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Newediuk L, Mastromonaco GF, Vander Wal E. Associations between glucocorticoids and habitat selection reflect daily and seasonal energy requirements. Mov Ecol 2024; 12:30. [PMID: 38649956 PMCID: PMC11036748 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00475-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glucocorticoids are often associated with stressful environments, but they are also thought to drive the best strategies to improve fitness in stressful environments. Glucocorticoids improve fitness in part by regulating foraging behaviours in response to daily and seasonal energy requirements. However, many studies demonstrating relationships between foraging behaviour and glucocorticoids are experimental, and few observational studies conducted under natural conditions have tested whether changing glucocorticoid levels are related to daily and seasonal changes in energy requirements. METHODS We integrated glucocorticoids into habitat selection models to test for relationships between foraging behaviour and glucocorticoid levels in elk (Cervus canadensis) as their daily and seasonal energy requirements changed. Using integrated step selection analysis, we tested whether elevated glucocorticoid levels were related to foraging habitat selection on a daily scale and whether that relationship became stronger during lactation, one of the greatest seasonal periods of energy requirement for female mammals. RESULTS We found stronger selection of foraging habitat by female elk with elevated glucocorticoids (eß = 1.44 95% CI 1.01, 2.04). We found no difference in overall glucocorticoid levels after calving, nor a significant change in the relationship between glucocorticoids and foraging habitat selection at the time of calving. However, we found a gradual increase in the relationship between glucocorticoids and habitat selection by female elk as their calves grew over the next few months (eß = 1.01, 95% CI 1.00, 1.02), suggesting a potentially stronger physiological effect of glucocorticoids for elk with increasing energy requirements. CONCLUSIONS We suggest glucocorticoid-integrated habitat selection models demonstrate the role of glucocorticoids in regulating foraging responses to daily and seasonal energy requirements. Ultimately, this integration will help elucidate the implications of elevated glucocorticoids under natural conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levi Newediuk
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John's Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada.
- Current address: Biological Sciences Department, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg Manitoba, R3T 2N2, Canada.
| | | | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John's Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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2
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Turner JW, Prokopenko CM, Kingdon KA, Dupont DLJ, Zabihi-Seissan S, Vander Wal E. Death comes for us all: relating movement-integrated habitat selection and social behavior to human-associated and disease-related mortality among gray wolves. Oecologia 2023; 202:685-697. [PMID: 37515598 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05426-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Avoiding death affects biological processes, including behavior. Habitat selection, movement, and sociality are highly flexible behaviors that influence the mortality risks and subsequent fitness of individuals. In the Anthropocene, animals are experiencing increased risks from direct human causes and increased spread of infectious diseases. Using integrated step selection analysis, we tested how the habitat selection, movement, and social behaviors of gray wolves vary in the two months prior to death due to humans (being shot or trapped) or canine distemper virus (CDV). We further tested how those behaviors vary as a prelude to death. We studied populations of wolves that occurred under two different management schemes: a national park managed for conservation and a provincially managed multi-use area. Behaviors that changed prior to death were strongly related to how an animal eventually died. Wolves killed by humans moved slower than wolves that survived and selected to be nearer roads closer in time to their death. Wolves that died due to CDV moved progressively slower as they neared death and reduced their avoidance of wet habitats. All animals, regardless of dying or living, maintained selection to be near packmates across time, which seemingly contributed to disease dynamics in the packs infected with CDV. There were no noticeable differences in behavior between the two management areas. Overall, habitat selection, movement, and sociality interact to put individuals and groups at greater risks, influencing their cause-specific mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie W Turner
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | - Christina M Prokopenko
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Katrien A Kingdon
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Daniel L J Dupont
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
- Département des sciences expérimentales, Université de Saint-Boniface, 200 ave de la Cathédrale, Winnipeg, MB, R2H 0H7, Canada
| | - Sana Zabihi-Seissan
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
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3
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Laforge MP, Webber QMR, Vander Wal E. Plasticity and repeatability in spring migration and parturition dates with implications for annual reproductive success. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:1042-1054. [PMID: 36871141 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
In seasonal environments, animals should be adapted to match important life-history traits to when environmental conditions are optimal. Most animal populations therefore reproduce when resource abundance is highest to increase annual reproductive success. When facing variable, and changing, environments animals can display behavioural plasticity to acclimate to changing conditions. Behaviours can further be repeatable. For example, timing of behaviours and life history traits such as timing of reproduction may indicate phenotypic variation. Such variation may buffer animal populations against the consequences of variation and change. Our goal was to quantify plasticity and repeatability in migration and parturition timing in response to timing of snowmelt and green-up in a migratory herbivore (caribou, Rangifer tarandus, n = 132 ID-years) and their effect on reproductive success. We used behavioural reaction norms to quantify repeatability in timing of migration and timing of parturition in caribou and their plasticity to timing of spring events, while also quantifying phenotypic covariance between behavioural and life-history traits. Timing of migration for individual caribou was positively correlated with timing of snowmelt. The timing of parturition for individual caribou varied as a function of inter-annual variation in timing of snowmelt and green-up. Repeatability for migration timing was moderate, but low for timing of parturition. Plasticity did not affect reproductive success. We also did not detect any evidence of phenotypic covariance among any traits examined-timing of migration was not correlated with timing of parturition, and neither was there a correlation in the plasticity of these traits. Repeatability in migration timing suggests the possibility that the timing of migration in migratory herbivores could evolve if the repeatability detected in this study has a genetic or otherwise heritable basis, but observed plasticity may obviate the need for an evolutionary response. Our results also suggest that observed shifts in caribou parturition timing are due to plasticity as opposed to an evolutionary response to changing conditions. While this provides some evidence that populations may be buffered from the consequences of climate change via plasticity, a lack of repeatability in parturition timing could impede adaptation as warming increases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel P Laforge
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Quinn M R Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.,Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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4
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Kennah JL, Peers MJL, Vander Wal E, Majchrzak YN, Menzies AK, Studd EK, Boonstra R, Humphries MM, Jung TS, Kenney AJ, Krebs CJ, Boutin S. Coat color mismatch improves survival of a keystone boreal herbivore: Energetic advantages exceed lost camouflage. Ecology 2023; 104:e3882. [PMID: 36208219 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming is causing asynchronies between animal phenology and environments. Mismatched traits, such as coat color change mismatched with snow, can decrease survival. However, coat change does not serve a singular adaptive benefit of camouflage, and alternate coat change functions may confer advantages that supersede mismatch costs. We found that mismatch reduced, rather than increased, autumn mortality risk of snowshoe hares in Yukon by 86.5% when mismatch occurred. We suggest that the increased coat insulation and lower metabolic rates of winter-acclimatized hares confer energetic advantages to white mismatched hares that reduce their mortality risk. We found that white mismatched hares forage 17-77 min less per day than matched brown hares between 0°C and -10°C, thus lowering their predation risk and increasing survival. We found no effect of mismatch on spring mortality risk, during which mismatch occurred at warmer temperatures, suggesting a potential temperature limit at which the costs of conspicuousness outweigh energetic benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanie L Kennah
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Michael J L Peers
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Yasmine N Majchrzak
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Allyson K Menzies
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Emily K Studd
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Murray M Humphries
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Thomas S Jung
- Department of Environment, Government of Yukon, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.,Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Alice J Kenney
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Charles J Krebs
