Data from: Interactive effects of wildfires, season, and predator activity shape mule deer movements ...
Wildfires are increasing in size, frequency, and severity due to climate change and fire suppression, but the direct and indirect effects on wildlife remain largely unresolved. Fire removes forest canopy, which can improve forage for ungulates but also reduce snow interception, leading to a deeper s...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Dataset |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Dryad
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jsxksn0d2 https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.jsxksn0d2 |
| Summary: | Wildfires are increasing in size, frequency, and severity due to climate change and fire suppression, but the direct and indirect effects on wildlife remain largely unresolved. Fire removes forest canopy, which can improve forage for ungulates but also reduce snow interception, leading to a deeper snowpack and potentially increased vulnerability to predation in winter. If ungulates exhibit predator-mediated foraging, burns should generally be selected for in summer to access high-quality forage and avoided in winter to reduce predation risk in deep snow. Fires also typically increase the amount of deadfall and initiate growth of dense understory vegetation, creating obstacles that may confer a hunting advantage to stalking predators and a disadvantage to coursing predators. To minimize risk, ungulates may therefore avoid burns when and where stalking predators are most active, and use burns when and where coursing predators are most active. We used telemetry data from GPS-collared mule deer (Odocoileus ... : Data were collected by GPS collars affixed to mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in northern Washington, USA. The first three weeks of locations post-capture, and migratory movements, were removed. Data was additionally filtered to June 15-Septemeber 30 for the summer locations and December 1 - March 15 for winter locations. Five random locations were generated to pair with each used location based on the step length of and turning angle of deer movement in each season. We extracted covariates for each random and used location. Due to the sensitive nature of the data, and as per the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Policy, the coordinates of the used and random locations have been removed. ... |
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