed grounds and are the best data source for assessing changes in small spatial extents. Satellite, UAS, or GPS data can provide appropriate data for assessing density and changes in density from adaptive management actions. For the NER, where high elk densities are beneath controlled airspace, GPS collar data will be most useful for evaluating how management actions, including changes in the dates of supplemental feeding, influence elk density and aggregation across large spatial extents. Using consistent and sensitive measures of density may improve research on the drivers and effects of density within and across a wide range of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tabitha A Graves
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, West Glacier, Montana, USA
| | - Michael J Yarnall
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Aaron N Johnston
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Todd M Preston
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Geneva W Chong
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Jackson, Wyoming, USA
| | - Eric K Cole
- National Elk Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Elk Refuge, Jackson, Wyoming, USA
| | - William M Janousek
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, West Glacier, Montana, USA
| | - Paul C Cross
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana, USA
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9
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Cristescu B, Elbroch LM, Forrester TD, Allen ML, Spitz DB, Wilmers CC, Wittmer HU. Standardizing protocols for determining the cause of mortality in wildlife studies. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9034. [PMID: 35784072 PMCID: PMC9219102 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Mortality site investigations of telemetered wildlife are important for cause-specific survival analyses and understanding underlying causes of observed population dynamics. Yet, eroding ecoliteracy and a lack of quality control in data collection can lead researchers to make incorrect conclusions, which may negatively impact management decisions for wildlife populations. We reviewed a random sample of 50 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2019 on survival and cause-specific mortality of ungulates monitored with telemetry devices. This concise review revealed extensive variation in reporting of field procedures, with many studies omitting critical information for the cause of mortality inference. Field protocols used to investigate mortality sites and ascertain the cause of mortality are often minimally described and frequently fail to address how investigators dealt with uncertainty. We outline a step-by-step procedure for mortality site investigations of telemetered ungulates, including evidence that should be documented in the field. Specifically, we highlight data that can be useful to differentiate predation from scavenging and more conclusively identify the predator species that killed the ungulate. We also outline how uncertainty in identifying the cause of mortality could be acknowledged and reported. We demonstrate the importance of rigorous protocols and prompt site investigations using data from our 5-year study on survival and cause-specific mortality of telemetered mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in northern California. Over the course of our study, we visited mortality sites of neonates (n = 91) and adults (n = 23) to ascertain the cause of mortality. Rapid site visitations significantly improved the successful identification of the cause of mortality and confidence levels for neonates. We discuss the need for rigorous and standardized protocols that include measures of confidence for mortality site investigations. We invite reviewers and journal editors to encourage authors to provide supportive information associated with the identification of causes of mortality, including uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bogdan Cristescu
- Environmental Studies DepartmentUniversity of CaliforniaSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Tavis D. Forrester
- Oregon Department of Fish and WildlifeWildlife ResearchLa GrandeOregonUSA
| | | | - Derek B. Spitz
- Environmental Studies DepartmentUniversity of CaliforniaSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Heiko U. Wittmer
- School of Biological SciencesVictoria University of WellingtonWellingtonNew Zealand
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10
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Costa-Pereira R, Moll RJ, Jesmer BR, Jetz W. Animal tracking moves community ecology: Opportunities and challenges. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1334-1344. [PMID: 35388473 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
1. Individual decisions regarding how, why, and when organisms interact with one another and with their environment scale up to shape patterns and processes in communities. Recent evidence has firmly established the prevalence of intraspecific variation in nature and its relevance in community ecology, yet challenges associated with collecting data on large numbers of individual conspecifics and heterospecifics has hampered integration of individual variation into community ecology. 2. Nevertheless, recent technological and statistical advances in GPS-tracking, remote sensing, and behavioral ecology offer a toolbox for integrating intraspecific variation into community processes. More than simply describing where organisms go, movement data provide unique information about interactions and environmental associations from which a true individual-to-community framework can be built. 3. By linking the movement paths of both conspecifics and heterospecifics with environmental data, ecologists can now simultaneously quantify intra- and interspecific variation regarding the Eltonian (biotic interactions) and Grinnellian (environmental conditions) factors underpinning community assemblage and dynamics, yet substantial logistical and analytical challenges must be addressed for these approaches to realize their full potential. 4. Across communities, empirical integration of Eltonian and Grinnellian factors can support conservation applications and reveal metacommunity dynamics via tracking-based dispersal data. As the logistical and analytical challenges associated with multi-species tracking are surmounted, we envision a future where individual movements and their ecological and environmental signatures will bring resolution to many enduring issues in community ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul Costa-Pereira
