Finding wolf homesites: improving the efficacy of howl surveys to study wolves
Locating wolf (Canis lupus) homesites is valuable for understanding the foraging behavior, population dynamics, and reproductive ecology of wolves during summer. During this period wolf pack members (adults and pups) readily respond to simulated wolf howls (i.e., howl surveys), which allows research...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:ef7a137f71544c3db4d94e95d54cb283 2024-01-07T09:42:34+01:00 Finding wolf homesites: improving the efficacy of howl surveys to study wolves Thomas D. Gable Steve K. Windels Joseph K. Bump 2018-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5629 https://doaj.org/article/ef7a137f71544c3db4d94e95d54cb283 EN eng PeerJ Inc. https://peerj.com/articles/5629.pdf https://peerj.com/articles/5629/ https://doaj.org/toc/2167-8359 doi:10.7717/peerj.5629 2167-8359 https://doaj.org/article/ef7a137f71544c3db4d94e95d54cb283 PeerJ, Vol 6, p e5629 (2018) Voyageurs National Park Canis lupus Observer error Predator Acoustic surveys Triangulation Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 article 2018 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5629 2023-12-10T01:50:05Z Locating wolf (Canis lupus) homesites is valuable for understanding the foraging behavior, population dynamics, and reproductive ecology of wolves during summer. During this period wolf pack members (adults and pups) readily respond to simulated wolf howls (i.e., howl surveys), which allows researchers to estimate the location of the homesite via triangulation. Confirming the actual locations of homesites via ground truthing is labor intensive because of the error surrounding estimated locations. Our objectives were (1) to quantify observer error during howl surveys and compare amongst experience levels, (2) provide a simple method for locating homesites in the field by incorporating observer error, and (3) further document the value of this method for monitoring wolf packs throughout the summer. We located 17 homesites by howl surveys during 2015–2017 in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, Minnesota, USA. Of 62 bearings taken by observers during howl surveys, bearings erred by an average of 7.6° ± 6.3° (SD). There was no difference in observer error between novice and experienced observers. A simple way to increase efficiency when searching for homesites is to search concentric areas (bands) based on estimated observer error, specifically by: (1) adding ±10° error bands around howl survey bearings when ≥3 bearings can be obtained, (2) ±10° and ±20° error bands when 2 bearings are obtained, and (3) ±10° and ±26° error bands when 1 bearing is obtained. By incorporating observer error and understanding how frequently and how far wolves move homesites, it is possible to monitor wolf packs and confirm most, if not all, homesites used by a pack from at least June until August without having a collared individual in a pack. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles PeerJ 6 e5629 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Voyageurs National Park Canis lupus Observer error Predator Acoustic surveys Triangulation Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
spellingShingle |
Voyageurs National Park Canis lupus Observer error Predator Acoustic surveys Triangulation Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Thomas D. Gable Steve K. Windels Joseph K. Bump Finding wolf homesites: improving the efficacy of howl surveys to study wolves |
topic_facet |
Voyageurs National Park Canis lupus Observer error Predator Acoustic surveys Triangulation Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
description |
Locating wolf (Canis lupus) homesites is valuable for understanding the foraging behavior, population dynamics, and reproductive ecology of wolves during summer. During this period wolf pack members (adults and pups) readily respond to simulated wolf howls (i.e., howl surveys), which allows researchers to estimate the location of the homesite via triangulation. Confirming the actual locations of homesites via ground truthing is labor intensive because of the error surrounding estimated locations. Our objectives were (1) to quantify observer error during howl surveys and compare amongst experience levels, (2) provide a simple method for locating homesites in the field by incorporating observer error, and (3) further document the value of this method for monitoring wolf packs throughout the summer. We located 17 homesites by howl surveys during 2015–2017 in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, Minnesota, USA. Of 62 bearings taken by observers during howl surveys, bearings erred by an average of 7.6° ± 6.3° (SD). There was no difference in observer error between novice and experienced observers. A simple way to increase efficiency when searching for homesites is to search concentric areas (bands) based on estimated observer error, specifically by: (1) adding ±10° error bands around howl survey bearings when ≥3 bearings can be obtained, (2) ±10° and ±20° error bands when 2 bearings are obtained, and (3) ±10° and ±26° error bands when 1 bearing is obtained. By incorporating observer error and understanding how frequently and how far wolves move homesites, it is possible to monitor wolf packs and confirm most, if not all, homesites used by a pack from at least June until August without having a collared individual in a pack. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Thomas D. Gable Steve K. Windels Joseph K. Bump |
author_facet |
Thomas D. Gable Steve K. Windels Joseph K. Bump |
author_sort |
Thomas D. Gable |
title |
Finding wolf homesites: improving the efficacy of howl surveys to study wolves |
title_short |
Finding wolf homesites: improving the efficacy of howl surveys to study wolves |
title_full |
Finding wolf homesites: improving the efficacy of howl surveys to study wolves |
title_fullStr |
Finding wolf homesites: improving the efficacy of howl surveys to study wolves |
title_full_unstemmed |
Finding wolf homesites: improving the efficacy of howl surveys to study wolves |
title_sort |
finding wolf homesites: improving the efficacy of howl surveys to study wolves |
publisher |
PeerJ Inc. |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5629 https://doaj.org/article/ef7a137f71544c3db4d94e95d54cb283 |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_source |
PeerJ, Vol 6, p e5629 (2018) |
op_relation |
https://peerj.com/articles/5629.pdf https://peerj.com/articles/5629/ https://doaj.org/toc/2167-8359 doi:10.7717/peerj.5629 2167-8359 https://doaj.org/article/ef7a137f71544c3db4d94e95d54cb283 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5629 |
container_title |
PeerJ |
container_volume |
6 |
container_start_page |
e5629 |
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