Habitat Use by Adult Red Wolves,<i>Canis rufus</i>, in an Agricultural Landscape, North Carolina, USA

Karlin, Melissa; Václavík, Tomáš; Chadwick, John; Meentemeyer, Ross K.

doi:10.3106/041.041.0206

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Like previous studies, red wolf space use was positively associated with agricultural habitats [27–30]. We documented red wolves establishing home ranges on the edges of agricultural fields and forests with the interior (i.e., core areas) comprising proportionally more agriculture than forest and wetland habitats.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Although the North Carolina reintroduction continues, reintroduction to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was terminated after 6 years because red wolves were unable to maintain territories within park boundaries while the population experienced low pup survival [25–26]. Likewise, red wolves in eastern North Carolina reside proximate to agricultural habitats on private and federal lands over large, contiguous forested habitats available on USFWS national wildlife refuges [27–30]. Consequently, the USFWS Red Wolf Recovery Program (hereafter Recovery Program) faced potential issues with predicting how the red wolf population would distribute itself on the landscape as it expanded, anticipating logistic and social constraints (i.e., conflict with landowners and hunters), and understanding interactions between red wolves and coyotes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies of red wolf space use and habitat selection reported home ranges that varied between 10–150 km 2 , comprising mostly agricultural habitats [27–30]. However, past studies only focused on space use patterns of resident red wolves, did not analyze space use and habitat selection together, and suffered from small sample sizes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, Hinton and Chamberlain [27] only assessed home-range sizes and habitat use by 2 red wolf packs during pup rearing, whereas Chadwick et al [28] observed yearly home ranges of 4 male wolves. Moreover, Dellinger et al [29] only measured habitat selection by resident red wolves and Karlin et al [30] measured habitat selection using data obtained from VHF radio-collars collected during diurnal (0900–1200 hours) telemetry flights. Understanding space use and habitat selection patterns of resident red wolves is important because residents comprise the reproductive portion of the population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Space Use and Habitat Selection by Resident and Transient Red Wolves (Canis rufus)

et al. 2016

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Recovery of large carnivores remains a challenge because complex spatial dynamics that facilitate population persistence are poorly understood. In particular, recovery of the critically endangered red wolf (Canis rufus) has been challenging because of its vulnerability to extinction via human-caused mortality and hybridization with coyotes (Canis latrans). Therefore, understanding red wolf space use and habitat selection is important to assist recovery because key aspects of wolf ecology such as interspecific competition, foraging, and habitat selection are well-known to influence population dynamics and persistence. During 2009–2011, we used global positioning system (GPS) radio-telemetry to quantify space use and 3rd-order habitat selection for resident and transient red wolves on the Albemarle Peninsula of eastern North Carolina. The Albemarle Peninsula was a predominantly agricultural landscape in which red wolves maintained spatially stable home ranges that varied between 25 km2 and 190 km2. Conversely, transient red wolves did not maintain home ranges and traversed areas between 122 km2 and 681 km2. Space use by transient red wolves was not spatially stable and exhibited shifting patterns until residency was achieved by individual wolves. Habitat selection was similar between resident and transient red wolves in which agricultural habitats were selected over forested habitats. However, transients showed stronger selection for edges and roads than resident red wolves. Behaviors of transient wolves are rarely reported in studies of space use and habitat selection because of technological limitations to observed extensive space use and because they do not contribute reproductively to populations. Transients in our study comprised displaced red wolves and younger dispersers that competed for limited space and mating opportunities. Therefore, our results suggest that transiency is likely an important life-history strategy for red wolves that facilitates metapopulation dynamics through short- and long-distance movements and eventual replacement of breeding residents lost to mortality.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Space Use and Habitat Selection by Resident and Transient Red Wolves (Canis rufus)

et al. 2016

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“…Changing political and economic factors also alter prospects for landscape restoration (Wintle et al, 2011). In eastern North America, reduction in agricultural activities allowed regeneration of forests that sustain populations of numerous species, including the red wolf Canis rufus and red-legged salamander Plethodon shermani (Connette & Semlitsch, 2013; Karlin et al, 2016). Recovery of large carnivores such as the lynx Lynx lynx , grey wolf Canis lupus lupus and wolverine Gulo gulo in Europe is largely a result of advances in the management of functional landscapes (Chapron et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reintroducing species when threats still exist: assessing the suitability of contemporary landscapes for island endemics