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil
| | - Remington J Moll
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, 56 College Road, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Brett R Jesmer
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06520, USA.,Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06520, USA.,Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, 165 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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11
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Cristescu B, Elbroch LM, Dellinger JA, Binder W, Wilmers CC, Wittmer HU. Kill rates and associated ecological factors for an apex predator. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00240-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AbstractKill rates and functional responses are fundamental to the study of predator ecology and the understanding of predatory-prey dynamics. As the most widely distributed apex predator in the western hemisphere, pumas (Puma concolor) have been well studied, yet a synthesis of their kill rates is currently lacking. We reviewed the literature and compiled data on sex- and age-specific kill rate estimates of pumas on ungulates, and conducted analyses aimed at understanding ecological factors explaining the observed spatial variation. Kill rate studies on pumas, while numerous, were primarily conducted in Temperate Conifer Forests (< 10% of puma range), revealing a dearth of knowledge across much of their range, especially from tropical and subtropical habitats. Across studies, kill rates in ungulates/week were highest for adult females with kitten(s) (1.24 ± 0.41 ungulates/week) but did not vary significantly between adult males (0.84 ± 0.18) and solitary adult females (0.99 ± 0.26). Kill rates in kg/day differed only marginally among reproductive classes. Kill rates of adult pumas increased with ungulate density, particularly for males. Ungulate species richness had a weak negative association with adult male kill rates. Neither scavenger richness, puma density, the proportion of non-ungulate prey in the diet, nor regional human population density had a significant effect on ungulate kill rates, but additional studies and standardization would provide further insights. Our results had a strong temperate-ecosystem bias highlighting the need for further research across the diverse biomes pumas occupy to fully interpret kill rates for the species. Data from more populations would also allow for multivariate analyses providing deeper inference into the ecological and behavioural factors driving kill rates and functional responses of pumas, and apex predators in general.
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12
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Berger DJ, German DW, John C, Hart R, Stephenson TR, Avgar T. Seeing Is Be-Leaving: Perception Informs Migratory Decisions in Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.742275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Seasonal migration is a behavioral response to predictable variation in environmental resources, risks, and conditions. In behaviorally plastic migrants, migration is a conditional strategy that depends, in part, on an individual’s informational state. The cognitive processes that underlie how facultative migrants understand and respond to their environment are not well understood. We compared perception of the present environment to memory and omniscience as competing cognitive mechanisms driving altitudinal migratory decisions in an endangered ungulate, the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) using 1,298 animal years of data, encompassing 460 unique individuals. We built a suite of statistical models to partition variation in fall migratory status explained by cognitive predictors, while controlling for non-cognitive drivers. To approximate attribute memory, we included lagged attributes of the range an individual experienced in the previous year. We quantified perception by limiting an individual’s knowledge of migratory range to the area and attributes visible from its summer range, prior to migrating. Our results show that perception, in addition to the migratory propensity of an individual’s social group, and an individual’s migratory history are the best predictors of migration in our system. Our findings suggest that short-distance altitudinal migration is, in part, a response to an individual’s perception of conditions on alterative winter range. In long-distance partial migrants, exploration of migratory decision-making has been limited, but it is unlikely that migratory decisions would be based on sensory cues from a remote target range. Differing cognitive mechanisms underpinning short and long-distance migratory decisions will result in differing levels of behavioral plasticity in response to global climate change and anthropogenic disturbance, with important implications for management and conservation of migratory species.
