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510 results for “Ungulate”
A new Double Observer based census framework to improve abundance estimations in mountain ungulates and other gregarious species with a reduced effort
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Movement behavior in a dominant ungulate underlies successful adjustment to a rapidly changing landscape following megafire
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Data from: Fencing amplifies individual differences in movement with implications on survival for two migratory ungulates
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Data, code, and metadata for: Temperature shapes movement and habitat selection by a heat-senstive ungulate
<p>Data, code, and metadata for: Temperature shapes movement and habitat selection by a heat-sensitive ungulate</p>
Data from: Drivers of site fidelity in ungulates
<ol> <li>While the tendency to return to previously visited locations – termed 'site fidelity' – is common in animals, the cause of this behaviour is not well understood. One hypothesis is that site fidelity is shaped by an animal's environment, such that animals living in landscapes with predictable resources have stronger site fidelity. Site fidelity may also be conditional on the success of animals' recent visits to that location, and it may become stronger with age as the animal accumulates experience in their landscape. Finally, differences between species, such as the way memory shapes site attractiveness, may interact with environmental drivers to modulate the strength of site fidelity. </li> <li>We compared inter-year site fidelity in 669 individuals across eight ungulate species fitted with GPS-collars and occupying a range of environmental conditions in North America and Africa. We used a distance-based index of site fidelity and tested hypothesized drivers of site fidelity using linear mixed effects models, while accounting for variation in annual range size.</li> <li>Mule deer <i>Odocoileus hemionus</i> and moose <i>Alces alces</i> exhibited relatively strong site fidelity, while wildebeest <i>Connochaetes taurinus</i> and barren-ground caribou <i>Rangifer tarandus granti</i> had relatively weak fidelity. Site fidelity was strongest in predictable landscapes where vegetative greening occurred at regular intervals (i.e. high temporal contingency). Species differed in their response to spatial heterogeneity in greenness (i.e. spatial constancy). Site fidelity varied seasonally in some species, but remained constant over time in others. Elk employed a 'win-stay, lose-switch' strategy, in which successful resource tracking in the springtime resulted in strong site fidelity the following spring. Site fidelity did not vary with age in any species tested.</li> <li>Our results provide support for the environmental hypothesis, particularly that regularity in vegetative phenology shapes the strength of site fidelity. Large unexplained differences in site fidelity suggests that other factors, possibly species-specific differences in attraction to known sites, contribute to variation in the expression of this behaviour.</li> <li>Understanding drivers of variation in site fidelity across groups of organisms living in different environments provides important behavioural context for predicting how animals will respond to environmental change.</li> </ol>
Data from: Assessing the relationship between illegal hunting of ungulates, wild prey occurrence and livestock depredation rate by large carnivores
1. Illegal hunting of ungulates can reduce the prey base of carnivores, which can increase human-carnivore conflict (HCC) through livestock depredation. However, the relationship between ungulate poaching, wild prey abundance and livestock depredation has rarely been empirically studied. 2. We surveyed 18 sites across the Hyrcanian forest in northern Iran; a global biodiversity hotspot under pressure of illegal hunting of ungulates, prey depletion, livestock grazing and HCC. We conducted three field surveys across 1204 km in 93 4×4 km cells to count signs of ungulate poaching as well as encounters with livestock and prey species of the Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor and the grey wolf Canis lupus. We documented sheep/goat and cattle depredation from interviews with 201 herders and analysed the effects of illegal hunting of ungulates, forest cover, IUCN categories of reserves, elevation, distance to villages, and wild prey and livestock encounter rates on carnivore depredation rates using generalized linear models. 3. Illegal hunting of ungulates was the most influential depredation predictor. An increase in the illegal hunting of ungulates by one sign/km significantly increased depredation by up to four times. We also found significantly lower levels of ungulate poaching in national parks (IUCN category II) compared to protected areas (V), wildlife refuges (IV) and no-hunting areas, though poaching signs were frequently found in most cells (58%). Encounters with livestock was inversely linked to wild prey species, but positively coupled with signs of ungulate poaching. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our study reveals that: (i) an increase in the intensity of illegal hunting of ungulates can intensify livestock depredation by carnivores; (ii) future efforts in reducing human-carnivore conflict (HCC) to acceptable levels require a combination of law enforcement, prey recovery approaches and mitigation measures; (iii) there is an urgent need to better understand the root causes of poaching of ungulates to help minimize HCC.
