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Randolph JF, Young JK, Stoner DC, Garcelon DK. Impacts of management practices on habitat selection during juvenile mountain lion dispersal. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70097. [PMID: 39091328 PMCID: PMC11293884 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Dispersal is a complex series of movements before an individual establishes a home range. Animals must travel and forage in unfamiliar landscapes that include anthropogenic risks such as road crossings, harvest, and urban landscapes. We compare dispersal behavior of juvenile mountain lions (Puma concolor) from two geographically distinct populations in California and Nevada, USA. These two sites are ecologically similar but have different management practices; hunting is permitted in Nevada, whereas mountain lions are protected in California. We used GPS-collar data and net-squared displacement analysis to identify three dispersal states: exploratory, departure, and transient home range. We then compared each dispersal state of the two mountain lion populations using an integrated step selection analysis (iSSA). The model included explanatory variables hypothesized to influence one or more dispersal states, including distance to forest, shrub, water, hay and crop, developed lands, and four-wheel drive roads, as well as elevation and terrain ruggedness. Results revealed consistent habitat selection between sites across most landscape variables, with one notable exception: anthropogenic covariates, including distance to developed land, distance to hay and crop, and distance to four-wheeled drive roads, were only statistically significant on modeled habitat selection during dispersal in the population subject to hunting (i.e., Nevada). Results suggest that hunting (pursuit with hounds resulting in harvest) and non-lethal pursuit (pursuit with hounds but no harvest allowed) increase avoidance of anthropogenic landscapes during dispersal for juvenile mountain lions. By comparing populations, we provided valuable insights into the role of management in shaping dispersal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- John F. Randolph
- Department of Wildland ResourcesUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
- Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
- Institute for Wildlife StudiesArcataCaliforniaUSA
| | - Julie K. Young
- Department of Wildland ResourcesUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
- Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
| | - David C. Stoner
- Department of Wildland ResourcesUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
- Ecology CenterUtah State UniversityLoganUtahUSA
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2
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Barnas AF, Ladle A, Burgar JM, Burton AC, Boyce MS, Eliuk L, Grey F, Heim N, Paczkowski J, Stewart FEC, Tattersall E, Fisher JT. How landscape traits affect boreal mammal responses to anthropogenic disturbance. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 915:169285. [PMID: 38103612 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169285] [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: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Understanding mammalian responses to anthropogenic disturbance is challenging, as ecological processes and the patterns arising therefrom notoriously change across spatial and temporal scales, and among different landscape contexts. Responses to local scale disturbances are likely influenced by landscape context (e.g., overall landscape-level disturbance, landscape-level productivity). Hierarchical approaches considering small-scale sampling sites as nested holons within larger-scale landscapes, which constrain processes in lower-level holons, can potentially explain differences in ecological processes between multiple locations. We tested hypotheses about mammal responses to disturbance and interactions among holons using collected images from 957 camera sites across 9 landscapes in Alberta from 2007 to 2020 and examined occurrence for 11 mammal species using generalized linear mixed models. White-tailed deer occurred more in higher disturbed sites within lower disturbed landscapes (β = -0.30 [-0.4 to -0.15]), whereas occurrence was greater in highly disturbed sites within highly disturbed landscapes for moose (β = 0.20 [0.09-0.31]), coyote (β = 0.20 [0.08-0.26]), and lynx (β = 0.20 [0.07-0.26]). High disturbance sites in high productivity landscapes had higher occurrence of black bears (β = -0.20 [-0.46 to -0.01]), lynx (β = -0.70 [-0.97 to -0.34]), and wolves (β = -0.50 [-0.73 to -0.21]). Conversely, we found higher probability of occurrence in low productivity landscapes with increasing site disturbance for mule deer (β = 0.80 [0.39-1.14]), and white-tailed deer (β = 0.20 [0.01-0.47]). We found the ecological context created by aggregate sums (high overall landscape disturbance), and by subcontinental hydrogeological processes in which that landscape is embedded (high landscape productivity), alter mammalian responses to anthropogenic disturbance at local scales. These responses also vary by species, which has implications for large-scale conservation planning. Management interventions must consider large-scale geoclimatic processes and geographic location of a landscape when assessing wildlife responses to disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F Barnas
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada.
