Effects of lethal management on gray wolf pack persistence and reproduction in Wisconsin, USA
Abstract Direct human-caused mortality accounts for about half of all large mammal mortality in North America. For social species like gray wolves (Canis lupus), the death of pack members can disrupt pack structure and cause pack dissolution, and mortality of breeding adults or wolves during reprodu...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:fe23c9c7271b4fb5b6a8b4e4bd601fbc 2024-09-09T19:35:36+00:00 Effects of lethal management on gray wolf pack persistence and reproduction in Wisconsin, USA Alejandra Zubiria Perez Kenneth F. Kellner David M. MacFarland Jennifer L. Price Tack David B. Ruid Glenn E. Stauffer Jerrold L. Belant 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60764-6 https://doaj.org/article/fe23c9c7271b4fb5b6a8b4e4bd601fbc EN eng Nature Portfolio https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60764-6 https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322 doi:10.1038/s41598-024-60764-6 2045-2322 https://doaj.org/article/fe23c9c7271b4fb5b6a8b4e4bd601fbc Scientific Reports, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2024) Anthropogenic mortality Canis lupus Carnivore management Howl surveys Legal harvest Pack persistence Medicine R Science Q article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60764-6 2024-08-05T17:49:26Z Abstract Direct human-caused mortality accounts for about half of all large mammal mortality in North America. For social species like gray wolves (Canis lupus), the death of pack members can disrupt pack structure and cause pack dissolution, and mortality of breeding adults or wolves during reproduction and pup-rearing can decrease pup recruitment. We estimated minimum and maximum probability of wolf pack persistence in Wisconsin, USA, during biological years (15 April–14 April) 2011–2019 and evaluated the influence of pack size and legal harvest mortality on pack persistence during 2012–2014. Harvests comprised 75–161 mortalities within 194 monitored packs during 2012–2014, with 56–74% of packs having no wolves harvested each year. As an index of reproduction during 2013–2019, we also estimated the proportion of packs where pups responded to howl surveys. We evaluated the influence of pack size, legal harvest, and agency removal on reproduction during 2013–2015. Annual maximum pack persistence probability was uniformly high (0.95–1.00), and annual minimum pack persistence probability ranged from 0.86–0.98 with a possible decline during years of harvest. Reproduction was similar in years following harvest and agency removal (2013–2015, pup response = 0.27–0.40), and years without harvest or agency removal the year prior (2016–2019, pup response = 0.28–0.66). Pack size had a positive effect on pack persistence and reproduction. Total number of wolf mortalities and number of adult male and females removed did not influence pack persistence or reproduction. We suggest that low per-pack mortality, timing of harvest and agency removal, and harvest characteristics during 2012–2014 supported stable pack persistence and reproduction. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus gray wolf Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Scientific Reports 14 1 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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ftdoajarticles |
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English |
topic |
Anthropogenic mortality Canis lupus Carnivore management Howl surveys Legal harvest Pack persistence Medicine R Science Q |
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Anthropogenic mortality Canis lupus Carnivore management Howl surveys Legal harvest Pack persistence Medicine R Science Q Alejandra Zubiria Perez Kenneth F. Kellner David M. MacFarland Jennifer L. Price Tack David B. Ruid Glenn E. Stauffer Jerrold L. Belant Effects of lethal management on gray wolf pack persistence and reproduction in Wisconsin, USA |
topic_facet |
Anthropogenic mortality Canis lupus Carnivore management Howl surveys Legal harvest Pack persistence Medicine R Science Q |
description |
Abstract Direct human-caused mortality accounts for about half of all large mammal mortality in North America. For social species like gray wolves (Canis lupus), the death of pack members can disrupt pack structure and cause pack dissolution, and mortality of breeding adults or wolves during reproduction and pup-rearing can decrease pup recruitment. We estimated minimum and maximum probability of wolf pack persistence in Wisconsin, USA, during biological years (15 April–14 April) 2011–2019 and evaluated the influence of pack size and legal harvest mortality on pack persistence during 2012–2014. Harvests comprised 75–161 mortalities within 194 monitored packs during 2012–2014, with 56–74% of packs having no wolves harvested each year. As an index of reproduction during 2013–2019, we also estimated the proportion of packs where pups responded to howl surveys. We evaluated the influence of pack size, legal harvest, and agency removal on reproduction during 2013–2015. Annual maximum pack persistence probability was uniformly high (0.95–1.00), and annual minimum pack persistence probability ranged from 0.86–0.98 with a possible decline during years of harvest. Reproduction was similar in years following harvest and agency removal (2013–2015, pup response = 0.27–0.40), and years without harvest or agency removal the year prior (2016–2019, pup response = 0.28–0.66). Pack size had a positive effect on pack persistence and reproduction. Total number of wolf mortalities and number of adult male and females removed did not influence pack persistence or reproduction. We suggest that low per-pack mortality, timing of harvest and agency removal, and harvest characteristics during 2012–2014 supported stable pack persistence and reproduction. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Alejandra Zubiria Perez Kenneth F. Kellner David M. MacFarland Jennifer L. Price Tack David B. Ruid Glenn E. Stauffer Jerrold L. Belant |
author_facet |
Alejandra Zubiria Perez Kenneth F. Kellner David M. MacFarland Jennifer L. Price Tack David B. Ruid Glenn E. Stauffer Jerrold L. Belant |
author_sort |
Alejandra Zubiria Perez |
title |
Effects of lethal management on gray wolf pack persistence and reproduction in Wisconsin, USA |
title_short |
Effects of lethal management on gray wolf pack persistence and reproduction in Wisconsin, USA |
title_full |
Effects of lethal management on gray wolf pack persistence and reproduction in Wisconsin, USA |
title_fullStr |
Effects of lethal management on gray wolf pack persistence and reproduction in Wisconsin, USA |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of lethal management on gray wolf pack persistence and reproduction in Wisconsin, USA |
title_sort |
effects of lethal management on gray wolf pack persistence and reproduction in wisconsin, usa |
publisher |
Nature Portfolio |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60764-6 https://doaj.org/article/fe23c9c7271b4fb5b6a8b4e4bd601fbc |
genre |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus gray wolf |
op_source |
Scientific Reports, Vol 14, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60764-6 https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322 doi:10.1038/s41598-024-60764-6 2045-2322 https://doaj.org/article/fe23c9c7271b4fb5b6a8b4e4bd601fbc |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-60764-6 |
container_title |
Scientific Reports |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1809904972793380864 |