Examining how Spatial-temporal Interactions Between Predators Influence the Distribution, Vigilance, and Survival of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Fawns

Examining how Spatial-temporal Interactions Between Predators Influence the Distribution, Vigilance, and Survival of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Fawns
Author: Asia Murphy
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2021
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Predator-prey interactions are among one of the most important community-structuring interspecific relationships. It is well known that predators have direct (i.e., consumptive) effects (CEs), influencing population density [1] and survival [2, 3], and indirect (i.e., non-consumptive) effects (NCEs) on prey. Typically, NCEs are caused by the prey's antipredator behaviors, and can range from changes in distribution and habitat use [4-8] to changes in morphology [9] and decreased reproductive success and recruitment [10-13] to increased vigilance and group size [14, 15]. Based on their strength, CEs and NCEs can scale up to affecting entire ecosystems through trophic cascades [16, 17]. Antipredator behaviors are often tied to the prey's perception of predation risk, which is the probability of prey encountering a predator and/or being killed [7] and varies across space and time [18, 19]. Prey perception of predation risk is based on predator identity and hunting style [20-23], and prey often connect the risk of being killed by an ambush predator to specific habitat features [4], while the risk of being killed by a wide-ranging predator is often not tied to habitat features [17], although these types of predators might find more success in open habitats [24]. This suggests that prey will use different antipredator strategies to avoid different predators. Whereas prey might avoid risky habitats when avoiding ambush predators, prey might avoid being active and/or increase vigilance during risky hours when coursing predators might be active and hunting [25]. While many studies focus on the effect of a single predator on prey [i.e., 8], in most ecological communities, there are often multiple predators preying on the same species [26-28]. The number of predatory species in an ecological community can influence the strength of predator effects on prey [27, 29]. If the antipredator strategies that prey use to reduce predation risk by one predator indirectly increases its chance of being killed by another predator [i.e., predator faciliation; 30], predators can more effectively suppress prey populations [29, 31]. Prey in multi-predator systems often seem unable to completely avoid all predators, and instead focus their energies on using antipredator behaviors meant to avoid predators in order of lethality [32]. The interactions between predators, and the interactions between predators and humans, can also influence predation pressure on prey [33]. A comprehensive study on antipredator behavior and survival in a multi-predator system would determine not only the spatiotemporal distributions, antipredator behavior, and survival probability of the prey, but the spatiotemporal distributions of the predators. The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are culturally and economically important species across much of the United States [34] in Pennsylvania. The number one cause of mortality in white-tailed deer fawns is predation [3, 35]; in Pennsylvania, black bears (Ursus americanus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and bobcats (Lynx rufus; Vreeland et al. 2004, McLean et al. 2005) are all known to prey on fawns. All three predators use different habitats [37-39], can be active at different times [40-42], and have different hunting styles [43, 44], creating a landscape of predation risk that varies spatially and temporally [45]. In addition, these predators--particularly coyotes and bobcats [46-48]--can compete with and influence the habitat use and activity patterns of the other predators, further complicating the landscape that fawns must navigate to survive. While this landscape of multi-predator predation risk has been characterized before for white-tailed deer fawns [see 49, 50], no one has attempted to do so in Pennsylvania. In this dissertation, I examine how habitat relationships (Chapter 1) and spatiotemporal interactions of and between humans, fawns, black bears, coyotes, and bobcats influence the vigilance (Chapter 2) and survival (Chapter 3) of fawns during their first three months of life. In Chapter 1, I find that differing matrix types can influence the similarity of coyote and fawn habitat use. In Chapter 2, I posit that the risk allocation hypothesis can explain why a number of studies--including my own--have found that, in more anthropogenically disturbed habitats, species that would normally avoid spatiotemporal overlap with each other increase in spatiotemporal overlap. In Chapter 3, I estimate fawn survival, examine its relationship to fawn antipredator behavior and habitat, and find that data from camera trap surveys could be a feasible alternative to radio-collaring when the goal is to estimate fawn survival. My research provides new insights into species interactions are influenced by anthropogenic disturbance and a template for noninvasively and inexpensively examining these interactions.