| | - Andrew Ladle
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Joanna M Burgar
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada; Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - A Cole Burton
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Mark S Boyce
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Laura Eliuk
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | - Fabian Grey
- Whitefish Lake First Nation #459, Atikameg, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nicole Heim
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | - John Paczkowski
- Government of Alberta, Forests, Parks, and Tourism, Canmore, Alberta, Canada
| | - Frances E C Stewart
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada; Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario (Haldimand Tract), Canada
| | - Erin Tattersall
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jason T Fisher
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
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3
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Brown L, Zedrosser A, Arnemo JM, Fuchs B, Kindberg J, Pelletier F. Landscape of fear or landscape of food? Moose hunting triggers an antipredator response in brown bears. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2840. [PMID: 36912774 PMCID: PMC10909462 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Hunters can affect the behavior of wildlife by inducing a landscape of fear, selecting individuals with specific traits, or altering resource availability across the landscape. Most research investigating the influence of hunting on wildlife resource selection has focused on target species and less attention has been devoted to nontarget species, such as scavengers that can be both attracted or repelled by hunting activities. We used resource selection functions to identify areas where hunters were most likely to kill moose (Alces alces) in south-central Sweden during the fall. Then, we used step-selection functions to determine whether female brown bears (Ursus arctos) selected or avoided these areas and specific resources during the moose hunting season. We found that, during both day and nighttime, female brown bears avoided areas where hunters were more likely to kill moose. We found evidence that resource selection by brown bears varied substantially during the fall and that some behavioral changes were consistent with disturbance associated with moose hunters. Brown bears were more likely to select concealed locations in young (i.e., regenerating) and coniferous forests and areas further away from roads during the moose hunting season. Our results suggest that brown bears react to both spatial and temporal variations in apparent risk during the fall: moose hunters create a landscape of fear and trigger an antipredator response in a large carnivore even if bears are not specifically targeted during the moose hunting season. Such antipredator responses might lead to indirect habitat loss and lower foraging efficiency and the resulting consequences should be considered when planning hunting seasons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludovick Brown
- Département de biologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeCanada
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental HealthUniversity of South‐Eastern NorwayBø in TelemarkNorway
- Institute for Wildlife Biology and Game ManagementUniversity for Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Jon M. Arnemo
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental StudiesSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUmeåSweden
| | - Boris Fuchs
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
| | - Jonas Kindberg
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental StudiesSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUmeåSweden
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchTrondheimNorway
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de biologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeCanada
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4
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Boucher NP, Anderson M, Ladle A, Procter C, Marshall S, Kuzyk G, Starzomski BM, Fisher JT. Cumulative effects of widespread landscape change alter predator-prey dynamics. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11692. [PMID: 35804035 PMCID: PMC9270463 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15001-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Predator search efficiency can be enhanced by anthropogenic landscape change, leading to increased predator–prey encounters and subsequent prey population declines. Logging increases early successional vegetation, providing ungulate forage. This increased forage, however, is accompanied by linear feature networks that increase predator hunting efficiency by facilitating predator movement and increasing prey vulnerability. We used integrated step selection analyses to weigh support for multiple hypotheses representing the combined impact of logging features (cutblocks and linear features) on wolf (Canis lupus) movement and habitat selection in interior British Columbia. Further, we examine the relationship between logging and wolf kill-sites of moose (Alces alces) identified using spatiotemporal wolf location cluster analysis. Wolves selected for linear features, which increased their movement rates. New (0–8 years since harvest) cutblocks were selected by wolves. Moose kill-sites had a higher probability of occurring in areas with higher proportions of new and regenerating (9–24 years since harvest) cutblocks. The combined selection and movement responses by wolves to logging features, coupled with increased moose mortality sites associated with cutblocks, indicate that landscape change increases risk for moose. Cumulative effects of landscape change contribute to moose population declines, stressing the importance of cohesive management and restoration of anthropogenic features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole P Boucher
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada.
