Lindberg, J. (2013) Selection of habitat and resources during migration by a large mammal. Master Thesis, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå. (original) (raw)
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Use, selection, and home range properties: complex patterns of individual habitat utilization
Ecosphere, 2019
Individual patterns of habitat use emerge from behavioral decisions driven by interactions between landscape characteristics and individual traits. Individual traits, such as age and sex, influence the net gain of using habitats and associated resources, and thus the relationship between size and composition of the home range. However, the pathways from individual variation in home range size and composition to habitat selection are rarely fully explored. We investigated how habitat selection in moose (Alces alces) was a result of individual traits and home range characteristics, that is, we described the pathway from home range to habitat selection. The study was conducted at two spatial scales during two contrasting seasons. Home range size and composition varied with sex, with season, and to some extent with age. Males had larger home range size, and the composition of their home ranges changed more with home range size than for females. The general trend was that moose used habi...
Oecologia, 2012
A species may modify its relative habitat use with changing availability, generating functional responses in habitat selection. Functional responses in habitat selection are expected to occur when animals experience tradeoffs influencing their habitat selection, but only a few studies to date have explicitly linked functional responses to the underlying trade-offs faced by the animals. We used data from 39 female moose fitted with GPS telemetry collars in two nearby study areas in Canada to investigate if moose (1) were faced with a food/cover trade-off in habitat selection, as typically acknowledged in the literature, and (2) showed a functional response in their use of food/coverrich habitats. We also examined how habitat selection patterns varied seasonally, and between study areas. The occurrence of functional responses varied strongly between study areas, and could not always be related to a measurable food/cover trade-off. Functional responses were observed more often in the study area where the environmental conditions were more severe (colder temperatures, higher precipitations, and lower food availability). Selection coefficients were also less variable among individuals in that study area, suggesting that severe environmental conditions may constrain individuals to a few selection tactics and promote the development of functional responses. Moose reacted to the availability of different habitat types in different seasons, reflecting the changing trade-offs faced by the animals. We found considerable behavioral differences between individuals from two adjacent study areas, and therefore recommend caution when extrapolating habitat selection results. We advocate for the wider use of functional responses to identify critical habitats for a species from a management or conservation perspective. Keywords Alces alces Á Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) Á Habitat selection Á Resource selection functions (RSF) Á Ungulates Communicated by Jean-Michel Gaillard.
Space and habitat use of moose in southwestern Sweden
European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2011
Increasingly wildlife managers and land managers are challenged to maintain the viability of large mammal populations. Although the moose (Alces alces) is an ecologically, economically, and culturally important ungulate species found throughout most of Sweden, little is known about its ecology throughout the southern part of the country. We collected baseline ecological data on spatial and habitat use patterns in urbanized southwestern Sweden by fitting 22 adult moose (13 F, 9 M) with global positioning system radio collars. Home range size of cows did not differ among seasons (P > 0.10), however, bulls had larger home ranges during fall than all other seasons (P < 0.010). Mean home range size of males during fall and spring was larger than females during any season (P < 0.010). We used a Euclidean distance-based approach to analyze multi-scale habitat selection by moose. Moose of both sexes and during all seasons selected boreal forest and mires when establishing a home range (P < 0.10). Moose had seasonal differences in habitat selection within their home range (P = 0.001), and generally selected clear-cuts and early successional forests, mature coniferous forests, and glades, but avoided agricultural areas and open water. Habitat and space use characteristics of moose in our urbanizing study area were similar to characteristics reported for moose in forest-dominated landscapes of Fennoscandia.
Space use of moose in relation to food availability
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2005
We assessed the influence of temporal and spatial changes in food availability on home-range size and movements of moose (Alces alces (L., 1758)). Ten adult moose were radio-collared and monitored with GPS telemetry collars during two contrasting time periods based on food quality and availability: summer (growing period) and winter (dormant and snowy period). According to the habitat productivity-home-range size hypothesis, we expected homerange size and movement rate to be negatively correlated with the proportion of food-rich habitat types in home ranges. Food availability influenced space use, but the effect was more pronounced at the small scale (i.e., movement rates) than at the large scale (i.e., home-range sizes) and during winter than summer. The negative relationship between food availability and home-range size only existed in winter, but movement rates were lower in food-rich habitat types in both time periods. Our results suggested that body size was not the primary factor governing sex-related differences in space use which were likely more related to specific needs of females with regard to the feeding and protection of calves. We suggest that the habitat productivity-home-range size hypothesis may not always be supported when forage is widely distributed and that movement rates can be a better index of forage availability than home-range sizes in such situations. Résumé : Nous avons étudié l'influence des variations temporelles et spatiales de la disponibilité de nourriture sur la taille des domaines vitaux et les déplacements de l'orignal (Alces alces L., 1758). Dix orignaux adultes ont été suivis à l'aide d'un collier de télémétrie GPS durant deux périodes contrastées en en ce qui a trait à la qualité et la disponibilité de nourriture, l'été (période de croissance) et l'hiver (période de dormance et de neige). D'après l'hypothèse selon laquelle la taille du domaine vital dépend de la productivité de l'habitat, nous avons prédit que la taille des domaines vitaux et les déplacements seraient négativement reliés à la proportion de peuplements riches en nourriture dans le domaine vital. La disponibilité de nourriture a un effet sur l'utilisation de l'espace. Cet effet est plus prononcé à fine échelle (i.e., taux de déplacement) qu'à grande échelle (i.e., taille des domaines vitaux) etaussi plus important en hiver qu'en été. La relation négative entre la disponibilité de nourriture et la taille des domaines vitaux ne s'observe qu'à l'hiver, mais les taux de déplacement sont plus faibles dans les types d'habitat riches en nourriture durant les deux périodes. Nos résultats laissent croire que la taille corporelle n'est pas le principal facteur influençant les différences d'utilisation de l'espace entre les sexes et que certains besoins particuliers des femelles vraisemblablement reliés au nourrissage et à la protection des faons ont une plus grande importance. Nous croyons que l'hypothèse selon laquelle la taille des domaines vitaux est reliée à la productivité de l'habitat n'est pas toujours supportée lorsque la nourriture est abondante et bien distribuée et que les taux de déplacement sont un meilleur indice de la qualité de l'habitat que la taille des domaines vitaux dans de telles circonstances.
