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Predation risk across a dynamic landscape: effects of anthropogenic land use, natural landscape features, and prey distribution

Landscape Ecology volume 33, pages 157–170 (2018)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

Human-mediated landscape changes alter habitat configuration, which strongly structures animal distributions and interspecific interactions. The effects of anthropogenic disturbance on predator–prey relationships are fundamental to ecology, yet less well understood. We determined where predation events occurred for fawn and adult female mule deer from 2008 to 2014 in critical winter range with extensive energy development. We investigated the relationship between predation sites, energy infrastructure, and natural landscape features across contiguous areas experiencing different degrees of energy extraction during periods of high and low intensity development.

Methods

We contrast spatial correlates of 286 mortality locations with random landscape locations and mule deer distribution estimated from 350,000 GPS locations. We estimated predation risk with resource selection functions and latent selection difference functions.

Results

Relative to the distribution of mule deer, predation risk was lower closer to pipelines and well pads, but higher closer to roads. Predation sites occurred more than expected relative to availability and deer distribution in deeper snow and non-forested habitats. Anthropogenic features had a greater influence on predation sites during the period of low activity than high activity, and natural landscape characteristics had weaker effects relative to anthropogenic features throughout the study. Though canids accounted for the majority of predation events, felids exhibited stronger landscape associations, driving the observed spatial patterns in predation risk to mule deer.

Conclusions

The emergence of varied interactions between predation and landscape features across contexts and years highlights the complexity of interspecific interactions in highly modified landscapes.

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Acknowledgements

Funding and support came from Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, Colorado Mule Deer Association, Colorado Mule Deer Foundation, Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, Colorado State University, Williams Production LMT CO., Chevron Corporation, EnCana Corp., ExxonMobil Production Co., Shell Petroleum, Marathon Oil Corp. and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). We thank C. Bishop, D. Freddy, M. Michaels and the personnel at Little Hills State Wildlife Area for support. We thank L. Gepfert and L. Coulter for fixed-wing aircraft support, and L. Wolfe, M. Fisher, C. Bishop, and D. Finley of CPW for assistance during capture efforts. We thank B. Walker and E. Bergman for reviewing previous versions of this manuscript. Finally, we thank the White River Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, along with numerous private landowners for their cooperation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Campus e-Delivery 1474, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Patrick E. Lendrum, Joseph M. Northrup, Kevin R. Crooks & George Wittemyer

  2. Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Joseph M. Northrup

  3. Mammal Research Section, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 317 W. Prospect, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA

    Charles R. Anderson

  4. Cooperative Institute for Research in The Atmosphere, Colorado State University, 1375 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Glen E. Liston

  5. Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and NREL, Colorado State University, 1499 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA

    Cameron L. Aldridge

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  1. Patrick E. Lendrum
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  2. Joseph M. Northrup
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  3. Charles R. Anderson
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  4. Glen E. Liston
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  5. Cameron L. Aldridge
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  6. Kevin R. Crooks
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Correspondence to Patrick E. Lendrum.

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Lendrum, P.E., Northrup, J.M., Anderson, C.R. et al. Predation risk across a dynamic landscape: effects of anthropogenic land use, natural landscape features, and prey distribution. Landscape Ecol 33, 157–170 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-017-0590-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-017-0590-z

Keywords

  • Carnivores
  • Disturbance ecology
  • Energy development
  • Habitat fragmentation
  • Mule deer
  • Predation risk
  • Resource selection