Data from: Behavioral trade-offs and multitasking by elk in relation to predation risk from Mexican gray wolves ...

• Main Author: Cain, James
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2023
• Subjects: FOS Biological sciences; Cervus canadensis; Canis lupus; predation risk; Behavior; Vigilance
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ttdz08m48; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.ttdz08m48

Non-consumptive effects of predation can alter foraging time, stress levels, and habitat use by prey, potentially resulting in reduced fitness. However, prey can mitigate the non-consumptive effects of predation by increasing vigilance, chewing and vigilance synchronization (i.e., multitasking), and spatiotemporal avoidance of predators. We quantified the effects of the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) predation risk on elk (Cervus canadensis) behavior in the southwestern United States. We conducted behavioral observations on adult female elk and developed predation risk indices using Mexican wolf GPS collar data, locations of elk killed by Mexican wolves, and landscape covariates. We compared a priori models to determine the best predictors of adult female behavior and multitasking, separately. Metrics that quantified both spatial and temporal predation risk were top predictors in both datasets. Adult female vigilance was positively associated with increased predation risk. Increased predation risk had ... : See methods section in manuscript and supplementary material file for details. ...