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510 results for “Ungulates”
Data from: Is ungulate migration culturally transmitted? Evidence of social learning from translocated animals
Ungulate migrations are assumed to stem from learning and cultural transmission of information regarding seasonal distribution of forage, but this hypothesis has not been tested empirically. We compared the migratory propensities of bighorn sheep and moose translocated into novel habitats with those of historical populations that had persisted for hundreds of years. Whereas individuals from historical populations were largely migratory, translocated individuals initially were not. After multiple decades, however, translocated populations gained knowledge about surfing green waves of forage (tracking plant phenology) and increased their propensity to migrate. Our findings indicate that learning and cultural transmission are the primary mechanisms by which ungulate migrations evolve. Loss of migration will therefore expunge generations of knowledge about the locations of high-quality forage and likely suppress population abundance.
Data from: Hot spots of genetic diversity descended from multiple Pleistocene refugia in an alpine ungulate
Species that inhabit naturally fragmented environments are expected to be spatially structured and exhibit reduced genetic diversity at the periphery of their range. Patterns of differentiation may also reflect historical processes such as recolonization from glacial refugia. We examined the relative importance of these factors in shaping the spatial patterns of genetic differentiation across the range of an alpine specialist, the North American mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus). Contrary to fossil evidence which suggests a single southern refugium, we detected evidence for additional refugia in northern British Columbia and the Alaskan coast using both mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA. A core area of elevated genetic diversity characterized both regions, and molecular dating suggested a recent Pleistocene split was followed by demographic expansion. Across their range, mountain goats were highly genetically structured and displayed the expected pattern of declining diversity towards the periphery. Gene flow was high within contiguous mountain ranges, but cross-assignments paradoxically suggest that long-distance contemporary dispersal movements are not uncommon. These results improve our understanding of how historical vicariance and contemporary fragmentation influence population differentiation, and have implications for conserving the adaptive potential of alpine populations and habitat.
Data from: Influence of early reproductive success on longevity and late reproductive success in an alpine ungulate
The life-history theories of aging predict lifetime trade-offs between early reproductive allocation and late-life survival, reproduction, or both components of fitness. Recent studies in wild populations have found evidence for these early-late life trade-offs, but rarely have they been found across multiple traits while exploring the additional effects of variation in environmental conditions and individual quality. Benefiting from longitudinal data on adult female mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), we investigated the influence of age at first reproduction (AFR) and early reproductive success (ERS) on longevity, late reproductive success, and senescence rates while accounting for the influence of natal environmental conditions and individual quality. Contrary to predictions, we did not find evidence for early-late life trade-offs. Instead, an earlier AFR and a greater ERS had positive but weak direct effects on late reproductive success. Natal population density, however, was the strongest determinant of all life-history traits, having a direct negative effect on female longevity, late reproductive success, AFR, and ERS. Although natal density reduced the probability of annual reproduction and annual survival during adulthood, higher allocation to reproduction in early life and poorer natal conditions did not lead to accelerated rates of senescence during adulthood. The results of this investigation provide an integrated picture of early-late life trade-offs, underscoring the importance of accounting for environmental conditions because of their potentially strong implications for population dynamics.
Data from: Maternal longevity and offspring sex in wild ungulates
In species with sexual size dimorphism, offspring of the larger sex usually have greater energy requirements and may lead to greater fitness costs for parents. The effects of offspring sex on maternal longevity, however, have only been tested in humans. Human studies produced mixed results and considerable debate mainly due to the difficulty of distinguishing the effects of sexual dimorphism from sociocultural factors. To advance this debate, we examined how the relative number of sons influenced maternal longevity in four species of free-living ungulates (Soay sheep Ovis aries; bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis; red deer, Cervus elaphus; mountain goat, Oreamnos americanus), with high male-biased sexual size dimorphism but without complicating sociocultural variables. We found no evidence for a higher cumulative cost of sons than of daughters on maternal longevity. For a given number of offspring, most females with many sons in all four populations lived longer than females with few sons. The higher cost of sons over daughters on maternal lifespan reported by some human studies may be the exception rather than the rule in long-lived iteroparous species.