Patterns of Carnivore Competition, Time-to-kill, and Predation Risk on White-tailed Deer Fawns in a Multi-predator Landscape

Patterns of Carnivore Competition, Time-to-kill, and Predation Risk on White-tailed Deer Fawns in a Multi-predator Landscape
Author: Tyler Robert Petroelje
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2021
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Identifying factors influencing kill rates or predation risk is crucial to relate predator effects on prey populations. In multi-predator landscapes, some predators may also perceive predation risk which may not only influence their distributions but also their effects on prey populations across landscapes. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) exist in a multi-predator landscape which includes black bears (Ursus americanus), bobcats (Lynx rufus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and gray wolves (C. lupus). The objectives of this research were to examine spatial relationships among predators and their prey by identifying: 1) competition between wolves and coyotes, 2) factors influencing kill rates of predators, and 3) predator-specific predation risk for white-tailed deer fawns. We quantified the degree of temporal, dietary, and spatial overlap of wolves and coyotes at the population level to estimate the potential for interference competition and identify the mechanisms for how these sympatric canids coexist. We observed significant overlap across resource attributes yet the mechanisms through which wolves and coyotes coexist appear to be driven largely by how coyotes exploit differences in resource availability in heterogenous landscapes. We examined how heterogeneity in landscapes, search rate, and prey availability influence the time between kills for black bears, bobcats, coyotes, and wolves. Spatial heterogeneity in prey availability appeared to be a unifying extrinsic factor mediating time-to-kill across predators, potentially a consequence of more frequent reassessments of patch quality, which can reduce kill rates. We used white-tailed deer fawn predation sites to identify predator-specific predation risk with consideration for active predator occurrence, adult female white-tailed deer occurrence, linear features which may influence prey vulnerability, and habitat characteristics including horizontal cover and deer forage availability. Predator occurrence alone was a poor metric for predation risk. We identified differing landscapes of risk among ambush and cursorial foraging strategies which were more important for defining spatial variation in predation risk than predator density. These findings suggest that in a multi-predator landscape some predators may benefit from greater landscape heterogeneity due to availability of niche space, even though resource heterogeneity reduced predator efficacy and habitat complexity reduced predation risk for prey.

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS IN WHITE-TAILED DEER FAWN SURVIVAL AND CAUSE-SPECIFIC MORTALITY.

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS IN WHITE-TAILED DEER FAWN SURVIVAL AND CAUSE-SPECIFIC MORTALITY.
Author: Tess Gingery
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2018
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Juvenile survival may be the most critical component of large herbivore population growth, but how neonate survival changes over time and space is not fully understood. Neonate survival rates are influenced by maternal care, site-specific differences, and are generally characterized by year-to-year variation. Sources of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn mortality across North America include predation, natural causes (excluding predation), and both direct and indirect human-caused mortality. The relative frequency of these causes indicates which sources most affect neonate survival and can be easily compared among studies. We used a meta-analysis approach to elucidate spatial patterns in fawn survival at a landscape-scale across North America. However, comparing survival rates across time is not possible when confounded by spatial variation. Therefore, we investigated how fawn survival varied across time by conducting a neonate survival study in central Pennsylvania to compare a current estimate of neonate survival to previous estimates for central Pennsylvania in 20002001. Furthermore, because pre-weaned neonates (

Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer

Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer
Author: David G. Hewitt
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 668
Release: 2011-06-24
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1482295989

Winner of the Wildlife Society Outstanding Edited Book Award for 2013! Winner of the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society Outstanding Book Award for 2011! Winner of a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award for 2011! Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer organizes and presents information on the most studied large mammal species in the world. The book covers the evolutionary history of the species, its anatomy, physiology, and nutrition, population dynamics, and ecology across its vast range (from central Canada through northern South America). The book then discusses the history of management of white-tailed deer, beginning with early Native Americans and progressing through management by Europeans and examining population lows in the early 1900s, restocking efforts through the mid 1900s, and recent, overabundant populations that are becoming difficult to manage in many areas. Features: Co-published with the Quality Deer Management Association Compiles valuable information for white-tailed deer enthusiasts, managers, and biologists Written by an authoritative author team from diverse backgrounds Integrates white-tailed deer biology and management into a single volume Provides a thorough treatment of white-tailed deer antler biology Includes downloadable resources with color images The backbone of many state wildlife management agencies' policies and a featured hunting species through much of their range, white-tailed deer are an important species ecologically, socially, and scientifically in most areas of North America. Highly adaptable and now living in close proximity to humans in many areas, white-tailed deer are both the face of nature and the source of conflict with motorists, home-owners, and agricultural producers. Capturing the diverse aspects of white-tailed deer research, Biology and Management of White-tailed Deer is a reflection of the resources invested in the study of the species’ effects on ecosystems, predator-prey dynamics, population regulation, foraging behavior, and browser physiology.

