Weather and Prey Predict Mammals’ Visitation to Water

Abstract

Throughout many arid lands of Africa, Australia and the United States, wildlife agencies provide water year-round for increasing game populations and enhancing biodiversity, despite concerns that water provisioning may favor species more dependent on water, increase predation, and reduce biodiversity. In part, understanding the effects of water provisioning requires identifying why and when animals visit water. Employing this information, by matching water provisioning with use by target species, could assist wildlife management objectives while mitigating unintended consequences of year-round watering regimes. Therefore, we examined if weather variables (maximum temperature, relative humidity [RH], vapor pressure deficit [VPD], long and short-term precipitation) and predator-prey relationships (i.e., prey presence) predicted water visitation by 9 mammals. We modeled visitation as recorded by trail cameras at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico, USA (June 2009 to September 2014) using generalized linear modeling. For 3 native ungulates, elk (Cervus Canadensis), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), less long-term precipitation and higher maximum temperatures increased visitation, including RH for mule deer. Less long-term precipitation and higher VPD increased oryx (Oryx gazella) and desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus audubonii) visitation. Long-term precipitation, with RH or VPD, predicted visitation for black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus). Standardized model coefficients demonstrated that the amount of long-term precipitation influenced herbivore visitation most. Weather (especially maximum temperature) and prey (cottontails and jackrabbits) predicted bobcat (Lynx rufus) visitation. Mule deer visitation had the largest influence on coyote (Canis latrans) visitation. Puma (Puma concolor) visitation was solely predicted by prey visitation (elk, mule deer, oryx). Most ungulate visitation peaked during May and June. Coyote, elk and puma visitation was relatively consistent throughout the year. Within the diel-period, activity patterns for predators corresponded with prey. Year-round water management may favor species with consistent use throughout the year, and facilitate predation. Providing water only during periods of high use by target species may moderate unwanted biological costs.

Year-round water management for desert bighorn sheep corresponds with visits by predators not bighorn sheep

“…Specifically, in the southwest United States, game managers provide water year-round to raise population sizes and expand the distributions of desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni [4,5]). Other sympatric species like mountain lions (Puma concolor) and coyotes (Canis latrans) which prey upon desert bighorn sheep visit these managed waters too [6]. Predators, however, may visit water when desert bighorn sheep do not.…”

“…Our regional analyses, spanning these three North American deserts build off prior efforts aimed at understanding when and why desert species visit water sources in the arid environments of North America [6,[14][15][16]. To our knowledge, our analyses form the most spatially comprehensive and longest investigation of visits to water by desert animals undertaken anywhere.…”

Activity patterns and their relationship to the habitat use of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in the Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico

“…En este estudio se encontró un patrón diario de actividad crepuscular para la especie, con picos de actividad al amanecer y anochecer, lo cual previamente ha sido reportado en trabajos en Estados Unidos (Relyea y Demarais 1994; Webb et al 2013;Harris et al 2015;Lendrum et al 2017). En regiones desérticas los cérvidos, como el caso del venado bura, evaden las condiciones ambientales extremas a través del comportamiento (Wallmo 1981).…”

A Review of Mammalian Availability as Salt-Lick Tourism Supply

“…Actually, both phenomena could lead to mineral deficiency, henceforth ultimately increase mammalian visitations to the licks throughout wet season. On the contrary, mammal individuals may visit to mineral licks with permanent spring water more frequently for drinking water during dry season [18]. This phenomenon can be a possible explanation to the significantly high visiting frequency of female Banteng herd to mineral licks during dry season [24], although further research is required to scientifically proof this hypothesis in future.…”

“…On the contrary, predator species can obtain sufficient minerals through consuming other wildlife individuals, thus these species visit to the licks mostly for prey-hunting [11,34]. Then, an increasing in prey abundance may also attract higher visitations of predators to given licks [18]. Long story short, mammal individuals with fibre-based diets may visit to the licks more frequently as adaptive responses to body toxicity, water and nutrient imbalances [5,46], which can be influenced by the availability of fruit at a certain time or season [21].…”