Data from: The Neogene record of northern South American native ungulates
South America was isolated during most of the Cenozoic, and it was home to an endemic fauna. The South American Native Ungulates (SANUs) exhibited high taxonomical, morphological, and ecological diversity and were widely distributed on the continent. However, most SANU fossil records come from high latitudes. This sampling bias challenges the study of their diversity dynamics and biogeography during important tectonic and biotic events, such as the Great American Biotic Interchange, the faunal exchange between North and South America after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. We describe new SANU remains from the Neogene of the Cocinetas (northern Colombia) and Falcón (northwestern Venezuela) Basins. In the Cocinetas Basin, the middle Miocene fauna of the Castilletes Formation includes Hilarcotherium miyou sp. nov. (Astrapotheriidae), cf. Huilatherium (Leontiniidae), and Lambdaconus cf. L. colombianus (Proterotheriidae). The late Pliocene fauna of the Ware Formation includes a Toxodontinae indet. and the putative oldest record of Camelidae in South America. In the Falcón Basin, the Pliocene/Pleistocene faunas of the Codore and San Gregorio Formations include Falcontoxodon aguilerai gen. et sp. nov. and Proterotheriidae indet. We provide a phylogenetic analysis for Astrapotheriidae and Toxodontidae. The new data document a low-latitude provinciality within some SANU clades (e.g., Astrapotheriidae, Leontiniidae) during the middle Miocene. This contrasts with the wide latitudinal distribution of clades of other mammals recorded in the fauna, including the sparassodont Lycopsis padillai, the sloth Hyperleptus, and the proterotheriid Lambdaconus cf. L. colombianus.
An improved understanding of ungulate population dynamics using count data: insights from western Montana
<p class="FirstParagraph">Understanding the dynamics of ungulate populations is critical given their ecological and economic importance. In particular, the ability to evaluate the evidence for potential drivers of variation in population trajectories is important for informed management. However, the use of age ratio data (e.g., juveniles:adult females) as an index of variation in population dynamics is hindered by a lack of statistical power and difficult interpretation. Here, we show that the use of a population model based on count, classification and harvest data can dramatically improve the understanding of ungulate population dynamics by: 1) providing estimates of vital rates (e.g., per capita recruitment and population growth) that are easier to interpret and more useful to managers than age ratios and 2) increasing the power to assess potential sources of variation in key vital rates. We used a time series of elk (<i>Cervus canadensis</i>) spring count and classification data (2004 to 2016) and fall harvest data from hunting districts in western Montana to construct a population model to estimate vital rates and assess evidence for an association between a series of environmental covariates and indices of predator abundance on per capita recruitment rates of elk calves. Our results suggest that per capita recruitment rates were negatively associated with cold and wet springs, and severe winters, and positively associated with summer precipitation. In contrast, an analysis of the raw age ratio data failed to detect these relationships. Our approach based on a population model provided estimates of the region-wide mean per capita recruitment rate (mean = 0.25, 90% CI = 0.21, 0.29), temporal variation in hunting-district-specific recruitment rates (minimum = 0.09; 90% CI = [0.07, 0.11], maximum = 0.43; 90% CI = [0.38, 0.48]), and annual population growth rates (minimum = 0.83; 90% CI = [0.78, 0.87], maximum = 1.20; 90% CI = [1.11, 1.29]). We recommend using routinely collected population count and classification data and a population modeling approach rather than interpreting estimated age ratios as a substantial improvement in understanding population dynamics.</p>
Plant dispersal syndromes are unreliable as predictors of zoochory and long-distance dispersal by ungulates and waterbirds
