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Alston JM, Fleming CH, Kays R, Streicher JP, Downs CT, Ramesh T, Reineking B, Calabrese JM. Mitigating pseudoreplication and bias in resource selection functions with autocorrelation‐informed weighting. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.14025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jesse M. Alston
- Center for Advanced Systems Understanding Görlitz Germany
- Helmholtz‐Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf (HZDR) Dresden Germany
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA
| | - Christen H. Fleming
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park Front Royal Virginia USA
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park Maryland USA
| | - Roland Kays
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh North Carolina USA
| | - Jarryd P. Streicher
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Pietermaritzburg South Africa
| | - Colleen T. Downs
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Pietermaritzburg South Africa
| | - Tharmalingam Ramesh
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Pietermaritzburg South Africa
- Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) Coimbatore Tamil Nadu India
| | - Björn Reineking
- Université Grenoble Alpes, INRAE, LESSEM Saint‐Martin‐d'Hères France
| | - Justin M. Calabrese
- Center for Advanced Systems Understanding Görlitz Germany
- Helmholtz‐Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf (HZDR) Dresden Germany
- Department of Ecological Modelling Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) Leipzig Germany
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2
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Sigaud M, Mason THE, Barnier F, Cherry SG, Fortin D. Emerging conflict between conservation programmes: when a threatened vertebrate facilitates the dispersal of exotic species in a rare plant community. Anim Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Sigaud
- Département de Biologie et Centre d’Étude de la Forêt Université Laval Québec QC Canada
- Primate Research Institute Kyoto University Inuyama Japan
| | - T. H. E. Mason
- Département de Biologie et Centre d’Étude de la Forêt Université Laval Québec QC Canada
- Biological and Environmental Sciences School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling UK
| | - F. Barnier
- Département de Biologie et Centre d’Étude de la Forêt Université Laval Québec QC Canada
- UMS Patrimoine Naturel Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Paris France
| | - S. G. Cherry
- Parks Canada Agency Radium Hot Springs BC Canada
| | - D. Fortin
- Département de Biologie et Centre d’Étude de la Forêt Université Laval Québec QC Canada
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3
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Fortin D, Brooke CF, Lamirande P, Fritz H, McLoughlin PD, Pays O. Quantitative Spatial Ecology to Promote Human-Wildlife Coexistence: A Tool for Integrated Landscape Management. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.600363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
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Simon RN, Fortin D. Crop raiders in an ecological trap: optimal foraging individual-based modeling quantifies the effect of alternate crops. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02111. [PMID: 32112455 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Revised: 01/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Crop raiding is an increasing source of human-wildlife conflict that antagonizes humans and can lead to heightened killing of wildlife. Attraction to crops can trigger ecological traps, where animals prefer areas of their range that confer relatively low fitness. Food can be used to draw animals away from problematic areas, but an alternative considered less often is to replace high-quality food with poorer alternatives. In any case, managers often have no means of anticipating by how much such interventions should impact animal use of space. Optimal foraging theory predicts that foragers optimizing their diet should choose food items according to their relative profitability (i.e., digestible energy/ handling time), a theoretical prediction that can orient management actions. Accordingly, we developed an individual-based model (IBM) simulating movement through empirical rules under an optimal foraging framework. Our objective was to quantify the effect size of cultivating alternate crops to reduce crop raiding and the associated human-induced mortality driving an ecological trap for an energy maximizer, plains bison (Bison bison bison). Results showed that almost tripling the area of cultivation of crops of lower profitability (from 24.3% of the bison range outside the protected area in one management scenario to 70.3% in another) only led to a 25% additional decrease in the intensity of crop raiding (from a decrease of 40% in the first scenario to a decrease of 65% in the second). This suggests that localized interventions in the landscape are likely to have a stronger impact in mitigating crop raiding than broad actions ignoring spatial patterns in food distribution. However, we obtained no significant reduction in the number of simulated bison being harvested in the first scenario, and only a small reduction in the second, when the intervention was spatially broad. Our individual-based approach to animal movement informed by optimal foraging demonstrates that linking landscape configuration to mortality rates can help managers anticipate the effectiveness of manipulating food to keep animals away from problematic zones. Yet disarming ecological traps driven by human hunting appears to be a much more challenging undertaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Nouailhetas Simon