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13
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Lowrey B, DeVoe JD, Proffitt KM, Garrott RA. Behavior‐specific habitat models as a tool to inform ungulate restoration. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- B. Lowrey
- Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman Montana 59717 USA
| | - J. D. DeVoe
- Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman Montana 59717 USA
| | - K. M. Proffitt
- Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks 1400 South 19th Avenue Bozeman Montana 59718 USA
| | - R. A. Garrott
- Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman Montana 59717 USA
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14
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Andreasen AM, Stewart KM, Longland WS, Beckmann JP. Prey Specialization by Cougars on Feral Horses in a Desert Environment. J Wildl Manage 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alyson M. Andreasen
- University of Nevada, Reno, Natural Resources and Environmental Science 1664 N. Virginia Street, Mail Stop 186 Reno NV 89557 USA
| | - Kelley M. Stewart
- University of Nevada, Reno, Natural Resources and Environmental Science 1664 N. Virginia Street, Mail Stop 186 Reno NV 89557 USA
| | - William S. Longland
- USDA, Agricultural Research Service, University of Nevada Reno, 920 Valley Road Reno NV 89512 USA
| | - Jon P. Beckmann
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Rockies Program 1050 E Main, Suite 2 Bozeman MT 59715 USA
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15
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Denryter K, German DW, Stephenson TR, Monteith KL. State- and context-dependent applications of an energetics model in free-ranging bighorn sheep. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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16
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Panting BR, Gese EM, Conner MM, Bergen S. Factors Influencing Survival Rates of Pronghorn Fawns in Idaho. J Wildl Manage 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brett R. Panting
- Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan UT 84322‐5230 USA
| | - Eric M. Gese
- United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan UT 84322‐5230 USA
| | - Mary M. Conner
- Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan UT 84322‐5230 USA
| | - Scott Bergen
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game Southeast Regional Office Pocatello ID 83204 USA
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17
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Clark TJ, Hebblewhite M. Predator control may not increase ungulate populations in the future: A formal meta‐analysis. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- T. J. Clark
- Wildlife Biology Program Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula MT USA
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18
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Jacobsen TC, Wiskirchen KH, Ditchkoff SS. A novel method for detecting extra-home range movements (EHRMs) by animals and recommendations for future EHRM studies. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242328. [PMID: 33253220 PMCID: PMC7703910 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Infrequent, long-distance animal movements outside of typical home range areas provide useful insights into resource acquisition, gene flow, and disease transmission within the fields of conservation and wildlife management, yet understanding of these movements is still limited across taxa. To detect these extra-home range movements (EHRMs) in spatial relocation datasets, most previous studies compare relocation points against fixed spatial and temporal bounds, typified by seasonal home ranges (referred to here as the "Fixed-Period" method). However, utilizing home ranges modelled over fixed time periods to detect EHRMs within those periods likely results in many EHRMs going undocumented, particularly when an animal's space use changes within that period of time. To address this, we propose a novel, "Moving-Window" method of detecting EHRMs through an iterative process, comparing each day's relocation data to the preceding period of space use only. We compared the number and characteristics of EHRM detections by both the Moving-Window and Fixed-Period methods using GPS relocations from 33 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Alabama, USA. The Moving-Window method detected 1.5 times as many EHRMs as the Fixed-Period method and identified 120 unique movements that were undetected by the Fixed-Period method, including some movements that extended nearly 5 km outside of home range boundaries. Additionally, we utilized our EHRM dataset to highlight and evaluate potential sources of variation in EHRM summary statistics stemming from differences in definition criteria among previous EHRM literature. We found that this spectrum of criteria identified between 15.6% and 100.0% of the EHRMs within our dataset. We conclude that variability in terminology and definition criteria previously used for EHRM detection hinders useful comparisons between studies. The Moving-Window approach to EHRM detection introduced here, along with proposed methodology guidelines for future EHRM studies, should allow researchers to better investigate and understand these behaviors across a variety of taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd C. Jacobsen
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Kevyn H. Wiskirchen
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Stephen S. Ditchkoff
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America
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19
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Lowrey B, McWhirter DE, Proffitt KM, Monteith KL, Courtemanch AB, White PJ, Paterson JT, Dewey SR, Garrott RA. Individual variation creates diverse migratory portfolios in native populations of a mountain ungulate. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e2106. [PMID: 32091631 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Ecological theory and empirical studies have demonstrated population-level demographic benefits resulting from a diversity of migratory behaviors with important implications for ecology, conservation, and evolution of migratory organisms. Nevertheless, evaluation of migratory portfolios (i.e., the variation in migratory behaviors across space and time among individuals within populations) has received relatively little attention in migratory ungulates, where research has focused largely on the dichotomous behaviors (e.g., resident and migrant) of partially migratory populations. Using GPS data from 361 female bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) across 17 (4 restored, 6 augmented, 7 native) populations in Montana and Wyoming, USA, we (1) characterized migratory portfolios based on behavioral and spatial migratory characteristics and (2) evaluated the relative influence of landscape attributes and management histories on migratory diversity. Native populations, which had been extant on the landscape for many generations, had more diverse migratory portfolios, higher behavioral switching rates, reduced seasonal range fidelity, and broad dispersion of individuals across summer and winter ranges. In contrast, restored populations with an abbreviated history on the landscape were largely non-migratory with a narrow portfolio of migratory behaviors, less behavioral switching, higher fidelity to seasonal ranges, and less dispersion on summer and winter ranges. Augmented populations were more variable and contained characteristics of both native and restored populations. Differences in migratory diversity among populations were associated with management histories (e.g., restored, augmented, or native). Landscape characteristics such as the duration and regularity of green-up, human landscape alterations, topography, and snow gradients were not strongly associated with migratory diversity. We suggest a two-pronged approach to restoring migratory portfolios in ungulates that first develops behavior-specific habitat models and then places individuals with known migratory behaviors into unoccupied areas in an effort to bolster migratory portfolios in restored populations, potentially with synergistic benefits associated with variation among individuals and resulting portfolio effects. Management efforts to restore diverse migratory portfolios may increase the abundance, resilience, and long-term viability of ungulate populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Lowrey
- Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program, Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA
| | - D E McWhirter
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Jackson, Wyoming, 83001, USA
| | - K M Proffitt
- Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Bozeman, Montana, 59718, USA
| | - K L Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, 82072, USA
| | - A B Courtemanch
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Jackson, Wyoming, 83001, USA
| | - P J White
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, National Park Service, Mammoth, Wyoming, 82190, USA
| | - J T Paterson
- Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program, Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA
| | - S R Dewey
- Grand Teton National Park, National Park Service, PO Box 170, Moose, Wyoming, 83012, USA
| | - R A Garrott
- Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program, Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA
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20
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Spitz DB, Hebblewhite M, Stephenson TR. Habitat predicts local prevalence of migratory behaviour in an alpine ungulate. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1032-1044. [PMID: 31854458 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The resource hierarchy hypothesis predicts that the most important factors limiting a species' distribution act at the coarsest spatial scales. However, resource selection behaviour affords mobile organisms the opportunity to adopt a range of tactics for navigating spatial trade-offs between competing biotic and abiotic constraints. Throughout the animal kingdom, partial migration (where some individuals migrate, and others remain resident year round) offers a pervasive example of such behavioural polymorphism. Identifying the differences between these behaviours is therefore central to understanding the conditions (habitat) needed to sustain migrant and resident populations. Here we test an extension of the resource hierarchy hypothesis. We hypothesized that rather than responding to a single limiting factor, migration and residency represent contrasting scale-specific approaches to managing trade-offs between forage, predation risk and severe winter conditions. Furthermore, we predicted that the distribution of habitat selected by migrants and residents is predictive of the local prevalence of migratory behaviour. To test these hypotheses, we quantified migratory status- (resident/migrant) and season-specific (winter/summer) differences in resource selection by eight populations of federally endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis sierrae across three spatial scales: population range, individual range and within individual range. We then integrated these spatial predictions to produce separate spatial predictions of migrant and resident winter habitat. As predicted, model selection provided strong evidence for the importance of status-specific differences in resource selection. Residents showed stronger coarse-scale selection for terrain associated with predator avoidance and stronger fine-scale selection for greenness, while in migrants this pattern was reversed. Availability of migrant habitat predicted the local prevalence of migration (top model pseudo R2 of .87). Our ability to respond to global declines of migratory species depends on improving our understanding of the conditions required to maintain migratory behaviour. Through explicitly contrasting migrant and resident behaviour, our results illustrate seasonal differences in migrant and resident habitat and how these two behaviours represent responses to different limiting conditions. Our analyses provides a novel empirical basis for assessing the local prevalence of migratory behaviour across large landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek B Spitz
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Thomas R Stephenson
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bishop, CA, USA
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21
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Dellinger JA, Cristescu B, Ewanyk J, Gammons DJ, Garcelon D, Johnston P, Martins Q, Thompson C, Vickers TW, Wilmers CC, Wittmer HU, Torres SG. Using Mountain Lion Habitat Selection in Management. J Wildl Manage 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Justin A. Dellinger
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife 1701 Nimbus Rd., Suite D Rancho Cordova CA 95670 USA
| | - Bogdan Cristescu
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department University of California 1156 High St. Santa Cruz CA 95064 USA
| | - Jonathan Ewanyk
- Institute for Wildlife Studies PO Box 1104 Arcata CA 95518 USA
| | - Daniel J. Gammons
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife 787 N Main St., Suite 220 Bishop CA 93514 USA
| | - David Garcelon
- Institute for Wildlife Studies PO Box 1104 Arcata CA 95518 USA
| | | | | | - Craig Thompson
- United States Forest Service, Northern Region 26 Fort Missoula Rd. Missoula MT 59804 USA
| | - T. Winston Vickers