<p>Plant dispersal syndromes are allocated based on diaspore morphology and used to predict mechanisms of dispersal. Many authors assume that only angiosperms with endozoochory, epizoochory or anemochory syndromes have a long-distance dispersal (LDD) mechanism. Too much faith is often placed in classical syndromes to explain historical dispersal events and to predict future ones. The "endozoochory syndrome" is actually a "frugivory syndrome" and has often diverted attention from endozoochory by non-frugivores (e.g. waterbirds and large herbivores) that disperse a broad range of angiosperms, for which they likely provide the maximum dispersal distances. Neither the endozoochory nor the epizoochory syndromes provide helpful predictions of which plants non-frugivores disperse, or by which mechanism. We combined data from Albert et al. (2015a), Soons et al. (2016) and Julve (1998) to show that only 4% of European plant species dispersed by ungulate endozoochory belong to the corresponding syndrome, compared to 36% for ungulate epizoochory and 8% for endozoochory by migratory ducks. In contrast, the proportions of these species that are assigned to an "unassisted syndrome" are 37%, 31% and 28%, respectively. Since allocated syndromes do not adequately account for zoochory, empirical studies often fail to find the expected relationship between syndromes and LDD events such as those underlying the colonization of islands or latitudinal migration. We need full incorporation of existing zoochory data into dispersal databases, and more empirical research into the relationship between plant traits and the frequency and effectiveness of different dispersal mechanisms (paying attention to unexpected vectors). Acknowledging the broad role of non-frugivores in facilitating LDD is crucial to improve predictions of the consequences of global change, such as how plant distributions respond to climate change, and how alien plants spread. Networks of dispersal interactions between these vertebrates and plants are a vital but understudied part of the Web of Life. The datasets we present here illustrate these limitations of syndromes, and include data from Brochet et al. (2010) regarding the syndromes of plants dispersed by Eurasian Teal via epizoochory or endozoochory.</p>
Phylogenomics reveals an almost perfect polytomy among the almost ungulates (Paenungulata)
<p>Phylogenetic studies have resolved most relationships among Eutherian Orders. However, the branching order of elephants (Proboscidea), hyraxes (Hyracoidea), and sea cows (Sirenia) (i.e., the Paenungulata) has remained uncertain since at least 1758, when Linnaeus grouped elephants and manatees into a single Order (Bruta) to the exclusion of hyraxes. Subsequent morphological, molecular, and large-scale phylogenomic datasets have reached conflicting conclusions on the branching order within Paenungulates. We use a phylogenomic dataset of alignments from 13,388 protein-coding genes across 261 Eutherian mammals to infer phylogenetic relationships within Paenungulates. We find that gene trees almost equally support the three alternative resolutions of Paenungulate relationships, and that despite strong support for a Proboscidea+Hyracoidea split in the multispecies coalescent (MSC) tree, there is significant evidence for gene tree uncertainty, incomplete lineage sorting, and introgression among Proboscidea, Hyracoidea, and Sirenia. Indeed, only 8-10% of genes have statistically significant phylogenetic signal to reject the hypothesis of a Paenungulate polytomy. These data indicate little support for any resolution for the branching order Proboscidea, Hyracoidea, and Sirenia within Paenungulata and suggest that Paenungulata may be as close to a real, or at least unresolvable, polytomy as possible.</p>
Data from "Elevation affects both the occurrence of ungulate browsing and its effect on tree seedling growth for four major tree species in European mountain forests"
<p>This repository contains the field data used in the paper from Bernard et al. on the interactive effect of elevation and ungulate browsing on tree regeneration. This dataset is associated with a github repository containing the code to run the analyses of the paper, publicly available at https://github.com/jbarrere3/BaccaraPaper. </p><p> </p><p>Data were collected for the Baccara project, by Elena Granda, Raquel Benavides, Sonia Rabasa, Georges Kunstler, and Marco Heurich. </p>
Data for: Spatial prey availability and pulsed reproductive tactics: encounter risk in a canid-ungulate system
