Individual variation creates diverse migratory portfolios in native populations of a mountain ungulate.

Autor: Lowrey B; Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program, Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA., McWhirter DE; Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Jackson, Wyoming, 83001, USA., Proffitt KM; Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Bozeman, Montana, 59718, USA., Monteith KL; Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, 82072, USA., Courtemanch AB; Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Jackson, Wyoming, 83001, USA., White PJ; Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, National Park Service, Mammoth, Wyoming, 82190, USA., Paterson JT; Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program, Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA., Dewey SR; Grand Teton National Park, National Park Service, PO Box 170, Moose, Wyoming, 83012, USA., Garrott RA; Fish and Wildlife Ecology and Management Program, Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America [Ecol Appl] 2020 Jul; Vol. 30 (5), pp. e2106. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Mar 31.
DOI: 10.1002/eap.2106
Abstrakt: Ecological theory and empirical studies have demonstrated population-level demographic benefits resulting from a diversity of migratory behaviors with important implications for ecology, conservation, and evolution of migratory organisms. Nevertheless, evaluation of migratory portfolios (i.e., the variation in migratory behaviors across space and time among individuals within populations) has received relatively little attention in migratory ungulates, where research has focused largely on the dichotomous behaviors (e.g., resident and migrant) of partially migratory populations. Using GPS data from 361 female bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) across 17 (4 restored, 6 augmented, 7 native) populations in Montana and Wyoming, USA, we (1) characterized migratory portfolios based on behavioral and spatial migratory characteristics and (2) evaluated the relative influence of landscape attributes and management histories on migratory diversity. Native populations, which had been extant on the landscape for many generations, had more diverse migratory portfolios, higher behavioral switching rates, reduced seasonal range fidelity, and broad dispersion of individuals across summer and winter ranges. In contrast, restored populations with an abbreviated history on the landscape were largely non-migratory with a narrow portfolio of migratory behaviors, less behavioral switching, higher fidelity to seasonal ranges, and less dispersion on summer and winter ranges. Augmented populations were more variable and contained characteristics of both native and restored populations. Differences in migratory diversity among populations were associated with management histories (e.g., restored, augmented, or native). Landscape characteristics such as the duration and regularity of green-up, human landscape alterations, topography, and snow gradients were not strongly associated with migratory diversity. We suggest a two-pronged approach to restoring migratory portfolios in ungulates that first develops behavior-specific habitat models and then places individuals with known migratory behaviors into unoccupied areas in an effort to bolster migratory portfolios in restored populations, potentially with synergistic benefits associated with variation among individuals and resulting portfolio effects. Management efforts to restore diverse migratory portfolios may increase the abundance, resilience, and long-term viability of ungulate populations.
(© 2020 by the Ecological Society of America.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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