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Webber QMR, Albery GF, Farine DR, Pinter-Wollman N, Sharma N, Spiegel O, Vander Wal E, Manlove K. Behavioural ecology at the spatial-social interface. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:868-886. [PMID: 36691262 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Spatial and social behaviour are fundamental aspects of an animal's biology, and their social and spatial environments are indelibly linked through mutual causes and shared consequences. We define the 'spatial-social interface' as intersection of social and spatial aspects of individuals' phenotypes and environments. Behavioural variation at the spatial-social interface has implications for ecological and evolutionary processes including pathogen transmission, population dynamics, and the evolution of social systems. We link spatial and social processes through a foundation of shared theory, vocabulary, and methods. We provide examples and future directions for the integration of spatial and social behaviour and environments. We introduce key concepts and approaches that either implicitly or explicitly integrate social and spatial processes, for example, graph theory, density-dependent habitat selection, and niche specialization. Finally, we discuss how movement ecology helps link the spatial-social interface. Our review integrates social and spatial behavioural ecology and identifies testable hypotheses at the spatial-social interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn M R Webber
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Gregory F Albery
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets, Washington, DC, 20007, USA.,Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Wallotstraße 19, 14193, Berlin, Germany.,Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitatsstraße 10, 78464, Constance, Germany.,Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Noa Pinter-Wollman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Nitika Sharma
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Orr Spiegel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, A1C 5S7, Canada
| | - Kezia Manlove
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5200 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
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6
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Prokopenko CM, Avgar T, Ford A, Vander Wal E. Optimal prey switching: Predator foraging costs provide a mechanism for functional responses in multi-prey systems. Ecology 2022; 104:e3928. [PMID: 36416056 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Foragers must balance the costs and gains inherent in the pursuit of their next meal. Classical functional response formulations describe consumption rates driven by prey density and are naive to predator foraging costs. Here, we integrated foraging costs into functional responses to add mechanism and precision to foundational ideas. Specifically, using a model system with a single predator and two prey, we express a functional response emerging from variable energy and time costs of each predation phase: searching, attacking, or consuming prey. The utility of our model is explored through a focused example where prey can exert variable influence on predator foraging costs through antipredator traits. Dissimilarity between prey in their foraging costs influence the energy gain rate of the predator through optimal prey switching. We found that a small subset of prey antipredator traits and density conditions generated a stabilizing Type III (sigmoidal) functional response-the pattern often thought to typify a generalist predator switching between prey species. The sigmoid functional response occurred for highly profitable prey only when the costly prey (1) were at a high density and (2) their antipredator traits increased energy or time costs following an encounter. We outline testable predictions regarding foraging costs from our model. We provide guidance on how to apply optimal foraging theory to empirical scenarios where predator foraging costs vary due to prey type, predator type, or environmental conditions. Our framework represents a synergy of foundational and contemporary theory across disciplines, facilitating the discovery of shared principles and context-dependent variation across varied predator-prey systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M Prokopenko
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Tal Avgar
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Adam Ford
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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Heckford TR, Leroux SJ, Vander Wal E, Rizzuto M, Balluffi-Fry J, Richmond IC, Wiersma YF. Ecoregion and community structure influences on the foliar elemental niche of balsam fir ( Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and white birch ( Betula papyrifera Marshall). Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9244. [PMID: 36110871 PMCID: PMC9465200 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in foliar elemental niche properties, defined by axes of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations, reflect how species allocate resources under different environmental conditions. For instance, elemental niches may differ in response to large‐scale latitudinal temperature and precipitation regimes that occur between ecoregions and small‐scale differences in nutrient dynamics based on species co‐occurrences at a community level. At a species level, we compared foliar elemental niche hypervolumes for balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) and white birch (Betula papyrifera Marshall) between a northern and southern ecoregion. At a community level, we grouped our focal species using plot data into conspecific (i.e., only one focal species is present) and heterospecific groups (i.e., both focal species are present) and compared their foliar elemental concentrations under these community conditions across, within, and between these ecoregions. Between ecoregions at the species and community level, we expected niche hypervolumes to be different and driven by regional biophysical effects on foliar N and P concentrations. At the community level, we expected niche hypervolume displacement and expansion patterns for fir and birch, respectively—patterns that reflect their resource strategy. At the species level, foliar elemental niche hypervolumes between ecoregions differed significantly for fir (F = 14.591, p‐value = .001) and birch (F = 75.998, p‐value = .001) with higher foliar N and P in the northern ecoregion. At the community level, across ecoregions, the foliar elemental niche hypervolume of birch differed significantly between heterospecific and conspecific groups (F = 4.075, p‐value = .021) but not for fir. However, both species displayed niche expansion patterns, indicated by niche hypervolume increases of 35.49% for fir and 68.92% for birch. Within the northern ecoregion, heterospecific conditions elicited niche expansion responses, indicated by niche hypervolume increases for fir of 29.04% and birch of 66.48%. In the southern ecoregion, we observed a contraction response for birch (niche hypervolume decreased by 3.66%) and no changes for fir niche hypervolume. Conspecific niche hypervolume comparisons between ecoregions yielded significant differences for fir and birch (F = 7.581, p‐value = .005 and F = 8.038, p‐value = .001) as did heterospecific comparisons (F = 6.943, p‐value = .004, and F = 68.702, p‐value = .001, respectively). Our results suggest species may exhibit biogeographical specific elemental niches—driven by biophysical differences such as those used to describe ecoregion characteristics. We also demonstrate how a species resource strategy may inform niche shift patterns in response to different community settings. Our study highlights how biogeographical differences may influence foliar elemental traits and how this may link to concepts of ecosystem and landscape functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis R Heckford
- British Columbia Government Ministry of Forests, Cariboo Natural Resource Region Williams Lake British Columbia Canada
| | - Shawn J Leroux
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador Canada
| | - Matteo Rizzuto
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador Canada
| | - Juliana Balluffi-Fry
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador Canada
| | - Isabella C Richmond
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador Canada
| | - Yolanda F Wiersma
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador Canada
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Zabihi-Seissan S, Prokopenko CM, Vander Wal E. Wolf spatial behavior promotes encounters and kills of abundant prey. Oecologia 2022; 200:11-22. [PMID: 35941269 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05218-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
Predators use different spatial tactics to track the prey on the landscape. Three hypotheses describe spatial tactics: prey abundance for prey that are aggregated in space; prey habitat for uniformly distributed prey; and prey catchability for prey that are difficult to catch and kill. The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is a generalist predator that likely employs more than one spatial hunting tactic to match their diverse prey with distinct distributions and behavior that are available. We conducted a study on 17 GPS collared wolves in 6 packs in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada where wolves prey on moose (Alces alces) and elk (Cervus canadensis). We evaluated wolf selection for prey density, habitat selection and catchability on the landscape through within-territory habitat selection analysis. We reveal support for both the prey habitat and prey catchability hypotheses. For moose, their primary prey, wolves employed a mixed habitat and catchability tactic. Wolves used spaces described by the intersection of moose habitat and moose catchability. Wolves selected for the catchability of elk, their secondary prey, but not elk habitat. Counter to our predictions, wolves avoided areas of moose and elk density, likely highlighting the ongoing space race between predator and prey. We illustrate that of the three hypotheses the primary driver was prey catchability, where the interplay of both prey habitat with catchability culminate in predator spatial behaviour in a multiprey system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, 45 Arctic Avenue, St. John's, NL, A1C 5S7, Canada
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Balluffi-Fry J, Leroux SJ, Champagne E, Vander Wal E. Correction to: In defense of elemental currencies: can ecological stoichiometry stand as a framework for terrestrial herbivore nutritional ecology? Oecologia 2022; 199:39. [PMID: 35543757 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05176-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Balluffi-Fry
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.