<ol> <li>Predation risk is a function of spatiotemporal overlap between predator and prey, as well as behavioral responses during encounters. Dynamic factors (e.g., group size, prey availability, and animal movement or state) affect risk, but rarely are integrated in risk assessments. Our work targets a system where predation risk is fundamentally linked to temporal patterns in prey abundance and behavior. For neonatal ungulate prey, risk is defined within a short temporal window during which the pulse in parturition, increasing movement capacity with age, and anti-predation tactics have the potential to mediate risk.</li> <li>In our coyote – mule deer (<em>Canis</em> <em>latrans</em> – <em>Odocoileus</em> <em>hemionus</em>) system, leveraging GPS data collected from both predator and prey, we tested expectations of the shared enemy and reproductive risk hypotheses. We asked two questions regarding risk: (A) how do primary and alternative prey habitat, predator and prey activity, and reproductive tactics (e.g., birth synchrony, maternal defense) influence vulnerability of a neonate encountering a predator? (B) How do the same factors affect behavior by predators relative to time before and after an encounter?</li> <li>Despite increased selection for mule deer and intensified search behavior by coyotes during the peak in mule deer parturition, mule deer were afforded protection from predation via predator swamping, experiencing reduced per-capita encounter risk when most neonates were born. Mule deer occupying rabbit habitat (<em>Sylvilagus</em> spp.; coyote's primary prey) experienced the greatest risk of encounter but the availability of rabbit habitat did not affect predator behavior during encounters. Encounter risk increased in areas with greater availability of mule deer habitat, coyotes shifted their behavior relative to deer habitat, and the pulse in mule deer parturition and movement of neonatal deer during encounters elicited increased speed and tortuosity by coyotes.</li> <li>In addition to the spatial distribution of prey, temporal patterns in prey availability, and animal behavioral state were fundamental in defining risk. Our work reveals the nuanced consequences of pulsed availability on predation risk for alternative prey, whereby responses by predators to sudden resource availability, the lasting effects of diversionary prey, and inherent antipredation tactics ultimately dictate risk.</li> </ol>
Dead mammal walking: a month-long march by a bison (Bison bison) after an ungulate-vehicle collision
<p>Globally, ungulate-vehicle collisions (UVC) are a major human safety concern and may also represent a significant source of mortality for some ungulate populations. However, records of UVC based on counts of roadside carcasses or reports by drivers involved in these incidents are assuredly underestimated because not all ungulates struck die immediately or at the roadside or are reported by drivers or authorities. Here, we provide an observation and analysis of the movements of a GPS-collared bison (<em>Bison bison</em>) that was involved in a UVC on the Alaska Highway and died in thick boreal forest 29 days later. During that time she moved 49.7 km from where she was hit. Her daily movement rate (km/hr) and daily net displacement (km/day) were significantly greater in the 29-day period before she was struck compared to 29 days afterward. This vivid example illustrates that individuals injured in a UVC can die several weeks later and at a considerable distance from where they were initially struck. Moreover, when they eventually die it may be where their carcass would not be found or associated with a UVC. Bison are the largest land mammal in North America and perhaps more robust to some lower-impact UVC than smaller-bodied species. Even so, if not for the GPS collar on this bison, we would have never known the fate of this individual, and the carcass likely never found. Taken together, the movements and final resting place of this bison illuminate how estimates of mortality as a result of UVC can be underestimated when the animal does not die immediately and in a location where it can be found. Given our data, we further urge managers to consider roadside counts of animals killed in UVC as a minimum estimate when considering options for mitigation.</p>
The Highs and Lows of Grazing: Effects of Ungulates and Elevation on Grassland and Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation Composition in Yellowstone National Park
