Influences on Release‐Site Fidelity of Translocated Elk

Larkin, Jeffery L.; Cox, John J.; Wichrowski, Michael W.; Dzialak, Matthew R.; Maehr, David S.

doi:10.1111/j.1061-2971.2004.00231.x

Cited by 47 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…If elk disperse to areas with less desirable habitat, survival may not be as high, especially during severe winters in Ontario. Our results are in stark contrast to other reintroductions of the species: 75% of collared elk <10 km 1 1/ 2 years after release in northwestern Ontario (McIntosh, 2003); more than half of elk <5 km after 6 months in the Burwash-French River area, Ontario (Rosatte et al 2002); 53, 55, and 82% of elk <10 km 1 year following reintroductions in Kentucky (Larkin et al 2004); and 76% <10 km after 2 years in Tennessee (Muller 2002). Indeed, not until 2-3 years following reintroduction did BNH elk shift from a dispersive to a home-range phase .…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

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Movement and Spread of a Founding Population of Reintroduced Elk (Cervus elaphus) in Ontario, Canada

Yott

Rosatte

Schaefer

et al. 2011

Restoration Ecology

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Monitoring the distribution and movements of a species following reintroduction can aid resource managers in assessing release-site fidelity, rates of spread, initial project success, and feasibility of (or need for) future releases. We used radio-telemetry to monitor an entire founding population of 70 elk (Cervus elaphus) during 16 months following their reintroduction to eastern Ontario, Canada. At the end of the study, elk were widely scattered over a 27,000 km 2 area. Dispersal distances ranged from 2 to 142 km; 50% of animals moved >40 km from the release site. Dispersal distances differed by time periods and age but not sex. Calves dispersed significantly shorter distances than adults and many mature elk were isolated during the rut. In contrast to a random distribution model, movements had a strongly southwestern directional bias, perhaps owing to prevailing winds from the same direction. Mortality during the study period was 27%; the primary causes of known mortalities were emaciation, collision with automobiles, and illegal shooting. During the first 1 1/ 2 years, lack of releasesite fidelity and high dispersal coupled with animal-human conflicts and mortalities likely contributed to an initial lag in population growth. Resource managers planning animal reintroductions should consider using methodologies that enhance site fidelity following release.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

“…Dispersal distances for adults and yearlings were more than double that for calves, similar to other elk restorations (e.g. Larkin et al 2002Larkin et al , 2004Ryckman et al 2009). One may question why calves did not remain with dispersing adults.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Movement and Spread of a Founding Population of Reintroduced Elk (Cervus elaphus) in Ontario, Canada

Yott

Rosatte

Schaefer

et al. 2011

Restoration Ecology

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“…Given this repertoire of adaptive strategies, managers should assume that areas adjacent to existing Elk populations but presently without Elk could be colonized, and could be of importance to future growth of such populations and expansion of their range. For example, in restorations of Elk in Kentucky (USA), translocated Elk demonstrated fidelity to a variety of habitat types, including some not previously encountered on their original ranges (Larkin et al 2004). Such considerations are of importance to managers as efforts to restore Elk populations in several U. S. states (Didier and Porter 1999;McClafferty and Parkhurst 2001;Larkin et al 2004) are being considered or have commenced.…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Where colonization of new range by Elk enhances the persistence of marginal populations and provides desired recreational opportunities for hunting and viewing Elk, managers should identify, provide access to, and, if possible, acquire adjacent range to which individuals might disperse, especially within the broader context of regional strategies that follow the principle of retaining large contiguous or connected areas that contain critical habitats (Dale et al 2000). In these cases, dispersing groups should be protected from disturbance until they have established fidelity to new ranges (Larkin et al 2004). Where dispersion to adjacent, but non-traditional ranges and habitats is likely to create or exacerbate land use conflicts between Elk and humans, managers should consider lowering densities of Elk on traditional range to reduce the likelihood of such dispersal.…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonization of Non-Traditional Range in Dispersing Elk, <em>Cervus elaphus nelsoni</em>, Populations

