The impact of feral horses on pronghorn behavior at water sources

Gooch, Amy Marie; Petersen, Steven L.; Collins, Gail H.; Smith, Tom S.; McMillan, Brock R.; Eggett, Dennis L.

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2016.11.012

Cited by 40 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…, Gooch et al. ). We observed resource partitioning (indirect evidence of competition) between horses and native ungulates; specifically, we found evidence for spatial partitioning as pronghorn and mule deer avoided water sources more heavily used by horses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prior work conducted in the Great Basin Desert on use of water by horses and pronghorn found the latter devoted more time to vigilance behavior and foraged and drank less in the presence of horses (Gooch et al. ). While the long‐term implications of this behavioral modification are largely unknown and may be negligible, our work supports previous research, indicating that horses can alter the drinking patterns of pronghorn.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), and increased vigilance behavior in pronghorn at water sources (Gooch et al. ). Understanding the broader spatial and temporal implications of horse‐induced competition for water with native ungulates will facilitate conservation and management of native species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While evidence suggests that horses can influence habitat components and relatively small animals, there is substantially less information supporting the idea that horses affect larger species (e.g., native ungulates). Because desert environments are generally resource-poor areas, increased numbers of horses may influence resource acquisition by native ungulates (Ostermann-Kelm et al 2008, Perry et al 2015, Gooch et al 2017.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, when the physiological dependence on water is greatest for ungulates during the hot and dry summer months, water is often least available. Reduced availability of an already limited resource, such as water, could heighten competitive interactions between horses and native ungulates during stressful summer conditions (Perry et al 2015, Gooch et al 2017.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feral horses influence both spatial and temporal patterns of water use by native ungulates in a semi‐arid environment

et al. 2018

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Abstract. The horse (Equus caballus) is a feral ungulate that currently exceeds target population sizes in many areas of western North America. Horses are behaviorally dominant over native ungulates and outcompete the latter for access to water sources. However, a better understanding of the broader spatial and temporal implications of horse-induced competition on access to water by native ungulates will enable better conservation and management of native species. Our objective was to determine whether pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) spatially or temporally altered their use of water to minimize interactions with horses. From 2010 to 2014, we used remote cameras to monitor ungulates at 32 water sources in the Great Basin Desert. We evaluated spatial and temporal partitioning by these species at water sources using generalized linear models, mixed-effects models, and Mann-Whitney U tests. We found that both native ungulates used water sources less often where horse activity at water sources was high, indicating that spatial avoidance occurred. Further, we observed significant differences in peak arrival time for pronghorn, but not mule deer at horse-occupied sites versus sites where horses were absent or uncommon, indicating that temporal avoidance may be more important for pronghorn than mule deer. Because mule deer are primarily crepuscular and nocturnal whereas horses are largely diurnal, we did not expect to observe a temporal shift for mule deer. We also found strong support for the interactive negative effect of elevated temperature and subsequent increased activity of horses at water sources on drinking patterns of pronghorn and mule deer. Our findings indicate that feral horses further constrain access to an already limited resource for native species in a semi-arid environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feral horses influence both spatial and temporal patterns of water use by native ungulates in a semi‐arid environment

et al. 2018

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Climatically robust multiscale species distribution models to support pronghorn recovery in California

Bean,

Butterfield,

Howard

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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We combined two climate‐based distribution models with three finer‐scale suitability models to identify habitat for pronghorn recovery in California now and into the future. We used a consensus approach to identify areas of suitable climate now and future for pronghorn in California. We compared the results of climate models from two separate hypotheses about their historical ecology in the state. Under the migration hypothesis, pronghorn were expected to be limited climatically by extreme cold in winter and extreme heat in summer; under the niche reduction hypothesis, historical pronghorn of distribution would have better represented the climatic limitations of the species. We combined occurrences from GPS collars distributed across three populations of pronghorn in the state to create three distinct habitat suitability models: (1) an ensemble model using random forests, Maxent, classification and regression Trees, and a generalized linear model; (2) a step selection function; and (3) an expert‐driven model. We evaluated consensus among both the climate models and the suitability models to prioritize areas for, and evaluate the prospects of, pronghorn recovery. Climate suitability for pronghorn in the future depends heavily on model assumptions. Under the migration hypothesis, our model predicted that there will be no suitable climate in California in the future. Under the niche reduction hypothesis, by contrast, suitable climate will expand. Habitat suitability also depended on the methods used, but areas of consensus among all three models exist in large patches throughout the state. Identifying habitat for a species which has undergone extreme range collapse, and which has very fine scale habitat needs, presents novel challenges for spatial ecologists. Our multimethod, multihypothesis approach can allow habitat modelers to identify areas of consensus and, perhaps more importantly, fill critical knowledge gaps that could resolve disagreements among the models. For pronghorn, a better understanding of their upper thermal tolerances and whether historical populations migrated will be crucial to their potential recovery in California and throughout the arid Southwest.

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Climate and non‐native herbivores influence reproductive investment by Greater Sage‐grouse

2023

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Highly seasonal environments can increase competition among herbivores for nutrients, affecting rates of reproduction and survival. There is concern about the impacts of non‐native ungulates on Greater Sage‐grouse in the Great Basin of North America. We estimated nesting propensity, the annual proportion of females attempting a nest, for Greater Sage‐grouse in relation to the abundance of ungulates using 7 years of data from the northwestern Great Basin, USA. We focused on nesting because it is the necessary first major investment required for the production of new recruits. We used a Bayesian multistratum model to investigate the effects of weather and sympatric non‐native herbivores, free‐roaming horses and domestic cattle, on reproductive rates and female survival of adult and yearling sage‐grouse. Adults nested at a higher rate (0.931, 95% CI, 0.904–0.953) than yearlings (0.867, 95% CI, 0.802–0.922) under average conditions of covariates other than age. If the first nest failed, renesting rates were similar between adults (0.349, 95% CI, 0.292–0.410) and yearlings (0.353, 95% CI, 0.217–0.507). Females in better body condition at the start of the season nested at higher rates, and moderately snowy winters led to the highest nesting propensity during the following spring. Drier conditions led to low rates of nesting, particularly in areas with dense cattle grazing. Female survival was lower for nesting females, indicating a survival cost of reproduction. Areas with abundant free‐roaming horses had slightly higher nesting propensity, though other research suggests negative impacts later in the breeding cycle. Sage‐grouse face life history trade‐offs that may be shifting due to changing climatic conditions. Our work suggests that the effects of competition with non‐native ungulates on sage‐grouse life histories may be exacerbated by adverse weather.

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The impact of feral horses on pronghorn behavior at water sources

Cited by 40 publications

References 23 publications

Feral horses influence both spatial and temporal patterns of water use by native ungulates in a semi‐arid environment

Feral horses influence both spatial and temporal patterns of water use by native ungulates in a semi‐arid environment

Climatically robust multiscale species distribution models to support pronghorn recovery in California

Climate and non‐native herbivores influence reproductive investment by Greater Sage‐grouse

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