| | - Morgan Anderson
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, 2000 South Ospika Boulevard, Prince George, BC, V2N 4W5, Canada
| | - Andrew Ladle
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Chris Procter
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, 1259 Dalhousie Drive, Kamloops, BC, V2C 5Z5, Canada
| | - Shelley Marshall
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, 2080 Labieux Road, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6J9, Canada
| | - Gerald Kuzyk
- Government of Saskatchewan Fish, Wildlife and Lands Branch, Ministry of Environment, Unit #1-101 Railway Place, Box 607, Meadow Lake, SK, S9X 1Y5, Canada
| | - Brian M Starzomski
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - Jason T Fisher
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 2Y2, Canada
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5
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Uzal A, Martinez-Artero J, Ordiz A, Zarzo-Arias A, Penteriani V. Habitat characteristics around dens in female brown bears with cubs are density dependent. MAMMAL RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-022-00640-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The mechanisms determining habitat use in animal populations have important implications for population dynamics, conservation, and management. Here, we investigated how an increase in annual numbers of brown bear females with cubs of the year (FCOY) in a growing, yet threatened population, could explain differences in the habitat characteristics around reproductive dens. Habitat characteristics around FCOY dens were compared between a low bear density period (1995–2005) and a period when the population was increasing (2006–2016). We also compared the distance to the nearest breeding area and to all other breeding areas observed during the same year. The results suggested that during the second period, breeding areas were closer to rivers, fruit trees, and anthropogenic sources of disturbance (trails, highways) than in 1995–2005. There were also shorter distances to the closest neighboring breeding area, while the mean distance among FCOY breeding areas increased as the population grew and expanded at the landscape level. These changes may reflect that the best den locations were increasingly occupied (i.e., ideal-despotic distribution), and may be further explained by the avoidance of conspecifics by FCOY in a critical time of the year, when newborn cubs are most vulnerable. We suggest that both density-dependent factors and human-related features of the landscape are crucial to understanding long-term dynamics in the habitat use of a threatened species.
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Frankish CK, Manica A, Clay TA, Wood AG, Phillips RA. Ontogeny of movement patterns and habitat selection in juvenile albatrosses. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin K. Frankish
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council Cambridge UK
- Dept of Zoology, Univ. of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | | | - Thomas A. Clay
- School of Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Liverpool Liverpool UK
- Inst. of Marine Sciences, Univ. of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Andrew G. Wood
- British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council Cambridge UK
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7
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Whittington J, Hebblewhite M, Baron RW, Ford AT, Paczkowski J. Towns and trails drive carnivore movement behaviour, resource selection, and connectivity. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:17. [PMID: 35395833 PMCID: PMC8994267 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00318-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Global increases in human activity threaten connectivity of animal habitat and populations. Protection and restoration of wildlife habitat and movement corridors require robust models to forecast the effects of human activity on movement behaviour, resource selection, and connectivity. Recent research suggests that animal resource selection and responses to human activity depend on their behavioural movement state, with increased tolerance for human activity in fast states of movement. Yet, few studies have incorporated state-dependent movement behaviour into analyses of Merriam connectivity, that is individual-based metrics of connectivity that incorporate landscape structure and movement behaviour. METHODS We assessed the cumulative effects of anthropogenic development on multiple movement processes including movement behaviour, resource selection, and Merriam connectivity. We simulated movement paths using hidden Markov movement models and step selection functions to estimate habitat use and connectivity for three landscape scenarios: reference conditions with no anthropogenic development, current conditions, and future conditions with a simulated expansion of towns and recreational trails. Our analysis used 20 years of grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) and gray wolf (Canis lupus) movement data collected in and around Banff National Park, Canada. RESULTS Carnivores increased their speed of travel near towns and areas of high trail and road density, presumably to avoid encounters with people. They exhibited stronger avoidance of anthropogenic development when foraging and resting compared to travelling and during the day compared to night. Wolves exhibited stronger avoidance of anthropogenic development than grizzly bears. Current development reduced the amount of high-quality habitat between two mountain towns by more than 35%. Habitat degradation constrained movement routes around towns and was most pronounced for foraging and resting behaviour. Current anthropogenic development reduced connectivity from reference conditions an average of 85%. Habitat quality and connectivity further declined under a future development scenario. CONCLUSIONS Our results highlight the cumulative effects of anthropogenic development on carnivore movement behaviour, habitat use, and connectivity. Our strong behaviour-specific responses to human activity suggest that conservation initiatives should consider how proposed developments and restoration actions would affect where animals travel and how they use the landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse Whittington
- Park Canada, Banff National Park Resource Conservation, PO Box 900, Banff, AB T1L 1K2 Canada
| | - Mark 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 59801 USA