| | - Shawn J Leroux
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
- Direction de la Recherche Forestière, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 2700 rue Einstein, Quebec, QC, G1P 3W8, Canada
| | - Emilie Champagne
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 230 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, NL, Canada
- Direction de la Recherche Forestière, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 2700 rue Einstein, Quebec, QC, G1P 3W8, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
- Direction de la Recherche Forestière, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 2700 rue Einstein, Quebec, QC, G1P 3W8, Canada
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10
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Stronen AV, Norman AJ, Vander Wal E, Paquet PC. The relevance of genetic structure in ecotype designation and conservation management. Evol Appl 2022; 15:185-202. [PMID: 35233242 PMCID: PMC8867706 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The concept of ecotypes is complex, partly because of its interdisciplinary nature, but the idea is intrinsically valuable for evolutionary biology and applied conservation. The complex nature of ecotypes has spurred some confusion and inconsistencies in the literature, thereby limiting broader theoretical development and practical application. We provide suggestions for how incorporating genetic analyses can ease confusion and help define ecotypes. We approach this by systematically reviewing 112 publications across taxa that simultaneously mention the terms ecotype, conservation and management, to examine the current use of the term in the context of conservation and management. We found that most ecotype studies involve fish, mammals and plants with a focus on habitat use, which at 60% was the most common criterion used for categorization of ecotypes. Only 53% of the studies incorporated genetic analyses, and major discrepancies in available genomic resources among taxa could have contributed to confusion about the role of genetic structure in delineating ecotypes. Our results show that the rapid advances in genetic methods, also for nonmodel organisms, can help clarify the spatiotemporal distribution of adaptive and neutral genetic variation and their relevance to ecotype designations. Genetic analyses can offer empirical support for the ecotype concept and provide a timely measure of evolutionary potential, especially in changing environmental conditions. Genetic variation that is often difficult to detect, including polygenic traits influenced by small contributions from several genes, can be vital for adaptation to rapidly changing environments. Emerging ecotypes may signal speciation in progress, and findings from genome‐enabled organisms can help clarify important selective factors driving ecotype development and persistence, and thereby improve preservation of interspecific genetic diversity. Incorporation of genetic analyses in ecotype studies will help connect evolutionary biology and applied conservation, including that of problematic groups such as natural hybrid organisms and urban or anthropogenic ecotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid V. Stronen
- Department of Biology Biotechnical Faculty University of Ljubljana Ljubljana Slovenia
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences Insubria University Varese Italy
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience Aalborg University Aalborg Denmark
| | - Anita J. Norman
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s NL Canada
| | - Paul C. Paquet
- Department of Geography University of Victoria Victoria BC Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation Sidney BC Canada
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Abstract
Historically the study of diet caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus (Gmelin, 1788)) has been specific to herds and few comprehensive circumpolar analyses of Rangifer diet exist. As a result, the importance of certain diet items may play an outsized role in the caribou diet zeitgeist, e.g., lichen. It is incumbent to challenge this notion and test the relevant importance of various diet items within the context of prevailing hypotheses. We provide a systematic overview of 30 caribou studies reporting caribou diet and test biologically relevant hypotheses about spatial and temporal dietary variation. Our results indicate that in the winter caribou primarily consume lichen, but in warmer seasons, and primary productivity is lower, caribou primarily consume graminoids and other vascular plants. In more productive environments, where caribou have more competitors and predators, consumption of lichen increased. Overall, our description of caribou diet reveals that caribou diet is highly variable, but in circumstances where they can consume vascular plants, they will. As climate change affects Boreal and Arctic ecosystems, the type and volume of food consumed by caribou has become an increasingly important focus for conservation and management of caribou.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn M.R. Webber
- Memorial University of Newfoundland, 7512, Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- University of Colorado Boulder, 1877, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Boulder, Colorado, United States
| | - Kristy Ferraro
- Yale University, 5755, School of the Environment, New Haven, Connecticut, United States
| | - Jack Hendrix
- Memorial University of Newfoundland, 7512, Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Memorial University of Newfoundland, 7512, Biology, 232 Elizabeth Ave, Saint John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, A1B 3X9,
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12
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Newediuk L, Prokopenko CM, Vander Wal E. Individual differences in habitat selection mediate landscape level predictions of a functional response. Oecologia 2022; 198:99-110. [PMID: 34984521 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05098-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Predicting future space use by animals requires models that consider both habitat availability and individual differences in habitat selection. The functional response in habitat selection posits animals adjust their habitat selection to availability, but population-level responses to availability may differ from individual responses. Generalized functional response (GFR) models account for functional responses by including fixed effect interactions between habitat availability and selection. Population-level resource selection functions instead account for individual selection responses to availability with random effects. We compared predictive performance of both approaches using a functional response in elk (Cervus canadensis) selection for mixed forest in response to road proximity, and avoidance of roads in response to mixed forest availability. We also investigated how performance changed when individuals responded differently to availability from the rest of the population. Individual variation in road avoidance decreased performance of both models (random effects: β = 0.69, 95% CI 0.47, 0.91; GFR: β = 0.38, 95% CI 0.05, 0.71). Changes in individual road and forest availability affected performance of neither model, suggesting individual responses to availability different from the functional response mediated performance. We also found that overall, both models performed similarly for predicting mixed forest selection (F1, 58 = 0.14, p = 0.71) and road avoidance (F1, 58 = 0.28, p = 0.60). GFR estimates were slightly better, but its larger number of covariates produced greater variance than the random effects model. Given this bias-variance trade-off, we conclude that neither model performs better for future space use predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levi Newediuk
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | | | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
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13
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Northrup JM, Vander Wal E, Bonar M, Fieberg J, Laforge MP, Leclerc M, Prokopenko CM, Gerber BD. Conceptual and methodological advances in habitat-selection modeling: guidelines for ecology and evolution. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e02470. [PMID: 34626518 PMCID: PMC9285351 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Habitat selection is a fundamental animal behavior that shapes a wide range of ecological processes, including animal movement, nutrient transfer, trophic dynamics and population distribution. Although habitat selection has been a focus of ecological studies for decades, technological, conceptual and methodological advances over the last 20 yr have led to a surge in studies addressing this process. Despite the substantial literature focused on quantifying the habitat-selection patterns of animals, there is a marked lack of guidance on best analytical practices. The conceptual foundations of the most commonly applied modeling frameworks can be confusing even to those well versed in their application. Furthermore, there has yet to be a synthesis of the advances made over the last 20 yr. Therefore, there is a need for both synthesis of the current state of knowledge on habitat selection, and guidance for those seeking to study this process. Here, we provide an approachable overview and synthesis of the literature on habitat-selection analyses (HSAs) conducted using selection functions, which are by far the most applied modeling framework for understanding the habitat-selection process. This review is purposefully non-technical and focused on understanding without heavy mathematical and statistical notation, which can confuse many practitioners. We offer an overview and history of HSAs, describing the tortuous conceptual path to our current understanding. Through this overview, we also aim to address the areas of greatest confusion in the literature. We synthesize the literature outlining the most exciting conceptual advances in the field of habitat-selection modeling, discussing the substantial ecological and evolutionary inference that can be made using contemporary techniques. We aim for this paper to provide clarity for those navigating the complex literature on HSAs while acting as a reference and best practices guide for practitioners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Northrup
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 1Z8, Canada
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 1Z8, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Maegwin Bonar
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, K9L 1Z8, Canada
| | - John Fieberg
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Michel P Laforge
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Martin Leclerc
- Département de Biologie, Caribou Ungava and Centre d'études nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Christina M Prokopenko
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Brian D Gerber
- Department of Natural Resources Science, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
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14
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Street GM, Potts JR, Börger L, Beasley JC, Demarais S, Fryxell JM, McLoughlin PD, Monteith KL, Prokopenko CM, Ribeiro MC, Rodgers AR, Strickland BK, Beest FM, Bernasconi DA, Beumer LT, Dharmarajan G, Dwinnell SP, Keiter DA, Keuroghlian A, Newediuk LJ, Oshima JEF, Rhodes O, Schlichting PE, Schmidt NM, Vander Wal E. Solving the sample size problem for resource selection functions. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Garrett M. Street
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS USA
- Quantitative Ecology and Spatial Technologies Laboratory Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS USA
| | - Jonathan R. Potts