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université Laval, Pavillon Alexandre-Vachon, 1045, avenue de la Médecine, bureau 2050, Québec, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Daniel Fortin
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université Laval, Pavillon Alexandre-Vachon, 1045, avenue de la Médecine, bureau 2050, Québec, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada
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5
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Wood KA, Hilton GM, Newth JL, Rees EC. Seasonal variation in energy gain explains patterns of resource use by avian herbivores in an agricultural landscape: Insights from a mechanistic model. Ecol Modell 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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6
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Freezer meals: comparative value of muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) push-ups as late-winter forage for a northern ungulate. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-019-1301-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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7
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Rowland MM, Wisdom MJ, Nielson RM, Cook JG, Cook RC, Johnson BK, Coe PK, Hafer JM, Naylor BJ, Vales DJ, Anthony RG, Cole EK, Danilson CD, Davis RW, Geyer F, Harris S, Irwin LL, McCoy R, Pope MD, Sager-Fradkin K, Vavra M. Modeling Elk Nutrition and Habitat Use in Western Oregon and Washington. WILDLIFE MONOGRAPHS 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/wmon.1033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mary M. Rowland
- U. S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Michael J. Wisdom
- U. S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Ryan M. Nielson
- Western EcoSystems Technology (WEST), Inc.; 2121 Midpoint Drive, Suite 201 Fort Collins CO 80525 USA
| | - John G. Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Rachel C. Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement; 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
| | - Priscilla K. Coe
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Jennifer M. Hafer
- U. S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Bridgett J. Naylor
- U. S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - David J. Vales
- Muckleshoot Indian Tribe; 39015 172nd Avenue SE Auburn WA 98092 USA
| | - Robert G. Anthony
- Oregon State University; 1500 Southwest Jefferson Way Corvallis OR 97331 USA
| | - Eric K. Cole
- U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Elk Refuge; P. O. Box 510, Jackson WY, 83001 USA
| | - Chris D. Danilson
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; Region 4, 111 Sherman Street La Conner WA 98257 USA
| | - Ronald W. Davis
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Urbana IL 61820 USA
| | - Frank Geyer
- Quileute Tribe; 401 Main Street La Push WA 98350 USA
| | - Scott Harris
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife; 48 Devonshire Road Montesano WA 98563 USA
| | - Larry L. Irwin
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement; P. O. Box 68 Stevensville MT 59870 USA
| | - Robert McCoy
- Makah Forestry; P. O. Box 116 Neah Bay WA 98357 USA
| | | | - Kim Sager-Fradkin
- Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Natural Resources; 760 Stratton Road Port Angeles WA 98363 USA
| | - Martin Vavra
- U. S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
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Denryter KA, Cook RC, Cook JG, Parker KL. Straight from the caribou’s (Rangifer tarandus) mouth: detailed observations of tame caribou reveal new insights into summer–autumn diets. CAN J ZOOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
High-quality habitats for caribou (Rangifer tarandus (L., 1758)) are associated primarily with lichens, but lichens alone fail to satisfy summer nutritional requirements. To evaluate the summer forage value of plant communities across northeastern British Columbia (BC), where populations of northern and boreal ecotypes of caribou are declining, we observed foraging by tame, female caribou. We compared diet composition with forage abundance to determine forage selection and to quantify forage availability. Deciduous shrubs, not lichens, largely dominated summer diets. Caribou were highly selective foragers, with 28 species comprising 78% of diets. Caribou avoided ≥50% of understory vegetation in all communities, especially conifers, evergreen shrubs, mosses, and two genera of terrestrial lichens. Availability of accepted forage (species not avoided) was strongly heterogeneous across landscapes. Alpine shrub areas and mid-elevation spruce–fir stands in the mountains, as well as treed rich fens and white spruce communities in the boreal forests, provided the greatest quantities of accepted forage for caribou. Dry alpine sites and unproductive black spruce communities provided the least accepted forage. Our work has direct implications to caribou conservation by contributing to a greater understanding of the forage value of summer habitats, with implications to habitat selection, seasonal movements, and distribution ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin A. Denryter
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Rachel C. Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, 1401 Gekeler Lane, La Grande, OR 97850, USA
| | - John G. Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, 1401 Gekeler Lane, La Grande, OR 97850, USA
| | - Katherine L. Parker
- Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
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9
