Spatial home-range overlap and temporal interaction in eastern coyotes: the influence of pair types and fragmentation

Abstract

No data exist regarding the linkage between the dispersion of critical resources and the spatial distribution of eastern coyotes (Canis latrans). From February 2000 to January 2002, we investigated landscape-level correlates of fragmentation with coyote spacing patterns and interaction in west-central Indiana to determine whether habitat fragmentation may influence spatiotemporal home-range overlap. Eleven pairs of coyotes (four male–female, four male–male, three female–female) displayed spatial overlap in portions of their home-range utilization distributions; seven pairs interacted temporally. Percent home-range overlap of space-sharing pairs averaged 55%. Area of forested habitat within the overlap zone, pair type, and mean squared difference of nearest-neighbor distances between forested patches explained substantial amounts of variation in percent home-range overlap (R2 = 0.83, P < 0.001). Extent of temporal interaction differed by pair type, as male–male pairs interacted substantially more than male–female and female–female pairs. Five (two male–male, three male–female) of seven temporally interacting pairs exhibited simultaneous attraction to the overlap zone. The complex combination of environmental pressures present in human-dominated landscapes may facilitate spatiotemporal home-range overlap in coyotes.