Effects of scale on interpreting life‐history characteristics of ungulates and carnivores

Bowyer, R. Terry; Kie, John G.

doi:10.1111/j.1366-9516.2006.00247.x

Cited by 95 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 118 publications

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“…This illustrates the importance of a multiscale approach in wildlife habitat studies because disturbance effects may be exhibited at multiple spatial scales and be undetectable at other spatial scales (Johnson 1980, Bowyer and Kie 2006, Boyce 2006. All models at the 500-m scale had a statistically significant negative coefficient for specifically the Route variable, whereas the Route variable and statistical significance in models at other scales were inconsistent across male and female moose.…”

Section: Percent Increase In Vehicular Activitymentioning

confidence: 83%

Evaluating the road-effect zone on wildlife distribution in a rural landscape

Shanley

Pyare

2011

Ecosphere

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Abstract. The road-effect zone is the area in which ecological effects extend outward from a road.Dispersed off-highway vehicle (OHV; e.g., four-wheelers and snowmachines) activity on rural road networks creates a disturbance that reduces the effective amount of wildlife habitat and therefore has the potential for an extensive road-effect zone. Consequently, land managers must consider the trade-offs between rural road development and the conservation of habitat for species of concern. We conducted a spatially-explicit study of moose, Alces alces, occurrence in relation to rural roads and OHV routes in rural Alaska, U.S.A. We used logistic regression and AIC model selection criterion to develop resource selection functions (RSFs) for male and female moose at three spatial scales (250 m, 500 m, and 1000 m) in two seasons (summer and fall). To evaluate an ecological disturbance threshold from increasing route activity on the probability of animal occurrence, the RSFs were plotted against an index of route activity derived from interviews with OHV users, and fit with logarithmic functions. The variable for route activity improved the fit of RSF models for both sexes at all spatial scales and in both seasons. A negative relationship was found between moose occurrence and routes or areas in which routes were in close proximity to primary forage, with the exception of male moose at the 1000-m scale in the fall. Therefore, among the spatial scales of analysis, the road-effect zone for male moose was determined to be between 500 m and 1000 m, and .1000 m for female moose. Furthermore, route activity ,0.25 km of vehicle travel/km 2 / day was a threshold value at which moose sustained a high probability of occurrence (0.60 to 0.91). The results of our study suggest that the dispersed ecological effect of rural roads and OHV routes should be considered in transportation and land-management planning efforts. Relatively low levels of vehicular activity may create extensive road-effect zones for sensitive species.

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Section: Percent Increase In Vehicular Activitymentioning

confidence: 83%

Evaluating the road-effect zone on wildlife distribution in a rural landscape

Shanley

Pyare

2011

Ecosphere

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“…We argue that recognizing ecological differences between bison and cattle would be best studied on large, complex landscapes that do not limit behavior to finer scales (Holland et al 2004, Boyce 2006, Bowyer and Kie 2006. Incorporating landscape variability will allow for a more effective comparison of grazing behavior and effects between bison and cattle, as animals can interact with environmental factors that contribute to grazing effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of herbivores in Great Plains conservation: comparative ecology of bison and cattle

2011

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Abstract. The Great Plains of North America evolved with significant influence from bison (Bison bison), but is presently dominated by cattle (Bos taurus). While there are a variety of opinions concerning differences between these two species, there is a lack of scientific comparisons, including those that incorporate important ecological variation. We developed a framework to study and compare the grazing behavior and effects of bison and cattle within grassland ecosystems. Environmental (e.g., resource distribution, disturbance) and animal (e.g., number, social organization) factors play a critical role in determining grazing effects and should be incorporated into discussions that compare the effects of bison and cattle. Using this framework we specifically compare the grazing behavior of both species in tallgrass prairie and discuss the implications of these differences in the context of conservation. We collared bison and cattle with global positioning systems and used resource selection functions to estimate the importance of various environmental factors on site selection. Both species preferred recently burned areas and avoided steeper slopes. Cattle selected areas that were closer to water, while bison were not limited by distance to water; cattle also preferred areas with woody vegetation, while bison avoided them. Incorporating broad scale environmental complexity allows for an effective comparison of ecological differences between bison and cattle. While there are similarities and differences in these species, a comprehensive analysis of all conditions and scenarios is not possible. It is clear, however, that the greatest differences between these species will likely be evident from broad scale studies across complex landscapes. In addition to species, conservation and land managers need to consider other environmental factors that are critical to grazing effects and overall conservation.

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“…In fact, as suggested by the concept of hierarchical selection (Johnson 1980), the same animal species may even select certain habitat features on one spatial scale and avoid them on another scale (Rachlow & Bowyer 1998, reviewed in Bowyer & Kie 2006. Thus, for a better understanding of the habitat requirements of a species it may be necessary to sample on different scales (Bowyer & Kie 2006). There are several studies that show that investigating habitat selection only on a large scale can mask the importance of small-scale differences in habitat (e.g.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…This indicates that the ideal strategy is a combination of these two factors and that their relative importance depends on the species, the environmental conditions (Fuller et al 2007) and the spatial scale considered (Bowyer & Kie 2006, Panzacchi et al 2009). In fact, as suggested by the concept of hierarchical selection (Johnson 1980), the same animal species may even select certain habitat features on one spatial scale and avoid them on another scale (Rachlow & Bowyer 1998, reviewed in Bowyer & Kie 2006.…”

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confidence: 99%

Foraging sites of Eurasian lynxLynx lynx: relative importance of microhabitat and prey occurrence

Belotti

Červený

Šustr³

et al. 2013

Wildlife Biology

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The choice of foraging areas by large carnivores can be driven both by prey abundance and landscape attributes and it is likely that the relative importance of these two components changes on different spatial scales. In the Bohemian Forest (southwestern Bohemia, Czech Republic), we focused on the effect of microhabitat. We tested if Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx hunted merely in areas where its main prey, roe deer Capreolus capreolus and red deer Cervus elaphus, occurred ('preyoccurrence hypothesis') or if there were fine-scale habitat features that increased prey catchability ('landscape hypothesis'). Fine-scale habitat features were recorded at sites where an ungulate had been killed and located using telemetry or by chance (in winter: N ¼ 29 roe deer, N ¼ 18 red deer; in summer: N ¼ 33 roe deer, N ¼ 5 red deer). We compared these features with those recorded at locations where live red or roe deer were recorded using telemetry (N¼ 100 per species per six-month period). In winter, lynx killed both roe and red deer at sites where there was a greater heterogeneity in terms of visibility than at sites where live ungulates were recorded, i.e. at kill sites there were both good stalking cover and good visibility. In addition, the risk of predation for red deer was negatively correlated with tree density. In summer, the risk of predation for roe deer was not associated with any of the habitat variables measured. Thus, the presence of a kill was associated with particular fine-scale habitat features in winter, while in summer it was simply associated with where prey occurred. A deeper understanding of the type of habitat favoured by lynx is fundamental to the management and conservation of this species. Based on our results, forest management should ensure that the level of habitat heterogeneity is favourable for lynx.

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Effects of scale on interpreting life‐history characteristics of ungulates and carnivores

Cited by 95 publications

References 118 publications

Evaluating the road-effect zone on wildlife distribution in a rural landscape

Evaluating the road-effect zone on wildlife distribution in a rural landscape

The role of herbivores in Great Plains conservation: comparative ecology of bison and cattle

Foraging sites of Eurasian lynxLynx lynx: relative importance of microhabitat and prey occurrence

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