Coyote use of prairie dog colonies is most frequent in areas used by American badgers

Abstract

The consequences of intraguild predation on vulnerable subordinate species are an important consideration in the recovery of endangered species. In prairie ecosystems, coyotes (Canis latrans) are the primary predator of endangered black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes; hereafter, ferrets) and presumably compete for prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) prey. Coyote predation of ferrets is thought to occur at night when ferrets are active aboveground; however, the apparent source of competition, diurnal prairie dogs, are belowground and inaccessible to coyotes at this time, presenting a perplexing temporal mismatch between actual and expected times that coyotes and ferrets come into conflict. Our study used remote wildlife cameras, occupancy models, and overlap of circadian activity patterns to investigate how landscape features, prairie dog colony attributes, and attraction to sympatric species, i.e., American badgers (Taxidea taxus; hereafter, badgers) and lagomorphs (cottontail rabbits and jackrabbits) influence Coyote use of prairie dog colonies and potential Coyote–ferret interactions. We first evaluated Coyote use (i.e., occupancy) between prairie dog colonies and surrounding available grasslands, finding that coyotes whose home ranges include prairie dog colonies used colonies nearly twice as much as surrounding grasslands. Next, we investigated biotic and abiotic factors that may influence Coyote use and frequency of use (i.e., detection probability) on prairie dog colonies. We found high Coyote use across all areas on prairie dog colonies; however, their frequency of use increased in areas that were also used by badgers. High overlap between Coyote and badger activity patterns (81%) further supports the spatial use patterns revealed by our occupancy analysis, and badgers and coyotes are known to form hunting associations. Interspecific competition and overlapping patterns of resource use between badgers and ferrets have been documented in previous studies; our study supports these findings and suggests that Coyote attraction to badger activity may influence Coyote–ferret interactions.