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Prima MC, Duchesne T, Fortin D. Robust Inference from Conditional Logistic Regression Applied to Movement and Habitat Selection Analysis. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0169779. [PMID: 28081571 PMCID: PMC5233429 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Conditional logistic regression (CLR) is widely used to analyze habitat selection and movement of animals when resource availability changes over space and time. Observations used for these analyses are typically autocorrelated, which biases model-based variance estimation of CLR parameters. This bias can be corrected using generalized estimating equations (GEE), an approach that requires partitioning the data into independent clusters. Here we establish the link between clustering rules in GEE and their effectiveness to remove statistical biases in variance estimation of CLR parameters. The current lack of guidelines is such that broad variation in clustering rules can be found among studies (e.g., 14-450 clusters) with unknown consequences on the robustness of statistical inference. We simulated datasets reflecting conditions typical of field studies. Longitudinal data were generated based on several parameters of habitat selection with varying strength of autocorrelation and some individuals having more observations than others. We then evaluated how changing the number of clusters impacted the effectiveness of variance estimators. Simulations revealed that 30 clusters were sufficient to get unbiased and relatively precise estimates of variance of parameter estimates. The use of destructive sampling to increase the number of independent clusters was successful at removing statistical bias, but only when observations were temporally autocorrelated and the strength of inter-individual heterogeneity was weak. GEE also provided robust estimates of variance for different magnitudes of unbalanced datasets. Our simulations demonstrate that GEE should be estimated by assigning each individual to a cluster when at least 30 animals are followed, or by using destructive sampling for studies with fewer individuals having intermediate level of behavioural plasticity in selection and temporally autocorrelated observations. The simulations provide valuable information to build reliable habitat selection and movement models that allow for robustness of statistical inference without removing excessive amounts of ecological information.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thierry Duchesne
- Département de mathématiques et de statistique, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Daniel Fortin
- Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
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Sigaud M, Merkle JA, Cherry SG, Fryxell JM, Berdahl A, Fortin D. Collective decision-making promotes fitness loss in a fusion-fission society. Ecol Lett 2016; 20:33-40. [PMID: 27873440 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/25/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
While collective decision-making is recognised as a significant contributor to fitness in social species, the opposite outcome is also logically possible. We show that collective movement decisions guided by individual bison sharing faulty information about habitat quality promoted the use of ecological traps. The frequent, but short-lived, associations of bison with different spatial knowledge led to a population-wide shift from avoidance to selection of agricultural patches over 9 years in and around Prince Albert National Park, Canada. Bison were more likely to travel to an agricultural patch for the first time by following conspecifics already familiar with agricultural patches. Annual adult mortality increased by 12% due to hunting of bison on agricultural lands. Maladaptive social behaviour accordingly was a major force that contributed to a ~50% population decline in less than a decade. In human-altered landscapes, social learning by group-living species can lead to fitness losses, particularly in fusion-fission societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Sigaud
- Département de Biologie et Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université Laval, 1045 Ave. de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Jerod A Merkle
- Département de Biologie et Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université Laval, 1045 Ave. de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.,Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Wyoming, Dept 3166, 1000 E University Ave, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | - Seth G Cherry
- Parks Canada Agency, Box 220, Radium Hot Springs, BC, V0A 1M0, Canada
| | - John M Fryxell
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E., Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Andrew Berdahl
- Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM, 87501, USA
| | - Daniel Fortin
- Département de Biologie et Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université Laval, 1045 Ave. de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
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11
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Cook JG, Cook RC, Davis RW, Irwin LL. Nutritional ecology of elk during summer and autumn in the Pacific Northwest. WILDLIFE MONOGRAPHS 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/wmon.1020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John G. Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement; Forestry and Range Science Laboratory; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Rachel C. Cook
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement; Forestry and Range Science Laboratory; 1401 Gekeler Lane La Grande OR 97850 USA
| | - Ronald W. Davis
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Urbana IL 61820 USA
| | - Larry L. Irwin
- National Council for Air and Stream Improvement; P.O. Box 68 Stevensville MT 59870 USA
