Individual differences in habitat selection mediate landscape level predictions of a functional response

Individual Differences in Habitat Selection Mediate Landscape Level Predictions of a Functional Response

10.21203/rs.3.rs-427313/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Levi Newediuk ◽

Christina M. Prokopenko ◽

Eric Vander Wal

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Habitat Selection ◽

Functional Response ◽

Random Effects ◽

Resource Selection ◽

Mixed Forest ◽

Population Level ◽

Habitat Availability ◽

Selection For ◽

Predictive Approaches

Abstract Context Conserving and managing habitat for animals requires robust models to predict their space use. The functional response in habitat selection posits that animals adjust their habitat selection according to availability. Objectives Habitat availability can change over short time periods and small spatial distances, and thus failing to account for changes in habitat availability while modelling may not produce reliable predictions in the near–term or future. However, because individuals may respond to habitat availability differently, the functional response is also limited for predicting habitat selection by individuals. Methods Using a functional response in elk (Cervus canadensis) selection for mixed forest in response to road proximity, we compared habitat selection predictions made by population-level resource selection functions (RSFs) with random effects to incorporate individual differences in selection, to generalized functional response (GFR) RSFs. Results We found that since not all individuals followed the road-dependent functional response, the random effects model both predicted the distributions of individuals more accurately (R2 = 0.62 vs. R2 = 0.51) and produced coefficient estimates that matched their selection for mixed forest and distance from roads better than the GFR model (RMSE = 0.25 vs. RMSE = 0.29 and 0.37 vs. 0.46). Conclusions Individual habitat selection often varies within populations, and revealing those differences shows how individuals help populations respond to environmental change. We suggest that evaluating individual differences using multiple predictive approaches is necessary to forecast long–term habitat selection.

Download Full-text

Revisiting the functional response in habitat selection for large herbivores: a matter of spatial variation in resource distribution?

Behavioral Ecology ◽

10.1093/beheco/arz141 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (6) ◽

pp. 1725-1733 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Antoine Duparc ◽

Mathieu Garel ◽

Pascal Marchand ◽

Dominique Dubray ◽

Daniel Maillard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Standard Deviation ◽

Habitat Selection ◽

Spatial Variation ◽

Functional Response ◽

Resource Distribution ◽

Habitat Characteristics ◽

High Rate ◽

Large Herbivores ◽

The Mean ◽

Selection Of

Abstract Most habitats are distributed heterogeneously in space, forcing animals to move according to both habitat characteristics and their needs for energy and safety. Animal space use should therefore vary according to habitat characteristics, a process known as the “functional response” in habitat selection. This response has often been tested vis-à-vis the proportion of a habitat category within areas available to individuals. Measuring sought-after resources in landscape where they are continuously distributed is a challenge and we posit here that both the mean availability of a resource and its spatial variation should be measured. Accordingly, we tested for a functional response in habitat selection according to these two descriptors of the resource available for a mountain herbivore. We hypothesized that selection should decrease with mean value of resources available and increase with its spatial variation. Based on GPS data from 50 chamois females and data on the actual foodscape (i.e., distribution of edible-only biomass in the landscape), we estimated individual selection ratio (during summer months) for biomass at the home range level, comparing edible biomass in individual home ranges and the mean and standard deviation of edible biomass in their available range. Chamois being a group-living species, available accessible ranges were shared by several individuals that formed socio-spatial groups (clusters) in the population. As expected, selection ratios increased with the standard deviation of edible resources in each cluster, but unlike our prediction, was unrelated to its mean. Selection of areas richer in resources hence did not fade away when more resources were available on average, a result that may be explained by the need for this capital breeder species to accumulate fat-reserve at a high rate during summer months. Low spatial variation could limit the selection of chamois, which highlights the importance of resource distribution in the process of habitat selection.

Download Full-text

Habitat Selection and Activity Budgets of Keel-Billed Toucans at the Landscape Level

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/103.4.776 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 103 (4) ◽

pp. 776-784 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Catherine Graham

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Social Interactions ◽

Habitat Type ◽

Los Tuxtlas ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Activity Budgets ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

