Beyond the encounter: Predicting multi‐predator risk to elk (Cervus canadensis) in summer using predator scats
1. There is growing evidence that prey perceive the risk of predation and alter their behavior in response, resulting in changes in spatial distribution and potential fitness consequences. Previous approaches to mapping predation risk across a landscape quantify predator space use to estimate potent...
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:8843817 2023-05-15T18:42:16+02:00 Beyond the encounter: Predicting multi‐predator risk to elk (Cervus canadensis) in summer using predator scats MacAulay, Kara M. Spilker, Eric G. Berg, Jodi E. Hebblewhite, Mark Merrill, Evelyn H. 2022-02-14 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8843817/ https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8589 en eng John Wiley and Sons Inc. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8843817/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8589 © 2022 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. CC-BY Ecol Evol Research Articles Text 2022 ftpubmed https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8589 2022-02-27T01:31:14Z 1. There is growing evidence that prey perceive the risk of predation and alter their behavior in response, resulting in changes in spatial distribution and potential fitness consequences. Previous approaches to mapping predation risk across a landscape quantify predator space use to estimate potential predator‐prey encounters, yet this approach does not account for successful predator attack resulting in prey mortality. An exception is a prey kill site that reflects an encounter resulting in mortality, but obtaining information on kill sites is expensive and requires time to accumulate adequate sample sizes. 2. We illustrate an alternative approach using predator scat locations and their contents to quantify spatial predation risk for elk (Cervus canadensis) from multiple predators in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. We surveyed over 1300 km to detect scats of bears (Ursus arctos/U. americanus), cougars (Puma concolor), coyotes (Canis latrans), and wolves (C. lupus). To derive spatial predation risk, we combined predictions of scat‐based resource selection functions (RSFs) weighted by predator abundance with predictions that a predator‐specific scat in a location contained elk. We evaluated the scat‐based predictions of predation risk by correlating them to predictions based on elk kill sites. We also compared scat‐based predation risk on summer ranges of elk following three migratory tactics for consistency with telemetry‐based metrics of predation risk and cause‐specific mortality of elk. 3. We found a strong correlation between the scat‐based approach presented here and predation risk predicted by kill sites and (r = .98, p < .001). Elk migrating east of the Ya Ha Tinda winter range were exposed to the highest predation risk from cougars, resident elk summering on the Ya Ha Tinda winter range were exposed to the highest predation risk from wolves and coyotes, and elk migrating west to summer in Banff National Park were exposed to highest risk of encountering bears, but it was less likely to find ... Text Ursus arctos PubMed Central (PMC) Canada Ecology and Evolution 12 2 |
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Research Articles |
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Research Articles MacAulay, Kara M. Spilker, Eric G. Berg, Jodi E. Hebblewhite, Mark Merrill, Evelyn H. Beyond the encounter: Predicting multi‐predator risk to elk (Cervus canadensis) in summer using predator scats |
topic_facet |
Research Articles |
description |
1. There is growing evidence that prey perceive the risk of predation and alter their behavior in response, resulting in changes in spatial distribution and potential fitness consequences. Previous approaches to mapping predation risk across a landscape quantify predator space use to estimate potential predator‐prey encounters, yet this approach does not account for successful predator attack resulting in prey mortality. An exception is a prey kill site that reflects an encounter resulting in mortality, but obtaining information on kill sites is expensive and requires time to accumulate adequate sample sizes. 2. We illustrate an alternative approach using predator scat locations and their contents to quantify spatial predation risk for elk (Cervus canadensis) from multiple predators in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada. We surveyed over 1300 km to detect scats of bears (Ursus arctos/U. americanus), cougars (Puma concolor), coyotes (Canis latrans), and wolves (C. lupus). To derive spatial predation risk, we combined predictions of scat‐based resource selection functions (RSFs) weighted by predator abundance with predictions that a predator‐specific scat in a location contained elk. We evaluated the scat‐based predictions of predation risk by correlating them to predictions based on elk kill sites. We also compared scat‐based predation risk on summer ranges of elk following three migratory tactics for consistency with telemetry‐based metrics of predation risk and cause‐specific mortality of elk. 3. We found a strong correlation between the scat‐based approach presented here and predation risk predicted by kill sites and (r = .98, p < .001). Elk migrating east of the Ya Ha Tinda winter range were exposed to the highest predation risk from cougars, resident elk summering on the Ya Ha Tinda winter range were exposed to the highest predation risk from wolves and coyotes, and elk migrating west to summer in Banff National Park were exposed to highest risk of encountering bears, but it was less likely to find ... |
format |
Text |
author |
MacAulay, Kara M. Spilker, Eric G. Berg, Jodi E. Hebblewhite, Mark Merrill, Evelyn H. |
author_facet |
MacAulay, Kara M. Spilker, Eric G. Berg, Jodi E. Hebblewhite, Mark Merrill, Evelyn H. |
author_sort |
MacAulay, Kara M. |
title |
Beyond the encounter: Predicting multi‐predator risk to elk (Cervus canadensis) in summer using predator scats |
title_short |
Beyond the encounter: Predicting multi‐predator risk to elk (Cervus canadensis) in summer using predator scats |
title_full |
Beyond the encounter: Predicting multi‐predator risk to elk (Cervus canadensis) in summer using predator scats |
title_fullStr |
Beyond the encounter: Predicting multi‐predator risk to elk (Cervus canadensis) in summer using predator scats |
title_full_unstemmed |
Beyond the encounter: Predicting multi‐predator risk to elk (Cervus canadensis) in summer using predator scats |
title_sort |
beyond the encounter: predicting multi‐predator risk to elk (cervus canadensis) in summer using predator scats |
publisher |
John Wiley and Sons Inc. |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8843817/ https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8589 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Ursus arctos |
genre_facet |
Ursus arctos |
op_source |
Ecol Evol |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8843817/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8589 |
op_rights |
© 2022 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8589 |
container_title |
Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
2 |
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1766231895658463232 |