The landscape of fear: habitat use by a predator (Canis latrans) and its main prey (Lepus californicus and Sylvilagus audubonii)

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 683-693 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itzel Arias-Del Razo ◽  
Lucina Hernández ◽  
John W. Laundré ◽  
Lourdes Velasco-Vázquez
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Spatial Separation ◽  
Main Prey ◽  
Patch Use ◽  
High Resource ◽  
Cottontail Rabbit ◽  
Relative Safety ◽  
Antipredatory Strategies ◽  
Lepus Californicus

We evaluated the degree of mutual exclusivity of distributions of coyotes ( Canis latrans Say, 1823) and their main prey (two lagomorph species: the black-tailed jackrabbit, Lepus californicus Gray, 1837, and the desert cottontail rabbit, Sylvilagus audubonii (Baird, 1858)) within the landscape by testing two models. The first assumes that prey seek high resource patches and, subsequently, predators seek prey within these patches, and predicts a high degree of overlap in patch use by both. The second model assumes that predator and prey balance not only food resources but reciprocal levels of predation risk and predation success in making decisions on whether or not to use a patch. This model predicts discordance in patch use between predator and prey. We used a combination of GPS-telemetry and camera-trapping data to assess habitat use patterns of predator and prey. Results from this study support the second model regarding spatial use of the landscape by a predator and its prey. Where the use of the landscape by predators and prey seem to be mediated by environmental constraints, both will adjust their predatory or antipredatory strategies based on these constraints. This results in a partial spatial separation of predator and prey across the landscape, providing patches of relative safety for prey but sufficient areas of overlap for predators to be successful.

scholarly journals Coyote (Canis latrans) Habitat use and Mortality in Grand Teton National Park and Suburban-Agricultural Areas of Jackson Hole, Wyoming

2000 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 51-59
Author(s):  
Matt McGee ◽  
Stan Anderson ◽  
Doug Wachob
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
National Park ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Agricultural Area ◽  
Grand Teton National Park ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Jackson Hole ◽  
Agricultural Areas

A study of coyote (Canis latrans) habitat use and mortality in Grand Teton National Park and the suburban-agricultural land surrounding Jackson, WY was conducted between September 1999 and August 2000. This research focused on the influence of human development, habitat type, topography, and simulated wolf presence on coyote habitat use and on coyote mortality patterns in undeveloped and suburban-agricultural land. The overall goal of this project was to provide baseline information on the coyote population in Jackson Hole that can be used in the future to determine what, if any, impact wolves and human developments may have on coyotes. There were a total of fifteen radio-collared coyotes in the suburban-agricultural area and fourteen radio collared coyotes in Grand Teton National Park and adjacent areas in the National Elk Refuge and Bridger-Teton National Forest. Marked coyotes were tracked weekly using short interval telemetry relocations and triangulation to determine habitat use patterns. During the winter, track transects were skied weekly and coyote trails were backtracked and mapped using hand held GPS units to determine fine scale habitat use patterns. Coyote mortality was determined via telemetry and direct observation. Preliminary data analyses suggest that coyotes use mainly sagebrush-grasslands or forest-shrub-grass edge areas and avoid forest interior areas. Coyotes frequently use trails and roads in the undeveloped area when moving long distances. Preliminary analysis also indicates that roads and trails are used in a greater proportion than their abundance on the landscape. Coyotes were frequently observed using riparian corridors to move between open meadows in the suburban-agricultural area. There is some evidence that suggests coyotes selectively travel fences and irrigation ditches for long distances in agricultural areas. The movement data also suggests that coyotes avoid developed areas during the day and travel in these developed areas at night. The data on coyote locations suggests some avoidance of wolf urine scent grids in the undeveloped area, but not in the developed area. Coyote mortality was primarily human caused, and coyotes that were male, transient, and lived in the suburban-agricultural area were the most commonly killed animals.

scholarly journals Does vegetation change over 28 years affect habitat use and reproductive success?