- School of Mathematics and Statistics University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences Swansea University Swansea UK
- Centre for Biomathematics Swansea University Swansea UK
| | - James C. Beasley
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory University of Georgia Aiken SC USA
| | - Stephen Demarais
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS USA
| | - John M. Fryxell
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph ON Canada
| | | | - Kevin L. Monteith
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Wyoming Laramie WY USA
| | | | - Miltinho C. Ribeiro
- Instituto de Biosciências Universidad Estadual Paulista Rio Claro, São Paulo Brazil
| | - Arthur R. Rodgers
- Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry ON Canada
| | - Bronson K. Strickland
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS USA
| | | | | | | | - Guha Dharmarajan
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory University of Georgia Aiken SC USA
| | - Samantha P. Dwinnell
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit University of Wyoming Laramie WY USA
| | - David A. Keiter
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory University of Georgia Aiken SC USA
| | | | - Levi J. Newediuk
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s NL Canada
| | - Júlia Emi F. Oshima
- Instituto de Biosciências Universidad Estadual Paulista Rio Claro, São Paulo Brazil
| | - Olin Rhodes
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory University of Georgia Aiken SC USA
| | | | | | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s NL Canada
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15
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Richmond IC, Balluffi-Fry J, Vander Wal E, Leroux SJ, Rizzuto M, Heckford TR, Kennah JL, Riefesel GR, Wiersma YF. Individual snowshoe hares manage risk differently: integrating stoichiometric distribution models and foraging ecology. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Herbivores making space use decisions must consider the trade-off between perceived predation risk and forage quality. Herbivores, specifically snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus), must constantly navigate landscapes that vary in predation risk and food quality, providing researchers with the opportunity to explore the factors that govern their foraging decisions. Herein, we tested predictions that intersect the risk allocation hypothesis (RAH) and optimal foraging theory (OFT) in a spatially explicit ecological stoichiometry framework to assess the trade-off between predation risk and forage quality. We used individual and population estimates of snowshoe hare (n = 29) space use derived from biotelemetry across three summers. We evaluated resource forage quality for lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), a common and readily available forage species within our system, using carbon:nitrogen and carbon:phosphorus ratios. We used habitat complexity to proxy perceived predation risk. We analyzed how forage quality of blueberry, perceived predation risk, and their interaction impact the intensity of herbivore space use. We used generalized mixed effects models, structured to enable us to make inferences at the population and individual home range level. We did not find support for RAH and OFT. However, variation in the individual-level reactions norms in our models showed that individual hares have unique responses to forage quality and perceived predation risk. Our finding of individual-level responses indicates that there is fine-scale decision-making by hares, although we did not identify the mechanism. Our approach illustrates spatially explicit empirical support for individual behavioral responses to the food quality–predation risk trade-off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella C Richmond
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Juliana Balluffi-Fry
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Shawn J Leroux
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Matteo Rizzuto
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Travis R Heckford
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Joanie L Kennah
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Gabrielle R Riefesel
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Yolanda F Wiersma
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
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16
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Balluffi-Fry J, Leroux SJ, Wiersma YF, Richmond IC, Heckford TR, Rizzuto M, Kennah JL, Vander Wal E. Integrating plant stoichiometry and feeding experiments: state-dependent forage choice and its implications on body mass. Oecologia 2021; 198:579-591. [PMID: 34743229 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05069-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Intraspecific feeding choices comprise a large portion of herbivore foraging decisions. Plant resource quality is heterogeneously distributed, affected by nutrient availability and growing conditions. Herbivores navigate landscapes, foraging not only according to food qualities, but also energetic and nutritional demands. We test three non-exclusive foraging hypotheses using the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus): (1) herbivore feeding choices and body conditions respond to intraspecific plant quality variation; (2) high energetic demands mitigate feeding responses; and (3) feeding responses are inflated when nutritional demands are high. We measured black spruce (Picea mariana) nitrogen, phosphorus and terpene compositions, as indicators of quality, within a snowshoe hare trapping grid and found plant growing conditions to explain spruce quality variation (R2 < 0.36). We then offered two qualities of spruce (H1) from the trapping grid to hares in cafeteria-style experiments and measured their feeding and body condition responses (n = 75). We proxied energetic demands (H2) with ambient temperature and coat insulation (% white coat) and nutritional demands (H3) with the spruce quality (nitrogen and phosphorus content) in home ranges. Hares with the strongest preference for high-quality spruce lost on average 2.2% less weight than hares who ate the least high-quality spruce relative to low-quality spruce. The results supported our energetic predictions as follows: hares in colder temperatures and with less-insulative coats (lower % white) consumed more spruce and were less selective towards high-quality spruce. Collectively, we found variation in plant growing conditions within herbivore home ranges substantial enough to affect herbivore body conditions, but energetic stats mediate plant-herbivore interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Balluffi-Fry
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. .,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada.
| | - Shawn J Leroux
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Yolanda F Wiersma
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Isabella C Richmond
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Travis R Heckford
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Matteo Rizzuto
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Joanie L Kennah
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
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17
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Robitaille AL, Webber QMR, Turner JW, Vander Wal E. Erratum: The problem and promise of scale in multilayer animal social networks. Curr Zool 2021; 69:225. [PMID: 37091995 PMCID: PMC10120955 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa052.].
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18
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Webber QMR, Hendrix JG, Robitaille AL, Vander Wal E. On the marginal value of swimming in woodland caribou. Ecology 2021; 102:e03491. [PMID: 34310697 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Quinn M R Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Jack G Hendrix
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Alec L Robitaille
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.,Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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19
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Abstract
Abstract
Group size can vary in relation to population density, habitat, and season. Habitat and season may also interact with population density and affect group size through varying foraging benefits of social aggregation in different ecological contexts. We tested the hypothesis that group size varies across ecological contexts, including population density, habitat type, and season, for woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in ten herds over 25 years in Newfoundland, Canada. We predicted that group size would increase as a function of population density. Based on the foraging benefits of social aggregation, we predicted larger groups as habitat openness increased because open areas tend to have higher quality foraging resources. We predicted larger groups during winter when foraging resources are covered in snow because caribou and other social animals exploit social information about the location of foraging resources. In contrast to our prediction, group size decreased as a function of population density. In support of our prediction, group size was larger in winter than calving and summer, and we found that group size increased with habitat openness in some, but not all, cases. Patterns of animal grouping are context-dependent and the additive effect of different ecological contexts on variation in group size informs our understanding of the implicit trade-offs between competition, predation risk, and profitability of forage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn M R Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9,Canada
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20
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Rizzuto M, Leroux SJ, Vander Wal E, Richmond IC, Heckford TR, Balluffi-Fry J, Wiersma YF. Forage stoichiometry predicts the home range size of a small terrestrial herbivore. Oecologia 2021; 197:327-338. [PMID: 34131817 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04965-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Home range size of consumers varies with food quality, but the many ways of defining food quality hamper comparisons across studies. Ecological stoichiometry studies the elemental balance of ecological processes and offers a uniquely quantitative, transferrable way to assess food quality using elemental ratios, e.g., carbon (C):nitrogen (N). Here, we test whether snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) vary their home range size in response to spatial patterns of C:N, C:phosphorus (P), and N:P ratios of two preferred boreal forage species, lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) and red maple (Acer rubrum), in summer months. Boreal forests are N- and P-limited ecosystems and access to N- and P-rich forage is paramount to snowshoe hares' survival. Accordingly, we consider forage with higher C content relative to N and P to be lower quality than forage with lower relative C content. We combine elemental distribution models with summer home range size estimates to test the hypothesis that home range size will be smaller in areas with access to high, homogeneous food quality compared to areas of low, heterogeneous food quality. Our results show snowshoe hares had smaller home ranges in areas where lowbush blueberry foliage quality was higher or more spatially homogenous than in areas of lower, more heterogeneous food quality. By responding to spatial patterns of food quality, consumers may influence community and ecosystem processes by, for example, varying nutrient recycling rates. Our reductionist biogeochemical approach to viewing resources leads us to holistic insights into consumer spatial ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Rizzuto
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada.
