White‐tailed deer detection rates increase when coyotes are present

Author:

Clipp Hannah L.12ORCID,Pesi Sarah M.1ORCID,Miller Madison L.1,Gigliotti Laura C.3,Skelly Brett P.14,Rota Christopher T.1

Affiliation:

1. Division of Forestry and Natural Resources West Virginia University Morgantown West Virginia USA

2. West Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit West Virginia University Morgantown West Virginia USA

3. U.S. Geological Survey West Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Morgantown West Virginia USA

4. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Elkins West Virginia USA

Abstract

AbstractPredator species can indirectly affect prey species through the cost of anti‐predator behavior responses, which may involve shifts in occupancy, space use, or movement. Quantifying the various strategies implemented by prey species to avoid adverse interactions with predators can lead to a better understanding of potential population‐level repercussions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine predator–prey interactions by quantifying the effect of predator species presence on detection rates of prey species, using coyotes (Canis latrans) and white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Central Appalachian forests of the eastern United States as a model predator–prey system. To test two competing hypotheses related to interspecific interactions, we modeled species detections from 319 camera traps with a two‐species occupancy model that incorporated a continuous‐time detection process. We found that white‐tailed deer occupancy was independent of coyote occupancy, but white‐tailed deer were more frequently detectable and had greater detection intensity at sites where coyotes were present, regardless of vegetation‐related covariates. In addition, white‐tailed deer detection rates at sites with coyotes were highest when presumed forage availability was relatively low. These findings suggest that white‐tailed deer may be exhibiting an active avoidance behavioral response to predators by increasing movement rates when coyotes are present in an area, perhaps due to reactive evasive maneuvers and/or proactive attempts to reduce adverse encounters with them. Concurrently, coyotes could be occupying sites with higher white‐tailed deer densities. Because white‐tailed deer did not exhibit significant shifts in daily activity patterns based on coyote occupancy, we further suggest that white‐tailed deer in our study system generally do not use temporal partitioning as their primary strategy for avoiding encounters with coyotes. Overall, our study implements a recently developed analytical approach for modeling multi‐species occupancy from camera traps and provides novel ecological insight into the complex relationships between predator and prey species.

Funder

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

National Science Foundation

Publisher

Wiley

Reference64 articles.

1. Deer‐predator relationships: A review of recent North American studies with emphasis on mule and black‐tailed deer;Ballard W. B.;Wildlife Society Bulletin,2001

2. Factors influencing white‐tailed deer activity patterns and habitat use;Beier P.;Wildlife Monographs,1990

3. When to Run and When to Hide: The Influence of Concealment, Visibility, and Proximity to Refugia on Perceptions of Risk

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3