Data from: Ungulate predation and ecological roles of wolves and coyotes in eastern North America
Understanding the ecological roles of species that influence ecosystem processes is a central goal of ecology and conservation biology. Eastern coyotes (Canis latrans) have ascended to the role of apex predator across much of eastern North America since the extirpation of wolves (Canis spp.) and there has been considerable confusion regarding their ability to prey on ungulates and their ecological niche relative to wolves. Eastern wolves (C. lycaon) are thought to have been the historical top predator in eastern deciduous forests and have previously been characterized as deer specialists that are inefficient predators of moose because of their smaller size relative to gray wolves (C. lupus). We investigated intrinsic and extrinsic influences on per capita kill rates of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and moose (Alces alces) during winter by sympatric packs of eastern coyotes, eastern wolves, and admixed canids in Ontario, Canada to clarify the predatory ability and ecological roles of the different canid top predators of eastern North America. Eastern coyote ancestry within packs negatively influenced per capita total ungulate (deer and moose combined) and moose kill rates. Furthermore, canids in packs dominated by eastern coyote ancestry consumed significantly less ungulate biomass and more anthropogenic food than packs dominated by wolf ancestry. Similar to gray wolves in previous studies, eastern wolves preyed on deer where they were available. However, in areas were deer were scarce, eastern wolves killed moose at rates similar to those previously documented for gray wolves at comparable moose densities across North America. Eastern coyotes are effective deer predators, but their dietary flexibility and low kill rates on moose suggest they have not replaced the ecological role of wolves in eastern North America.
Data from: Timing of head movements is consistent with energy minimization in walking ungulates
Many ungulates show a conspicuous nodding motion of the head when walking. Until now, the functional significance of this behaviour remained unclear. Combining in vivo kinematics of quadrupedal mammals with a computer model, we show that the timing of vertical displacements of the head and neck is consistent with minimizing energy expenditure for carrying these body parts in an inverted pendulum walking gait. Varying the timing of head movements in the model resulted in increased metabolic cost estimate for carrying the head and neck of up to 63%. Oscillations of the head–neck unit result in weight force oscillations transmitted to the forelimbs. Advantageous timing increases the load in single support phases, in which redirecting the trajectory of the centre of mass (COM) is thought to be energetically inexpensive. During double support, in which—according to collision mechanics—directional changes of the impulse of the COM are expensive, the observed timing decreases the load. Because the head and neck comprise approximately 10% of body mass, the effect shown here should also affect the animals' overall energy expenditure. This mechanism, working analogously in high-tech backpacks for energy-saving load carriage, is widespread in ungulates, and provides insight into how animals economize locomotion.
Identifying relationships between multi-scale social-ecological factors to explore ungulate health in a Western Kazakhstan rangeland
<p>1. Rangelands are multi-use landscapes which are socially and ecologically important in different ways. Among other interactions, shared use of rangelands by wildlife and livestock can lead to disease transmission. Understanding wildlife and livestock health and managing disease transmission in rangelands requires an integration of social and ecological knowledge.</p> <p>2. Using the example of Western Kazakhstan, home to two types of ungulate hosts, the critically-endangered saiga antelopes, <i>Saiga tatarica</i>, and livestock, we conducted a cross-scale analysis of social-economic, ecological and climatic factors that contribute to transmission of diseases. We focused on Gastro-intestinal Nematodes (GINs) because they are transmitted between hosts that share pasture and they affect ungulate fitness. We used an interdisciplinary social-ecological methods approach which included conducting fecal egg counts of GINs in saigas and livestock, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with livestock owners and herders in the region, and triangulation of information through secondary sources.</p> <p>3. Livestock rearing was done in two ways a) village-based livestock and b) outlying farms. The latter overlapped more with saigas. Village-based livestock had significantly higher worm burdens than those on outlying farms, which had comparable burdens to saigas. Various factors exacerbate GIN prevalence and transmission: Veterinary services are minimal; both saiga and livestock numbers are increasing; and changing climate is increasing farmers' dependence on shared pastures for hay production. It will be crucial for saiga conservationists to engage in multi-pronged conservation interventions, which are evaluated and adapted through the lens of rural livelihoods and the livestock health on which they depend.</p> <p>4. <em>Synthesis and Application: </em>Our work provides researchers and practitioners with an avenue to better understand complex inter-relationships and plan interventions within rangelands, while viewing host health from an interdisciplinary perspective - ultimately working towards wildlife conservation whilst safeguarding livelihoods across the world's rangelands.</p>