| | - Shawn J Leroux
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | - Isabella C Richmond
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | - Travis R Heckford
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
| | | | - Yolanda F Wiersma
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada
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21
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Abstract
Abstract
Allocare, investment in offspring from non-parents, poses an evolutionary enigma. While the fitness trade-offs driving parental care are universal, alloparents may be driven by kin selection, reciprocation, the need to acquire parenting skills (‘learning-to-parent’), an indiscriminate attraction towards infants (‘natal attraction’), or a combination of multiple drivers. Among belugas (Delphinapterus leucas), allocare has been reported in wild and captive populations, but its underlying mechanisms remain untested. Using over 1800 focal observations, we quantified alloparental associations in St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) belugas to determine whether the learning-to-parent and natal attraction hypotheses are consistent with patterns of allocare in this population. We found that subadults showed little interest in providing allocare and that alloparental investment remained constant across offspring age classes. As the observed patterns of allocare are inconsistent with both the learning-to-parent and natal attraction hypotheses, allocare in SLE belugas is likely driven by kin selection, reciprocation, or a combination thereof.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaclyn A. Aubin
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology, Dean of Science Office, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada A1B 3X7
| | - Robert Michaud
- Groupe de Recherche et d’Éducation sur les Mammifères Marins, Québec, 870 Salaberry Avenue, Bureau R24, Québec, QC, Canada G1R 2T9
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology, Dean of Science Office, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada A1B 3X7
- Department of Biology, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada A1B 3X9
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22
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Huang RK, Webber QM, Laforge MP, Robitaille AL, Bonar M, Balluffi-Fry J, Zabihi-Seissan S, Vander Wal E. Coyote (Canis latrans) diet and spatial co-occurrence with woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). CAN J ZOOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2020-0253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The interplay of predator encounters and antipredator responses is an integral part of understanding predator–prey interactions and spatial co-occurrence and avoidance can elucidate these interactions. We conducted hard-part dietary analysis of coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823) and space use of coyotes and woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) to test two competing hypotheses about coyote and caribou predator–prey spatial dynamics using resource selection functions. The high encounter hypothesis predicts that coyotes would maximize encounters with caribou via high spatial co-occurrence, whereas the predator stealth hypothesis predicts that through low spatial co-occurrence with caribou, coyotes act as stealth predators by avoiding habitats that caribou typically select. Our dietary analysis revealed that ∼46% of sampled coyote diet is composed of caribou. We found that coyote share space with caribou in lichen-barren habitat in both summer and winter and that coyotes co-occur with caribou in forested habitat during summer, but not during winter. Our findings support predictions associated with the high encounter predator hypothesis whereby coyotes and caribou have high spatial co-occurrence promoting caribou in coyote diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard K.K. Huang
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Quinn M.R. Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Michel P. Laforge
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Alec L. Robitaille
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Maegwin Bonar
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Juliana Balluffi-Fry
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Sana Zabihi-Seissan
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
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23
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Laforge MP, Bonar M, Vander Wal E. Tracking snowmelt to jump the green wave: phenological drivers of migration in a northern ungulate. Ecology 2021; 102:e03268. [PMID: 33326603 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
In northern climates, spring is a time of rapid environmental change: for migrating terrestrial animals, melting snow facilitates foraging and travel, and newly emergent vegetation provides a valuable nutritional resource. These changes result in selection on the timing of important life-history events such as migration and parturition occurring when high-quality resources are most abundant. We examined the timing of female caribou (Rangifer tarandus, n = 94) migration and parturition in five herds across 7 yr in Newfoundland, Canada, as a function of two measures of environmental change-snowmelt and vegetation green-up. We generated resource selection functions to test whether caribou selected for areas associated with snowmelt and green-up during migration and following calving. We found that caribou migrated approximately 1 wk prior to snowmelt, with the flush of emergent vegetation occurring during the weeks following parturition. The results indicate that caribou "jump" the green wave of emergent forage and do so by tracking the receding edge of melting snow, likely reducing movement and foraging costs related to snow cover. Our research further broadens the ecological scope of resource tracking in animals. We demonstrate that resource tracking extends beyond resources directly related to foraging to those related to movement. We also show that snowmelt provides an environmental cue that may provide a buffer against changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel P Laforge
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Maegwin Bonar
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada.,Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Suite A211, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada.,Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3X9, Canada
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24
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Robitaille AL, Webber QMR, Turner JW, Vander Wal E. The problem and promise of scale in multilayer animal social networks. Curr Zool 2021; 67:113-123. [PMID: 33654495 PMCID: PMC7901766 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Scale remains a foundational concept in ecology. Spatial scale, for instance, has become a central consideration in the way we understand landscape ecology and animal space use. Meanwhile, scale-dependent social processes can range from fine-scale interactions to co-occurrence and overlapping home ranges. Furthermore, sociality can vary within and across seasons. Multilayer networks promise the explicit integration of the social, spatial, and temporal contexts. Given the complex interplay of sociality and animal space use in heterogeneous landscapes, there remains an important gap in our understanding of the influence of scale on animal social networks. Using an empirical case study, we discuss ways of considering social, spatial, and temporal scale in the context of multilayer caribou social networks. Effective integration of social and spatial processes, including biologically meaningful scales, within the context of animal social networks is an emerging area of research. We incorporate perspectives that link the social environment to spatial processes across scales in a multilayer context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alec L Robitaille
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Quinn M R Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Julie W Turner
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, A1B 3X9, Canada
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Abstract
In Focus: Formica, V., Donald, H., Marti, H., Irgebay, Z., Brodie III, E. Social network position experiences more variable selection than weaponry in wild subpopulations of forked fungus beetles. Journal of Animal Ecology, 90, 168-182, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13322. That social network traits can exhibit consistent-individual differences among individuals and confer a fitness benefit or cost is increasingly well-established. However, how selection-natural or sexual-affects those social traits and at what scale remains an open question. In this Special Feature, Formica and colleagues employ a meta-population of forked fungus beetles to test and contrast whether sexual selection on social network traits contrasted to morphological traits occurs at the local (soft) or global (hard) scales. The authors demonstrate that morphological traits are largely under hard directional positive selection, whereas social traits are under soft and variable selection. The findings are compelling and raise interesting discussion of multi-level selection and the evolution of social traits in a meta-population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Vander Wal
- Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
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Balluffi‐Fry J, Leroux SJ, Wiersma YF, Heckford TR, Rizzuto M, Richmond IC, Vander Wal E. Quantity-quality trade-offs revealed using a multiscale test of herbivore resource selection on elemental landscapes. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:13847-13859. [PMID: 33391685 PMCID: PMC7771173 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Herbivores consider the variation of forage qualities (nutritional content and digestibility) as well as quantities (biomass) when foraging. Such selection patterns may change based on the scale of foraging, particularly in the case of ungulates that forage at many scales.To test selection for quality and quantity in free-ranging herbivores across scales, however, we must first develop landscape-wide quantitative estimates of both forage quantity and quality. Stoichiometric distribution models (StDMs) bring opportunity to address this because they predict the elemental measures and stoichiometry of resources at landscape extents.Here, we use StDMs to predict elemental measures of understory white birch quality (% nitrogen) and quantity (g carbon/m2) across two boreal landscapes. We analyzed global positioning system (GPS) collared moose (n = 14) selection for forage quantity and quality at the landscape, home range, and patch extents using both individual and pooled resource selection analyses. We predicted that as the scale of resource selection decreased from the landscape to the patch, selection for white birch quantity would decrease and selection for quality would increase.Counter to our prediction, pooled-models showed selection for our estimates of quantity and quality to be neutral with low explanatory power and no scalar trends. At the individual-level, however, we found evidence for quality and quantity trade-offs, most notably at the home-range scale where resource selection models explain the largest amount of variation in selection. Furthermore, individuals did not follow the same trade-off tactic, with some preferring forage quantity over quality and vice versa.Such individual trade-offs show that moose may be flexible in attaining a limiting nutrient. Our findings suggest that herbivores may respond to forage elemental compositions and quantities, giving tools like StDMs merit toward animal ecology applications. The integration of StDMs and animal movement data represents a promising avenue for progress in the field of zoogeochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Balluffi‐Fry
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John’sNLCanada
- Present address:
Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonABCanada
| | - Shawn J. Leroux
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John’sNLCanada
| | - Yolanda F. Wiersma
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John’sNLCanada
| | - Travis R. Heckford
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John’sNLCanada
| | - Matteo Rizzuto
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John’sNLCanada
| | | | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John’sNLCanada
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Leroux SJ, Wiersma YF, Vander Wal E. Herbivore Impacts on Carbon Cycling in Boreal Forests. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:1001-1010. [PMID: 32800352 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Large herbivores can have substantial effects on carbon (C) cycling, yet these animals are often overlooked in C budgets. Zoogeochemical effects may be particularly important in boreal forests, where diverse human activities are facilitating the expansion of large herbivore populations. Here, we argue that considering trophic dynamics is necessary to understand spatiotemporal variability in boreal forest C budgets. We propose a research agenda to scale local studies to landscape extents to measure the zoogeochemical impacts of large herbivores on boreal forest C cycling. Distributed networks of exclosure experiments, empirical studies across gradients in large herbivore abundance, multiscale models using herbivore distribution data, and remote sensing paired with empirical data will provide comprehensive accounting of C source-sink dynamics in boreal forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn J Leroux
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada.
