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Behavioral “bycatch” from camera trap surveys yields insights on prey responses to human-mediated predation risk
Burton, Cole; Beirne, Christopher; Sun, Catherine; Granados, Alys; Procko, Michael; Chen, Cheng; Fennell, Mitchell; Constantinou, Alexia; Colton, Christopher; Tjaden-McClement, Katie; Fisher, Jason; Burgar, Joanna — 2022-06-27 <p>Human disturbance directly affects animal populations but indirect effects of disturbance on species behaviors are less well understood. Camera traps provide an opportunity to investigate variation in animal behaviors across gradients of disturbance. We used camera trap data to test predictions about predator-sensitive behavior in three ungulate species (caribou Rangifer tarandus; white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus; moose, Alces alces) across two boreal forest landscapes varying in disturbance. We quantified behavior as the number of camera trap photos per detection event and tested its relationship to predation risk between a landscape with greater industrial disturbance and predator abundance (Algar) and a “control” landscape with lower human and predator activity (Richardson). We also assessed the influence of predation risk and habitat on behavior across camera sites within the disturbed Algar landscape. We predicted that animals in areas with greater predation risk (more wolf activity, less cover) would travel faster and generate fewer photos per event, while animals in areas with less predation risk would linger (rest, forage), generating more photos per event. Consistent with predictions, caribou and moose had more photos per event in the landscape where predation risk was reduced. Within the disturbed landscape, no prey species showed a significant behavioral response to wolf activity, but the number of photos per event decreased for white-tailed deer with increasing line of sight (m) along seismic lines (i.e. decreasing visual cover), consistent with a predator-sensitive response. The presence of juveniles was associated with shorter behavioral events for caribou and moose, suggesting greater predator sensitivity for females with calves. Only moose demonstrated a positive association with vegetation productivity (NDVI), suggesting that for other species influences of forage availability were generally weaker than those from predation risk. Behavioral insights can be gleaned from camera trap surveys and provide information about animal responses to predation risk and the indirect impacts of human disturbances.</p> https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
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Data for: Coexistence or conflict: black bear habitat use along an urban-wildland gradient
Klees van Bommel, Joanna; Sun, Catherine; Ford, Adam T.; Todd, Melissa; Burton, A. Cole — 2022-11-03 <p class="MsoNormal">The urban-wildland interface is expanding and increasing the risk of human-wildlife conflict. Some wildlife species adapt to or avoid living near people, while others select for anthropogenic resources and are thus more prone to conflict. To promote human-wildlife coexistence, wildlife and land managers need to understand how conflict relates to habitat and resource use in the urban-wildland interface. We investigated black bear (<em>Ursus americanus</em>) habitat use across a gradient of human disturbance in a North American hotspot of human-black bear conflict. We used camera traps to monitor bear activity from July 2018 to July 2019, and compared bear habitat use to environmental and anthropogenic variables and spatiotemporal probabilities of conflict. Bears predominantly used areas of high vegetation productivity, avoided higher human densities, and increased their nocturnality near people. Still, bears used more high-conflict areas in summer and autumn, specifically rural lands with ripe crops. Our results suggest that bears are generally modifying their behaviours in the urban-wildland interface through spatial and temporal avoidance of humans, which may facilitate coexistence. However, conflict still occurs, especially in autumn when hyperphagia and peak crop availability attract bears to abundant rural food resources. To improve conflict mitigation practices, we recommend targeting seasonal rural attractants such as with pre-emptive fruit picking, bear-proof compost containment, and other forms of behavioural deterrence. By combining camera-trap monitoring of a large carnivore along an anthropogenic gradient with conflict mapping, we provide a framework for evidence-based improvements in human-wildlife coexistence.</p> https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
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Data and R Code from Granados et al. 2023, Mammalian predator and prey responses to recreation and land use across multiple scales provide limited support for the human shield hypothesis, Ecology and Evolution.
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Granados, Alys; Sun, Catherine; Fisher, Jason T.; Ladle, Andrew; Dawe, Kimberly; Beirne, Christopher; Boyce, Mark; Chow, Emily; Heim, Nicole; Fennell, Mitchell; Klees van Bommel, Joana; Naidoo, Robin; Procko, Michael; Stewart, Frances; Burton, Cole — 2023 Data from Granados et al. 2023 Mammalian predator and prey responses to recreation and land use across multiple scales provide limited support for the human shield hypothesis, Ecology and Evolution https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

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(Author: Sun, Catherine)

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