Opposing fitness consequences of habitat use in a harvested moose population ...

• Main Authors: Ofstad, Endre Grüner, Ofstad, Endre, Markussen, Stine, Sæther, Bernt-Erik, Solberg, Erling Johan, Heim, Morten, Haanes, Hallvard, Røed, Knut, Herfindal, Ivar
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2020
• Subjects: Harvest-induced selection; frequency-dependence; life-history trade-off; Resource Acquisition; Demographic heterogeneity; individual differences; lifetime reproductive success; herbivore; Alces alces
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.31zcrjdh5; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.31zcrjdh5

1. Landscape changes are happening at an unprecedented pace, and together with high levels of wildlife harvesting humans have a large effect on wildlife populations. A thorough knowledge of their combined influence on individual fitness is important in order to understand factors affecting population dynamics. 2. The goal of the study was to assess the individual consistency in the use of risky habitat types, and how habitat use was related to fitness components and life-history strategies. 3. Using data from a closely monitored and harvested population of moose (Alces alces), we examined how individual variation in offspring size, reproduction, and survival was related to the use of open grasslands; a habitat type that offers high-quality forage during summer, but at the cost of being more exposed to hunters in autumn. Use of this habitat type may therefore involve a trade-off between high mortality risk and forage maximization. 4. There was high repeatability in habitat use, which suggest consistent ... : Data was collected through annual events of marking and hunting. Marking including collaring individuals with GPS collars which collected data until battery failure. Data consists of individual-level summary statistics per season-year on life history variables and habitat use. ...