Abstract
Predators use different spatial tactics to track the prey on the landscape. Three hypotheses describe spatial tactics: prey abundance for prey that are aggregated in space; prey habitat for uniformly distributed prey; and prey catchability for prey that are difficult to catch and kill. The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is a generalist predator that likely employs more than one spatial hunting tactic to match their diverse prey with distinct distributions and behavior that are available. We conducted a study on 17 GPS collared wolves in 6 packs in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada where wolves prey on moose (Alces alces) and elk (Cervus canadensis). We evaluated wolf selection for prey density, habitat selection and catchability on the landscape through within-territory habitat selection analysis. We reveal support for both the prey habitat and prey catchability hypotheses. For moose, their primary prey, wolves employed a mixed habitat and catchability tactic. Wolves used spaces described by the intersection of moose habitat and moose catchability. Wolves selected for the catchability of elk, their secondary prey, but not elk habitat. Counter to our predictions, wolves avoided areas of moose and elk density, likely highlighting the ongoing space race between predator and prey. We illustrate that of the three hypotheses the primary driver was prey catchability, where the interplay of both prey habitat with catchability culminate in predator spatial behaviour in a multiprey system.
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Availability of data
Input data for the wolf habitat selection analysis and metadata of raw locations is available online at https://github.com/CMProkopenko/wolfspace
Code availability
Code will be available at https://github.com/CMProkopenko/wolfspace.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank A. Critchley and R. Sandstrom from Shoal Lake Aviation and T. Sallows, D. Bergeson, K. Kingdon, R. Robinson, R. Baird, R. Grzela and many more Parks Canada staff for their contributions to fieldwork. V. Harriman, Y. Wiersma, P. Paquet, K.A. Kingdon, D. Dupont, and members of the Wildlife Evolutionary Ecology Lab provided valuable comments on the study. We would like to thank three anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments that greatly improved our work.
Funding
This work was made possible through the support of Parks Canada, Manitoba Fish and Wildlife Fund, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. CMP was awarded a Vanier Graduate Scholarship and EVW was awarded an NSERC Discovery Grant.
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SZS and CMP formulated the idea, conducted fieldwork, and designed the analysis. SZS conducted the analysis. SZS and CMP wrote the manuscript. EVW provided conceptual and editorial advice.
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Communicated by Anders Angerbjörn.
The study occurred within a novel ecological event: wolves switched from primarily feeding on elk to moose. Our results illustrate the spatial trade-ofs that predators resolve in multiprey.
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Zabihi-Seissan, S., Prokopenko, C.M. & Vander Wal, E. Wolf spatial behavior promotes encounters and kills of abundant prey. Oecologia 200, 11–22 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-022-05218-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-022-05218-4