Camera trap data: Density dependence of daily activity in three ungulate species
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Daily activity in herbivores reflects a balance between finding food and safety. The safety-in-numbers theory predicts that living in higher population densities increases safety, which should affect this balance. High-density populations are thus expected to show a more even distribution of activity – i.e. spread – and higher activity levels across the day. We tested these predictions for three ungulate species; red deer (<i>Cervus elaphus</i>), roe deer (<i>Capreolus capreolus</i>) and wild boar (<i>Sus scrofa</i>). We used camera traps to measure the level and spread of activity across ten forest sites at the Veluwe, the Netherlands, that widely range in ungulate density. Food availability and hunting levels were included as covariates. Daily activity was more evenly distributed when population density was higher for all three species. Both deer species showed relatively more feeding activity in broad daylight and wild boar during dusk. Activity level increased with population density only for wild boar. Food availability and hunting showed no correlation with activity patterns. These findings indicate that ungulate activity is to some degree density dependent. However, while these patterns might result from larger populations feeling safer as the safety-in-numbers theory states, we cannot rule out that they are the outcome of greater intraspecific competition for food, forcing animals to forage during suboptimal times of the day. Overall, this study demonstrates that wild ungulates adjust their activity spread and level based on their population size.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Staying close to home: Ecological constraints on space use and range fidelity of a mountain ungulate
<p>Understanding patterns of animal space use and range fidelity has important implications for species and habitat conservation. For species that live in highly seasonal environments, such as mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus), spatial use patterns are expected to vary in relation to seasonal changes in environmental conditions and sex‐ or age-specific selection pressures. To address hypotheses about sex, age, and seasonality influence on space use ecology, we collected GPS location data from 263 radio‐collared mountain goats (males, n = 140; females, n =123) in coastal Alaska during 2005 – 2016. Location data were analyzed to derive seasonal and sex‐specific fixed-kernel home range estimates, and to quantify the degree of seasonal range and utilization distribution overlap. Overall, we determined that home range size was smallest during winter, expanded coincident with the onset of green-up and parturition, and were largest during summer. Home range size of males and females did not differ significantly during winter, but females had larger home ranges than males during summer; a relationship that was switched during the mating season. Pairwise comparisons involving individual females across subsequent years indicated home ranges were significantly smaller during years when they gave birth to offspring. Mountain goats exhibited a strong degree of range fidelity, and 99% (n =138) of individual animals returned to their previous year's seasonal range with an average annual Bhattacharyya's Affinity utilization distribution overlap index of 68%. Similarity of seasonal home range utilization distributions varied in relation to sex and season in some respects. Home range overlap was highest during the summer vegetation growing season, particularly among females. These findings advance our understanding about how environmental variation and sex- and age-related reproductive constraints influence space use and range fidelity among alpine ungulates. Documentation of the high degree of range fidelity among mountain goats has important conservation implications in landscapes increasingly altered by anthropogenic activities.</p>
Fig. 1 in Ungulates of the middle Miocene Monarch Mill Formation, Churchill County, Nevada, USA
Fig. 1. Location of the study area within USA (A) and state of Nevada, Churchill County (B), Eastgate study area indicated as black rectangle. Modified from Smith et al. 2016.
