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Description: |
xii, 153 leaves : color maps, charts ; 28 cm |
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Dissertation Note: |
Ph. D. Utah State University, Dept. of Wildland Resources 2006 |
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Bibliography Note: |
Includes bibliographical references. |
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Summary, Etc. Note: |
Summary: Predator recolonization can have profound effects on prey communities, particularly when a predator recolonizes an already complex predator-prey community. In the following chapters, I investigated direct and indirect effects on wolf (Canis lupus) recolonization on prey and competitor behavior. In chapter II, I examined comparative patterns of cougar (Puma concolor) and wolf predation on elk (Cervus elaphus). mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). I found that increases in the proportion of elk killed by cougars were mediated by wolves inducing elk to shift to more structurally complex refugia habitat to mitigate predation risk from wolves which, in turn, made elk more vulnerable to predation by cougars. In Chapter III, I examined the interaction between landscape attributes and predator and prey resource selection in influencing the spatial distribution of predation risk. Using the functional response theoretic to model total predation risk for elk and mule deer, I found that landscape covariates could exert a strong influence in mediating the conditional probability of death following a predator encounter. In Chapters IV and V, I investigated the effects of wolf recolonization on coyote (Canis latrans) space use and scavenging behavior. I found that coyotes routinely exploit space used by wolves putatively in the hopes of encountering scavenge subsidies in the form of wolf-killed prey. Upon encountering wolf-killed prey, coyotes rely on a gradient of risk-sensitive behaviors, ranging from increased vigilance to aggressively confronting wolves, to guide scavenging behavior. Coyote social rank strongly influences risk sensitivity as socially dominant coyotes spend more time vigilant at carcasses, but also are exposed to greater risk as they tend to feed as carcasses in the earliest stages of consumption by wolves. As a result, there is greater potential for agonistic interactions between socially dominant coyotes and wolves. |