| | - Robin W. Baron
- Park Canada, Banff National Park Resource Conservation, PO Box 900, Banff, AB T1L 1K2 Canada
| | - Adam T. Ford
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7 Canada
| | - John Paczkowski
- Alberta Environment and Parks, Kananaskis Region, 201, 800 Railway Avenue, Canmore, AB T1W 1P1 Canada
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8
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Smartphone app reveals that lynx avoid human recreationists on local scale, but not home range scale. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4787. [PMID: 35314717 PMCID: PMC8938439 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08468-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Outdoor recreation is increasing and affects habitat use and selection by wildlife. These effects are challenging to study, especially for elusive species with large spatial requirements, as it is hard to obtain reliable proxies of recreational intensity over extensive areas. Commonly used proxies, such as the density of, or distance to, hiking paths, ignore outdoor recreation occurring on other linear feature types. Here we utilized crowdsourced data from the Strava training app to obtain a large-scale proxy for pedestrian outdoor recreation intensity in southeast Norway. We used the proxy and GPS-tracking data from collared Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) to investigate how recreation affects habitat selection at the home range scale and local scale by lynx during summer. We fitted resource selection functions at the two scales using conditional logistic regression. Our analysis revealed that lynx avoided areas of recreational activity at the local scale, but not at home range scale. Nonetheless, lynx frequently used areas associated with recreation, and to a greater degree at night than during the day. Our results suggest that local-scale avoidance of recreation and temporal adjustments of habitat use by lynx mitigate the need for a home range-scale response towards recreation. Scale-dependent responses and temporal adjustments in habitat use may facilitate coexistence between humans and large carnivores.
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9
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Lewis JS, Spaulding S, Swanson H, Keeley W, Gramza AR, VandeWoude S, Crooks KR. Human activity influences wildlife populations and activity patterns: implications for spatial and temporal refuges. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jesse S. Lewis
- College of Integrative Sciences and Arts Arizona State University Mesa Arizona85212USA
| | - Susan Spaulding
- Boulder County Parks and Open Space Longmont Colorado80503USA
| | - Heather Swanson
- City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Boulder Colorado80303USA
| | - William Keeley
- City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Boulder Colorado80303USA
| | - Ashley R. Gramza
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado80523USA
| | - Sue VandeWoude
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado80523USA
| | - Kevin R. Crooks
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado80523USA
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10
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Munden R, Börger L, Wilson RP, Redcliffe J, Brown R, Garel M, Potts JR. Why did the animal turn? Time‐varying step selection analysis for inference between observed turning‐points in high frequency data. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rhys Munden
- School of Mathematics and Statistics University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK
- Centre for Biomathematics College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Department of Biosciences College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK
| | - James Redcliffe
- Department of Biosciences College of Science Swansea University Swansea UK
| | - Rowan Brown
- College of Engineering Swansea UniversityBay Campus Wales UK
| | - Mathieu Garel
- Office Français de la BiodiversitéUnité Ongulés Sauvages Gières France
| | - Jonathan R. Potts
- School of Mathematics and Statistics University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
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11
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De Angelis D, Huber D, Reljic S, Ciucci P, Kusak J. Factors affecting the home range of Dinaric-Pindos brown bears. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Studying how animals interact with their environment is fundamental to informing conservation and management efforts, especially when examining large, wide-ranging carnivores in human-dominated landscapes. We hypothesized that the home ranges of bears are configured to exploit supplemental food (corn) and avoid people. In 2004–2016, we tracked 10 brown bears from the Dinaric-Pindos population using GPS telemetry, then used Brownian bridge movement models to estimate their home ranges. We related seasonal home range size to circadian period and density of supplemental feeding sites using generalized linear mixed-effect models. We also used ecological-niche factor analysis to study habitat composition within home range core areas in study areas characterized by different levels of human encroachment. We found that home range size was inversely related to density of supplemental feeding sites, and bears had larger home ranges at night (x̅ = 103.3 ± 72.8 km2) than during the day (x̅ = 62.3 ± 16.6 km2). Our results also revealed that bears living in more human-influenced areas concentrated their use far from human settlements and agricultural lands but stayed close to supplemental feeding sites. Our data suggest that bears alter their space-use patterns at the home range level in response to anthropogenic land use and food availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele De Angelis
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Universita` 32, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Djuro Huber
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza Av. 33, 31120 Kraków, Poland
| | - Slaven Reljic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Paolo Ciucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Universita` 32, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Josip Kusak
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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12
