Use and selection at two spatial scales by female moose (alces alces) across central British Columbia following a mountain pine beetle outbreak

Scheideman, Matthew

doi:10.24124/2018/58851

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 121 publications

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“…Beyer et al (2013) reported moose responded to roads at varying scales; at a landscape scale, moose favored areas of moderate road density, yet at a finer scale, moose avoided roads. North of the Bonaparte Plateau near Prince George, researchers of a comparable study reported at the landscape level in areas of high salvage logging disturbance, female moose selected for habitats with a low road density (Scheideman 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Female Moose Prioritize Forage Over Mortality Risk in Harvested Landscapes

et al. 2020

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Since 2010, several moose (Alces alces) populations have declined across North America. These declines are believed to be broadly related to climate and landscape change. At the western reaches of moose continental range, in the interior of British Columbia, Canada, wildlife managers have reported widespread declines of moose populations. Disturbances to forests from a mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonum ponderosae) outbreak and associated salvage logging infrastructure in British Columbia are suspected as a mechanism manifested in moose behavior and habitat selection. We examined seasonal differences in moose habitat selection in response to landscape change from mountain pine beetle salvage logging infrastructure: dense road networks and large intensive forest harvest cutblocks. We used 157,447 global positioning system locations from 83 adult female moose from 2012 to 2016 on the Bonaparte Plateau at the southern edge of the Interior Plateau of central British Columbia to test whether increased forage availability, landscape features associated with increased mortality risk, or the cumulative effects of salvage logging best explain female moose distribution using resource selection functions in an informationtheoretic framework. We tested these hypotheses across biological seasons, defined using a cluster analysis framework. The cumulative effects of forage availability and risk best predicted resource selection of female moose in all seasons; however, the covariates included in the cumulative models varied between seasons. The top forage availability model better explained moose habitat use than the top risk model in all seasons, except for the calving and fall seasons where the top risk model (distance to road) better predicted moose space use. Selection of habitat that provides forage in winter, spring, and summer suggests that moose seasonally trade predation risk for the benefits of foraging in early seral vegetation communities in highly disturbed landscapes. Our results identified the need for intensive landscape-scale management to stem moose population declines. Additional research is needed on predator densities, space use, and calf survival in relation to salvage logging infrastructure.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A landscape change hypothesis has been proposed where increased roads and cutblocks from mountain pine beetle salvage logging facilitates predators and hunters putting moose at increased risk of mortality (Kuzyk and Heard 2014). Several research projects within British Columbia are examining aspects of this hypothesis (Kuzyk et al 2018 b , Scheideman 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

Female Moose Prioritize Forage Over Mortality Risk in Harvested Landscapes

et al. 2020

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“…Moose visits to licks were longest in February and March and shortest in December. Longer stays in February and March corresponded to times of the year when collared cow Moose in our study area began to move less (Scheideman 2018), suggesting they may have been less inclined to range far from licks that were used repeatedly. Videos of Moose recorded at the lick also suggest that Moose were forced to crater through snow to reach the lick and were bedding down near licks more frequently in February and March than at other times of the year.…”

Section: Length Of Staymentioning

confidence: 95%

Year-round patterns of mineral lick use by Moose (<i>Alces americanus</i>), deer, and Elk (<i>Cervus canadensis</i>) in north-central British Columbia

Brochez

Rea²,

Crowley³

et al. 2021

Can Field Nat

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Natural mineral licks are important to the physiological ecology of several species of ungulates in North America and abroad. Information on year-round patterns of mineral lick use by ungulates in Canada is poorly understood. We used camera traps to record patterns of mineral lick use by four ungulate species visiting five naturally occurring mineral licks located within the John Prince Research Forest and surrounding area, near Fort St. James, British Columbia, Canada. Our cameras detected over 1800 mineral lick visits by ungulates from February 2017 to January 2018. Mineral licks were visited year-round, however, most visits were made between May and September during morning hours. We observed variable lick visitations among sites, species, and sex and age classes. The species observed in descending number of lick visits included Moose (Alces americanus), White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Elk (Cervus canadensis), and Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Some licks were visited by all four species, while others were visited by fewer. Female ungulates were recorded at licks more frequently than males or juveniles, which likely reflected the underlying sex and age structure of the population. Elk spent more time at licks than Moose and deer and there was no difference in visit durations between Moose and deer. Most visits were made by single animals, but group visits were also observed. Our findings provide evidence that mineral licks are used year-round by ungulates and appear to be important habitat features on the landscape.

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“…To examine seasonal differences in moose responses to burns, we divided moose locations into five biologically justified seasons (i.e., spring, summer, fall, early winter, and late winter) previously developed by Scheideman (2018). The spring season began just prior to calving and lasted through the period of time when calves are most vulnerable to predation (April 26-June 20).…”

Section: Animal Capture and Defining Seasonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delineating wildfire burns and regrowth using satellite imagery to assess moose (Alces alces) spatial responses to burns

Mumma,

Bevington,

Marshall

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

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Climate change is predicted to increase the frequency and size of wildfires. Wildfire burns can influence wildlife space use, but prior to understanding the relationship between wildlife and burns, the extent of wildfires and the regrowth of burned areas must be determined. We used remotely sensed, multispectral satellite imagery to calculate differenced normalized burn ratios (NBRs) to define areas burned by wildfire and assess temporal trends in burn frequency and extent in central British Columbia. We then used NBRs as an index of vegetation regrowth to model regrowth trajectories within burns. Next, we examined spatial responses to burns by a moose (Alces alces) population that recently declined in abundance. We utilized locations used by and available to collared moose to determine spatial responses as a function of years since wildfire and vegetation regrowth. We also assessed functional responses to burns by moose, dependent upon the proportion of burned areas available to each individual. We hypothesized that (h1) wildfire burns within our study area increased from 1985 to 2017, (h2) that moose increase their use of burns in comparison with availability as burns age as a result of vegetation regrowth, and (h3) that moose demonstrate functional responses to burns (i.e., selection of burns by individual moose declines as the amount of burned areas increases). We observed that the frequency and extent of burns are increasing within our study area. In contrast to h2, moose in summer and fall decreased the selection of burns as burns aged. We, however, observed that moose responded most positively to locations with intermediate vegetation regrowth (i.e., NBR values), which according to burn regrowth trajectories were most likely to be achieved 13 or more years post‐wildfire; given that most burns within our study area were ≤13 years of age, we predict that the use of burns will likely increase as vegetation regrows. Moose only selected for burns in fall, and we did not find support for the presence of a functional response. Our research demonstrated the utility of remotely sensed imagery and NBRs to define burn locations and to reveal current and probable future spatial responses to burns by a wildlife population of concern.

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Use and selection at two spatial scales by female moose (alces alces) across central British Columbia following a mountain pine beetle outbreak

Cited by 5 publications

References 121 publications

Female Moose Prioritize Forage Over Mortality Risk in Harvested Landscapes

Female Moose Prioritize Forage Over Mortality Risk in Harvested Landscapes

Year-round patterns of mineral lick use by Moose (<i>Alces americanus</i>), deer, and Elk (<i>Cervus canadensis</i>) in north-central British Columbia

Delineating wildfire burns and regrowth using satellite imagery to assess moose (Alces alces) spatial responses to burns

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