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Steenweg R, Hebblewhite M, Gummer D, Low B, Hunt B. Assessing Potential Habitat and Carrying Capacity for Reintroduction of Plains Bison (Bison bison bison) in Banff National Park. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150065. [PMID: 26910226 PMCID: PMC4765961 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Interest in bison (Bison bison, B. bonasus) conservation and restoration continues to grow globally. In Canada, plains bison (B. b. bison) are threatened, occupying less than 0.5% of their former range. The largest threat to their recovery is the lack of habitat in which they are considered compatible with current land uses. Fences and direct management make range expansion by most bison impossible. Reintroduction of bison into previously occupied areas that remain suitable, therefore, is critical for bison recovery in North America. Banff National Park is recognized as historical range of plains bison and has been identified as a potential site for reintroduction of a wild population. To evaluate habitat quality and assess if there is sufficient habitat for a breeding population, we developed a Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) model for the proposed reintroduction and surrounding areas in Banff National Park (Banff). We then synthesize previous studies on habitat relationships, forage availability, bison energetics and snowfall scenarios to estimate nutritional carrying capacity. Considering constraints on nutritional carrying capacity, the most realistic scenario that we evaluated resulted in an estimated maximum bison density of 0.48 bison/km2. This corresponds to sufficient habitat to support at least 600 to 1000 plains bison, which could be one of the largest 10 plains bison populations in North America. Within Banff, there is spatial variation in predicted bison habitat suitability and population size that suggests one potential reintroduction site as the most likely to be successful from a habitat perspective. The successful reintroduction of bison into Banff would represent a significant global step towards conserving this iconic species, and our approach provides a useful template for evaluating potential habitat for other endangered species reintroductions into their former range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Steenweg
- Wildlife Biology Program, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - David Gummer
- Resource Conservation, Banff National Park, Parks Canada, Banff, Alberta, Canada
| | - Brian Low
- Resource Conservation, Banff National Park, Parks Canada, Banff, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bill Hunt
- Resource Conservation, Banff National Park, Parks Canada, Banff, Alberta, Canada
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Schoenecker KA, Nielsen SE, Zeigenfuss LC, Pague CA. Selection of vegetation types and density of bison in an arid ecosystem. J Wildl Manage 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn A. Schoenecker
- U.S. Geological Survey; Fort Collins Science Center; 2150 Centre Avenue, Building C Fort Collins CO 80526 USA
| | - Scott E. Nielsen
- Department of Renewable Resources; University of Alberta; Edmonton AB T6G 2H1 Canada
| | - Linda C. Zeigenfuss
- U.S. Geological Survey; Fort Collins Science Center; 2150 Centre Avenue Fort Collins CO 80526 USA
| | - Chris A. Pague
- The Nature Conservancy; 2424 Spruce Street Boulder CO 80302 USA
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Merkle JA, Sigaud M, Fortin D. To follow or not? How animals in fusion–fission societies handle conflicting information during group decision‐making. Ecol Lett 2015; 18:799-806. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jerod A. Merkle
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Étude de la Forêt Université Laval 1045 avenue de la Médecine Québec, Québec G1V 0A6 Canada
| | - Marie Sigaud
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Étude de la Forêt Université Laval 1045 avenue de la Médecine Québec, Québec G1V 0A6 Canada
| | - Daniel Fortin
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Étude de la Forêt Université Laval 1045 avenue de la Médecine Québec, Québec G1V 0A6 Canada
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Fortin D, Merkle JA, Sigaud M, Cherry SG, Plante S, Drolet A, Labrecque M. Temporal dynamics in the foraging decisions of large herbivores. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.1071/an14428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The foraging decisions involved in acquiring a meal can have an impact on an animal’s spatial distribution, as well as affect other animal species and plant communities. Thus, understanding how the foraging process varies over space and time has broad ecological implications, and optimal foraging theory can be used to identify key factors controlling foraging decisions. Optimality models are based on currencies, options and constraints. Using examples from research on free-ranging bison (Bison bison), we show how variations in these model elements can yield strong spatio-temporal variation in expected foraging decisions. First, we present a simple optimal foraging model to investigate the temporal scale of foraging decisions. On the basis of this model, we identify the foraging currency and demonstrate that such a simple model can be successful at predicting animal distribution across ecosystems. We then modify the model by changing (1) the forager’s option, from the selection of individual plants to the selection of food bites that may include more than one plant species, (2) its constraints, from being omniscient to having incomplete information of resource quality and distribution and (3) its currency, from the maximisation of energy intake rate (E) to the maximisation of the ratio between E and mortality risk (u).We also show that, where the maximisation of E fails, the maximisation of E/u can explain the circadian rhythm in the diet and movements of bison. Simple optimal foraging-theory models thus can explain changes in dietary choice of bison within a foraging patch and during the course of a day.
