Fire‐mediated foraging tradeoffs in white‐tailed deer

Cherry, Michael J.; Warren, Robert J.; Conner, L. Mike

doi:10.1002/ecs2.1784

Cited by 47 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Male bobcats exhibited selection for fields, and this selection was strongest during the kitten-rearing season at both scales. The kitten-rearing season overlaps with the time period in which juvenile prey are present on the landscape, and it is possible that prey species select areas of high visual obscurity near field edges to birth and raise young, as is found in white-tailed deer [53,59]. Thus, selection of fields during summer months may indicate that males increase foraging along field edges at this time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space use and resource selection of bobcats in the Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia

McNitt

Alonso

Cherry

et al. 2019

Preprint

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2 15 ABSTRACT 16 Bobcats are an apex predator and a species of socio-cultural importance in the central 17 Appalachian Mountains. Despite their importance, knowledge of bobcat spatial ecology in the 18 region is sparse. We examined space use and resource selection of bobcats in the Appalachian 19 Mountains of western Virginia during 3 biological seasons: breeding (January-March), kitten-20 rearing (April-September), and dispersal (October-December). We observed sex effects on all 21 space use metrics, with male seasonal areas of use (SAU) approximately 3 times larger than 22 female SAUs and male movement rates 1.5 times higher than females during all seasons. We 23 found no seasonal effect on SAU size for either sex. Female movement rates increased during the 24 kitten-rearing season, and male movement rates increased during the dispersal season. We 25 examined seasonal bobcat resource selection at 2 hierarchical scales, selection of home ranges 26 within the landscape (2 nd order) and selection of locations within home ranges (3 rd order).27 Female bobcats exhibited 2 nd order selection for higher elevations and deciduous forest and 28 avoidance of fields. Males exhibited 2 nd order selection for higher elevations and fields. Male 2 nd 29 order selection appears to be driven largely by the spatial distribution of females, which is 30 mediated through the valley and ridge topography of the study area. Sample size precluded 3 rd 31 order analysis for females, however males exhibited 3 rd order selection for higher elevations, 32 fields, and deciduous forest. Resource selection patterns varied seasonally for both sexes, 33 possibly driven by seasonal shifts in prey availability. Our findings highlight the importance of 34 forested ridges to bobcats in the region. Our findings also illustrate the differences in space use 35 between sexes, which future research efforts should consider. Further research should investigate 36 seasonal shifts in bobcat prey selection, which may further explain the seasonal resource 37 selection shifts we observed, and highlight potential implications for prey species. 3 38 41 An understanding of animal spatial ecology is critical for managing and conserving 42 wildlife populations [1,2]. Knowledge regarding space use and habitat requirements of wildlife 43 provides insight into fundamental ecological processes such as population dynamics, behavioral 44 interactions, and foraging behavior [3-5]. This information can be vital for informing wildlife 45 management decisions and understanding a species role within food webs may vary across space. 46 Bobcat (Lynx rufus) populations are increasing throughout much of their range, both 47 through recolonizing areas of previous extirpation and increasing in abundance where they have 48 persisted [6]. These trends are evident in the central Appalachian Mountains [6]. Although 49 bobcats largely persisted, wolves (Canis spp.) and cougars (Puma concolor) remain extirpated 50 from ecosystems in the Appalachian Mountains, leaving bobcats as an apex p...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Space use and resource selection of bobcats in the Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia

McNitt

Alonso

Cherry

et al. 2019

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…We hypothesized the probability of feeding for all sex‐age classes of deer would be influenced by study site (i.e., BFG or CC), group size, time of day (i.e., daylight vs. night), and coyote abundance (Cherry et al. , ). For yearling males, we also included the presence of adult males because social interactions could influence foraging behavior (Stone et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral response of white‐tailed deer to coyote predation risk

