scholarly journals Habitat selection by Dall’s sheep is influenced by multiple factors including direct and indirect climate effects

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248763
Author(s):  
Jocelyn L. Aycrigg ◽  
Adam G. Wells ◽  
Edward. O. Garton ◽  
Buck Magipane ◽  
Glen E. Liston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Energetic Costs ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Resource Pulses ◽  
Nutritional Needs ◽  
Dall’S Sheep

Arctic and boreal environments are changing rapidly, which could decouple behavioral and demographic traits of animals from the resource pulses that have shaped their evolution. Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) in northwestern regions of the USA and Canada, survive long, severe winters and reproduce during summers with short growing seasons. We sought to understand the vulnerability of Dall’s sheep to a changing climate in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA. We developed ecological hypotheses about nutritional needs, security from predators, energetic costs of movement, and thermal shelter to describe habitat selection during winter, spring, and summer and evaluated habitat and climate variables that reflected these hypotheses. We used the synoptic model of animal space use to estimate parameters of habitat selection by individual females and calculated likelihoods for ecological hypotheses within seasonal models. Our results showed that seasonal habitat selection was influenced by multiple ecological requirements simultaneously. Across all seasons, sheep selected steep rugged areas near escape terrain for security from predators. During winter and spring, sheep selected habitats with increased forage and security, moderated thermal conditions, and lowered energetic costs of movement. During summer, nutritional needs and security influenced habitat selection. Climate directly influenced habitat selection during the spring lambing period when sheep selected areas with lower snow depths, less snow cover, and higher air temperatures. Indirectly, climate is linked to the expansion of shrub/scrub vegetation, which was significantly avoided in all seasons. Dall’s sheep balance resource selection to meet multiple needs across seasons and such behaviors are finely tuned to patterns of phenology and climate. Direct and indirect effects of a changing climate may reduce their ability to balance their needs and lead to continued population declines. However, several management approaches could promote resiliency of alpine habitats that support Dall’s sheep populations.

Critical snow density threshold for Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli)

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (10) ◽  
pp. 1170-1177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly J. Sivy ◽  
Anne W. Nolin ◽  
Christopher L. Cosgrove ◽  
Laura R. Prugh
Keyword(s):  
Snow Depth ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Snow Density ◽  
Energetic Costs ◽  
Snow Properties ◽  
Ovis Dalli ◽  
Snow Conditions ◽  
Dall’S Sheep ◽  
Density Threshold

Snow cover can significantly impact animal movement and energetics, yet few studies have investigated the link between physical properties of snow and energetic costs. Quantification of thresholds in snow properties that influence animal movement are needed to help address this knowledge gap. Recent population declines of Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli Nelson, 1884) could be due in part to changing snow conditions. We examined the effect of snow density, snow depth, and snow hardness on sinking depths of Dall’s sheep tracks encountered in Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Snow depth was a poor predictor of sinking depths of sheep tracks (R2 = 0.02, p = 0.38), as was mean weighted hardness (R2 = 0.09, p = 0.07). Across competing models, top layer snow density (0–10 cm) and sheep age class were the best predictors of track sink depths (R2 = 0.58). Track sink depth decreased with increasing snow density, and the snowpack supported the mass of a sheep above a density threshold of 329 ± 18 kg/m3 (mean ± SE). This threshold could aid interpretation of winter movement and energetic costs by animals, thus improving our ability to predict consequences of changing snowpack conditions on wildlife.

scholarly journals Habitat selection and 3D space use partitioning of resident juvenile hawksbill sea turtles in a small Caribbean bay

2021 ◽  
Vol 168 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Matley ◽  
L. K. Johansen ◽  
N. V. Klinard ◽  
S. T. Eanes ◽  
P. D. Jobsis
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
3D Space ◽  
2D And 3D

