Spatial and Temporal Variability Influences on Ecology and Conservation

时空变化对生态和保护的影响

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-04729
• 负责人: Boyce, Mark
• 金额: $ 3.21万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=709446
• 关键词: Spatial; Temporal; Variability; Influences; Ecology

One of the consequences of climate change has been increasing frequency of extreme weather events. In addition, humans continue to fragment and alter landscapes with roads, energy corridors, agriculture, urbanization, and industrial development. When taken together these changes in temporal and spatial variability have complex ramifications for ecology including several consequences for conservation, e.g., spatially structured predator-prey interactions, dampening risk by bet hedging, among-individual variation in diet (the “Tangled Bank” after last paragraph in Darwin's On the Origin of Species), and seasonal variation in harvest and predation interacting with density dependence to shape optimum harvests (the “Hydra effect”). I propose 3 field studies that develop these applications of the interface between temporal fluctuations and spatial ecology on (1) individual and spatial variation in foraging that dampens among-year variation in fitness for black (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears (U. arctos), (2) personalities among elk (Cervus elaphus) to shape how harvests should be managed, and (3) predation and hunter harvest influence density-dependent response by bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Our proposed grizzly bear and black bear studies apply habitat selection based on radiotelemetry and more recently based on DNA from hair samples collected at rub trees. We are proposing to use habitat selection methods to refine mark-recapture estimation of bear populations in spatial context. The structure of bear populations in SW Alberta suggests a source-sink balance with sinks driven by conflicts with agriculture, but complicated by temporal and spatial variation in availability of foods. Our long-term elk studies are grounded in one of the largest radiotelemetry studies ever conducted on this species with over 1 million GPS relocations accumulated during the past 8 years on seasonal ranges in SW Alberta. We have integrated models of movement with habitat selection obtaining integrated step-selection analysis (iSSA) that allows us to analyze patterns of movement by elk in context of habitats. Alberta Ministry of Environment and Parks plans to implement an experimental change in elk harvest regulations in our study area where we will document demographic and behavioural responses by elk. Finally, we are initiating a new experimental study of cougar (Puma concolor) predation and hunter harvest of bighorn sheep. We have extensive radiotelemetry data on cougars already and Alberta Environment and Parks will implement extended cougar seasons on randomly selected Wildlife Management Units designed to reduce predation on hunted populations of bighorns. Tools of telemetry, mark-recapture, and our new iSSAs allow us to marry spatial ecology with population biology in novel ways with direct applications for conservation biology and wildlife management.

气候变化的后果之一是增加了极端天气事件的频率。此外，人类继续通过道路，能源走廊，同意，城市化和工业发展来破坏和改变景观。 When taken together these changes in temporary and spatial variability have complex ramifications for ecology including several consequences for conservation, e.g., spatially structured predator-prey interactions, damening risk by bet hedging, Among-individual variation in diet (the “Tangled Bank” after last paragraph in Darwin's On the Origin of Species), and seasonal variation in harvest and prediction interacting with density dependence to shape optimum harvests (the “九头蛇效应”）。我提出了3项现场研究，这些研究在临时波动和空间生态学之间的界面上开发了（1）在（1）个体和空间变化的空间生态学之间的界面，以觅食黑人（Ursus）Americanus）和灰熊（U. artctos）的舞者（U. artctos）（U. artctos）（U. artctos），（2）在埃尔克（cervus eLaphus）中的个性，以及（cervus lophe），以及（cervus lophes），以及（cervus lophes thake and thake thake）。大角羊（Ovis Canadensis）的密度依赖性反应。我们提出的灰熊和黑熊研究采用基于放射性骨化的栖息地选择，最近基于在摩擦树上收集的头发样品中的DNA。我们建议使用栖息地选择方法来完善在空间环境中熊种群的标记重新估算。 SW艾伯塔省的熊种群的结构表明，由与商定冲突发生冲突的水槽源平衡，但由于食品的可用性暂时和空间变化而变得复杂。我们的长期麋鹿研究基于有史以来对该物种进行的最大的Radiotelemetry研究之一，在过去的8年中，在SW艾伯塔省的季节性范围内积累了超过100万个GPS搬迁。我们已经与栖息地的选择进行了整合的运动模型，从而获得了综合的步进分析（ISSA），使我们能够在栖息地的背景下分析麋鹿的运动模式。艾伯塔省环境与公园部计划在我们的研究领域实施麋鹿收获法规的实验变化，我们将记录麋鹿的人口统计和行为反应。最后，我们正在开始对Cougar（Puma concolor）预测和猎人收成的新实验研究。我们已经拥有有关美洲狮的广泛的放射性驱动器数据，艾伯塔省的环境将在随机选择的野生动植物管理部门上实施延长的美洲狮季节，旨在减少对大角猎犬猎人的预览。遥测，商标征收和我们的新ISSA的工具使我们能够以新颖的方式将空间生态与人群生物学结合，并直接应用于保护生物学和野生动植物管理。