560 items found
Canada lynx
<em>Lepus americanus</em>
Canada lynx
Niche theory
Predator–prey system
Snowshoe hare
Species distribution modeling
Tropic interaction distribution model
Canada lynx
<em>Lepus americanus</em>
Canada lynx
Niche theory
Predator–prey system
Snowshoe hare
Species distribution modeling
Tropic interaction distribution model
Energy development
Home range
<em>Odocoileus hemionus</em>
Utilization distribution
Energy development
Home range
<em>Odocoileus hemionus</em>
Utilization distribution
Aim
The space an animal uses over a given time period must provide the resources required for meeting energetic needs, reproducing and avoiding predation. Anthropogenic landscape change in concert with environmental dynamics can strongly structure space-use. Investigating these dynamics can provide critical insight into animal ecology, conservation and management.
Location
The Piceance Basin, Colorado, USA.
Methods
We applied a novel utilization distribution estimation technique based on a continuous-time correlated random walk model to characterize range dynamics of mule deer during winter and summer seasons across multiple years. This approach leverages second-order properties of movement to provide a probabilistic estimate of space-use. We assessed the influence of environmental (cover and forage), individual and anthropogenic factors on interannual variation in range use of individual deer using a hierarchical Bayesian regression framework.
Results
Mule deer demonstrated remarkable spatial philopatry, with a median of 50% overlap (range: 8–78%) in year-to-year utilization distributions. Environmental conditions were the primary driver of both philopatry and range size, with anthropogenic disturbance playing a secondary role.
Main conclusions
Philopatry in mule deer is suspected to reflect the importance of spatial familiarity (memory) to this species and, therefore, factors driving spatial displacement are of conservation concern. The interaction between range behaviour and dynamics in development disturbance and environmental conditions highlights mechanisms by which anthropogenic environmental change may displace deer from familiar areas and alter their foraging and survival strategies.
[show more]Landscape variation
Stress
Telomere
<em>Ursus americanus</em>
Landscape variation
Stress
Telomere
<em>Ursus americanus</em>
Demography
Disease ecology
Harvest management
Demography
Disease ecology
Harvest management
- Sex-based differences in physiology, behaviour and demography commonly result in differences in disease prevalence. However, sex differences in prevalence may reflect exposure rather than transmission, which could affect disease control programmes. One potential example is chronic wasting disease (CWD), which has been observed at greater prevalence among male than female deer.
- We used an age- and sex-structured simulation model to explore harvest-based management of CWD under three different transmission scenarios that all generate higher male prevalence: (1) increased male susceptibility, (2) high male-to-male transmission or (3) high female-to-male transmission.
- Both female and male harvests were required to limit CWD epidemics across all transmission scenarios (approximated by R0), though invasion was more likely under high female-to-male transmission.
- In simulations, heavily male-biased harvests controlled CWD epidemics and maintained large host populations under high male-to-male transmission and increased male susceptibility scenarios. However, male-biased harvests were ineffective under high female-to-male transmission. Instead, female-biased harvests were able to limit disease transmission under high female-to-male transmission but incurred a trade-off with smaller population sizes.
- Synthesis and applications. Higher disease prevalence in a sex or age group may be due to higher exposure or susceptibility but does not necessarily indicate if that group is responsible for more disease transmission. We showed that multiple processes can result in the pattern of higher male prevalence, but that population-level management interventions must focus on the sex responsible for disease transmission, not just those that are most exposed.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Predation model
Predation rate
Prey composition
Color
Wyoming
Global Positioning System (GPS)
Predation model
Predation rate
Prey composition
Color
Wyoming
Camera trap
Density estimation
Fragmentation
Illinois
<em>Lynx rufus</em>
Spatial capture–recapture model
Trap array
Camera trap
Density estimation
Fragmentation
Illinois
<em>Lynx rufus</em>
Spatial capture–recapture model
Trap array
Capture–recapture
Heterogeneous detection
Small population
Capture–recapture
Heterogeneous detection
Small population
Cervus canadensis
Cross-species pathogen spillover
Habitat selection
Human-wildlife conflict
Resource selection function
Wildlife disease
Cervus canadensis
Cross-species pathogen spillover
Habitat selection
Human-wildlife conflict
Resource selection function
Wildlife disease
Ground surveys
Detection probability (p)
Parturition
Recruitment
Ground surveys
Detection probability (p)
Parturition
Recruitment
Genotyping
Cestode infection
Genotyping
Cestode infection