data_Ungulates_and_ecosystem_services: Ungulates mediate trade-offs between carbon storage and wildfire hazard in Mediterranean oak woodlands
<p>Data set for the accepted paper in the Journal of Applied Ecology</p>
Tradeoffs with utility-scale solar development and ungulates on western rangelands
<p>Utility scale solar energy (USSE) has become an efficient and cost-effective form of renewable energy, with an expanding footprint into rangelands that provide important habitat for many ungulate populations. Using GPS data collected before and after construction, we documented the potential impacts of USSE on pronghorn, including direct habitat loss, indirect habitat loss, and barrier effects to both resident and migratory population segments. Our case study highlights the challenges that USSE poses to ungulate conservation, including 1) impermeable security fencing that removes habitat and reduces connectivity, and 2) the lack of guidelines for minimizing solar impacts to ungulates. We encourage agencies and industry to work towards a unified siting process and develop ungulate-specific best management practices to minimize habitat loss and retain landscape connectivity. Ungulate biodiversity and ecosystem services (e.g., long-distance migrations) in arid rangelands are important considerations when balancing the global benefits of renewable energy with local wildlife impacts.</p>
Context-Dependent Effects of a Reintroduced Ungulate on Soil Properties are Driven by Soil Texture, Moisture and Herbivore Activity
<p>Although there is considerable evidence that large mammalian herbivores influence ecosystem-level processes, studies have reported such widely varying results that generalizations have remained elusive. Here, we use an 18-year-old exclosure experiment – stratified across a landscape heterogeneous with respect to soil texture, moisture and herbivore activity – to understand the variable effects of tule elk (<i>Cervus canadensis nannodes</i>), a native reintroduced herbivore, on soil properties along the coast of northern California. Elk significantly increased soil bulk density and created a compacted layer at shallow soil depth, while decreasing infiltration rate and pH. The effects of elk on bulk density, penetration resistance and pH varied with soil type, being least pronounced in coarse, sandy loams and greatest in loose sand. The effects of elk on nutrient availability varied along gradients of soil texture and moisture. In coarser soils, elk decreased ammonium availability, but increased it in finer soils. Elk also decreased soil moisture content, in part through their positive effect on bulk density, and this effect was most pronounced in coarser soils. Through decreasing soil moisture content, elk also decreased nitrate availability in coarser soils. At greater levels of elk activity (as measured by dung deposition), the elk effect on bulk density was amplified, and this had a corresponding negative effect on nitrate and phosphate availability. Our study has demonstrated that a better understanding of spatial variation in the effects of herbivores on ecosystems can emerge by evaluating their influences across gradients of soil texture, soil moisture, and herbivore activity. These data enabled us to evaluate several frameworks that have been developed to understand the variable effects of herbivores on ecosystems, which is a significant step in reconciling the many competing ideas put forth to explain the context-dependent effects of large herbivores on grazed ecosystems.</p>
FIG. 32. Digital 3D in Cranial Morphology And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Trigonostylops Wortmani, An Eocene South American Native Ungulate
FIG. 32. Digital 3D reconstructions of the osseous labyrinths of Cochilius volvens AMNH VP-29651, Tetramerorhinus lucarius AMNH VP-9245, Tapirus indicus AMNH M-200300, Ceratotherium simum AMNH M-51882, and Equus caballus AMNH M-204155 (above and on opposite page), in lateral, ventral, and dorsal views. In each ventral view, arrow indicates position of fenestra cochleae.
FIG. 28 in Cranial Morphology And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Trigonostylops Wortmani, An Eocene South American Native Ungulate
FIG. 28. Homalodotherium sp. MPM PV 17490, oblique caudoventral aspect. Patterson (1934a) claimed that in this taxon a carotid foramen existed on bulla's caudal surface, lying close to jugular area of basicapsular fenestra. In this specimen, only transbullar aperture in this location (asterisk) is very small and more readily interpreted as a canaliculus for tympanic nerve. If adult Homalodotherium possessed an intact internal carotid artery at all (see p. 114), it must have entered endocranium through exposed rostral part of basicapsular fenestra (not visible from this angle), as in Toxodon (see fig. 29). Note fully caudal position of posttemporal foramen, as in other notoungulates (cf. fig. 30).