<p>Yellowstone National Park’s Northern Range is emblematic for the wolves, bison and elk that inhabit its grassland and sagebrush-steppe habitats. Their interactions and populations have been the focus of considerable conservation debate. Recent changes in ungulate populations provide an opportunity to examine their influence on the vegetation communities. We conducted expansive vegetation surveys along an elevation gradient and at exclosure sites where ungulates were unable to graze. We collected a large database (n = 620 quadrats), which we analyzed using classic community ecology approaches. We found that non-native species have higher abundances at low elevations, and that grazing by ungulates reduces beta diversity and native cover, while promoting non-native cover. The magnitude of these changes are greater in bison-dominated than elk-dominated areas of Yellowstone, suggesting that bison may be overgrazing. These results provide valuable insights into major factors shaping vegetation communities, while also contextualizing management practices in a world-renowned ecosystem.</p> <p> </p> <p>Please respect licensing, and contact the corresponding author for permission to use this dataset in any research or publications. </p>
Data from: Effects of resource availability and interspecific interactions on Arctic and red foxes' winter use of ungulate carrion in the Fennoscandian low-Arctic tundra
<p>In the Arctic tundra, predators face recurrent periods of food scarcity and often turn to ungulate carcasses as an alternative food source. As important and localized resource patches, carrion promotes co-occurrence of different individuals, and its use by predators is likely to be affected by interspecific competition. We studied how interspecific competition and resource availability impact winter use of carrion by Arctic and red foxes in low Arctic Fennoscandia. We predicted that presence of red foxes limits Arctic foxes' use of carrion, and that competition depends on the availability of other resources. We monitored Arctic and red fox presence at supplied carrion using camera traps. From 2006 to 2021, between 16 and 20 cameras were active for two months in late winter (288 camera-winters). Using a multi-species dynamic occupancy model at a week-to-week scale, we evaluated use of carrion by foxes while accounting for the presence of competitors, rodent availability and supplemental feeding provided to Arctic foxes. Competition affected carrion use by increasing both species' probability to leave occupied carcasses sites between consecutive weeks. This increase was similar for the two species, suggesting symmetrical avoidance. Increased rodent abundance was associated with a higher probability of colonizing carrion sites for both species. For Arctic foxes, however, this increase was only observed at carcasses unoccupied by red foxes, showing greater avoidance when alternative preys are available. Supplementary feeding increased Arctic foxes' carrion use, regardless of red fox presence. Contrary to expectations, we did not find strong signs of asymmetric competition for carrion in winter, which suggests that interactions for resources at a short time scale are not necessarily aligned with interactions at the scale of the population. In addition, we found that competition for carcasses depends on the availability of other resources, suggesting that interactions between predators depend on the ecological context.</p>
Hunting suitability model: A new tool for managing wild ungulates
<p>Rising numbers of wild ungulates in human-dominated landscapes of Europe can induce negative effects like damages to forests. Therefore, effective wildlife management, including harvesting through hunting is becoming increasingly important. However, current hunting practices often fail to diminish those negative effects, as many ungulate species retreat to areas unsuitable for hunting. This predator-avoidance behaviour makes it difficult to fulfill the demand of reducing population numbers. Thus, there is an urgent need for innovative and effective wildlife management tools to counteract this problem. Here we provide for the first time a hunting suitability model for wild ungulate management in mountainous landscapes to visualise hunting suitability objectively and realistically. Using red deer as a model species, we modelled hunting suitability with high spatial resolution (10 x 10 m), based on remote sensing information, field surveys, and expert knowledge of professional hunters. We analysed spatio-temporal habitat selection by radio-collared deer in relation to locations of varying hunting suitability. The suitability of various locations regarding hunting influenced the spatio-temporal habitat selection by this species, consistent with our hypothesis. Red deer avoided areas suitable for hunting during daylight hours in the hunting season, but not during the night. This species seems to perceive a landscape of heterogeneous anthropogenic predation risk, shaped by locations of various hunting suitability, as we modelled it. This confirms the empirical realism of the model. Concerning wild ungulate management, our hunting suitability model provides high-resolution predictions of where species like red deer will retreat when perceived anthropogenic predation risk increases. The model also yields useful insights regarding the hunting suitability of particular locations, which is valuable information especially for non-locals. Furthermore, the model can serve as planning tool to inform decisions about where particular hunting strategies can be performed most efficiently to manage wild ungulates and therefore minimize human-wildlife conflicts.</p>