Predator-prey Spatiotemporal Interactions in a Multi-use Landscape

Predator-prey Spatiotemporal Interactions in a Multi-use Landscape
Author: Carolyn Rachel Shores
Publisher:
Total Pages: 101
Release: 2020
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Apex predators can influence ecosystems by changing the density and behavior of herbivores and other predators. As an ecosystem superpredator, humans may also shape top-down effects in ecological communities by altering apex predator abundance and behavior. In many parts of the world, apex predators live in, or are returning to, landscapes that are human dominated. Thus, it is important to understand the ecological role of apex predators in anthropogenic, multi-use landscapes. I used motion-activated camera traps set in a multi-use landscape in northeastern Washington to compare the effects of: 1) wolves (Canis lupus) on spatiotemporal activity patterns of mesopredators and sympatric apex predators; and 2) the effects of hunting and apex predators on the spatiotemporal activity of herbivorous prey. In areas with wolves, other predators used temporal niche partitioning to avoid wolves. Cougars (Puma concolor) and coyotes (Canis latrans) became more active during the daytime, when wolves were least active, which significantly increased their activity overlap with humans. By contrast, bobcats (Lynx rufus) exposed to wolves changed their activity in patterns opposite to coyotes at nighttime and dusk. Although both mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) increased nocturnality significantly during hunting seasons, the deer species showed species-specific spatiotemporal responses to hunting that, in the case of mule deer, deviated from their typical anti-predator behavior. This pushed mule deer, but not white-tailed deer, into greater spatiotemporal overlap with wolves during hunting seasons, and thus may lead to additive mortality on mule deer from increased wolf predation. In conclusion, the top-down effects of wolves on the behavior of their intraguild competitors appear to be resilient to human disturbance in this system. However, effects on their herbivore prey may be overwhelmed by humans during hunting seasons, leading to greater spatiotemporal overlap with predators. More broadly, my findings highlight that temporal behavioral plasticity is an underappreciated aspect of animal behavior that helps animals manage risk and reduce the negative effects of competition. In addition, the top-down effects of apex predators appear to persist in human-dominated landscapes, particularly within the carnivore guild.

Spatio-temporal Distribution of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Relative to Prescribed Burns on Rangeland in South Texas

Spatio-temporal Distribution of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Relative to Prescribed Burns on Rangeland in South Texas
Author: Michael Glenn Meek
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2010
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Overgrazing and fire suppression has left much rangeland in poor condition for various wildlife species. Prescribed fire is one range improvement practice used to restore degraded wildlife habitat. I determined the effect of prescribed fire on whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) spatial and temporal distribution, in the presence of cattle grazing. Three 40 ha patches, constituting 10% and 6% of the land area in the lesser and greater Yellow Bluff pasture, respectively, were burned in September 2005. To determine habitat use and distribution of deer relative to these burns 3 bucks and 3 does were netted from a helicopter and fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry collars (Lotek4́Ø GPS_3300S) for a period of 30 days during each season. For estimation of spatial distribution of deer, the collars were programmed to take a position fix every hour to reduce problems associated with spatial autocorrelation. For 12 days within this period the collars recorded animal location every 5 minutes to compare habitat use with 60́39 GPS collars (GPS_3300LR) placed on cattle. This allowed me to examine fine-scale movements of deer relative to cattle. Trials were conducted prior to the burn and in each season for one year after the burn. Areas to be burned were not favored by deer. A month after the burn in Fall 2005 there was an increase in use of the burned areas by deer. Deer preference for burned areas fell in Spring and Summer 2006, but in Fall 2006 females dramatically increased their use of the burns. This is possibly an artifact of small sample size and the random selection of individuals. Interaction between deer and cattle was minimal, as they inhabited different areas. When cattle moved within approximately 50 m of a stationary deer the deer was likely to move away. Vegetation measurements showed no significant change in shrub cover and density and a decline in available herbaceous forage on both treatment and control sites in the second year. The lack of vegetative response because of drought conditions was likely the cause of the lack of response by the deer to the burns.

Foraging Behavior, Social Interactions, and Predation Risk of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) at a Concentrated Resource