Dyke

2007

Can Field Nat

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On traditional ranges, animals typically concentrate use in the most productive patches of habitat (Charnov 1976;Parker and Stuart 1976). However, intraspecific population pressure, often associated with population growth, can cause a species to increase its range of habitat use in less predictable ways (Rosenzweig 1991). For non-territorial species, the tendency to increase range of habitat use with increasing population density has been formalized as the Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) Theorem. The Ideal Free Distribution Theorem asserts that individuals choose habitats at densities associated with equal levels of fitness (Fretwell and Lucas 1970). Thus, IFD predicts that when populations occupy new ranges at low densities, individuals will occupy only optimal habitat. As density increases, so does interference with conspecifics, causing individual fitness to decline. Individuals leave optimal habitat when fitness drops below what they could achieve in a suboptimal habitat at a lower population density.Among ungulates, the behavior of Elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) in populations experiencing long-term population growth corresponds to predictions of IFD. Dispersive behavior associated with population growth and an increasing range of habitat use might contribute to the initial stages of colonization and the establishment of a permanent population in a previously unoccupied area (Safriel and Ritte 1983). The colonization of vacant habitat without decreased fitness of colonists is an alternative to increased intraspecific competition on traditional range. Although the IFD Theorem makes density-dependent dispersal theoretically plausible, such dispersal has been difficult to demonstrate in ungulates (Clutton-Brock et al. 1985;Boyce 1989), and determination of the mechanisms of colonization by individuals dispersing from established ungulate populations, or their relation to population growth, has been problematic.In three increasing populations in south-central Montana, USA, Elk demonstrated changes in habitat use and home-range characteristics, increasing spatial separation of adjacent populations, and fissioning of individual populations into multiple populations (Van Dyke and Klein 1996;Van Dyke et al. 1998), all of which can lead to an increasing range of habitat use. The last response, population fissioning, was initiated by the formation of a dispersing group that made seasonal movements to new range, often containing a distribution of vegetation communities different from the traditional range of the established population. In investigating the role of such groups in expanding range and habitat use of established populations, I sought to determine what changes dispersing Elk make in their use of home range and habitats compared to their populations of origin that might enable them to persist on new ranges that the established population did not use. Study AreaThree populations of Elk in south-central Montana (USA) were investigated, locally known as the Line Creek (LC), Picket Pin (PP), and Silver Run (SR) pop...

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“…Due to human competition for land, throughout the 1800s, elk populations across North America were severely depressed and extirpated in some areas [2]. After unsuccessful attempts to reintroduce elk into Ontario in the 1930s and 1940s, more recent (1998)(1999)(2000)(2001) reintroductions resulted in the successful establishment of elk populations including those introduced to the Burwash region, approximately 30 km south of Sudbury, Ontario [4][5][6][7][8]. Now considered acclimated to their surroundings in Burwash [9], habitat selection of this population must be assessed in order to assist in management strategies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elk (Cervus elaphus) Seasonal Habitat Selection in a Heterogeneous Forest Structure

Popp

McGeachy

Hamr

2013

International Journal of Forestry Research

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Seasonal habitat selection by the reintroduced Burwash elk population, approximately 30 km south of Sudbury, Ontario, has been analysed in order to assist in the development of future management. Twenty-five adult females were radio-collared and tracked 1-3 times a week for 3 years. The most prominent patterns included selection of intolerant hardwood forests (trembling aspen, white birch, and balsam poplar) during all seasons, while Great Lakes-St. Lawrence pines (white and red pine dominated stands) were used less than expected based on availability for all seasons. The selection patterns are likely associated with seasonal climatic conditions and forage preferences. Because the selection behaviours displayed here varied greatly from other elk habitat studies, it is suggested that managers consider the importance of population-specific habitat studies before developing related strategies.

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Influences on Release‐Site Fidelity of Translocated Elk

Cited by 47 publications

References 22 publications

Movement and Spread of a Founding Population of Reintroduced Elk (Cervus elaphus) in Ontario, Canada

Movement and Spread of a Founding Population of Reintroduced Elk (Cervus elaphus) in Ontario, Canada

Colonization of Non-Traditional Range in Dispersing Elk, <em>Cervus elaphus nelsoni</em>, Populations

Elk (Cervus elaphus) Seasonal Habitat Selection in a Heterogeneous Forest Structure

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