| | - Yolanda F Wiersma
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Allert I Bijleveld
- Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Samantha C Patrick
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Garrett M Street
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
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Ellington EH, Lewis KP, Koen EL, Vander Wal E. Divergent estimates of herd-wide caribou calf survival: Ecological factors and methodological biases. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:8476-8505. [PMID: 32788995 PMCID: PMC7417224 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Population monitoring is a critical part of effective wildlife management, but methods are prone to biases that can hinder our ability to accurately track changes in populations through time. Calf survival plays an important role in ungulate population dynamics and can be monitored using telemetry and herd composition surveys. These methods, however, are susceptible to unrepresentative sampling and violations of the assumption of equal detectability, respectively. Here, we capitalized on 55 herd-wide estimates of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) calf survival in Newfoundland, Canada, using telemetry (n = 1,175 calves) and 249 herd-wide estimates of calf:cow ratios (C:C) using herd composition surveys to investigate these potential biases. These data included 17 herd-wide estimates replicated from both methods concurrently (n = 448 calves and n = 17 surveys) which we used to understand which processes and sampling biases contributed to disagreement between estimates of herd-wide calf survival. We used Cox proportional hazards models to determine whether estimates of calf mortality risk were biased by the date a calf was collared. We also used linear mixed-effects models to determine whether estimates of C:C ratios were biased by survey date and herd size. We found that calves collared later in the calving season had a higher mortality risk and that C:C tended to be higher for surveys conducted later in the autumn. When we used these relationships to modify estimates of herd-wide calf survival derived from telemetry and herd composition surveys concurrently, we found that formerly disparate estimates of woodland caribou calf survival now overlapped (within a 95% confidence interval) in a majority of cases. Our case study highlights the potential of under-appreciated biases to impact our understanding of population dynamics and suggests ways that managers can limit the influence of these biases in the two widely applied methods for estimating herd-wide survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Hance Ellington
- School of Environment and Natural ResourcesOhio State UniversityColumbusOHUSA
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John’sNFCanada
| | - Keith P. Lewis
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John’sNFCanada
- Northwest Atlantic Fisheries CentreFisheries and Oceans CanadaSt. John’sNFCanada
| | - Erin L. Koen
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John’sNFCanada
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring SectionOntario Ministry of Natural Resources and ForestryPeterboroughONCanada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John’sNFCanada
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Perry TA, Laforge MP, Vander Wal E, Knight TW, McLoughlin PD. Individual responses to novel predation risk and the emergence of a landscape of fear. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A. Perry
- Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SaskatchewanS7N 5E2Canada
| | - Michel P. Laforge
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s Newfoundland and LabradorA1B 3X9Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s Newfoundland and LabradorA1B 3X9Canada
| | - Thomas W. Knight
- Parks Canada AgencyGMNP Rocky Harbour Newfoundland and LabradorA0K 4N0Canada
| | - Philip D. McLoughlin
- Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SaskatchewanS7N 5E2Canada
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Bonar M, Lewis KP, Webber QMR, Dobbin M, Laforge MP, Vander Wal E. Geometry of the ideal free distribution: individual behavioural variation and annual reproductive success in aggregations of a social ungulate. Ecol Lett 2020; 23:1360-1369. [PMID: 32602664 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Variation in social environment can mitigate risks and rewards associated with occupying a particular patch. We aim to integrate Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) and Geometry of the Selfish Herd (GSH) to address an apparent conflict in their predictions of equal mean fitness between patches (IFD) and declining fitness benefits within a patch (GSH). We tested these hypotheses in a socio-spatial context using individual caribou that were aggregated or disaggregated during calving and varied in their annual reproductive success (ARS). We then tested individual consistency of these spatial tactics. We reveal that two socio-spatial tactics accorded similar mean ARS (IFD); however, ARS for aggregated individuals declined near the periphery (GSH). Individuals near the aggregation periphery exhibited flexibility, whereas others were consistent. The integration of classical theories through a contemporary lens of consistent individual differences provides evidence for an integrated GSH and IFD strategy that may represent an evolutionary stable state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maegwin Bonar
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, USA
| | - Keith P Lewis
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, St. John's, NL, USA
| | - Quinn M R Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, USA
| | - Maria Dobbin
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, USA
| | - Michel P Laforge
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, USA
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, USA.,Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, USA
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Webber QMR, Vander Wal E. Heterogeneity in social network connections is density-dependent: implications for disease dynamics in a gregarious ungulate. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02860-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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Webber QMR, Laforge MP, Bonar M, Robitaille AL, Hart C, Zabihi-Seissan S, Vander Wal E. The Ecology of Individual Differences Empirically Applied to Space-Use and Movement Tactics. Am Nat 2020; 196:E1-E15. [PMID: 32552106 DOI: 10.1086/708721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Movement provides a link between individual behavioral ecology and the spatial and temporal variation in an individual's landscape. Individual variation in movement traits is an important axis of animal personality, particularly in the context of foraging ecology. We tested whether individual caribou (Rangifer tarandus) displayed plasticity in movement and space-use behavior across a gradient of resource aggregation. We quantified first-passage time and range-use ratio as proxies for movement-related foraging behavior and examined how these traits varied at the individual level across a foraging resource gradient. Our results suggest that individuals adjusted first-passage time but not range-use ratio to maximize access to high-quality foraging resources. First-passage time was repeatable, and intercepts for first-passage time and range-use ratio were negatively correlated. Individuals matched first-passage time but not range-use ratio to the expectations of our patch-use model that maximized access to foraging resources, a result that suggests that individuals acclimated their movement patterns to accommodate both intra- and interannual variation in foraging resources on the landscape. Collectively, we highlight repeatable movement and space-use tactics and provide insight into how individual plasticity in movement interacts with landscape processes to affect the distribution of behavioral phenotypes and potentially fitness and population dynamics.
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Rizzuto M, Leroux SJ, Vander Wal E, Wiersma YF, Heckford TR, Balluffi‐Fry J. Patterns and potential drivers of intraspecific variability in the body C, N, and P composition of a terrestrial consumer, the snowshoe hare ( Lepus americanus). Ecol Evol 2019; 9:14453-14464. [PMID: 31938532 PMCID: PMC6953652 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Intraspecific variability in ecological traits is widespread in nature. Recent evidence, mostly from aquatic ecosystems, shows individuals differing at the most fundamental level, that of their chemical composition. Age, sex, or body size and condition may be key drivers of intraspecific variability in the body concentrations of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). However, we still have a rudimentary understanding of the patterns and drivers of intraspecific variability in chemical composition of terrestrial consumers, particularly vertebrates.Here, we investigate the elemental composition of the snowshoe hare Lepus americanus. Based on snowshoe hare ecology, we predicted older, larger individuals to have higher concentration of N or P and lower C content compared with younger, smaller individuals. We also predicted females to have higher concentrations of N, P, and lower C than males due to the higher reproductive costs they incur. Finally, we predicted that individuals in better body condition would have higher N and P than those in worse condition, irrespective of age.We obtained C, N, and P concentrations and ratios from a sample of 50 snowshoe hares. We then used general linear models to test our predictions on the relationship between age, sex, body size or condition and stoichiometric variability in hares.We found considerable variation in C, N, and P stoichiometry within our sample. Contrary to our predictions, we found weak evidence of N content decreasing with age. As well, sex appeared to have no relationship with hare body elemental composition. Conversely, as expected, P content increased with body size and condition. Finally, we found no relationship between variability in C content and any of our predictor variables.Snowshoe hare stoichiometry does not appear to vary with individual age, sex, body size, or condition. However, the weak relationship between body N concentration and age may suggest varying nutritional requirements of individuals at different ages. Conversely, body P's weak relationship to body size and condition appears in line with this limiting element's importance in terrestrial ecosystems. Snowshoe hares are keystone herbivores in the boreal forest of North America, and the substantial stoichiometric variability we find in our sample could have important implications for nutrient dynamics, in both boreal and adjacent ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Rizzuto
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNFCanada
| | - Shawn J. Leroux
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNFCanada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNFCanada
| | - Yolanda F. Wiersma
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNFCanada
| | - Travis R. Heckford
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNFCanada
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Robitaille AL, Webber QMR, Vander Wal E. Conducting social network analysis with animal telemetry data: Applications and methods using spatsoc. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alec L. Robitaille
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador Canada
| | - Quinn M. R. Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador Canada
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador Canada
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O’Brien P, Vander Wal E, Koen EL, Brown CD, Guy J, van Beest FM, Brook RK. Understanding habitat co-occurrence and the potential for competition between native mammals and invasive wild pigs ( Sus scrofa) at the northern edge of their range. CAN J ZOOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2018-0156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Invasive species are a major contributor to biodiversity loss worldwide. Wild pigs (Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758) are highly invasive in their introduced ranges; they modify habitat and threaten native species. As recent invaders in Canada, it is unknown what habitats wild pigs occupy at the northern edge of their range and how they affect mammalian diversity. We examined habitat factors that we predicted would affect co-occurrence of wild pigs with native mammals. We randomly placed 17 camera traps in four stratified habitat types (deciduous forest, grassland, cropland, and wetland) for 2 years to examine species co-occurrence in these habitats. We analyzed camera-trap data using nonmetric multidimensional scaling. Wild pig detection during winter was greatest in wetland and cropland and positively associated with occurrence of moose (Alces alces (Linnaeus, 1758)) and coyote (Canis latrans Say, 1823) and negatively associated with the presence of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817)), and humans. In summer, we detected wild pigs only in grassland; these detections were positively associated with moose and mule deer and negatively associated with domesticated cattle (Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758), elk (Cervus canadensis Erxleben, 1777), and humans. We conclude that invasive wild pig occurrence at the northern edge of their Canadian range varies seasonally, by habitat, and is negatively affected by the presence of humans. Moreover, apparent co-occurrence with native fauna and avoidance of domestic species provides early evidence for potential competitive interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul O’Brien
