Download or read book Habitat Use and Migration Ecology of Mule Deer in Developing Gas Fields of Western Wyoming written by Hall Sawyer and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Increased levels of energy development across the intermountain West have created a variety of wildlife and habitat management concerns. Because many of the energy resources in the region occur in shrub-dominated basins (e.g., Powder River, Piceance, Great Divide, and Green River basins), management concerns have focused on native shrub communities and associated species, including mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Two of the more pressing concerns are how mule deer respond when critical habitats (e.g., winter range) are impacted by development and how their migration routes can be identified and prioritized for conservation. To address the first, I examined how three types of natural gas well pads with varying levels of vehicle traffic influenced the winter habitat selection patterns of mule deer in western Wyoming. My results showed that mule deer avoided all types of well pads and selected areas further from well pads that received high levels of traffic. Accordingly, impacts to mule deer could likely be reduced through technology and planning that minimizes the number of well pads and amount of human activity associated with them. To address the migration concerns, I developed a quantitative framework that uses global positioning system (GPS) data and the Brownian bridge movement model (BBMM) to: (1) provide a probabilistic estimate of the migration routes of a sampled population, (2) distinguish between route segments that function as stopover sites versus those used primarily as movement corridors, and (3) prioritize routes for conservation based upon the proportion of the sampled population that uses them. Mule deer migration routes were characterized by a series of stopover sites where deer spent most of their time, connected by movement corridors through which deer moved quickly. These findings suggest management strategies that differentiate between stopover sites and movement corridors may be warranted. Because some migration routes were used by more mule deer than others, proportional level of use may provide a reasonable metric by which routes can be prioritized for conservation. Although stopovers appeared to be a prominent feature of mule deer migration routes, the explicit study of stopovers (i.e., stopover ecology) has been limited to avian species. To assess whether stopover ecology was relevant to mule deer, I again used fine-scale GPS data and BBMMs to quantify a suite of stopover characteristics and examine the ecological role of stopovers in the seasonal migrations of mule deer. Mule deer utilized a series of stopover sites in both spring and fall migrations, across a range of migration distances (18-144 km). Overall, mule deer used 1.9 and 1.5 stopovers for every 10 km increase in migration distance during spring and fall migrations, respectively. Stopovers had higher quality forage compared to movement corridors, and forage quality increased with elevation, presumably because of delayed phenology along the altitudinal migration route. Stopovers likely play a key role in the migration strategy of mule deer by allowing them to migrate in concert with vegetative phenology and optimize their foraging during migration. My results suggest stopovers were a critical component in the altitudinal migrations of mule deer and that conservation of stopover sites may improve efforts aimed at sustaining migratory mule deer populations.
Download or read book Seasonal Responses of Mule Deer and Pronghorn to Energy Development written by Mallory Sandoval Lambert and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC) underlies the Anthropocene. One principal difference between present-day and historical environmental change is the pace and scale. Just 300 years ago, 95% of Earth’s ice-free land was considered wildlands or semi-natural. Today, almost ~55% of ice-free land has been converted for human uses. This poses a challenge for animals, who must move through landscapes to eat, mate, and escape from predators. Indeed, this rapid rate of landscape change has likely not been experienced by animals in their evolutionary past. Further, animals that rely on long-term memory of past environmental conditions are struggling to track environmental change. In this thesis, I examined two key gaps in knowledge in how animals respond to HIREC. First, I assessed how the movement mechanism (oriented versus memory-based) an animal employs influences its response to HIREC (Chapter 1). Second, I assessed how responses develop over time while HIREC is occurring (Chapter 2). I used long-term datasets from 183 collared mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and 89 pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) that migrate through and winter on a natural gas field in western Wyoming to carry out this work. Mule deer and pronghorn rely on memory-based movements during their up to 200 km migrations and on oriented movements while on their smaller and constrained winter ranges. Mule deer use strong spatial memory during migration and have extremely high fidelity to their migration routes. Pronghorn, in contrast, are more plastic and tend to change whether and where they migrate from year to year. We evaluated responses to surface disturbance (native habitat converted