Predicting fine-scale distributions of gray wolves: is habitat an effective surrogate for prey availability?

• Main Author: Desy, Glenn Erwin
• Other Authors: Fryxell, John
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Guelph 2007
• Subjects: gray wolf; Canis lupus; fine-scale distribution; habitat characteristics; global positioning system; telemetry data; Ontario; resource selection model; prey distribution; prey availability
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10214/20627

Field studies of gray wolf ('Canis lupus') fine-scale distribution are typically based on analyses of habitat characteristics alone. Habitat relationships have been speculated to act as a surrogate for other more directly relevant resources such as prey availability. Using global positioning system telemetry data from Ontario, I test whether resource selection models that include prey distribution data better predict home range use by gray wolves than habitat-based models. Resource selection functions generated for individual wolf packs across multiple seasons that incorporated prey and landscape attributes generally fit data better than those based on habitat or diet attributes alone. Future models of resource selection may need to be refined particularly for carnivores whose prey may not be adequately reflected by habitat proxies.