- Wildlife Health Center University of California 1089 Veterinary Medicine Dr. Davis CA 95616 USA
| | - Christopher C. Wilmers
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department University of California 1156 High St. Santa Cruz CA 95064 USA
| | - Heiko U. Wittmer
- School of Biological Sciences Victoria University of Wellington PO Box 600 Wellington 6140 NZ
| | - Steven G. Torres
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife 1701 Nimbus Rd., Suite D Rancho Cordova CA 95670 USA
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22
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Logan KA. Puma population limitation and regulation: What matters in puma management? J Wildl Manage 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth A. Logan
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife 2300 S. Townsend Avenue Montrose CO 81401 USA
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23
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Cristescu B, Bose S, Elbroch LM, Allen ML, Wittmer HU. Habitat selection when killing primary versus alternative prey species supports prey specialization in an apex predator. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- B. Cristescu
- Environmental Studies Department University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - S. Bose
- School of Biological Sciences Victoria University of Wellington Wellington New Zealand
| | | | - M. L. Allen
- School of Biological Sciences Victoria University of Wellington Wellington New Zealand
- Illinois Natural History Survey University of Illinois Champaign IL USA
| | - H. U. Wittmer
- School of Biological Sciences Victoria University of Wellington Wellington New Zealand
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24
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Weterings MJA, Ewert SP, Peereboom JN, Kuipers HJ, Kuijper DPJ, Prins HHT, Jansen PA, van Langevelde F, van Wieren SE. Implications of shared predation for space use in two sympatric leporids. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:3457-3469. [PMID: 30962905 PMCID: PMC6434570 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial variation in habitat riskiness has a major influence on the predator-prey space race. However, the outcome of this race can be modulated if prey shares enemies with fellow prey (i.e., another prey species). Sharing of natural enemies may result in apparent competition, and its implications for prey space use remain poorly studied. Our objective was to test how prey species spend time among habitats that differ in riskiness, and how shared predation modulates the space use by prey species. We studied a one-predator, two-prey system in a coastal dune landscape in the Netherlands with the European hare (Lepus europaeus) and European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as sympatric prey species and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) as their main predator. The fine-scale space use by each species was quantified using camera traps. We quantified residence time as an index of space use. Hares and rabbits spent time differently among habitats that differ in riskiness. Space use by predators and habitat riskiness affected space use by hares more strongly than space use by rabbits. Residence time of hare was shorter in habitats in which the predator was efficient in searching or capturing prey species. However, hares spent more time in edge habitat when foxes were present, even though foxes are considered ambush predators. Shared predation affected the predator-prey space race for hares positively, and more strongly than the predator-prey space race for rabbits, which were not affected. Shared predation reversed the predator-prey space race between foxes and hares, whereas shared predation possibly also released a negative association and promoted a positive association between our two sympatric prey species. Habitat riskiness, species presence, and prey species' escape mode and foraging mode (i.e., central-place vs. noncentral-place forager) affected the prey space race under shared predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martijn J. A. Weterings
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- Department of Animal Management, Wildlife ManagementVan Hall Larenstein University of Applied SciencesLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | - Sophie P. Ewert
- Department of Animal Management, Wildlife ManagementVan Hall Larenstein University of Applied SciencesLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | - Jeffrey N. Peereboom
- Department of Animal Management, Wildlife ManagementVan Hall Larenstein University of Applied SciencesLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | - Henry J. Kuipers
- Department of Animal Management, Wildlife ManagementVan Hall Larenstein University of Applied SciencesLeeuwardenThe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Patrick A. Jansen
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- Smithsonian Tropical Research InstituteBalboaPanamá
| | - Frank van Langevelde
- Resource Ecology GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of KwaZulu‐NatalDurbanSouth Africa
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25
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Spitz D, Hebblewhite M, Stephenson T, German D. How plastic is migratory behavior? Quantifying elevational movement in a partially migratory alpine ungulate, the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae). CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Migratory species face well-documented global declines, but the causes of these declines remain unclear. One obstacle to better understanding these declines is uncertainty surrounding how migratory behavior is maintained. Most migratory populations are partially migratory, displaying both migrant and resident behaviors. Theory only provides two possible explanations for this coexistence of migration and residency: either these behaviors are fixed at the individual level or both behaviors are part of a single conditional strategy in which an individual’s migratory status (adoption of migrant or resident behavior) is plastic. Here we test for plasticity in migratory status and tactics (timing, distance, and duration of migration) in a federally endangered mountain caprid, the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae Grinnell, 1912). We used nonlinear modeling to quantitatively describe migratory behavior, analyzing 262 animal-years of GPS location data collected between 2005 and 2016 from 161 females across 14 subpopulations. Migratory tactics and prevalence varied by subpopulation. On average, individuals from partially migratory subpopulations switched migratory status every 4 years. Our results support the hypothesis that partial migration is maintained through a single conditional strategy. Understanding plasticity in migratory behavior will improve monitoring efforts and provide a rigorous basis for evaluating threats, particularly those associated with changing climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- D.B. Spitz
