Lethal wolf control elicits change in moose habitat selection in unexpected ways
Abstract Moose ( Alces alces ) and woodland caribou ( Ranger tarandus caribou ) are the 2 large prey species for wolves ( Canis lupus ) in the Nearctic boreal forest in North America. Caribou have declined, with widespread anthropogenic disturbance as the ultimate cause and wolf predation as the pro...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22620 |
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crwiley:10.1002/jwmg.22620 2024-09-15T17:36:18+00:00 Lethal wolf control elicits change in moose habitat selection in unexpected ways Ethier, Claire A. Barnas, Andrew F. Boucher, Nicole P. Baillie‐David, Katherine Fisher, Jason T. Alberta Environment and Parks Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Mitacs Alberta Innovates 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22620 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ The Journal of Wildlife Management volume 88, issue 7 ISSN 0022-541X 1937-2817 journal-article 2024 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22620 2024-08-09T04:25:40Z Abstract Moose ( Alces alces ) and woodland caribou ( Ranger tarandus caribou ) are the 2 large prey species for wolves ( Canis lupus ) in the Nearctic boreal forest in North America. Caribou have declined, with widespread anthropogenic disturbance as the ultimate cause and wolf predation as the proximal cause. To conserve caribou the government of Alberta, Canada initiated a wolf control program to reduce predation rates on caribou populations and contribute to caribou population recovery. Predators play an important role in shaping the structure and function of ecosystems through top‐down forces. We hypothesized that the strongest factors influencing moose occurrences would reflect changes in predation risk before and after the onset of wolf control. We weighed evidence for competing hypothesis by deploying cameras across a highly industrialized landscape in Alberta for 3 years after wolf control (2017–2020), capitalizing on 3 years of existing data before the onset of wolf control (2011–2014). We created generalized linear models representing competing hypotheses about moose response to natural and anthropogenic landscape features before and after wolf control, examining support for each in an information‐theoretic framework. Prior to wolf control, the model containing landscape features providing security cover was best‐supported, but this was scale‐dependent. After wolf control, the model containing landscape features that offer increased forage opportunities was best‐supported. Unexpectedly, the direction of effect was often opposite to predictions, with moose avoiding some features thought to provide security and forage. We demonstrate that lethal predator control affects the spatial distribution of its primary prey species but in ways we do not fully comprehend, highlighting the need for a better understanding of community dynamics following wolf control. Article in Journal/Newspaper Alces alces Canis lupus Wiley Online Library The Journal of Wildlife Management 88 7 |
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Open Polar |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Moose ( Alces alces ) and woodland caribou ( Ranger tarandus caribou ) are the 2 large prey species for wolves ( Canis lupus ) in the Nearctic boreal forest in North America. Caribou have declined, with widespread anthropogenic disturbance as the ultimate cause and wolf predation as the proximal cause. To conserve caribou the government of Alberta, Canada initiated a wolf control program to reduce predation rates on caribou populations and contribute to caribou population recovery. Predators play an important role in shaping the structure and function of ecosystems through top‐down forces. We hypothesized that the strongest factors influencing moose occurrences would reflect changes in predation risk before and after the onset of wolf control. We weighed evidence for competing hypothesis by deploying cameras across a highly industrialized landscape in Alberta for 3 years after wolf control (2017–2020), capitalizing on 3 years of existing data before the onset of wolf control (2011–2014). We created generalized linear models representing competing hypotheses about moose response to natural and anthropogenic landscape features before and after wolf control, examining support for each in an information‐theoretic framework. Prior to wolf control, the model containing landscape features providing security cover was best‐supported, but this was scale‐dependent. After wolf control, the model containing landscape features that offer increased forage opportunities was best‐supported. Unexpectedly, the direction of effect was often opposite to predictions, with moose avoiding some features thought to provide security and forage. We demonstrate that lethal predator control affects the spatial distribution of its primary prey species but in ways we do not fully comprehend, highlighting the need for a better understanding of community dynamics following wolf control. |
author2 |
Alberta Environment and Parks Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Mitacs Alberta Innovates |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ethier, Claire A. Barnas, Andrew F. Boucher, Nicole P. Baillie‐David, Katherine Fisher, Jason T. |
spellingShingle |
Ethier, Claire A. Barnas, Andrew F. Boucher, Nicole P. Baillie‐David, Katherine Fisher, Jason T. Lethal wolf control elicits change in moose habitat selection in unexpected ways |
author_facet |
Ethier, Claire A. Barnas, Andrew F. Boucher, Nicole P. Baillie‐David, Katherine Fisher, Jason T. |
author_sort |
Ethier, Claire A. |
title |
Lethal wolf control elicits change in moose habitat selection in unexpected ways |
title_short |
Lethal wolf control elicits change in moose habitat selection in unexpected ways |
title_full |
Lethal wolf control elicits change in moose habitat selection in unexpected ways |
title_fullStr |
Lethal wolf control elicits change in moose habitat selection in unexpected ways |
title_full_unstemmed |
Lethal wolf control elicits change in moose habitat selection in unexpected ways |
title_sort |
lethal wolf control elicits change in moose habitat selection in unexpected ways |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22620 |
genre |
Alces alces Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Alces alces Canis lupus |
op_source |
The Journal of Wildlife Management volume 88, issue 7 ISSN 0022-541X 1937-2817 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22620 |
container_title |
The Journal of Wildlife Management |
container_volume |
88 |
container_issue |
7 |
_version_ |
1810488554800807936 |