to roads and well pads) using habitat use and selection analyses across three spatial scales during winter and migration periods. While using memory-based movements during migration, both species were reluctant to abandon traditional migratory routes until a disturbance threshold was surpassed, after which they avoided HIREC. For pronghorn, thresholds ranged from 1-9% surface disturbance, whereas mule deer thresholds were consistently ~3%. In contrast to the migratory responses, both species avoided HIREC across a gradient of low-high amounts of HIREC while using oriented movements on winter range. Once these overall responses were established, I then assessed whether they changed or remained constant over time (Chapter 2). Animal populations may have immediate responses to HIREC or they may develop a response over time, resulting in a time-lag between the onset of HIREC and a population’s response. With immediate responses, it is likely that individual behavioral plasticity is the underlying mechanism of a population’s response to HIREC. For time lags, it is likely that natural selection acts on personalities within a given population. Using the mule deer dataset only, I fit resource selection functions (RSF) using a Generalized Additive Mixed Model (GAMM) to evaluate temporal trends in the behavioral response to the natural gas development during both migration and while on winter range. At the population level for both migration and winter range, mule deer exhibited a time-lag response to HIREC (i.e., natural gas development). During migration, during the first 8 years of this study, mule deer avoided development only after a threshold of development was surpassed and this threshold varied from year to year. Following the 8-year lag, mule deer consistently avoided development year to year once development surpassed a ~2% threshold. For winter range, during the first 9 years, mule deer responses to development varied year to year, although they mainly avoided development. Following the 9-year lag, the avoidance of development became stronger and more consistent. At the individual level for both migration and winter range, mule deer collared for > 1 year avoided development and their response to development did not change over subsequent years, suggesting little behavioral plasticity in this population. Overall, my work demonstrates that responses to HIREC by moving animals can be non-linear, are mediated by the movement mechanism animals are primarily relying on, and may not be consistent and strong until years after the onset of landscape change. Additionally, the disturbance thresholds identified herein for mule deer and pronghorn provide land and wildlife managers in western Wyoming with specific, actionable targets that can help to maintain the ecological function of migration routes and winter ranges. Energy development is, and will continue to be, a major source of disturbance for migratory ungulates, and other sagebrush obligate species, in western North America. An estimated 800,000 km2 of land is projected to be converted for energy extraction by the year 2040. Because this and other forms of land development will continue, it is increasingly important to understand how, when, to what degree, and over what time-scale animals respond to human disturbance so that potential impacts can be minimized.
Download or read book Ecology and Management of Black tailed and Mule Deer of North America written by James R. Heffelfinger and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2023-04-27 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Black-tailed and mule deer represent one of the largest distributions of mammals in North America and are symbols of the wide-open American West. Each chapter in this book was authored by the world’s leading experts on that topic. Both editors, James R. Heffelfinger and Paul R. Krausman, are widely published in the popular and scientific press and recipients of the O. C. Wallmo Award, given every two years to a leading black-tailed and mule deer expert who has made significant contributions to the conservation of this species. In addition, Heffelfinger has chaired the Mule Deer Working Group sponsored by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for more than 15 years. This working group consists of the leading black-tailed and mule deer experts from each of 24 states, provinces, and territories in western North America, putting them at the forefront of all conservation and much of the research on this species. The book represents all current knowledge available on these deer, including how changing conditions such as fires, habitat alteration and loss, disease, climate change, socio-economic forces, energy development, and other aspects are influencing their distribution and abundance now and into the future. It takes a completely fresh look at all chapter topics. The revisions of distribution, taxonomy, evolution, behavior, and new and exciting work being done in deer nutrition, migration and movements, diseases, predation, and human dimensions are all assembled in this volume. This book will instantly become the foundation for the latest information and management strategies to be implemented on the ground by practitioners and to inform the public. Although this book is about deer, the topics discussed influence most terrestrial wildlife worldwide, and the basic concepts in many of the chapters are applicable to other species.