Angeli

Fitzgerald

2020

Oryx

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Reintroducing species into landscapes with persistent threats is a conservation challenge. Although historic threats may not be eliminated, they should be understood in the context of contemporary landscapes. Regenerating landscapes often contain newly emergent habitat, creating opportunities for reintroductions. The Endangered St Croix ground lizard Pholidoscelis polops was extirpated from the main island of St Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, as a result of habitat conversion to agriculture and predation by the small Indian mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus. The species survived on two small cays and was later translocated to two islands. Since the 1950s, new land-cover types have emerged on St Croix, creating a matrix of suitable habitat throughout the island. Here we examined whether the new habitat is sufficient for a successful reintroduction of the St Croix ground lizard, utilizing three complementary approaches. Firstly, we compared a map from 1750 to the current landscape of St Croix and found statistical similarity of land-cover types. Secondly, we determined habitat suitability based on a binomial mixture population model developed as part of the programme monitoring the largest extant population of the St Croix ground lizard. We estimated the habitat to be sufficient for > 142,000 lizards to inhabit St Croix. Thirdly, we prioritized potential reintroduction sites and planned for reintroductions to take place during 2020–2023. Our case study demonstrates how changing landscapes alter the spatial configuration of threats to species, which can create opportunities for reintroduction. Presuming that areas of degraded habitat may never again be habitable could fail to consider how regenerating landscapes can support species recovery. When contemporary landscapes are taken into account, opportunities for reintroducing threatened species can emerge.

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Evidence of reduced abundance, density, and survival of coyotes under federal management for red wolf recovery

Hinton¹,

Chamberlain

2022

Ecosphere

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To mitigate coyote (Canis latrans) introgression in the wild red wolf (Canis rufus) genome, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Red Wolf Recovery Program used a combination of reproductive sterilization and lethal removal of coyotes to minimize hybridization and increase the endangered red wolf population. Although sterilization assisted in limiting coyote introgression to ≤4% in the wild red wolf genome, its potential negative effect on coyote and hybrid abundance and density is unknown. Using long-term capture-mark-recapture and radio-telemetry data collected on red wolves, coyotes, and hybrids under the USFWS Red Wolf Adaptive Management Plan implemented during 2000-2013, we explored three areas of research: (1) spatial modeling to correlate land cover characteristics with the relative probabilities of capture for red wolves, coyotes, and hybrids; (2) survival analysis of radio-marked canids; and (3) annual population estimates for the three Canis taxa. We detected no differences in the relative probability of capture among Canis taxa. Red wolves, coyotes, and hybrids were most frequently captured in areas proximate to road networks with low canopy cover (i.e., cropland) and away from coastal bottomland forests. Annual apparent survival for red wolves and hybrids was greater than survival for coyotes; however, wolves and hybrids exhibited similar annual survival. Mortality of coyotes and hybrids was predominately attributed to deliberate take through lethal control by the USFWS biologists and harvest by hunters and trappers. We observed annual densities of coyotes ranging between 2.5 and 21.5 coyotes/1000 km 2 , with densities annually increasing during 2005-2013 when the red wolf population plateaued before declining after 2013. Despite the increase in coyote density, our density estimates are less than most estimates reported throughout the coyote's geographic range, and similar to those reported in areas where coyote populations are limited by extreme environments such as their northern range limits in Alaska, United States, and Canada. Our findings indicate that red wolf presence and federal management

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Habitat Use by Adult Red Wolves,Canis rufus, in an Agricultural Landscape, North Carolina, USA

Cited by 5 publications

References 28 publications

Space Use and Habitat Selection by Resident and Transient Red Wolves (Canis rufus)

Space Use and Habitat Selection by Resident and Transient Red Wolves (Canis rufus)

Reintroducing species when threats still exist: assessing the suitability of contemporary landscapes for island endemics

Evidence of reduced abundance, density, and survival of coyotes under federal management for red wolf recovery

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