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Glass TW, Breed GA, Liston GE, Reinking AK, Robards MD, Kielland K. Spatiotemporally variable snow properties drive habitat use of an Arctic mesopredator. Oecologia 2021; 195:887-899. [PMID: 33683443 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04890-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Climate change is rapidly altering the composition and availability of snow, with implications for snow-affected ecological processes, including reproduction, predation, habitat selection, and migration. How snowpack changes influence these ecological processes is mediated by physical snowpack properties, such as depth, density, hardness, and strength, each of which is in turn affected by climate change. Despite this, it remains difficult to obtain meaningful snow information relevant to the ecological processes of interest, precluding a mechanistic understanding of these effects. This problem is acute for species that rely on particular attributes of the subnivean space, for example depth, thermal resistance, and structural stability, for key life-history processes like reproduction, thermoregulation, and predation avoidance. We used a spatially explicit snow evolution model to investigate how habitat selection of a species that uses the subnivean space, the wolverine, is related to snow depth, snow density, and snow melt on Arctic tundra. We modeled these snow properties at a 10 m spatial and a daily temporal resolution for 3 years, and used integrated step selection analyses of GPS collar data from 21 wolverines to determine how these snow properties influenced habitat selection and movement. We found that wolverines selected deeper, denser snow, but only when it was not undergoing melt, bolstering the evidence that these snow properties are important to species that use the Arctic snowpack for subnivean resting sites and dens. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of climate change impacts on subnivean species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W Glass
- Wildlife Conservation Society, PO Box 751110, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA. .,Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 756100, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA.
| | - Greg A Breed
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 756100, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA.,Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Glen E Liston
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, 1375 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Adele K Reinking
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, 1375 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Martin D Robards
- Wildlife Conservation Society, PO Box 751110, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Knut Kielland
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 756100, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA.,Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
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13
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Parsons B, Coops N, Kearney S, Burton A, Nelson T, Stenhouse G. Road visibility influences habitat selection by grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos horribilis). CAN J ZOOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2020-0125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic disturbances, including roads, are known to influence animal habitat selection and mortality. In this study, we consider the role of sensory perception in understanding why and how animals respond to disturbances. Our goal was to investigate the effect of visual perception (visibility) around roads on grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis Ord, 1815) habitat selection and mortality in Alberta, Canada. We used detailed topographic and vegetation data from airborne light detection and ranging (lidar) to estimate visibility around roads. We modelled habitat selection as a function of road visibility and environmental variables using GPS telemetry data from 39 grizzly bears and integrated step selection analysis (iSSA). Finally, we assessed mortality risk in visible areas by comparing habitat selection between grizzly bears that died and those that survived. We found that grizzly bears were less likely to select visible areas when moving slowly or resting, but were more likely to select visible areas when travelling. We found that grizzly bears that survived selected for areas farther from roads than grizzly bears that died. However, no difference in selection for visible areas was observed. An exploratory analysis showed that grizzly bear mortalities commonly occurred in visible areas. Our findings highlight the importance of sensory perception in understanding animal behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- B.M. Parsons
- Department of Forest Resources Management, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - N.C. Coops
- Department of Forest Resources Management, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - S.P. Kearney
- USDA Agricultural Research Service, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - A.C. Burton
- Department of Forest Resources Management, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - T.A. Nelson
- Department of Geography, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060, USA
| | - G.B. Stenhouse
- fRI Research, 1176 Switzer Drive, Hinton, AB T7V 1V3, Canada
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14
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Abstract
The effects of human disturbance spread over virtually all ecosystems and ecological communities on Earth. In this review, we focus on the effects of human disturbance on terrestrial apex predators. We summarize their ecological role in nature and how they respond to different sources of human disturbance. Apex predators control their prey and smaller predators numerically and via behavioral changes to avoid predation risk, which in turn can affect lower trophic levels. Crucially, reducing population numbers and triggering behavioral responses are also the effects that human disturbance causes to apex predators, which may in turn influence their ecological role. Some populations continue to be at the brink of extinction, but others are partially recovering former ranges, via natural recolonization and through reintroductions. Carnivore recovery is both good news for conservation and a challenge for management, particularly when recovery occurs in human-dominated landscapes. Therefore, we conclude by discussing several management considerations that, adapted to local contexts, may favor the recovery of apex predator populations and their ecological functions in nature.
