Response of Wolves to Corridor Restoration and Human Use Management
Corridor restoration is increasingly being used to connect habitat in mountainous areas where rugged topography and increasing human activity fragment habitat. Wolves (Canis lupus) are a conservation priority because they avoid areas with high levels of human use and are ecologically important preda...
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Resilience Alliance
2006
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:f535262ebc6a4197a4a53e3085eaf599 2023-05-15T15:49:58+02:00 Response of Wolves to Corridor Restoration and Human Use Management Brenda Shepherd Jesse Whittington 2006-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-01813-110201 https://doaj.org/article/f535262ebc6a4197a4a53e3085eaf599 EN eng Resilience Alliance http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss2/art1/ https://doaj.org/toc/1708-3087 1708-3087 doi:10.5751/ES-01813-110201 https://doaj.org/article/f535262ebc6a4197a4a53e3085eaf599 Ecology and Society, Vol 11, Iss 2, p 1 (2006) Canis lupus conditional logistic regression corridor elk golf course Jasper restoration trail wolves Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2006 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-01813-110201 2022-12-31T07:52:04Z Corridor restoration is increasingly being used to connect habitat in mountainous areas where rugged topography and increasing human activity fragment habitat. Wolves (Canis lupus) are a conservation priority because they avoid areas with high levels of human use and are ecologically important predators. We examined how corridor restoration through a golf course changes the distribution of wolves and their prey in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. We followed and recorded wolf paths in the snow both within the corridor and in the surrounding landscape before and after a corridor was re-established. Track transects were used to estimate prey abundance and snow depths, and trail counters measured human activity. We compared resources on wolf paths to available movement routes using conditional logistic regression and also compared resources used by wolves before and after restoration. We addressed potential confounding effects of prey abundance, snow depths, and levels of human use by testing for changes in these variables. Prior to restoration, wolves traveled around the golf course and used the mountainside to connect valley-bottom habitat. Conversely, elk (Cervus elaphus) densities were highest in the golf course. After restoration, wolves shifted most of their movement to the golf course corridor, whereas elk dispersed along the corridor and mountainside. When traveling through the study area, wolves selected for areas with high prey abundance, low elevations, and low levels of human activity. Corridor restoration increased the area of high quality habitat available to wolves and increased their access to elk and deer at low elevations. Our results corroborate other studies suggesting that wolves and elk quickly adapt to landscape changes and that corridor restoration can improve habitat quality and reduce habitat fragmentation. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Canada The Corridor ENVELOPE(78.139,78.139,-68.582,-68.582) Ecology and Society 11 2 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Canis lupus conditional logistic regression corridor elk golf course Jasper restoration trail wolves Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
Canis lupus conditional logistic regression corridor elk golf course Jasper restoration trail wolves Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 Brenda Shepherd Jesse Whittington Response of Wolves to Corridor Restoration and Human Use Management |
topic_facet |
Canis lupus conditional logistic regression corridor elk golf course Jasper restoration trail wolves Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Corridor restoration is increasingly being used to connect habitat in mountainous areas where rugged topography and increasing human activity fragment habitat. Wolves (Canis lupus) are a conservation priority because they avoid areas with high levels of human use and are ecologically important predators. We examined how corridor restoration through a golf course changes the distribution of wolves and their prey in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. We followed and recorded wolf paths in the snow both within the corridor and in the surrounding landscape before and after a corridor was re-established. Track transects were used to estimate prey abundance and snow depths, and trail counters measured human activity. We compared resources on wolf paths to available movement routes using conditional logistic regression and also compared resources used by wolves before and after restoration. We addressed potential confounding effects of prey abundance, snow depths, and levels of human use by testing for changes in these variables. Prior to restoration, wolves traveled around the golf course and used the mountainside to connect valley-bottom habitat. Conversely, elk (Cervus elaphus) densities were highest in the golf course. After restoration, wolves shifted most of their movement to the golf course corridor, whereas elk dispersed along the corridor and mountainside. When traveling through the study area, wolves selected for areas with high prey abundance, low elevations, and low levels of human activity. Corridor restoration increased the area of high quality habitat available to wolves and increased their access to elk and deer at low elevations. Our results corroborate other studies suggesting that wolves and elk quickly adapt to landscape changes and that corridor restoration can improve habitat quality and reduce habitat fragmentation. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Brenda Shepherd Jesse Whittington |
author_facet |
Brenda Shepherd Jesse Whittington |
author_sort |
Brenda Shepherd |
title |
Response of Wolves to Corridor Restoration and Human Use Management |
title_short |
Response of Wolves to Corridor Restoration and Human Use Management |
title_full |
Response of Wolves to Corridor Restoration and Human Use Management |
title_fullStr |
Response of Wolves to Corridor Restoration and Human Use Management |
title_full_unstemmed |
Response of Wolves to Corridor Restoration and Human Use Management |
title_sort |
response of wolves to corridor restoration and human use management |
publisher |
Resilience Alliance |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-01813-110201 https://doaj.org/article/f535262ebc6a4197a4a53e3085eaf599 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(78.139,78.139,-68.582,-68.582) |
geographic |
Canada The Corridor |
geographic_facet |
Canada The Corridor |
genre |
Canis lupus |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus |
op_source |
Ecology and Society, Vol 11, Iss 2, p 1 (2006) |
op_relation |
http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss2/art1/ https://doaj.org/toc/1708-3087 1708-3087 doi:10.5751/ES-01813-110201 https://doaj.org/article/f535262ebc6a4197a4a53e3085eaf599 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-01813-110201 |
container_title |
Ecology and Society |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
2 |
_version_ |
1766384978106515456 |