Seasonal shifts in habitat selection of a large herbivore and the influence of human activity |
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Authors: | Philip D McLoughlin Eric Vander Wal Stacey J Lowe Brent R Patterson Dennis L Murray |
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Institution: | aDepartment of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada;bTrent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada;cOntario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wildlife Research and Development Section, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada |
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Abstract: | Failure to recognize factors contributing to variation in habitat models like resource selection functions (RSFs) can affect their application for projecting probabilities of occurrence, and thereby limit their relevance for conservation and management. We compared seasonal RSFs (2006–2008) for 16 adult female moose (Alces alces) with home ranges located in western Algonquin Provincial Park (APP), Ontario, Canada, to those of 14 adult females located in provincial Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) 49, 40 km west of the protected area. Wildlife and habitat management practices differed between regions: hunting was higher in WMU 49 compared to APP, and APP preserved large tracts of old growth forest rarely found in WMU 49. Seasonal RSFs projected expected similarities in moose resource use between regions (e.g., responses to wetlands and stands of eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis in winter]); however, we also observed differences consistent with the hypothesis that animals, through effects of hunting, would shift habitat use seasonally and in response to roads. We further observed evidence of functional responses in habitat selection due to underlying differences in forestry practices (e.g., responses to stands of old-growth hemlock forest). Given the close proximity and shared biogeographic region between study areas, we believe that observed spatial dynamics in RSFs were ultimately reflective of divergent management strategies between areas and ensuing differences in predation and hunting mortality risk, and functional habitat. |
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Keywords: | Alces alces Habitat Management Mixed model Moose Random effects Resource selection function (RSF) |
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