Data from: Density-dependent intraspecific aggression regulates survival in northern Yellowstone wolves (Canis lupus) ...

• Main Authors: Cubaynes, Sarah, Mac Nulty, Daniel R., Stahler, Daniel R., Quimby, Kira A., Smith, Douglas W., Coulson, Tim, MacNulty, Daniel R.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2015
• Subjects: Density-dependence; Cervus elaphus; capture-recapture; top predator; food availability; snow water equivalent; Canis lupus; Modern
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.f32n1; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.f32n1

1. Understanding the population dynamics of top predators is essential to assess their impact on ecosystems and to guide their management. Key to this understanding is identifying the mechanisms regulating vital rates. 2. Determining the influence of density on survival is necessary to understand the extent to which human-caused mortality is compensatory or additive. In wolves (Canis lupus), empirical evidence for density-dependent survival is lacking. Dispersal is considered the principal way in which wolves adjust their numbers to prey supply or compensate for human exploitation. However, studies to date have primarily focused on exploited wolf populations, in which density-dependent mechanisms are likely weak due to artificially low wolf densities. 3. Using 13 years of data on 280 collared wolves in Yellowstone National Park, we assessed the effect of wolf density, prey abundance and population structure, as well as winter severity, on age-specific survival in two areas (prey-rich vs. prey-poor) of the ... : data_CubaynesJAEThis file gathers all data used in the manuscript. Explanation about the data are given in the first sheet. Individual capture histories (including location, age and sex) of the 280 radio-collared wolves in the Northern Range and the Interior area of Yellowstone National Park, between 1998-2010, are presented in Sheet1. Environmental covariates used in the survival analysis (about wolves, elk and weather data) are presented in Sheet2. Variables used in the path analysis are presented in Sheet3.data_CubaynesetalJAE.xlsx ...