The Auk ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 137 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Fierro-Calderón ◽  
Thomas E Martin
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Nest Survival ◽  
Selection Function ◽  
Patch Use ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Long Term Changes ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Individuals should prefer and use habitats that confer high fitness, but habitat use is not always adaptive. Vegetation in natural landscapes changes gradually and the ability of species to adaptively adjust their habitat use to long-term changes is largely unstudied. We studied nest patch and territory use over 28 yr in Orange-crowned Warblers (Oreothlypis celata) in a system that has undergone natural long-term changes in vegetation. Abundance of maple (Acer grandidentatum), its preferred nesting habitat, gradually declined from 1987 to 2015. We examined whether habitat use and its fitness consequences changed as the availability of preferred habitat decreased. We used resource selection function models to determine changes over time in the probability of using a nest patch given available patches, and the probability of using a territory given available territories. We estimated nest survival to evaluate changes over time in the fitness consequences of nest patch use. We also compared habitat use (nest patch and territory) and fitness (nest survival) between areas with naturally reduced abundance of maple and experimentally increased abundance of maple (fenced areas). Nest patch use depended on maple abundance and did not change drastically across 28 yr, even though the availability of preferred maple patches decreased over time. In contrast, nest survival tended to decrease over time. We did not see differences in nest patch use and nest survival between unfenced and fenced areas, unlike territory use, which increased with the abundance of maple in fenced areas and decreased in unfenced areas. Our study depicts one example of relatively unchanged habitat use in the face of decreased availability of preferred vegetation across years, with a resulting decrease in reproductive success. Investigating changes in habitat use and fitness consequences for animals exposed to long-term habitat change is necessary to understand adaptive behavioral responses.

scholarly journals Home Range and Habitat Use of West Virginia Canis latrans (Coyote)

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 616
Author(s):  
Lauren L. Mastro ◽  
Dana J. Morin ◽  
Eric M. Gese
Keyword(s):  
West Virginia ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Canis Latrans

scholarly journals The Effects of Suburban Development and Wolf (Canis lupis) Recolonization on Coyotes (Canis latrans) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

1998 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 15-19
Author(s):  
Stanley Anderson ◽  
Doug Wachob ◽  
Rachel Wigglesworth ◽  
Nathan McClennen
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Jackson Hole ◽  
Agricultural Areas

A comparative study of coyote (Canis latrans) home range, activity, habitat use, and diet in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and residential/agricultural areas surrounding Jackson, Wyoming was begun in May 1998 and will continue until August 1999. Twenty-seven coyotes were captured and fitted with radio collars equipped with activity and mortality sensors. Eleven of the coyotes reside in and around the residential/agricultural areas while 15 of the coyotes range from Moran Junction south to the National Elk Refuge. One coyote has remained in Bridger-Teton National Forest near Upper Slide Lake. Marked coyotes were monitored three times a week in the summer and two times a week during the winter via radio telemetry. Preliminary data suggests that the home range size of coyotes in GTNP is larger than that of coyotes in developed areas. Activity levels appear to be lower in residential/agricultural areas during daylight hours. Coyote diet is currently being assessed via scat dissection, and prey availability was determined using Sherman live traps during the summer and early fall. Habitat use will be determined by overlaying coyote home ranges onto habitat maps. Vegetation plots were conducted in five habitat types (aspen, conifer, grass, riparian, sage) to determine vegetation structure. All of the above methods will be repeated in summer 1999. During winter 1999, telemetry surveys and scat collection will continue. Additionally, snow tracking surveys and coyote observations will be conducted to determine coyote group size and behavior. If time allows, relative density estimates and social organization will be determined. The intention of this study is also to collect baseline data on coyotes before and during wolf (Canis lupus) recolonization of Jackson Hole.

Functional feeding responses of coyotes, Canis latrans, to fluctuating prey abundance in the Curlew Valley, Utah, 1977–1993

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 569-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca A Bartel ◽  
Frederick F Knowlton
Keyword(s):  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Information Criterion ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Prey Consumption ◽  
Prey Abundance ◽  
Feeding Response ◽  
Prey Switching ◽  
Consumption Rates ◽  
Lepus Californicus ◽  
Small Sample Sizes

We investigated interactions between coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823) and prey in the Curlew Valley, Utah, by comparing prey abundances with prey consumption rates. Previous studies reported a cyclic trend in black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus Gray, 1837) density with a period of 10 years and >150-fold amplitude, as well as short-term fluctuations among some rodent species that exceeded an 8-fold difference in amplitude over 2 years. Our results suggest changes in coyote diets mainly reflect the fluctuations in jackrabbit abundance. Prey switching to rodents during periods of low jackrabbit abundance also was evident. We used the initial feeding pattern analysis to compare prey consumption rates to prey abundance. Coyotes demonstrated a type II (hyperbolic) functional feeding response to changes in jackrabbit abundance. Functional feeding responses to rodent abundances were more difficult to assess because of the strong influence of jackrabbits. In most comparisons, we visually detected a linear functional feeding response to varying rodent abundances; yet this was not statistically supported by Akaike's Information Criterion corrected for small sample sizes (AICc) to assess different models.