et al. 2018

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Behavioral responses of prey to predation risk can affect lower trophic levels. White‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hereafter deer) increase vigilance in response to coyote (Canis latrans) presence, but vigilance responses to spatiotemporal variation in coyote abundance are unknown. Therefore, we examined the relationship between deer foraging behavior and coyote abundance on two 2000‐ha study areas in Georgia, USA, during 2010–2013. We used baited camera traps during fall and winter to quantify deer behavior (i.e., feeding or vigilant) and estimated coyote abundance using fecal genotyping to noninvasively mark and recapture individuals. During 2011 and 2012, coyote removals were implemented on each study area. Coyote abundance (i.e., predation risk) varied spatiotemporally and was a predictor of foraging behavior during at least one season for all sex‐age classes of deer except juveniles. Adult males were more sensitive to predation risk in winter, after the breeding season, whereas adult females were sensitive to predation risk during both seasons, but more so during fall when offspring are at greater risk. Yearling males were more sensitive to predation risk than adult males, and juveniles were least sensitive to predation risk, likely because of inexperience and high energetic demands. Reproductive chronology explained sex‐specific and seasonal antipredator responses to predation risk, but there was a non‐linear relationship between indirect predator effects and direct predation risk for some sex‐age classes. Our results suggest deer detect and respond behaviorally to variation in coyote abundance. Due to the widespread distribution of deer and their interactions at multiple trophic levels, the ecological implications of this finding may be wide‐reaching.

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“…Even in cases where habitat modification is expected to benefit animal populations, it may have counterintuitive consequences as a result of fear dynamics and require adaptive management. For example, controlled burning practices are often used to promote forage regrowth for herbivores, but female white-tailed deer were found to avoid recently burned areas due to greater perceived risk in open habitat (Cherry, Warren, & Conner, 2017).…”

Section: Optimizing Predator-prey Dynamics: Managing Predators and Prmentioning

confidence: 99%

An applied ecology of fear framework: linking theory to conservation practice

Gaynor

Cherry

Gilbert

et al. 2020

Animal Conservation

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Research on the ecology of fear has highlighted the importance of perceived risk from predators and humans in shaping animal behavior and physiology, with potential demographic and ecosystem-wide consequences. Despite recent conceptual advances and potential management implications of the ecology of fear, theory and conservation practices have rarely been linked. Many challenges in animal conservation may be alleviated by actively harnessing or compensating for risk perception and risk avoidance behavior in wild animal populations. Integration of the ecology of fear into conservation and management practice can contribute to the recovery of threatened populations, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, invasive species management, maintenance of sustainable harvest and species reintroduction plans. Here, we present an applied framework that links conservation interventions to desired outcomes by manipulating ecology of fear dynamics. We discuss how to reduce or amplify fear in wild animals by manipulating habitat structure, sensory stimuli, animal experience (previous exposure to risk) and food safety trade-offs to achieve management objectives. Changing the optimal decision-making of individuals in managed populations can then further conservation goals by shaping the spatiotemporal distribution of animals, changing predation rates and altering risk effects that scale up to demographic consequences. We also outline future directions for applied research on fear ecology that will better inform conservation practices. Our framework can help scientists and practitioners anticipate and mitigate unintended consequences of management decisions, and highlight new levers for multi-species conservation strategies that promote human-wildlife coexistence. An applied ecology of fear framework Scientists and practitioners recognize the importance of considering animal behavior when designing conservation strategies for wild animal populations (Burt, 1943; Martin, 1998). Knowledge of habitat selection, mating systems and sociality, for example, have informed habitat and population management strategies (Festa-Bianchet & Apollonio, 2003; Blumstein & Fern andez-Juricic, 2010). Behaviors related to risk avoidance have also received some attention in the management arena, generally in the context of deterrents that aim to instill fear and flight responses in pest species to reduce undesired behaviors (Miller et al., 2016). However, proactive risk Animal Conservation (2020)ª 2020 The Zoological Society of London 1 Animal Conservation.

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Fire‐mediated foraging tradeoffs in white‐tailed deer

Cited by 47 publications

References 67 publications

Space use and resource selection of bobcats in the Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia

Space use and resource selection of bobcats in the Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia

Behavioral response of white‐tailed deer to coyote predation risk

An applied ecology of fear framework: linking theory to conservation practice

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