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - M. Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - T.R. Stephenson
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 787 North Main Street, Suite 220, Bishop, CA 93514, USA
| | - D.W. German
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 787 North Main Street, Suite 220, Bishop, CA 93514, USA
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26
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Respiratory pathogens and their association with population performance in Montana and Wyoming bighorn sheep populations. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0207780. [PMID: 30475861 PMCID: PMC6257920 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory disease caused by Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and Pasteurellaceae poses a formidable challenge for bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) conservation. All-age epizootics can cause 10–90% mortality and are typically followed by multiple years of enzootic disease in lambs that hinders post-epizootic recovery of populations. The relative frequencies at which these epizootics are caused by the introduction of novel pathogens or expression of historic pathogens that have become resident in the populations is unknown. Our primary objectives were to determine how commonly the pathogens associated with respiratory disease are hosted by bighorn sheep populations and assess demographic characteristics of populations with respect to the presence of different pathogens. We sampled 22 bighorn sheep populations across Montana and Wyoming, USA for Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and Pasteurellaceae and used data from management agencies to characterize the disease history and demographics of these populations. We tested for associations between lamb:ewe ratios and the presence of different respiratory pathogen species. All study populations hosted Pasteurellaceae and 17 (77%) hosted Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae. Average lamb:ewe ratios for individual populations where both Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae and Pasteurellaceae were detected ranged from 0.14 to 0.40. However, average lamb:ewe ratios were higher in populations where Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae was not detected (0.37, 95% CI: 0.27–0.51) than in populations where it was detected (0.25, 95% CI: 0.21–0.30). These findings suggest that respiratory pathogens are commonly hosted by bighorn sheep populations and often reduce recruitment rates; however ecological factors may interact with the pathogens to determine population-level effects. Elucidation of such factors could provide insights for management approaches that alleviate the effects of respiratory pathogens in bighorn sheep. Nevertheless, minimizing the introduction of novel pathogens from domestic sheep and goats remains imperative to bighorn sheep conservation.
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27
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Conner MM, Stephenson TR, German DW, Monteith KL, Few AP, Bair EH. Survival analysis: Informing recovery of Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. J Wildl Manage 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mary M. Conner
- Utah State University; Department of Wildland Resources; 5320 Old Main Hill Logan UT 84322 USA
| | - Thomas R. Stephenson
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife; Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program; 787 North Main Street, Suite 220 Bishop CA 93515 USA
| | - David W. German
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife; Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program; 787 North Main Street, Suite 220 Bishop CA 93515 USA
| | - Kevin L. Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology; University of Wyoming; 804 East Fremont Laramie WY 82072 USA
| | - Alexandra P. Few
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife; Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program; 787 North Main Street, Suite 220 Bishop CA 93515 USA
| | - Edward H. Bair
- University of California; Earth Research Institute; 6832 Ellison Hall Santa Barbara CA 93106-3060 USA
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28
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Elbroch LM, Lowrey B, Wittmer HU. The importance of fieldwork over predictive modeling in quantifying predation events of carnivores marked with GPS technology. J Mammal 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyx176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Blake Lowrey
- Systems Ecology Program, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, USA
| | - Heiko U Wittmer
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
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29
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Boyce MS, Krausman PR. Special section: Controversies in mountain sheep management. J Wildl Manage 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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30
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31
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Monteith KL, Long RA, Stephenson TR, Bleich VC, Bowyer RT, Lasharr TN. Horn size and nutrition in mountain sheep: Can ewe handle the truth? J Wildl Manage 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin L. Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitDepartment of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming 804 East Fremont St. Laramie WY 82072 USA
| | - Ryan A. Long
- Department of Fish and Wildlife SciencesUniversity of Idaho 875 Perimeter Dr., MS 1142 Moscow ID 83844 USA
| | - Thomas R. Stephenson
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery ProgramCalifornia Department of Fish and Wildlife 787 North Main Street, Suite 220 Bishop CA 93514 USA
| | - Vernon C. Bleich
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental ScienceUniversity of Nevada Reno Mail Stop 186, 1664 North Virginia Street Reno NV 89557 USA
| | - R. Terry Bowyer
- Institute of Arctic BiologyUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks Box 757000 Fairbanks AK 99775 USA
| | - Tayler N. Lasharr
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and PhysiologyUniversity of Wyoming Dept. 3166, 1000 E. University Ave Laramie WY 82071 USA
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32