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Erin L. Koen
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
- Department of Animal and Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
| | - Carissa D. Brown
- Department of Geography, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Jenn Guy
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Floris M. van Beest
- Department of Animal and Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ryan K. Brook
- Department of Animal and Poultry Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8, Canada
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Peignier M, Webber QMR, Koen EL, Laforge MP, Robitaille AL, Vander Wal E. Space use and social association in a gregarious ungulate: Testing the conspecific attraction and resource dispersion hypotheses. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:5133-5145. [PMID: 31110667 PMCID: PMC6509382 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals use a variety of proximate cues to assess habitat quality when resources vary spatiotemporally. Two nonmutually exclusive strategies to assess habitat quality involve either direct assessment of landscape features or observation of social cues from conspecifics as a form of information transfer about forage resources. The conspecific attraction hypothesis proposes that individual space use is dependent on the distribution of conspecifics rather than the location of resource patches, whereas the resource dispersion hypothesis proposes that individual space use and social association are driven by the abundance and distribution of resources. We tested the conspecific attraction and the resource dispersion hypotheses as two nonmutually exclusive hypotheses explaining social association and of adult female caribou (Rangifer tarandus). We used location data from GPS collars to estimate interannual site fidelity and networks representing home range overlap and social associations among individual caribou. We found that home range overlap and social associations were correlated with resource distribution in summer and conspecific attraction in winter. In summer, when resources were distributed relatively homogeneously, interannual site fidelity was high and home range overlap and social associations were low. Conversely, in winter when resources were distributed relatively heterogeneously, interannual site fidelity was low and home range overlap and social associations were high. As access to resources changes across seasons, caribou appear to alter social behavior and space use. In summer, caribou may use cues associated with the distribution of forage, and in winter caribou may use cues from conspecifics to access forage. Our results have broad implications for our understanding of caribou socioecology, suggesting that caribou use season-specific strategies to locate forage. Caribou populations continue to decline globally, and our finding that conspecific attraction is likely related to access to forage suggests that further fragmentation of caribou habitat could limit social association among caribou, particularly in winter when access to resources may be limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélissa Peignier
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNewfoundlandCanada
| | - Quinn M. R. Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary ProgramMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNewfoundlandCanada
| | - Erin L. Koen
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNewfoundlandCanada
| | - Michel P. Laforge
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNewfoundlandCanada
| | - Alec L. Robitaille
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNewfoundlandCanada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of BiologyMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNewfoundlandCanada
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary ProgramMemorial University of NewfoundlandSt. John'sNewfoundlandCanada
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Webber QM, Vander Wal E. Trends and perspectives on the use of animal social network analysis in behavioural ecology: a bibliometric approach. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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O’Brien PP, Webber QMR, Vander Wal E. Consistent individual differences and population plasticity in network-derived sociality: An experimental manipulation of density in a gregarious ungulate. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193425. [PMID: 29494640 PMCID: PMC5832262 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In many taxa, individual social traits appear to be consistent across time and context, thus meeting the criteria for animal personality. How these differences are maintained in response to changes in population density is unknown, particularly in large mammals, such as ungulates. Using a behavioral reaction norm (BRN) framework, we examined how among- and within-individual variation in social connectedness, measured using social network analyses, change as a function of population density. We studied a captive herd of elk (Cervus canadensis) separated into a group of male elk and a group of female elk. Males and females were exposed to three different density treatments and we recorded social associations between individuals with proximity-detecting radio-collars fitted to elk. We constructed social networks using dyadic association data and calculated three social network metrics reflective of social connectedness: eigenvector centrality, graph strength, and degree. Elk exhibited consistent individual differences in social connectedness across densities; however, they showed little individual variation in their response to changes in density, i.e., individuals oftentimes responded plastically, but in the same manner to changes in density. Female elk had highest connectedness at an intermediate density. In contrast, male elk increased connectedness with increasing density. Whereas this may suggest that the benefits of social connectedness outweigh the costs of increased competition at higher density for males, females appear to exhibit a threshold in social benefits (e.g. predator detection and forage information). Our study illustrates the importance of viewing social connectedness as a density-dependent trait, particularly in the context of plasticity. Moreover, we highlight the need to revisit our understanding of density dependence as a population-level phenomenon by accounting for consistent individual differences not only in social connectedness, but likely in other ecological processes (e.g., predator-prey dynamics, mate choice, disease transfer).
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul P. O’Brien
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Quinn M. R. Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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Bonar M, Ellington EH, Lewis KP, Vander Wal E. Implementing a novel movement-based approach to inferring parturition and neonate caribou calf survival. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192204. [PMID: 29466451 PMCID: PMC5821316 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In ungulates, parturition is correlated with a reduction in movement rate. With advances in movement-based technologies comes an opportunity to develop new techniques to assess reproduction in wild ungulates that are less invasive and reduce biases. DeMars et al. (2013, Ecology and Evolution 3:4149-4160) proposed two promising new methods (individual- and population-based; the DeMars model) that use GPS inter-fix step length of adult female caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) to infer parturition and neonate survival. Our objective was to apply the DeMars model to caribou populations that may violate model assumptions for retrospective analysis of parturition and calf survival. We extended the use of the DeMars model after assigning parturition and calf mortality status by examining herd-wide distributions of parturition date, calf mortality date, and survival. We used the DeMars model to estimate parturition and calf mortality events and compared them with the known parturition and calf mortality events from collared adult females (n = 19). We also used the DeMars model to estimate parturition and calf mortality events for collared female caribou with unknown parturition and calf mortality events (n = 43) and instead derived herd-wide estimates of calf survival as well as distributions of parturition and calf mortality dates and compared them to herd-wide estimates generated from calves fitted with VHF collars (n = 134). For our data, the individual-based method was effective at predicting calf mortality, but was not effective at predicting parturition. The population-based method was more effective at predicting parturition but was not effective at predicting calf mortality. At the herd-level, the predicted distributions of parturition date from both methods differed from each other and from the distribution derived from the parturition dates of VHF-collared calves (log-ranked test: χ2 = 40.5, df = 2, p < 0.01). The predicted distributions of calf mortality dates from both methods were similar to the observed distribution derived from VHF-collared calves. Both methods underestimated herd-wide calf survival based on VHF-collared calves, however, a combination of the individual- and population-based methods produced herd-wide survival estimates similar to estimates generated from collared calves. The limitations we experienced when applying the DeMars model could result from the shortcomings in our data violating model assumptions. However despite the differences in our caribou systems, with proper validation techniques the framework in the DeMars model is sufficient to make inferences on parturition and calf mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maegwin Bonar
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - E. Hance Ellington
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Keith P. Lewis
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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Webber QMR, Vander Wal E. An evolutionary framework outlining the integration of individual social and spatial ecology. J Anim Ecol 2017; 87:113-127. [PMID: 29055050 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Behaviour is the interface between an organism and its environment, and behavioural plasticity is important for organisms to cope with environmental change. Social behaviour is particularly important because sociality is a dynamic process, where environmental variation influences group dynamics and social plasticity can mediate resource acquisition. Heterogeneity in the ecological environment can therefore influence the social environment. The combination of the ecological and social environments may be interpreted collectively as the "socioecological environment," which could explain variation in fitness. Our objective was to outline a framework through which individual social and spatial phenotypes can be integrated and interpreted as phenotypes that covary as a function of changes in the socioecological environment. We propose the socioecological environment is composed of individual behavioural traits, including sociality and habitat selection, both of which are repeatable, potentially heritable and may reflect animal personality traits. We also highlight how ecological and social niche theory can be applied to the socioecological environment framework, where individuals occupy different socioecological niches. Individual sociality and habitat selection are also density-dependent, and theory predicts that density-dependent traits should affect reproduction, survival, and therefore fitness and population dynamics. We then illustrate the proximate links between sociality, habitat selection and fitness as well as the ultimate, and possibly adaptive, consequences associated with changes in population density. The ecological, evolutionary and applied implications of our proposed socioecological environment framework are broad and changes in density could influence individual fitness and population dynamics. For instance, human-induced environmental changes can influence population density, which can affect the distribution of social and spatial phenotypes within a population. In summary, we outline a conceptual framework that incorporates individual social and spatial behavioural traits with fitness and we highlight a range of ecological and evolutionary processes that are likely associated with the socioecological environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn M R Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.,Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
