MODELING SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION AND SPATIAL RANGE CAPACITY APPROXIMATIONS OF MOOSE IN SOUTHEASTERN WYOMING

• Main Authors: Baigas, Phillip, Olson, Richard A, Nielson, Ryan M, Miller, Scott N, Lindzey, Frederick G
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Lakehead University 2010
• Subjects: Alces alces shirasi; capacity; Global Positioning System (GPS); habitat modeling; model validation; moose; resource selection function (RSF); Snowy Range; Utilization Distribution (UD); Wyoming; Alces alces
• Online Access: http://alcesjournal.org/index.php/alces/article/view/61

Predictive maps of Shiras moose (Alces alces shirasi) habitat associations have not been created for most Wyoming populations. For the state's most recently established population in the southeastern mountains, a literature-based winter habitat suitability index (HIS) model was developed and assessed with locations of 23 moose wearing global positioning system (GPS) radio-collars in 2005-2006. Overall, the winter HSI model was poorly predictive of habitat occupancy. The relation­ship between individual utilization distributions and landscape variables was modeled with resource selection functions (RSF) during winter and non-winter periods. In winter, moose generally responded in a similar fashion to distance variables to riparian shrub, to deciduous forest and to forest edge, in addition to slope and slope2. Due to snow pack differences, 2 separate models were created for each winter; thermal aspect (warm vs. cool slopes) rather than slope and slope2 was more predictive in the winter of deeper snow. The non-winter model demonstrated the nearly exclusive importance of riparian shrub habitat in close proximity to forest cover across a wider range of elevations than during winter. Non-winter moose locations were best explained by the total area of riparian shrub patches within a surrounding 1 km radius. Distance to forest edge had a considerably stronger influence on non-winter habitat use. The association with deciduous forest was still significant, although less than during win­ter; slope was also explanatory. The models were validated and a spatial algorithm was employed to make rough carrying capacity approximations within the study area, based on the predicted RSF habitat quality and observed sizes of moose winter home ranges.