Site fidelity and behavioral plasticity regulate an ungulate's response to extreme disturbance
<p>1. With rapid global change, the frequency and severity of extreme disturbance events are increasing worldwide. The ability of animal populations to survive these stochastic events depends on how individual animals respond to their altered environments, yet our understanding of the immediate and short-term responses of animals to acute disturbances remains poor.</p> <p>2. We focused on animal responses to the environmental disturbance created by megafire. Specifically, we explored the effects of the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire in northern California, USA on the behaviour and body condition of black-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus hemionus columbianus</i>). We predicted that deer would be displaced by the disturbance or experience high mortality post-fire if they stayed in the burn area.</p> <p>3. We used data from GPS collars on 18 individual deer to quantify patterns of home range use, movement, and habitat selection before and after the fire. We assessed changes in body condition using images from a camera trap grid. The fire burned through half of the study area, facilitating a comparison between deer in burned and unburned areas.</p> <p>4. Despite a dramatic reduction in vegetation in burned areas, deer showed high site fidelity to pre-fire home ranges, returning within hours of the fire. However, mean home range size doubled after the fire and corresponded with increased daily activity in a severely resource-depleted environment. Within their home ranges, deer also selected strongly for patches of surviving vegetation and woodland habitat, as these areas provided forage and cover in an otherwise desolate landscape. Deer body condition significantly decreased after the fire, likely as a result of a reduction in forage within their home ranges, but all collared deer survived for the duration of the study.</p> <p>5. Understanding the ways in which large mammals respond to disturbance like wildfire is increasingly important as the extent and severity of such events increases across the world. While many animals are adapted to disturbance regimes, species that exhibit high site fidelity or otherwise fixed behavioural strategies may struggle to cope with increased climate instability and associated extreme disturbance events.</p>
Evolutionary causes and consequences of ungulate migration
<p><span>Ungulate migrations are crucial for maintaining abundant populations and functional ecosystems. However, little is known about how or why migratory behavior evolved in ungulates. To investigate the evolutionary origins of ungulate migration, we employed phylogenetic path analysis using a comprehensive species-level phylogeny of mammals. We found that 95 of 207 extant ungulate species are at least partially migratory, with migratory behavior originating independently in 17 lineages. The evolution of migratory behavior is associated with reliance on grass forage and living at higher latitudes wherein seasonal resource waves are most prevalent. Indeed, originations coincide with mid-Miocene cooling and the subsequent rise of C4 grasslands. Also, evolving migratory behavior supported the evolution of larger bodies, allowing ungulates to exploit novel ecological space. Reconstructions of migratory behavior further reveal that seven of ten recently extinct species were probably migratory, suggesting that contemporary migrations are important models for understanding the ecology of the past.</span></p>
Fig. 2 in Formation Of Inter-Species Links In Ungulates In The Azov-Syvash National Nature Park
Fig. 2. Change in relationship of numbers of the hoof-animals in the Azov-Syvash NNP.
Fig. 2 in A Pasture Of Big Ungulate Animals As Key Ecological Factor Influencing On The Fluctuation Of Natural Habitat Of Steppe Herbivorous Mammals
Fig. 2. The steppe marmot quantity dynamics in the 20–21th century (cattle vs the steppe marmot).
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