FIG. 33 in Cranial Morphology And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Trigonostylops Wortmani, An Eocene South American Native Ungulate
FIG. 33. Stapes in selected members of comparative set. Top: Digital 3-D reconstruction of left stapes of Astrapotherium magnum MACN A 3208 in A, medial; B, tympanic; C, lateral; D, vestibular views. E, Dislocated stapes lodged in vestibule of left osseous labyrinth of MACN A 3208 (note scale). Bottom: Left stapes of Tapirus indicus (F) and Equus caballus (G) in medial and distal views (after Fleischer, 1973: figs. 48, 49). All to same scale as Astrapotherium.
FIG. 17 in Cranial Morphology And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Trigonostylops Wortmani, An Eocene South American Native Ungulate
FIG. 17. Cochilius volvens AMNH VP-29651, transverse segments through caudal cranium in rostrocaudal sequence (on this and opposite page). Note different scales. In A, external acoustic canal bordered by epitympanic sinus, retroarticular canal. In B, closely spaced segments depict trajectory of channel (prootic canal) for lateral head vein/prootic sinus, which typically opens into tympanic cavity on margin of secondary facial foramen (asterisks). In C, asterisk marks distal part of intratympanic sulcus for
FIG. 16 in Cranial Morphology And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Trigonostylops Wortmani, An Eocene South American Native Ungulate
FIG. 16. Cochilius volvens AMNH VP-29651, parasagittal segments through caudal cranium, from lateral to medial. A, prootic canal traceable from temporal sinus within endocranium to track of facial nerve in tympanic cavity (see fig. 17). B, large vacuity dorsal to petrosal formed by confluence of posttemporal canal and sulcus for temporal sinus. C, channels for accessory lacunae of transverse sinus and sinus communicans housed in calvarial bones.
FIG. 18 in Cranial Morphology And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Trigonostylops Wortmani, An Eocene South American Native Ungulate
FIG. 18. Cochilius volvens AMNH-VP 29651, left auditory region in slightly oblique ventral aspect. A, virtual horizontal slice through reconstructed left auditory region, with bulla digitally removed. B, same specimen, skull intact (stereopair). Bulla shifted slightly out of position post mortem, as it would normally cover caudal portion of basicapsular fenestra. Entotympanic-ectotympanic suture fully visible running parasagitally across bullar surface (see MacPhee, 2014). Key: 1, basisphenoid surface articulating with rostromedial portion of expanded bulla; 2, caudal aperture of pterygoid canal; 3, groove for greater petrosal and deep petrosal nerves; 4, transclival foramina in basioccipital; 5, groove connecting transclival foramen with small foramen in basioccipital-basisphenoid synchondrosis. In A, asterisks identify continuous basicapsular fenestra, covered by bulla in intact skull except for jugular area and foramen ovale. Dorsal wing of entotympanic (ENT) forms "medial flange," roofing over space between promontorium and medial bullar wall. For adital connection between epitympanic sinus and tympanic cavity, see figures 16 and 17.
FIG. 38 in Cranial Morphology And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Trigonostylops Wortmani, An Eocene South American Native Ungulate
FIG. 38. Tapirus, selected basicranial features in subadult and adult specimens on this and facing page. A, T . terrestris AMNH M-77576 (adult), caudal cranium in ventral aspect; B, T . indicus AMNH M-130108 (adult), segment through articular process of tegmen tympani; C, D, T . indicus AMNH M-200300 (subadult), isolated right petrosal in lateral (top) and ventral (bottom) aspects; E, F, T . indicus AMNH M-200300, isolated left ectotympanic (stereopair) in oblique medial (top) and oblique lateral (bottom) aspects. Key: 1, incisura ovalis; 2, incisura carotidis; 3, rostral (piriform) and caudal (jugular) portions of continuous basicapsular fenestra; 4, incomplete "canal" for internal carotid artery; 5, prominent groove for
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.