Variation in adult and pup wolf diets at natal den sites is influenced by forest composition and configuration

Roffler, Gretchen H.; Pilgrim, Kristine L.; Zarn, Katherine E.; Schwartz, Michael K.; Levi, Taal

doi:10.1002/ece3.9648

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 101 publications

(177 reference statements)

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“…We used sterilized tweezers to pluck hair from snares, stored the hair in labeled coin envelopes, and dried at room temperature. During 2015-2018, we also collected wolf scat and shed hair at 13 active den sites within the home ranges of 9 wolf packs in GMU 2 and in the Snow Pass Islands [48]. Although the Snow Pass islands are administratively assigned to adjacent Game Management Unit 3, this area was included in our sample collection efforts because of the proximity to Prince of Wales Island and suspected population connectivity (Figure 1).…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Patterns of Wolf Dispersal Respond to Harvest Density across an Island Complex

Roffler,

Pilgrim,

Williams

2024

Animals

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Wolves are highly mobile predators and can disperse across a variety of habitats and over long distances. However, less is known about dispersal capabilities across water and among islands. The biogeography of island systems fosters spatially structured local populations, and their degree of connectivity may influence the dynamics and long-term viability of the regional population. We sought to quantify wolf dispersal rate, distance, and dispersal sex bias throughout Prince of Wales Island, a 6670 km2 island in southeast Alaska, and the surrounding islands that constitute the wildlife management unit (9025 km2). We also investigated patterns of dispersal in relation to hunting and trapping intensity and wolf population density. We used DNA data collected during 2012–2021 long-term monitoring efforts and genotyped 811 wolves, 144 of which (18%) were dispersers. Annual dispersal rates were 9–23% and had a weakly positive relationship with wolf density. Wolves dispersed 41.9 km on average (SD = 23.7 km), and males and females did not disperse at different rates. Of the dispersing wolves, 107 died, and the majority (n = 81) died before they were able to settle. The leading manner of death was trapping (97% of mortalities), and wolves tended to disperse from areas with low harvest density to areas where harvest density was relatively higher. Dispersal occurred both to and from small islands and the larger Prince of Wales Island, indicating bidirectional as opposed to asymmetrical movement, and the genetic overlap of wolf groups demonstrates connectivity throughout this naturally patchy system. Island ecosystems have different predator–prey dynamics and recolonization processes than large, intact systems due to their isolation and restricted sizes; thus, a better understanding of the degree of population connectivity including dispersal patterns among islands in the Prince of Wales archipelago could help inform the management and research strategies of these wolves.

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Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We collected 7891 snagged hair samples from annual monitoring efforts during 2012-2021 and 322 wolf hair samples and 227 wolf scat samples (114 adult scats and 113 pup scats) at active den sites during 2015-2018 [48]. We also collected samples from 14 captured wolves, 580 harvested wolves, and 2 road-killed wolves.…”

Section: Genotypingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of Wolf Dispersal Respond to Harvest Density across an Island Complex

Roffler,

Pilgrim,

Williams

2024

Animals

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“…berries, than previously thought [ 31 ]. In addition, it was found that wolves could use marine resources as well [ 32 , 33 ] and have substantial regional dietary diversity depending on habitat composition season, vegetation patch interspersion [ 33 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prey size reflected in tooth wear: a comparison of two wolf populations from Sweden and Alaska

Schulz-Kornas,

Skiba,

Kaiser

2024

Interface Focus.

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Ingesta leaves distinct patterns on mammalian teeth during mastication. However, an unresolved challenge is how to include intraspecific variability into dietary reconstruction and the biomechanical aspects of chewing. Two extant populations of the grey wolf ( Canis lupus ), one from Alaska and one from Sweden, were analysed with consideration to intraspecific dietary variability related to prey size depending on geographical origin, sex and individual age as well as tooth function. Occlusal enamel facets of the upper fourth premolars, first molars and the second lower molar were analysed via three-dimensional surface texture analysis. The Swedish wolves displayed facets characterized by higher peaks and deeper, more voluminous dales, featuring an overall rougher surface than the wolves from Alaska. Compared to females, the Swedish male wolves had a slightly larger dale area and hill volume on their facets. Upper fourth premolars are smoother and had higher values in texture direction compared to upper first molars. The upper first molars were rougher than the occluding lower second molars and were characterized by larger and deeper dales. We find evidence supporting intraspecific dietary segregation, and antagonistic asymmetry in occlusal wear signatures. The data offer new insights into the roles of apex predators like the grey wolf.

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Seasonal activity patterns and home range sizes of wolves in the human‐dominated landscape of northeast Türkiye

Blount,

Green,

Chynoweth

et al. 2024

Wildlife Biology

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Gray wolves Canis lupus comprise one of the most widely distributed carnivore species on the planet, but they face myriad environmental and anthropogenic pressures. Previous research suggests that wolves adjust their time‐ and space‐use seasonally to mitigate risks from humans, conspecifics, and other predators while maximizing their hunting and reproductive success. With many populations of wolves resettling in areas with dense human populations, understanding how wolves may adjust their temporal and spatial patterns in these more human‐dominated landscapes is of high conservation importance. Typically, human presence causes wolves to increase their nocturnality and home range size. Here, we look at how seasonal home range size and diel activity patterns among resident and non‐resident wolves differ in an ecosystem that experiences significant differences in human activity between seasons. While non‐resident wolves had larger home ranges than resident wolves, there were no differences in home range sizes within residents and non‐residents between seasons, suggesting that seasonal changes in human presence had no effect on home range size. The activity patterns of wolves were similar between seasons, but resident wolves had greater overlap with humans and were more active than non‐resident wolves when humans were less present in the landscape. Both resident and non‐resident wolves showed increased nocturnality, with both groups selecting for nocturnality more strongly in the nomadic season. This is the first study of tracking Türkiye's wolves and offers the first descriptions of the temporal and spatial trends of GPS‐collared wolves in this highly human‐dominated environment.

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Variation in adult and pup wolf diets at natal den sites is influenced by forest composition and configuration

Cited by 6 publications

References 101 publications

Patterns of Wolf Dispersal Respond to Harvest Density across an Island Complex

Patterns of Wolf Dispersal Respond to Harvest Density across an Island Complex

Prey size reflected in tooth wear: a comparison of two wolf populations from Sweden and Alaska

Seasonal activity patterns and home range sizes of wolves in the human‐dominated landscape of northeast Türkiye

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