Foraging Behavior, Social Interactions, and Predation Risk of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) at a Concentrated Resource
Author: David Bledsoe Stone
Publisher:
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2017
Genre:
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Wildlife feeding is undertaken for a variety of reasons including increasing viewing opportunities, improving body condition, preventing starvation, and facilitating hunter harvest. I investigated anti-predator and foraging behavior at bait sites, the role of competition on bait site visitation, and spatio-temporal responses to baiting. During 2013 and 2014, I used global positioning system (GPS) telemetry and camera traps to assess white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) behavior at bait sites and implications for harvest susceptibility. Camera trap data indicated that foraging behavior was influenced by social interactions and breeding chronology. Co-occurrence of mature and immature males at a bait site negatively impacted feeding rates for immature males. I used a multi-state modeling approach to determine if deer temporally partitioned their use of bait sites based on dominance status and how the resulting patterns in bait site visitation would potentially expose deer to different sources of predation risk, depending on the activity patterns of the predator. I found that subordinate (yearling males and adult females) and dominant (adult males) cohorts avoided each other temporally at the patch level. Subordinates were more likely to use bait sites during diurnal hours during the pre- and post-breeding phases of the breeding season than dominants. Bait site visitation for dominants and subordinates did not differ during nocturnal hours in any phase of the breeding season. Lastly, I used dynamic Brownian bridge movement models and camera traps to assess harvest suscpetibility. I determined that hunters were less likely to encounter a deer at a bait site than non-baited areas in their home range, regardless of sex, age class, or phase of the breeding season. Although no sex-age class selected for bait sites over other portions of their home range during legal hunting hours, adult females were more susceptible to harvest at bait sites during the pre-breeding season than the breeding or post-breeding seasons. Conversely, adult and yearling males were more likely to visit a bait site during hunting hours in the post-breeding season than the pre- or breeding seasons. Social interactions, competitive status, and reproductive behaviors are important drivers of deer behavior and harvest susceptibility at bait sites.

The Spatial Ecology of Predator-Prey Interactions: A Case Study of Yellowstone Elk, Wolves, and Cougars

The Spatial Ecology of Predator-Prey Interactions: A Case Study of Yellowstone Elk, Wolves, and Cougars
Author: Michel T. Kohl
Publisher:
Total Pages: 187
Release: 2019
Genre:
ISBN:

Predators can serve as an important top-down driver of ecosystems via their influence on prey behavior. Although predator effects on prey behavior (or traits) may be as strong as or stronger than predator effects on prey abundance in small-scale, experimental systems, it is unclear whether behavioral effects are as dominant in large-scale, free-living systems. The objective of this project was to improve our ecological understanding of the spatio-temporal interactions between large predators and their primary prey source in a free-living system. Specifically, I used data from northern Yellowstone to evaluate 1) the role of predator diel activity on prey habitat selection of risky places, 2) how prey operate in a landscape composed of multiple predators that occupy different spatial and temporal niches, and 3) how the density - and behaviorally-meditated effects of large predators influence the large-scale spatial distribution of a prey population. In Chapter 2, I show that the predictability of daily wolf (Canis lupus) hunting activity provided an opportunity for elk (Cervus elaphus) to use risky places during safe times, which in essence, flattened (i.e., minimized) the landscape of fear in Yellowstone. In Chapter 3, I show that wolves and cougars (Puma concolor) hunt in different places, and at different times, which provided a refugia from these predators in time and space that likely minimized overall predation risk in an environment that was spatially saturated with wolves and cougars. In Chapter 4, I show that the current spatial distribution of elk across the northern range of Yellowstone is driven primarily by demographic rather than behavioral mechanisms. Overall, the results from chapters 2-4 suggest that any trophic cascade from predators, to prey, to deciduous woody plants in Yellowstone National Park is likely due to demographic mechanisms rather than a landscape of fear. More broadly, this research identifies a previously overlooked behavioral trait of predators, diel activity, which prey can use to minimize the effect of predators on sophisticated prey. Together, this study advances the field of ecology by quantifying the ecological importance of fear in a large-scale, free-living system.

Home-range Fidelity and the Effect of Supplemental Feeding on Contact Rates Between White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) in Southern Illinois

Home-range Fidelity and the Effect of Supplemental Feeding on Contact Rates Between White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) in Southern Illinois
Author: Matthew Rustand
Publisher:
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2010
Genre:
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White-tailed deer (Odocoileous virginianus ) are an important game animal and provide intrinsic value to many people. However, disease has become of great concern within white-tailed deer populations. Frequency of contract drives the establishment and spread of infectious diseases among susceptible hosts. Supplemental feed provided to increase white-tailed deer survival or create hunting opportunities, as well as bait stations to aid in capture of deer, may increase contact opportunities and disease transfer. The author's objective was to quantify the effects of bait sites on indirect contact between deer. The author examined data from global positioning system (GPS) collars placed on 27 deer near Carbondale, Illinois, USA, from 2002 to 2005. Location data from GPS collars were used to ensure that the author quantified contacts between deer in separate social groups, based on the volume of intersection of their spatial utilization distributions and correlation of movements. Understanding the spatial distribution of white-tailed deer is important to implement effective disease and population management within localized areas. The objective of this study was to measure the home-range fidelity of female deer in an exurban deer herd in southern Illinois.