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Collins GH, Petersen SL, Carr CA, Pielstick L. Testing VHF/GPS collar design and safety in the study of free-roaming horses. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103189. [PMID: 25198704 PMCID: PMC4157739 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective and safe monitoring techniques are needed by U.S. land managers to understand free-roaming horse behavior and habitat use and to aid in making informed management decisions. Global positioning system (GPS) and very high frequency (VHF) radio collars can be used to provide high spatial and temporal resolution information for detecting free-roaming horse movement. GPS and VHF collars are a common tool used in wildlife management, but have rarely been used for free-roaming horse research and monitoring in the United States. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the design, safety, and detachment device on GPS/VHF collars used to collect free-roaming horse location and movement data. Between 2009 and 2010, 28 domestic and feral horses were marked with commercial and custom designed VHF/GPS collars. Individual horses were evaluated for damage caused by the collar placement, and following initial observations, collar design was modified to reduce the potential for injury. After collar modifications, which included the addition of collar length adjustments to both sides of the collar allowing for better alignment of collar and neck shapes, adding foam padding to the custom collars to replicate the commercial collar foam padding, and repositioning the detachment device to reduce wear along the jowl, we observed little to no evidence of collar wear on horses. Neither custom-built nor commercial collars caused injury to study horses, however, most of the custom-built collars failed to collect data. During the evaluation of collar detachment devices, we had an 89% success rate of collar devices detaching correctly. This study showed that free-roaming horses can be safely marked with GPS and/or VHF collars with minimal risk of injury, and that these collars can be a useful tool for monitoring horses without creating a risk to horse health and wellness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail H. Collins
- U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sheldon-Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Lakeview, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Steven L. Petersen
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Services, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Craig A. Carr
- Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - Leon Pielstick
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Burns, Oregon, United States of America
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Latombe G, Parrott L, Basille M, Fortin D. Uniting statistical and individual-based approaches for animal movement modelling. PLoS One 2014; 9:e99938. [PMID: 24979047 PMCID: PMC4076191 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2013] [Accepted: 05/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The dynamic nature of their internal states and the environment directly shape animals' spatial behaviours and give rise to emergent properties at broader scales in natural systems. However, integrating these dynamic features into habitat selection studies remains challenging, due to practically impossible field work to access internal states and the inability of current statistical models to produce dynamic outputs. To address these issues, we developed a robust method, which combines statistical and individual-based modelling. Using a statistical technique for forward modelling of the IBM has the advantage of being faster for parameterization than a pure inverse modelling technique and allows for robust selection of parameters. Using GPS locations from caribou monitored in Québec, caribou movements were modelled based on generative mechanisms accounting for dynamic variables at a low level of emergence. These variables were accessed by replicating real individuals' movements in parallel sub-models, and movement parameters were then empirically parameterized using Step Selection Functions. The final IBM model was validated using both k-fold cross-validation and emergent patterns validation and was tested for two different scenarios, with varying hardwood encroachment. Our results highlighted a functional response in habitat selection, which suggests that our method was able to capture the complexity of the natural system, and adequately provided projections on future possible states of the system in response to different management plans. This is especially relevant for testing the long-term impact of scenarios corresponding to environmental configurations that have yet to be observed in real systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Latombe
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Département de Géographie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Lael Parrott
- Earth and Environmental Sciences and Biology Units, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mathieu Basille
- Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG-Université Laval en sylviculture et faune, Département de biologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada; Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States of America
| | - Daniel Fortin
- Chaire de recherche industrielle CRSNG-Université Laval en sylviculture et faune, Département de biologie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada