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Moll RJ, Redilla KM, Mudumba T, Muneza AB, Gray SM, Abade L, Hayward MW, Millspaugh JJ, Montgomery RA. The many faces of fear: a synthesis of the methodological variation in characterizing predation risk. J Anim Ecol 2017; 86:749-765. [PMID: 28390066 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Predators affect prey by killing them directly (lethal effects) and by inducing costly antipredator behaviours in living prey (risk effects). Risk effects can strongly influence prey populations and cascade through trophic systems. A prerequisite for assessing risk effects is characterizing the spatiotemporal variation in predation risk. Risk effects research has experienced rapid growth in the last several decades. However, preliminary assessments of the resultant literature suggest that researchers characterize predation risk using a variety of techniques. The implications of this methodological variation for inference and comparability among studies have not been well recognized or formally synthesized. We couple a literature survey with a hierarchical framework, developed from established theory, to quantify the methodological variation in characterizing risk using carnivore-ungulate systems as a case study. Via this process, we documented 244 metrics of risk from 141 studies falling into at least 13 distinct subcategories within three broader categories. Both empirical and theoretical work suggest risk and its effects on prey constitute a complex, multi-dimensional process with expressions varying by spatiotemporal scale. Our survey suggests this multi-scale complexity is reflected in the literature as a whole but often underappreciated in any given study, which complicates comparability among studies and leads to an overemphasis on documenting the presence of risk effects rather than their mechanisms or scale of influence. We suggest risk metrics be placed in a more concrete conceptual framework to clarify inference surrounding risk effects and their cascading effects throughout ecosystems. We recommend studies (i) take a multi-scale approach to characterizing risk; (ii) explicitly consider 'true' predation risk (probability of predation per unit time); and (iii) use risk metrics that facilitate comparison among studies and the evaluation of multiple competing hypotheses. Addressing the pressing questions in risk effects research, including how, to what extent and on what scale they occur, requires leveraging the advantages of the many methods available to characterize risk while minimizing the confusion caused by variability in their application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remington J Moll
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Kyle M Redilla
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Tutilo Mudumba
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Arthur B Muneza
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Giraffe Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 51061 GPO, Nairobi, 00100, Kenya
| | - Steven M Gray
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Leandro Abade
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Matt W Hayward
- School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK.,Centre for African Conservation Ecology, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa.,Centre for Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria, X001, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Joshua J Millspaugh
- Wildlife Biology Program, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | - Robert A Montgomery
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road, Room 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
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Hervieux D, Hebblewhite M, Stepnisky D, Bacon M, Boutin S. Managing wolves (Canis lupus) to recover threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Alberta. CAN J ZOOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2014-0142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Across Canada, woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) populations are declining because of human-induced changes to food webs that are resulting in apparent competition-induced increases in predator-caused caribou mortality. We tested the hypothesis that wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758) population reduction could reverse declines in a woodland caribou population following a BACI (before-after-control-impact) design conducted over a 12-year period in west-central Alberta, Canada. We monitored annual survival for 172 adult female caribou and calf recruitment from 2000 through 2012 and conducted a provincial government delivered wolf population reduction program annually during the winters of 2005–2006 to 2012 (inclusive) in an area centered on the Little Smoky range. Wolf removal translated to a 4.6% increase in mean population growth rate of the Little Smoky population mostly through improvements in calf recruitment. In contrast, the Red Rock Prairie Creek control population exhibited a 4.7% decline. Although the wolf population reduction program appeared to stabilize the Little Smoky population, it did not lead to population increase, however, with λ remaining approximately equal to 1. Therefore, we recommend, if required, predation management be combined with effective habitat conservation and long-term planning to effect the recovery of species, such as woodland caribou, which are declining as a result of habitat-mediated apparent competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dave Hervieux
- Resource Management - Operations Division, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6J4, Canada
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Dave Stepnisky
- Resource Management - Operations Division, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6J4, Canada
| | - Michelle Bacon
- Resource Management - Operations Division, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6J4, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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Clark DA, Davidson GA, Johnson BK, Anthony RG. Cougar kill rates and prey selection in a multiple-prey system in northeast Oregon. J Wildl Manage 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Darren A. Clark
- Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Department of Fisheries and Wildlife; Oregon State University; Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Gregory A. Davidson
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; 1401 Gekeler Lane; La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Bruce K. Johnson
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; 1401 Gekeler Lane; La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Robert G. Anthony
- Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Department of Fisheries and Wildlife; Oregon State University; Corvallis OR 97331 USA
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35