Contender pressure versus resource dispersion as predictors of territory size of coyotes (Canis latrans)

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (10) ◽  
pp. 960-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.R. Wilson ◽  
J.A. Shivik
Keyword(s):  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Alternative Hypothesis ◽  
Territory Size ◽  
Main Determinant ◽  
Movement Rates ◽  
Resource Dispersion ◽  
High Resource ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
South Central ◽  
Two Populations

Many studies have proposed resource dispersion as the main determinant of territory size in coyotes ( Canis latrans Say, 1823), but few have considered contender pressure as an alternative hypothesis. We tested for differences in rates of intra-territorial visitation, movement, and extra-territorial excursions between two populations of coyotes with large differences in territory sizes. We collected fine-scale (15 min) movement data of coyotes in southeastern Texas and south-central Idaho. Both populations were active for similar lengths of each day, but coyotes in Idaho had territories 10× larger, moved 2× faster, traveled 2× farther daily, and made extra-territorial excursions 3× less. Even with increased movement rates, coyotes in Idaho traversed territories slower than coyotes in Texas as predicted by the contender pressure hypothesis. We propose that in regions with high resource abundance, territory size of coyotes is determined by contender pressure and an inability to defend larger areas. Conversely, in low-resource areas, territory sizes are determined more by prey abundance and dispersion because intrusion rates are reduced given the lower density of conspecifics.

Space and habitat use by resident and transient coyotes

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (12) ◽  
pp. 2106-2111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan F Kamler ◽  
Philip S Gipson
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Annual Survival ◽  
Grassland Habitats ◽  
Family Groups

We radio-tracked 10 coyotes (Canis latrans) from April 1996 to March 1998 on Fort Riley Military Reservation, Kansas, to compare movements, habitat use, and survival between resident (breeders and pack associates) and transient coyotes. Home ranges of resident coyotes were mutually exclusive, whereas those of transient coyotes overlapped the home ranges of other coyotes. Excursions from home ranges were made by all resident pack associates but not by resident breeders. Grassland habitats were used more than expected by resident coyotes but less than expected by transients. Woodlands and cultivated lands were used more than expected by transients. Transient coyotes used areas between the home ranges of resident family groups. Annual survival rates were higher for resident than for transient coyotes. Avoidance of resident coyotes by transient coyotes may explain differences in space and habitat use by coyotes.

scholarly journals Carnivora atnd their larger mammalian prey species invenory and abundance in the Janos-Nuevo Casas Grandes praire dog complex, Chihuahua.

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rurik H. List Sánchez ◽  
David W. Macdonald
Keyword(s):  
Canis Latrans ◽  
Prairie Dog ◽  
Casas Grandes ◽  
Kangaroo Rats ◽  
Taxidea Taxus ◽  
Kit Fox ◽  
Carnivore Species ◽  
Vulpes Macrotis ◽  
Lepus Californicus ◽  
North Western

Abstract. This study examined the carnivore species composition and abundance in the Janos-Nuevo Casas Grandes prairie dog complex of north-western Chihuahua, Mexico. Thirteen species of carnivores were recorded in habitats including prairie dog towns, grassland, mesquite scrub and riparian vegetation. From artificial scent-stations and spotlight transects the most abundant carnivore species appeared to be the kit fox Vulpes macrotis and the coyote Canis latrans. Striped/hooded skunks (Mephitis spp) and American badgers (Taxidea taxus) were also common. No significant differences were found between the abundance of kit foxes or coyotes on prairie dog towns or grassland; but skunks were more abundant on grasslands. The abundance of hares (Lepus californicus), rabbit (Sylvilagus audubonii), and kangaroo rat (Dipodomys spp) was also estimated; hares and kangaroo rats were more abundant in the grassland, whilst rabbits were more abundant in prairie dog towns.Resumen. Se estudió la composición de espeices de carnívoros en el complejo de perros llaneros Janos-Nuevo Casas Grandes, en el noroeste de Chihuahua, México. Se registraron 13 especies de carnívoros en los siguientes hábitats; colonias de perros lIaneros, pastizal, matorral de mezquite y vegetación riparia. Por medio de estaciones olfativas y transectos de lampareo se determinó que la zorra norteña Vulpes macrotis y el coyote Canis latrans fueron los más abundantes. Los zorrillos (Mephitis spp) y tejones (Taxidea taxus) también fueron comunes. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en la abundancia de zorras norteñas o coyotes entre colonias de perros llaneros o pastizal. Los zorrillos fueron más abundantes en el pastizal. También se estimó la abundancia de liebres (Lepus californicus), conejos (Sylvilagus audubonii), y ratas canguro (Dipodomys spp); las liebres y ratas canguro son más abundantes en el pastizal, mientras los conejos son mas abundantes en las colonias de perros lIaneros.Key words: Carnivore abundance, Chihuahua, Mexico, prairie dog, scent-station, spotlighting.

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