Multiscale habitat selection by cow moose (Alces alces) at calving sites in central Ontario

Abstract

There is limited knowledge of moose (Alces alces (L., 1758)) calving site selection at the southern limit of their range. Varying results from previous research on calving habitat selection make it challenging to extrapolate to other populations. We used a combination of global positioning system (GPS) data from collared cow moose and GPS locations of expelled vaginal implant transmitters and neonatal calf captures to identify calving sites in two areas of central Ontario, Canada (Algonquin Provincial Park and Wildlife Management Unit 49 (WMU49)), that differed in terms of moose and timber harvest management. We investigated selection and avoidance of habitat types, roads, topography (slope and elevation), and forest stands of varying successional age during the calving season at three spatiotemporal scales — annual home range, seasonal range, calving site — using a combination of distance-based and classification-based variables. In both study areas, calving sites were on gentler slopes and closer to conifer stands than expected at the fine scale. Cows in WMU49 strongly selected rock–grass sites across all scales. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of using GPS collars to infer parturition and location of calving sites. We recommend ground-based microhabitat data be collected to better understand habitat selection of moose during calving.