K. 2001: Partial migration by large un-gulates: characteristics of seasonal moose Alces alces ranges in northern Sweden. -Wildl. Biol. 7: 39-47. We studied seasonal migration of individually radio-collared moose Alces alces in a partially migrant population in northern Sweden. First, to investigate habi-tat selection at the level of individuals, we examined use vs availability of habi-tat characteristics within seasonal ranges. Second, to investigate what habi-tat characteristics migrants use to select these seasonal ranges, we contrast-ed the characteristics of summer and winter ranges of individual migrants. Third, to investigate why some moose migrate whereas others do not, we contrast-ed the snow conditions and the composition of the vegetation in the season-al ranges of 36 migrant and 30 resident moose. At the level of habitat selec-tion within a range, moose selected areas which had less mire, clear-cut and field habitats, as well as less snow. At the level of the entire range...
Seasonal home range size and philopatry in two northern white-tailed deer populations
Canadian Journal of Zoology-revue Canadienne De Zoologie, 2000
From 1994 to 1997, we compared summer and winter space utilisation by two white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations wintering in adjacent areas in southeastern Quebec characterised by deep snow cover. One population lived at low density (10 deer/km 2 ) with access to abundant forage in winter (127 000 twigs/ha), whereas for the other, high-density population (20 deer/km 2 ), forage availability was reduced (68 000 twigs/ha). Because of intraspecific competition for resources, we predicted that deer in the high-density population would have smaller home ranges, would exhibit greater philopatry, and would be more likely to disperse. Deer from both populations occupied summer home ranges that were similar in size (1182 ha for adult males; 1102 ha for adult females; 6033 ha for yearling males; 2528 ha for yearling females) but much larger than home ranges observed elsewhere in North America. The high-density population showed a higher level of philopatry than the low-density population during winter but not during summer. Most deer remained migratory during the study (n = 93) but 4 of the 5 that dispersed were from the high-density population. We speculate on the ability of white-tailed deer populations facing severe winters to adapt to using large home ranges in summer. Our results shed light on how wintering areas appear and expand. 1940
Linking seasonal home range size with habitat selection and movement in a mountain ungulate
Movement ecology, 2018
Space use by animals is determined by the interplay between movement and the environment, and is thus mediated by habitat selection, biotic interactions and intrinsic factors of moving individuals. These processes ultimately determine home range size, but their relative contributions and dynamic nature remain less explored. We investigated the role of habitat selection, movement unrelated to habitat selection and intrinsic factors related to sex in driving space use and home range size in Iberian ibex, Capra pyrenaica. We used GPS collars to track ibex across the year in two different geographical areas of Sierra Nevada, Spain, and measured habitat variables related to forage and roost availability. By using integrated step selection analysis (iSSA), we show that habitat selection was important to explain space use by ibex. As a consequence, movement was constrained by habitat selection, as observed displacement rate was shorter than expected under null selection. Selection-independ...
Oecologia, 2012
Identifying factors shaping variation in resource selection is central for our understanding of the behaviour and distribution of animals. We examined summer habitat selection and space use by 108 Global Positioning System (GPS)-collared moose in Norway in relation to sex, reproductive status, habitat quality, and availability. Moose selected habitat types based on a combination of forage quality and availability of suitable habitat types. Selection of protective cover was strongest for reproducing females, likely reflecting the need to protect young. Males showed strong selection for habitat types with high quality forage, possibly due to higher energy requirements. Selection for preferred habitat types providing food and cover was a positive function of their availability within home ranges (i.e. not proportional use) indicating functional response in habitat selection. This relationship was not found for unproductive habitat types. Moreover, home ranges with high cover of unproductive habitat types were larger, and smaller home ranges contained higher proportions of the most preferred habitat type. The distribution of moose within the study area was partly related to the distribution of different habitat types. Our study shows how distribution and availability of habitat types providing cover and high-quality food shape ungulate habitat selection and space use.