Scale and heterogeneity in habitat selection by elk in Yellowstone National Park

Boyce, Mark S.; Mao, Julie S.; Merrill, Evelyn H.; Fortin, Daniel; Turner, Monica G.; Fryxell, John M.; Turchin, Peter

doi:10.1080/11956860.2003.11682790

Cited by 329 publications

(346 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Understanding habitat requirements is fundamental for improving species' management and conservation strategies (Law and Dickman 1998;Debinski and Holt 2000;Boyce et al 2003). Patterns of habitat selection depend on the scale of analysis: at the landscape scale, habitat selection is regulated by geological and historical processes, and human-induced influences, whereas at the fine scale, it depends on decisions made by individual organisms that directly affect their fitness (Mayor et al 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The NATURA 2000 database as a tool in the analysis of habitat selection at large scales: factors affecting the occurrence of pine and stone martens in Southern Europe

et al. 2018

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Most studies on habitat selection among animals are conducted at local scales, whereas reliable determination of species requirements at larger spatial scales can be problematic. We used data available for NATURA 2000 sites to determine the habitat requirements of two relatively widespread and common species-pine marten Martes martes and stone marten Martes foina-in Southern Europe. Using presence-absence data, we applied statistical models at two spatial scales. At the local scale (within the dispersal distances of the species), sites occupied by martens were compared with unoccupied sites using buffers of different sizes, whereas at the regional scale, unoccupied sites were selected randomly. To adjust for spatial autocorrelation of data, penalised quasi-likelihood approximations were used. Both species of martens demonstrated preferences for areas with higher proportions of forest cover and steeper terrain. At the local, but not at the regional, scale, pine martens occurred at lower elevations, whilst stone martens occurred at higher elevations. We found that climatic variables (mean temperature, precipitation) had no significant effect on the presence of the martens. The results of our analyses generally confirmed findings of previous studies on habitat selection of both marten species in Southern Europe. This demonstrates the utility of data collected for NATURA 2000 sites for use in various analyses such as conservation planning and evaluating the impact of climate change on the distribution of animal species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The NATURA 2000 database as a tool in the analysis of habitat selection at large scales: factors affecting the occurrence of pine and stone martens in Southern Europe

et al. 2018

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“…To further validate our RSF models we used kfold cross validation to assess the predictive strength for both seasonal models (Boyce et al 2003, Anderson et al 2005, Long et al 2009). We randomly separated the data by individual within seasonal models to construct a training set (75% of data) and test set (25% of data).…”

Section: Resource Selection Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of large‐scale gold mining on migratory behavior of a large herbivore

2015

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Abstract. Loss of migratory corridors has been identified as an important ecological issue among species that exhibit long-distance migration worldwide. Increased mineral exploration and development has raised the level of concern over the protection of terrestrial migration routes for ungulates. Mineral exploration and other types of development may adversely affect migratory corridors for large herbivores, but little is known about functional effects on migratory behavior and resource selection. To address these important questions we examined movement patterns and resource selection to understand the effects of an operating gold mine on migratory pathways of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). We captured and applied radio collars to female mule deer (n ¼ 43) on the migratory pathway and in the proximity of an active mine in the Ruby Mountains of eastern Nevada. We used Brownian Bridge Movement Models to delineate stopover sites for each individual during both the autumn and spring migrations. We calculated linear efficiency of movement along the migration path and movement rate between stopover locations outside and within the mining area to determine the effects of the mine on movement patterns. We also used resource selection functions to determine if mule deer avoided areas with extensive excavation and disturbance of the land surface when navigating through the mine complex. Our results indicated greater linear efficiency of movement along the migration path and movement rates between stopover locations outside the mine when compared with movement through the mine complex. Additionally, mule deer that migrated through the mine complex avoided the highest disturbance levels by spending the majority of their time in undisturbed habitat patches. These results suggest an increase in energy expenditure of mule deer navigating through highly disturbed areas, which may have fitness consequences for migratory animals. Such increases in energy expenditure during migration may decrease survival or productivity of migratory populations of large, terrestrial mammals.

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“…All variables were retained for further analysis because collinearity was not detected. Nonlinearities in woody density, distance to the nearest road, and distance to water were corrected by adding square terms to the model (Boyce et al 2003). Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit tests for overdispersion (Fernandez 2003) were not significant in any of the models.…”

Section: Statistical Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging behavior of heritage versus recently introduced herbivores on desert landscapes of the American Southwest

et al. 2011

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Abstract. Since the 1800s managed grasslands and shrublands of the arid American Southwest have been grazed predominantly by cattle originally bred for temperate climates in northern Europe. A heritage breed, the criollo cattle, has survived in northern Mexico for more than 400 years under desert-like conditions of low and variable rainfall, hot temperatures in the growing season, and both spatially and temporally scarce levels of primary production. We tested the hypothesis that the heritage breed has a broader spatial foraging distribution under harsh environmental conditions, and that its distribution is driven by environmental variables which differ from those that control the distribution of the introduced European breed. Movements of individual criollo and Angus breed animals were monitored autonomously in the northern Chihuahuan desert of southern New Mexico, USA. Georeferenced foraging locations acquired at 5-minute intervals for each animal were fit to a logistic regression using environmental factors as predictors. In the spring, when forage availability was high and more uniformly distributed across the landscape, animal foraging patterns were similar for both breeds. In the fall when forage availability was low and non-uniformly distributed, the two breeds exhibited very different foraging patterns: heritage animals foraged across a much larger spatial extent whereas their domestic counterparts remained in close proximity to the permanent source of water. These differences in foraging behavior driven by environmental variables have important implications for sustainability of rangelands in spatially and temporally variable environments. Heritage breeds of animals that are generalist foragers during unfavorable conditions can reduce environmental impacts compared to more recently introduced breeds.Key words: Chihuahuan desert; criollo cattle; GPS monitoring; herbivory; landscape foraging patterns; resource selection functions. Ecosphere 2(5):art57.

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Scale and heterogeneity in habitat selection by elk in Yellowstone National Park

Cited by 329 publications

References 46 publications

The NATURA 2000 database as a tool in the analysis of habitat selection at large scales: factors affecting the occurrence of pine and stone martens in Southern Europe

The NATURA 2000 database as a tool in the analysis of habitat selection at large scales: factors affecting the occurrence of pine and stone martens in Southern Europe

Effects of large‐scale gold mining on migratory behavior of a large herbivore

Foraging behavior of heritage versus recently introduced herbivores on desert landscapes of the American Southwest

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