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Leroux SJ, Wal EV, Wiersma YF, Charron L, Ebel JD, Ellis NM, Hart C, Kissler E, Saunders PW, Moudrá L, Tanner AL, Yalcin S. Stoichiometric distribution models: ecological stoichiometry at the landscape extent. Ecol Lett 2017; 20:1495-1506. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shawn J. Leroux
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Yolanda F. Wiersma
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Louis Charron
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Jonathan D. Ebel
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Nichola M. Ellis
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Christopher Hart
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Emilie Kissler
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Paul W. Saunders
- Department of Environment and Conservation, Wildlife Division; Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; Corner Brook NL A2H 7S1 Canada
| | - Lucie Moudrá
- Department of Applied Geoinformatics and Spatial Planning; Faculty of Environmental Sciences; Czech University of Life Sciences; Prague Czech Republic
| | - Amy L. Tanner
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
| | - Semra Yalcin
- Department of Biology; Memorial University of Newfoundland; St. John's NL A1B 3X9 Canada
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Reynolds JJ, Vander Wal E, Adams BK, Curran RM, Doucet CM. Does prey density predict characteristics of primiparity in a solitary and specialized predator, the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)? CAN J ZOOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Age at primiparity is a flexible life-history trait that purportedly responds to changing population dynamics and variable resource abundance. We examined placental scars in yearling Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis (Kerr, 1792)) from the island of Newfoundland and used pregnancy rates and litter sizes to indicate primiparity. We modelled these lynx productivity data with snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus Erxleben, 1777) population attributes using seven multiple a priori competing hypotheses. Hare abundance showed peak, decline, and increase phases, and densities based on capture–mark–recapture estimates ranged from 0.11 to 1.19 hares·ha−1. Overall, yearling pregnancy rate was 23.5% and the model with hare abundance fitted alone had the most support. However, surprisingly hare abundance explained little (6%) variation in yearling pregnancy rate. Mean (±SE) litter size was 3.51 ± 0.27. None of our covariate models provided unequivocal support for predicting yearling litter size. We speculate that individuals may exhibit behavioural plasticity such that they can dampen the impact of primary prey abundance on yearling pregnancy rate by exploiting alternate prey. Furthermore, intraspecific social interactions may provide additional insight into the determinants of pregnancy rate in yearling lynx.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J. Reynolds
- Wildlife Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, P.O. Box 8700, 308 Brookfield Road, St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 32 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John’s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Barry K. Adams
- Wildlife Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, P.O. Box 8700, 308 Brookfield Road, St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6, Canada
| | - Richard M. Curran
- Wildlife Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, P.O. Box 8700, 308 Brookfield Road, St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6, Canada
| | - Christine M. Doucet
- Wildlife Division, Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, P.O. Box 2007, 117 Riverside Drive, Corner Brook, NL A2H 7S1, Canada
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Stolle K, Van Beest FM, Vander Wal E, Brook RK. Diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns of invasive Wild Boar ( Sus scrofa) in Saskatchewan, Canada. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.22621/cfn.v129i1.1670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is invasive in western Canada and poses a significant ecological and socio-economic threat over much of the country. We sought to quantify their presence and to determine when they are most active and whether their activity patterns are influenced by group size. Digital trail cameras (n = 18) were placed in a stratified design in the four most dominant habitat types of central Saskatchewan, Canada, and activated between December 2011 and June 2013 for a total of 5715 trap-days. In 71,175 photographs, we obtained 22 individual visits of Wild Boars to the trail cameras. We found no differences in activity between night (1900–0700; 59% of all detections) and day (0701–1859; 41% of detections), and we did not detect any effect of group size. Ongoing monitoring will be required to determine changing activity patterns in response to changing hunting pressure as Wild Boar continue to expand across Canada.
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Turgeon G, Vander Wal E, Massé A, Pelletier F. Born to be wild? Response of an urban exploiter to human-modified environment and fluctuating weather conditions. CAN J ZOOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2014-0263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Human-driven environmental changes affect behavior, morphology, life history, and population dynamics of wild species. Artificial food sources in anthropogenic environments benefit some species and may lead to faster somatic growth and larger body size, which affects survival and reproduction, thus contributing to a species’ success in modified environments. Using raccoons (Procyon lotor (L., 1758)) as a model, we documented age-specific body-mass pattern and evaluated the influence of human activities (human density, area with artificial food sources, edges of forested area bordering corn (Zea mays L.) fields) and weather (index of winter severity and mean annual precipitation) on body-mass variation at multiple spatial scales. The effect of human-driven changes on raccoon mass varied with age, sex, and spatial scale, suggesting that anthropogenic changes affect raccoons differentially according to gender and life stages. Human activity had consistently opposing effects between the sexes. Weather covariates represented >50% of the total variance in body mass explained by our models. Previous winter severity and mean annual precipitation affected body mass negatively and positively, respectively. Our results emphasize the importance of multiscale, sex- and age-specific analyses when studying influences of human activity on wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geneviève Turgeon
- Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Demography and Conservation, Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, boulevard de l’Université, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Demography and Conservation, Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, boulevard de l’Université, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Ariane Massé
- Direction de la biodiversité et des maladies de la faune, Direction générale de l’expertise sur la faune et ses habitats, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 880, chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC G1S 4X4, Canada
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Canada Research Chair in Evolutionary Demography and Conservation, Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, boulevard de l’Université, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
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Vander Wal E, Garant D, Pelletier F. Evolutionary perspectives on wildlife disease: concepts and applications. Evol Appl 2014; 7:715-22. [PMID: 25469154 PMCID: PMC4227853 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Accepted: 05/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Wildlife disease has the potential to cause significant ecological, socioeconomic, and health impacts. As a result, all tools available need to be employed when host-pathogen dynamics merit conservation or management interventions. Evolutionary principles, such as evolutionary history, phenotypic and genetic variation, and selection, have the potential to unravel many of the complex ecological realities of infectious disease in the wild. Despite this, their application to wildlife disease ecology and management remains in its infancy. In this article, we outline the impetus behind applying evolutionary principles to disease ecology and management issues in the wild. We then introduce articles from this special issue on Evolutionary Perspectives on Wildlife Disease: Concepts and Applications, outlining how each is exemplar of a practical wildlife disease challenge that can be enlightened by applied evolution. Ultimately, we aim to bring new insights to wildlife disease ecology and its management using tools and techniques commonly employed in evolutionary ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Vander Wal
- Département de biologie, Université de SherbrookeSherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de biologie, Université de SherbrookeSherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de biologie, Université de SherbrookeSherbrooke, QC, Canada
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Vander Wal E, Garant D, Calmé S, Chapman CA, Festa-Bianchet M, Millien V, Rioux-Paquette S, Pelletier F. Applying evolutionary concepts to wildlife disease ecology and management. Evol Appl 2014; 7:856-68. [PMID: 25469163 PMCID: PMC4227862 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Accepted: 04/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Existing and emerging infectious diseases are among the most pressing global threats to biodiversity, food safety and human health. The complex interplay between host, pathogen and environment creates a challenge for conserving species, communities and ecosystem functions, while mediating the many known ecological and socio-economic negative effects of disease. Despite the clear ecological and evolutionary contexts of host-pathogen dynamics, approaches to managing wildlife disease remain predominantly reactionary, focusing on surveillance and some attempts at eradication. A few exceptional studies have heeded recent calls for better integration of ecological concepts in the study and management of wildlife disease; however, evolutionary concepts remain underused. Applied evolution consists of four principles: evolutionary history, genetic and phenotypic variation, selection and eco-evolutionary dynamics. In this article, we first update a classical framework for understanding wildlife disease to integrate better these principles. Within this framework, we explore the evolutionary implications of environment-disease interactions. Subsequently, we synthesize areas where applied evolution can be employed in wildlife disease management. Finally, we discuss some future directions and challenges. Here, we underscore that despite some evolutionary principles currently playing an important role in our understanding of disease in wild animals, considerable opportunities remain for fostering the practice of evolutionarily enlightened wildlife disease management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Vander Wal
- Département de biologie, Université de SherbrookeSherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de biologie, Université de SherbrookeSherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Sophie Calmé
- Département de biologie, Université de SherbrookeSherbrooke, QC, Canada
- El Colegio de la Frontera SurChetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
| | - Colin A Chapman
- Department of Anthropology and McGill School of Environment, McGill UniversityMontreal, QC, Canada
- Wildlife Conservation SocietyBronx, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de biologie, Université de SherbrookeSherbrooke, QC, Canada
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