AbstractUnderstanding how aquatic animals select and partition resources provides relevant information about community dynamics that can be used to help manage conservation efforts. The critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) spends an extended part of its juvenile development in coastal waters. A strong proclivity to remain resident in small areas, often in high density, raises questions about how juveniles partition resources including selection of habitat and spatial overlap among conspecifics. Using between 36 and 41 acoustic receivers in the 1.5 km2 study site, this study quantified day-and-night habitat selection, as well as 2D and 3D space use of 23 juvenile hawksbills within two adjacent Caribbean foraging grounds—Brewers Bay and Hawksbill Cove, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands—between 2015 and 2018. We found that coral reef, rock, and the artificial dolosse forming an airport runway, were the most strongly selected habitats based on resource selection indices. Individual activity spaces in 2D and 3D were both larger during the day compared to night, although the same parts of the bay were used by each individual during both periods. The 3D approach also showed deeper space use during the day. Weekly comparisons of activity space between individuals showed limited overlap (mean 95% UD overlap; day: 0.15 (2D) and 0.07 (3D), night: 0.11 (2D) and 0.03 (3D)), suggesting some degree of resource partitioning or territoriality. Results from this study provide relevant space use information for resource management of juvenile hawksbills, in which many populations are facing habitat degradation and population declines.

scholarly journals Habitat Selection by Brown Bears with Varying Levels of Predation Rates on Ungulate Neonates

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 678
Author(s):  
Kate Twynham ◽  
Andrés Ordiz ◽  
Ole-Gunnar Støen ◽  
Geir-Rune Rauset ◽  
Jonas Kindberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Northern Eurasia ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Predatory Behaviour ◽  
Resource Pulses

In northern Eurasia, large carnivores overlap with semi-domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) and moose (Alces alces). In Scandinavia, previous studies have quantified brown bear (Ursus arctos) spring predation on neonates of reindeer (mostly in May) and moose (mostly in June). We explored if habitat selection by brown bears changed following resource pulses and whether these changes are more pronounced on those individuals characterised by higher predatory behaviour. Fifteen brown bears in northern Sweden (2010–2012) were fitted with GPS proximity collars, and 2585 female reindeers were collared with UHF transmitters. Clusters of bear positions were visited to investigate moose and reindeer predation. Bear kill rates and home ranges were calculated to examine bear movements and predatory behaviour. Bear habitat selection was modelled using resource selection functions over four periods (pre-calving, reindeer calving, moose calving, and post-calving). Coefficients of selection for areas closer to different land cover classes across periods were compared, examining the interactions between different degrees of predatory behaviour (i.e., high and low). Bear habitat selection differed throughout the periods and between low and high predatory bears. Differences among individuals’ predatory behaviour are reflected in the selection of habitat types, providing empirical evidence that different levels of specialization in foraging behaviour helps to explain individual variation in bear habitat selection.

scholarly journals Human-induced changes in habitat preference by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and their potential effect on zoonotic disease transmission

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago C. Dias ◽  
Jared A. Stabach ◽  
Qiongyu Huang ◽  
Marcelo B. Labruna ◽  
Peter Leimgruber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Zoonotic Disease ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Selection Strategies ◽  
Hydrochoerus Hydrochaeris ◽  
Natural Landscapes

AbstractHuman activities are changing landscape structure and function globally, affecting wildlife space use, and ultimately increasing human-wildlife conflicts and zoonotic disease spread. Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a conflict species that has been implicated in the spread and amplification of the most lethal tick-borne disease in the world, the Brazilian spotted fever (BSF). Even though essential to understand the link between capybaras, ticks and the BSF, many knowledge gaps still exist regarding the effects of human disturbance in capybara space use. Here, we analyzed diurnal and nocturnal habitat selection strategies of capybaras across natural and human-modified landscapes using resource selection functions (RSF). Selection for forested habitats was high across human- modified landscapes, mainly during day- periods. Across natural landscapes, capybaras avoided forests during both day- and night periods. Water was consistently selected across both landscapes, during day- and nighttime. This variable was also the most important in predicting capybara habitat selection across natural landscapes. Capybaras showed slightly higher preferences for areas near grasses/shrubs across natural landscapes, and this variable was the most important in predicting capybara habitat selection across human-modified landscapes. Our results demonstrate human-driven variation in habitat selection strategies by capybaras. This behavioral adjustment across human-modified landscapes may be related to BSF epidemiology.

scholarly journals Seasonal influence of snow conditions on Dall’s sheep productivity in Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0244787
Author(s):  
Christopher L. Cosgrove ◽  
Jeff Wells ◽  
Anne W. Nolin ◽  
Judy Putera ◽  
Laura R. Prugh
Keyword(s):  
Snow Depth ◽  
National Park ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Multiple Regression Model ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Remote Cameras ◽  
Snow Conditions ◽  
Dall’S Sheep

Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) are endemic to alpine areas of sub-Arctic and Arctic northwest America and are an ungulate species of high economic and cultural importance. Populations have historically experienced large fluctuations in size, and studies have linked population declines to decreased productivity as a consequence of late-spring snow cover. However, it is not known how the seasonality of snow accumulation and characteristics such as depth and density may affect Dall’s sheep productivity. We examined relationships between snow and climate conditions and summer lamb production in Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska over a 37-year study period. To produce covariates pertaining to the quality of the snowpack, a spatially-explicit snow evolution model was forced with meteorological data from a gridded climate re-analysis from 1980 to 2017 and calibrated with ground-based snow surveys and validated by snow depth data from remote cameras. The best calibrated model produced an RMSE of 0.08 m (bias 0.06 m) for snow depth compared to the remote camera data. Observed lamb-to-ewe ratios from 19 summers of survey data were regressed against seasonally aggregated modelled snow and climate properties from the preceding snow season. We found that a multiple regression model of fall snow depth and fall air temperature explained 41% of the variance in lamb-to-ewe ratios (R2 = .41, F(2,38) = 14.89, p<0.001), with decreased lamb production following deep snow conditions and colder fall temperatures. Our results suggest the early establishment and persistence of challenging snow conditions is more important than snow conditions immediately prior to and during lambing. These findings may help wildlife managers to better anticipate Dall’s sheep recruitment dynamics.

scholarly journals Habitat selection by booming bitterns Botaurus stellaris in French Mediterranean reed-beds

Oryx ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigitte Poulin ◽  
Gaëtan Lefebvre ◽  
Raphaël Mathevet
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Site Management ◽  
Clear Water ◽  
Percentage Cover ◽  
Multivariate Statistical ◽  
Reed Beds ◽  
Ecological Requirements

Data on habitat requirements of the threatened Eurasian bittern Botaurus stellaris are largely qualitative and limited to countries holding small populations. We assessed the habitat spectrum exploited by male bitterns during the breeding season, based on the analysis of 40 booming sites and 33 non-booming sites in 2,500 ha of heterogeneous reed-beds in the Camargue, France. Environmental variables contributing to booming site selection were, in decreasing order of importance, determined by their contribution to multivariate statistical models: water level in April, proportion of open water, density of dry and green reeds, percentage cover of non-reed species, salinity and turbidity of surface water, and reed height and diameter. Overall, booming sites were characterized by a homogeneous cover of relatively sparse green and dry reeds growing with other plant species in shallow (10–15 cm), clear water. Because these findings are contrary to the traditional perception of bittern habitat in Europe, a reassessment of the species' ecological requirements throughout its distributional range is warranted. In the Camargue the main factors involved in habitat selection (water level and dry reed density) are directly associated with site management, and bitterns respond rapidly to slight environmental changes.

scholarly journals Correlation and studies of habitat selection: problem, red herring or opportunity?

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1550) ◽  
pp. 2233-2244 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Fieberg ◽  
Jason Matthiopoulos ◽  
Mark Hebblewhite ◽  
Mark S. Boyce ◽  
Jacqueline L. Frair
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Correlated Data ◽  
Two Stage ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Post Hoc

With the advent of new technologies, animal locations are being collected at ever finer spatio-temporal scales. We review analytical methods for dealing with correlated data in the context of resource selection, including post hoc variance inflation techniques, ‘two-stage’ approaches based on models fit to each individual, generalized estimating equations and hierarchical mixed-effects models. These methods are applicable to a wide range of correlated data problems, but can be difficult to apply and remain especially challenging for use–availability sampling designs because the correlation structure for combinations of used and available points are not likely to follow common parametric forms. We also review emerging approaches to studying habitat selection that use fine-scale temporal data to arrive at biologically based definitions of available habitat, while naturally accounting for autocorrelation by modelling animal movement between telemetry locations. Sophisticated analyses that explicitly model correlation rather than consider it a nuisance, like mixed effects and state-space models, offer potentially novel insights into the process of resource selection, but additional work is needed to make them more generally applicable to large datasets based on the use–availability designs. Until then, variance inflation techniques and two-stage approaches should offer pragmatic and flexible approaches to modelling correlated data.