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Elbroch LM, Allen ML, Lowrey BH, Wittmer HU. The difference between killing and eating: ecological shortcomings of puma energetic models. Ecosphere 2014. [DOI: 10.1890/es13-00373.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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36
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Monteith KL, Bleich VC, Stephenson TR, Pierce BM, Conner MM, Kie JG, Bowyer RT. Life-history characteristics of mule deer: Effects of nutrition in a variable environment. WILDLIFE MONOGRAPHS 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/wmon.1011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin L. Monteith
- Department of Biological Sciences; Idaho State University; 921 S. 8th Ave Stop 8007 Pocatello ID 83209 USA
| | - Vernon C. Bleich
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program; California Department of Fish and Wildlife; 407 West Line Street Bishop CA 93514 USA
| | - Thomas R. Stephenson
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program; California Department of Fish and Wildlife; 407 West Line Street Bishop CA 93514 USA
| | - Becky M. Pierce
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program; California Department of Fish and Wildlife; 407 West Line Street Bishop CA 93514 USA
| | - Mary M. Conner
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program; California Department of Fish and Wildlife; 407 West Line Street Bishop CA 93514 USA
| | - John G. Kie
- Department of Biological Sciences; Idaho State University; 921 S. 8th Ave Stop 8007 Pocatello ID 83209 USA
| | - R. Terry Bowyer
- Department of Biological Sciences; Idaho State University; 921 S. 8th Ave Stop 8007 Pocatello ID 83209 USA
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37
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Elbroch LM, Lendrum PE, Newby J, Quigley H, Craighead D. Seasonal foraging ecology of non-migratory cougars in a system with migrating prey. PLoS One 2013; 8:e83375. [PMID: 24349498 PMCID: PMC3861499 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 11/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
We tested for seasonal differences in cougar (Puma concolor) foraging behaviors in the Southern Yellowstone Ecosystem, a multi-prey system in which ungulate prey migrate, and cougars do not. We recorded 411 winter prey and 239 summer prey killed by 28 female and 10 male cougars, and an additional 37 prey items by unmarked cougars. Deer composed 42.4% of summer cougar diets but only 7.2% of winter diets. Males and females, however, selected different proportions of different prey; male cougars selected more elk (Cervus elaphus) and moose (Alces alces) than females, while females killed greater proportions of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and small prey than males. Kill rates did not vary by season or between males and females. In winter, cougars were more likely to kill prey on the landscape as: 1) elevation decreased, 2) distance to edge habitat decreased, 3) distance to large bodies of water decreased, and 4) steepness increased, whereas in summer, cougars were more likely to kill in areas as: 1) elevation decreased, 2) distance to edge habitat decreased, and 3) distance from large bodies of water increased. Our work highlighted that seasonal prey selection exhibited by stationary carnivores in systems with migratory prey is not only driven by changing prey vulnerability, but also by changing prey abundances. Elk and deer migrations may also be sustaining stationary cougar populations and creating apparent competition scenarios that result in higher predation rates on migratory bighorn sheep in winter and pronghorn in summer. Nevertheless, cougar predation on rare ungulates also appeared to be influenced by individual prey selection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jesse Newby
- Craighead Beringia South, Kelly, Wyoming, United States of America
| | | | - Derek Craighead
- Craighead Beringia South, Kelly, Wyoming, United States of America
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38
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Hervieux D, Hebblewhite M, DeCesare N, Russell M, Smith K, Robertson S, Boutin S. Widespread declines in woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) continue in Alberta. CAN J ZOOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2013-0123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Nowhere across Canada is the continued persistence of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) more uncertain than in Alberta due to widespread industrial development. A recent Government of Canada critical habitat review determined that habitat conditions within all Alberta boreal ecotype caribou ranges are unlikely or very unlikely to allow for self-sustaining caribou populations. This habitat-based assessment was based only indirectly on empirical population trends. Here, we estimated empirical population trend and growth rate (λ) for 13 of Alberta’s 16 remaining woodland caribou populations (plus one adjacent population from Saskatchewan) from 1994 to 2012 using demographic monitoring of adult female survival and calf recruitment. We captured and radio-collared a total of 1337 adult female caribou in 14 populations and estimated the mean annual adult female survival across all populations as 0.851. We conducted 158 late-winter calf recruitment surveys across the 14 populations classifying 20 872 caribou and estimated mean recruitment of 0.154 calves/cow (i.e., 0.077 female calves/cow). We then combined annual estimates of adult female survival and female calf recruitment within each population in a simple age-structured population model to estimate population trend. Annual population growth rate across caribou populations averaged 0.918, and was significantly declining, λ < 1.0, for 10 of the 14 caribou populations. Our results confirm that woodland caribou are declining rapidly (with a realized decline of approximately 50% every 8 years) across Alberta, and support conclusions from previous habitat-based assessments that the population viability of caribou is currently compromised, supporting development and implementation of recovery actions to reverse trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Hervieux
- Operations Division (Fisheries and Wildlife), Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6J4, Canada
| | - M. Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - N.J. DeCesare
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - M. Russell
- Operations Division (Fisheries and Wildlife), Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6J4, Canada
| | - K. Smith
- Operations Division (Fisheries and Wildlife), Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6J4, Canada
| | - S. Robertson
- Operations Division (Fisheries and Wildlife), Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6J4, Canada
| | - S. Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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