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15
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Goodbody TR, Coops NC, Srivastava V, Parsons B, Kearney SP, Rickbeil GJ, Stenhouse GB. Mapping recreation and tourism use across grizzly bear recovery areas using social network data and maximum entropy modelling. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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16
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Naidoo R, Burton AC. Relative effects of recreational activities on a temperate terrestrial wildlife assemblage. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Robin Naidoo
- WWF‐US Washington District of Columbia USA
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - A. Cole Burton
- Department of Forest Resources Management Forest Sciences Centre Vancouver British Columbia Canada
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17
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Effective corridor width: linking the spatial ecology of wildlife with land use policy. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-020-01385-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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18
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Wilson AE, Kearney S, Wismer D, Macbeth B, Stenhouse G, Coops NC, Janz DM. Population‐level monitoring of stress in grizzly bears between 2004 and 2014. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Abbey E. Wilson
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences University of Saskatchewan 44 Campus Drive Saskatoon SaskatchewanS7N 5B3Canada
| | - Sean Kearney
- Department of Forest Resource Management University of British Columbia 2424 Main Mall Vancouver British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - Dan Wismer
- Grizzly Bear Program Foothills Research Institute 1176 Switzer Drive Hinton AlbertaT7V 1V3Canada
| | - Bryan Macbeth
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, and Rural Development 2080 Labieux Road Nanaimo British ColumbiaV9T 6J9Canada
| | - Gordon Stenhouse
- Grizzly Bear Program Foothills Research Institute 1176 Switzer Drive Hinton AlbertaT7V 1V3Canada
| | - Nicholas C. Coops
- Department of Forest Resource Management University of British Columbia 2424 Main Mall Vancouver British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - David M. Janz
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences University of Saskatchewan 44 Campus Drive Saskatoon SaskatchewanS7N 5B3Canada
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19
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Green DS, Holekamp KE. Pastoralist activities affect the movement patterns of a large African carnivore, the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). J Mammal 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Populations of large carnivores are declining in many parts of the world due to anthropogenic activity. Some species of large carnivores, however, are able to coexist with people by altering their behavior. Altered behaviors may be challenging to identify in large carnivores because these animals are typically cryptic, nocturnal, live at low densities, and because changes in their behavior may be subtle or emerge slowly over many years. We studied the effects of livestock presence on the movements of one large carnivore, the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). We fit 22 adult female spotted hyenas with GPS collars to quantify their movements in areas with and without livestock or herders present, in and around a protected area in southwestern Kenya. We investigated anthropogenic, social, and ecological effects on the speed of movement, distances traveled, long-distance movements, and extraterritorial excursions by spotted hyenas. Hyenas living primarily within the protected area, but in the presence of livestock and herders, moved faster, traveled over longer distances, and were more likely to be within their territories than did conspecifics living in areas without livestock and herders. Hyenas of low social rank were more likely than hyenas of high social rank to engage in long-distance travel events, and these were more likely to occur when prey were scarce. The movement patterns of this large African carnivore indicate a flexibility that may allow them to persist in landscapes that are becoming increasingly defined by people.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Green
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
- Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
| | - Kay E Holekamp
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
- Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
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20
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Reinking AK, Smith KT, Mong TW, Read MJ, Beck JL. Across scales, pronghorn select sagebrush, avoid fences, and show negative responses to anthropogenic features in winter. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adele K. Reinking
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management University of Wyoming 1000 E University Avenue Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
| | - Kurt T. Smith
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management University of Wyoming 1000 E University Avenue Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
| | - Tony W. Mong
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department Green River Regional Office 351 W Astle Avenue Green River Wyoming 82935 USA
| | - Mary J. Read
- Bureau of Land Management Rawlins Field Office 1300 3rd Street Rawlins Wyoming 82301 USA
| | - Jeffrey L. Beck
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management University of Wyoming 1000 E University Avenue Laramie Wyoming 82071 USA
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