Wildlife habitat selection on landscapes with industrial disturbance

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
BOGDAN CRISTESCU ◽  
GORDON B. STENHOUSE ◽  
MARC SYMBALUK ◽  
SCOTT E. NIELSEN ◽  
MARK S. BOYCE
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Surface Mining ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Animal Populations

SUMMARYTechnological advancements in remote sensing and telemetry provide opportunities for assessing the effects of expanding extractive industries on animal populations. Here, we illustrate the applicability of resource selection functions (RSFs) for modelling wildlife habitat selection on industrially-disturbed landscapes. We used grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) from a threatened population in Canada and surface mining as a case study. RSF predictions based on GPS radiocollared bears (nduring mining = 7; npost mining = 9) showed that males and solitary females selected areas primarily outside mineral surface leases (MSLs) during active mining, and conversely inside MSLs after mine closure. However, females with cubs selected areas within compared to outside MSLs irrespective of mining activity. Individual variability was pronounced, although some environmental- and human-related variables were consistent across reproductive classes. For males and solitary females, regional-scale RSFs yielded comparable results to site-specific models, whereas for females with cubs, modelling the two scales produced divergent results. While mine reclamation may afford opportunities for bear persistence, managing public access will likely decrease the risk of human-caused bear mortality. RSFs are powerful tools that merit widespread use in quantitative and visual investigations of wildlife habitat selection on industrially-modified landscapes, using Geographic Information System layers that precisely characterize site-specific conditions.

scholarly journals Human shields mediate sexual conflict in a top predator

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1833) ◽  
pp. 20160906 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. J. G. Steyaert ◽  
M. Leclerc ◽  
F. Pelletier ◽  
J. Kindberg ◽  
S. Brunberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Sexual Conflict ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Offspring Survival ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Survival And Reproduction

Selecting the right habitat in a risky landscape is crucial for an individual's survival and reproduction. In predator–prey systems, prey often can anticipate the habitat use of their main predator and may use protective associates (i.e. typically an apex predator) as shields against predation. Although never tested, such mechanisms should also evolve in systems in which sexual conflict affects offspring survival. Here, we assessed the relationship between offspring survival and habitat selection, as well as the use of protective associates, in a system in which sexually selected infanticide (SSI), rather than interspecific predation, affects offspring survival. We used the Scandinavian brown bear ( Ursus arctos ) population with SSI in a human-dominated landscape as our model system. Bears, especially adult males, generally avoid humans in our study system. We used resource selection functions to contrast habitat selection of GPS-collared mothers that were successful (i.e. surviving litters, n = 19) and unsuccessful (i.e. complete litter loss, n = 11) in keeping their young during the mating season (2005–2012). Habitat selection was indeed a predictor of litter survival. Successful mothers were more likely to use humans as protective associates, whereas unsuccessful mothers avoided humans. Our results suggest that principles of predator–prey and fear ecology theory (e.g. non-consumptive and cascading effects) can also be applied to the context of sexual conflict.

Microhabitat selection in the potentially endangered wolf spider Donacosa merlini (Araneae, Lycosidae): implications for spider conservation

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (11) ◽  
pp. 1280-1288 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Fernández-Montraveta ◽  
M. Cuadrado
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Wolf Spider ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Trade Offs

Habitat quality affects many components of animal fitness and animals are expected to be distributed in the space accordingly. Mismatch between habitat preferences and fitness may relate to scale-dependent effects and trade-offs between costs and benefits of moving to high-quality habitats. We investigated the effects of habitat quality and habitat selection in Donacosa merlini Alderweireldt and Jocqué, 1991, a burrowing wolf spider included in the Spanish Invertebrates Red Data Book. Particularly, we compared burrow size and density and analysed the relationship between burrow presence and vegetation at two different scales. At a regional scale, we found strong differences in burrow size and density. Burrow density affected burrow aggregation, which was utmost under mean densities. At both spatial scales, burrows were found at relatively clear (or low-covered) patches, as scrubs were lower and nearest vegetation was farther from burrows than randomly expected. Our results suggest habitat selection and effects of habitat quality on the life history of D. merlini. In spite of the recent expansion of the species distribution area, our data support the need for suitable habitat management programs. Information about ecological requirements is paramount to correctly assess spider conservation status. This topic has received little attention in spite of the diversity and the relevance of spider ecological roles.

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