The Problems with Pooling Poop: Confronting Sampling Method Biases in Wolf (Canis lupus) Diet Studies
Wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758) diet is commonly estimated via scat analysis. Several researchers have concluded that scat collection method can bias diet estimates but none of these studies properly accounted for inter-pack, age-class, and temporal variability, all of which could bias diet estimates. W...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
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NRC Research Press (a division of Canadian Science Publishing)
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1807/79573 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjz-2016-0308 |
| Summary: | Wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758) diet is commonly estimated via scat analysis. Several researchers have concluded that scat collection method can bias diet estimates but none of these studies properly accounted for inter-pack, age-class, and temporal variability, all of which could bias diet estimates. We tested whether different scat collection methods yielded different wolf diet estimates after accounting for these other potential biases. We collected scats (n = 2 406) monthly from 4 packs via 3 scat collection methods (at homesites, at clusters of GPS locations, and opportunistically) in and adjacent to Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota during April 2015â October 2015. Diet estimates were not affected by scat collection method but did vary temporally, among packs, and by age-class. To more accurately estimate wolf population diets, researchers should collect 10â 20 adult scats/pack/month from homesites and/or opportunistically from packs that are representative of the population of interest. Doing so will minimize the potential biases associated with temporal, inter-pack, and age-class variability. The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author. |
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