Disturbed Habitats ◽

Behavioral Information ◽

Landscape Level

Abstract Landscape-level behavioral information is needed to understand factors that underlie animal distributions in disturbed habitats. I examined habitat use and activity budgets of Keel-billed Toucans (Ramphastos sulfuratus) in a pasture-dominated landscape in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. The objectives were to compare habitat selection at two scales, and to describe activity budgets of toucans with an emphasis on how behavior varied by habitat type. Six toucans were followed between January and July 1998 for a total of 349 hr. I noted behavior, bird location, and habitat type. At one spatial scale, birds' individual movement area was a nonrandom portion of the overall study area. When time spent in habitats by individual toucans was compared to habitat available in individual movement areas, habitat selection was also nonrandom. Forest remnants were preferred at both scales. Toucans spent approximately equal time foraging and perching (35–40%). Calling, preening, and social interactions each occupied 10% or less of the birds' activity budgets. All activities occurred in similar proportions in all habitat types, suggesting that different habitats provide many of the same resources. Combining individual patterns of habitat selection with activity budgets yields a better understanding of factors that allow populations to persist in disturbed landscapes. Selección de Hábitat y Asignación de Actividades del Tucán Ramphastos sulfuratus a Escala de Paisaje Resumen. Se requieren estudios de comportamiento enfocados a la escala de paisaje para comprender los factores que afectan la distribución de los organismos en hábitats perturbados. Se examinó el uso de hábitat y asignación de actividades del tucán Ramphastos sulfuratus en paisajes dominados por pastizales en Los Tuxtlas, México. Los objetivos fueron comparar la selección de hábitat a dos escalas espaciales y describir la asignación de actividades de los tucanes poniendo énfasis en cómo el comportamiento es afectado por el tipo de hábitat. Seis tucanes fueron seguidos entre enero y julio de 1998 por un total de 349 hr. Registré el comportamiento, la posición del ave, y el tipo de hábitat. A una de las escalas espaciales consideradas, el area individual de movimiento de las aves representó una porción no azarosa del area total de estudio. Cuando el tiempo consumido por individuo en un hábitat determinado fue comparado con el hábitat disponible en las áreas individuales de movimiento, la selección de hábitat difirió de una selección al azar. Los remanentes de selva fueron preferidos a ambas escalas. Los tucanes consumieron aproximadamente el mismo tiempo forrajeando y posados (35–40%). Los llamadas, así como las interacciones sociales ocuparon 10% o menos de la asignación de actividades de las aves. Todas las actividades se llevaron a cabo en proporciones similares en todos los tipos de hábitat. La combinación de patrones individuales de selección de hábitat con la asignación de actividades proporciona una mejor comprensión de los factores que permiten la subsistencia de poblaciones en hábitats perturbados.

Download Full-text

Habitat selection in a patchy environment: individual differences in common shrews

Animal Behaviour ◽

10.1016/s0003-3472(89)80034-x ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 414-422 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Ilkka Hanski

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Habitat Selection ◽

Patchy Environment

Download Full-text

Habitat Selection by African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in Response to Landscape-Level Fluctuations in Water Availability on Two Temporal Scales

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0101346 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. e101346 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Emily Bennitt ◽

Mpaphi Casper Bonyongo ◽

Stephen Harris

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Water Availability ◽

African Buffalo ◽

Syncerus Caffer ◽

Temporal Scales ◽

Landscape Level

Download Full-text

Holling meets habitat selection: functional response of large herbivores revisited

Movement Ecology ◽

10.1186/s40462-021-00282-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Claudia Dupke ◽

Anne Peters ◽

Nicolas Morellet ◽

Marco Heurich

Keyword(s):

Habitat Selection ◽

Land Cover ◽

Functional Response ◽

Discrete Choice Models ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Functional Responses ◽

Response Curves ◽

Large Herbivores ◽

Land Cover Types ◽

Selection Of

Abstract Background Holling (Can Entomol 91(5):293–320, 1959) was the first to describe a functional response between a predator’s consumption-rate and the density of its prey. The same concept can be applied to the habitat selection of herbivores, specifically, the change in relative habitat use with the change in habitat availability. Functional responses in habitat selection at a home-range scale have been reported for several large herbivores. However, a link to Holling’s original functional response types has never been drawn, although it could replace the current phenomenological view with a more mechanistically based understanding of functional responses. Methods In this study, discrete choice models were implemented as mixed-effects baseline-category logit models to analyze the variation in habitat selection of a large herbivore at seasonal and diurnal scales. Thus, changes in the use of land cover types with respect to their availability were investigated by monitoring 11 land cover types commonly used by roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany. Functional response curves were then fitted using Holling’s formulas. Results Strong evidence of non-linear functional responses was obtained for almost all of the examined land cover types. The shape of the functional response curves varied depending on the season, the time of day, and in some cases between sexes. These responses could be referenced to Holling’s types, with a predominance of type II. Conclusions Our results indicate that Holling’s types can be applied to describe general patterns of the habitat selection behavior of herbivores. Functional responses in habitat selection may occur in situations requiring a trade-off in the selection of land cover types offering different resources, such as due to the temporally varying physiological needs of herbivores. Moreover, two associated parameters defining the curves (prey density and predation rate) can aid in the identification of temporal variations and in determinations of the strength of the cost-benefit ratio for a specific land cover type. Application of our novel approach, using Holling’s equations to describe functional responses in the habitat selection of herbivores, will allow the assignment of general land cover attraction values, independent of availability, thus facilitating the identification of suitable habitats.

Download Full-text