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Spatial heterogeneity in the strength of plant-herbivore interactions under predation risk: the tale of bison foraging in wolf country. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73324. [PMID: 24039909 PMCID: PMC3770655 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2013] [Accepted: 07/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial heterogeneity in the strength of trophic interactions is a fundamental property of food web spatial dynamics. The feeding effort of herbivores should reflect adaptive decisions that only become rewarding when foraging gains exceed 1) the metabolic costs, 2) the missed opportunity costs of not foraging elsewhere, and 3) the foraging costs of anti-predator behaviour. Two aspects of these costs remain largely unexplored: the link between the strength of plant-herbivore interactions and the spatial scale of food-quality assessment, and the predator-prey spatial game. We modeled the foraging effort of free-ranging plains bison (Bison bison bison) in winter, within a mosaic of discrete meadows. Spatial patterns of bison herbivory were largely driven by a search for high net energy gains and, to a lesser degree, by the spatial game with grey wolves (Canis lupus). Bison decreased local feeding effort with increasing metabolic and missed opportunity costs. Bison herbivory was most consistent with a broad-scale assessment of food patch quality, i.e., bison grazed more intensively in patches with a low missed opportunity cost relative to other patches available in the landscape. Bison and wolves had a higher probability of using the same meadows than expected randomly. This co-occurrence indicates wolves are ahead in the spatial game they play with bison. Wolves influenced bison foraging at fine scale, as bison tended to consume less biomass at each feeding station when in meadows where the risk of a wolf's arrival was relatively high. Also, bison left more high-quality vegetation in large than small meadows. This behavior does not maximize their energy intake rate, but is consistent with bison playing a shell game with wolves. Our assessment of bison foraging in a natural setting clarifies the complex nature of plant-herbivore interactions under predation risk, and reveals how spatial patterns in herbivory emerge from multi-scale landscape heterogeneity.
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Wood KA, Stillman RA, Wheeler D, Groves S, Hambly C, Speakman JR, Daunt F, O’Hare MT. Go with the flow: water velocity regulates herbivore foraging decisions in river catchments. OIKOS 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00592.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Suraci JP, Dill LM. Short timescale rate maximization by gulls and implications for predation on size-structured prey. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Langrock R, King R, Matthiopoulos J, Thomas L, Fortin D, Morales JM. Flexible and practical modeling of animal telemetry data: hidden Markov models and extensions. Ecology 2012; 93:2336-42. [DOI: 10.1890/11-2241.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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A Bayesian Approach to Fitting Gibbs Processes with Temporal Random Effects. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s13253-012-0111-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Pays O, Fortin D, Gassani J, Duchesne J. Group dynamics and landscape features constrain the exploration of herds in fusion-fission societies: the case of European roe deer. PLoS One 2012; 7:e34678. [PMID: 22479652 PMCID: PMC3316705 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2011] [Accepted: 03/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the large number of movement studies, the constraints that grouping imposes on movement decisions remain essentially unexplored, even for highly social species. Such constraints could be key, however, to understanding the dynamics and spatial organisation of species living in group fusion-fission systems. We investigated the winter movements (speed and diffusion coefficient) of groups of free-ranging roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), in an agricultural landscape characterised by a mosaic of food and foodless patches. Most groups were short-lived units that merged and split up frequently during the course of a day. Deer groups decreased their speed and diffusion rate in areas where food patches were abundant, as well as when travelling close to main roads and crest lines and far from forests. While accounting for these behavioural adjustments to habitat features, our study revealed some constraints imposed by group foraging: large groups reached the limit of their diffusion rate faster than small groups. The ability of individuals to move rapidly to new foraging locations following patch depression thus decreases with group size. Our results highlight the importance of considering both habitat heterogeneity and group dynamics when predicting the movements of individuals in group fusion-fission societies. Further, we provide empirical evidence that group cohesion can restrain movement and, therefore, the speed at which group members can explore their environment. When maintaining cohesion reduces foraging gains because of movement constraints, leaving the group may become a fitness-rewarding decision, especially when individuals can join other groups located nearby, which would tend to maintain highly dynamical group fusion-fission systems. Our findings also provide the basis for new hypotheses explaining a broad range of ecological patterns, such as the broader diet and longer residency time reported for larger herbivore groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Pays
- Groupe Ecologie et Conservation, Université d'Angers, Angers, France.
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Courant S, Fortin D. Time allocation of bison in meadow patches driven by potential energy gains and group size dynamics. OIKOS 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19994.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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