Download or read book Habitat Use by Desert Mule Deer and Collared Peccary in an Urban Environment written by Elizabeth S. Bellantoni and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Social and Scientific Factors Impacting Mule Deer Habitat Conservation in the Intermountain West written by Nicholas F. Trulove and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus ) in the Intermountain West, alterations to habitat are outpacing strategies to mitigate human disturbance on critical seasonal ranges and migration routes. Conserving mule deer habitat requires cooperation between a diverse group of stakeholders, state wildlife agencies, and federal land management agencies. The first chapter of this thesis explores the current and historical relationship between state wildlife agencies, citizen stakeholders, and federal agencies in order to highlight opportunities to improve cooperative habitat conservation in the United States. Conservation is a result of social, political, and economic action, but relies upon science to inform policy. The second chapter explores the seasonal habitat use of mule deer in southwestern Wyoming. In response to low fawn recruitment, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department deployed 15 GPS collars on adult female mule deer in an effort to enhance knowledge of mule deer population dynamics, migrations, and habitat use. The study captured two winter climate regimes, with greater winter severity during the 2010-11 winter compared to the winter of 2011-12. Deer migrated an average of 23.9 km (SE = 2.2) between seasonal ranges, and completed spring migrations nearly one month earlier following the milder winter of 2011-12 ( t 19 = 5.53, df = 19, P ? 0.001). Pooled, the average area of winter ranges (1057 ha, SE = 103, n = 26) was larger than summer ranges (423 ha, SE = 51 ha, n = 25) (t = -5.44, df = 49, P ≤ 0.001), with no increase or decrease in size of seasonal ranges detected between years (P = 0.243) according to a post-hoc Tukey HSD test. Between years, deer were observed to shift the geographic center of winter ranges (2.9 km, SE = 1.1, n = 12) to a larger degree than summer ranges (0.4 km, SE = 0.1, n = 12) (t = -2.20, df = 22, P = 0.040). Survival and pregnancy rates (86% and 96%, respectively) correlated closely with other mule deer studies, and neither factor appears to negatively impact population growth. Identifying seasonal ranges and migration routes, and quantifying seasonal habitat use, will assist Wyoming Game and Fish Department efforts to protect mule deer seasonal habitats and migration routes, and direct vegetation manipulations intended to improve the nutritional quality of habitats. On average, winter ranges included a later percentage of shrub-dominated habitat (83.8%, SE = 0.3, n = 26) than summer ranges (57.5%, SE = 2.0, n = 25) (t = -4.42, df = 49, P ? 0.001). Summer ranges averaged a greater proportion of agricultural lands (2.8%, SE = 1.1, n = 25) and aspen (Populus tremuloides ) habitats (9.0%, SE = 2.2, n = 25) than winter ranges (0.1%, SE = 0.1, n = 26 and 0.2%, SE = 0.0, n = 26, respectively) (t = 3.03, df = 49, P = 0.004 and t = 3.86, df = 49, P ? 0.001, respectively). Mule deer ranges are primarily located on Bureau of Land Management (73%, SE = 2.8, n = 51) and privately owned (17.3%, SE = 2.9, n = 51) lands, highlighting opportunities for cooperative partnerships for mule deer habitat conservation.
Download or read book Mule Deer Habitat Guides written by Richard M. Kerr and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Red Desert written by Annie Proulx and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2012-07-25 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A photographic and multidisciplinary study of one of America’s last undeveloped—and most endangered—landscapes, edited by a Pulitzer Prize–winning author. A vast expanse of rock formations, sand dunes, and sagebrush in central and southwest Wyoming, the little-known Red Desert is one of the last undeveloped landscapes in the United States, as well as one of the most endangered. It is a last refuge for many species of wildlife. Sitting atop one of North America's largest untapped reservoirs of natural gas, the Red Desert is a magnet for energy producers who are damaging its complex and fragile ecosystem in a headlong race to open a new domestic source of energy and reap the profits. To capture and preserve what makes the Red Desert both valuable and scientifically and historically interesting, writer Annie Proulx and photographer Martin Stupich enlisted a team of scientists and scholars to join them in exploring the Red Desert through many disciplines: geology, hydrology, paleontology, ornithology, zoology, entomology, botany, climatology, anthropology, archaeology, sociology, and history. Their essays reveal many fascinating, often previously unknown facts about the Red Desert—everything from the rich pocket habitats that support an amazing diversity of life to engrossing stories of the transcontinental migrations that began in prehistory and continue today on I-80—which bisects the Red Desert. Complemented by Martin Stupich’s photo-essay, which portrays both the beauty and the devastation that characterize the region today, Red Desert bears eloquent witness to a unique landscape in its final years as a wild place./
Download or read book Mule Deer Odocoileus Hemionus Movement and Habitat Use Patterns in Relation to Roadways in Northwest Wyoming written by Corinna Riginos and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 72 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The purpose of this study was to provide the Wyoming Department of Transportation and Wyoming Game and Fish Department with useful information about the patterns of mule deer seasonal habitat use, migration, road crossings, and wildlife-vehicle collisions in the Jackson Hole area."-- page i.
Download or read book Seasonal Movements Population Characteristics and Habitat Use of Mule Deer in the Shirley Mountain Area Central Wyoming written by Gregory W. McDaniel and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Migration Patterns of Adult Female Mule Deer in Response to Natural gas Extraction written by Patrick Earl Lendrum and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Migration is an adaptive strategy that enables animals to minimize resource shortages and reduce risk of predation at a broad geographic scale. I compared patterns of spring migration of adult female mule deer fitted with OPS collars (ii = 167) among 4 study areas that had varying degrees of natural-gas development from 2008 to 2010 in the Piceance Basin of northwest Colorado, USA. Timing of spring migration was related to winter severity, particularly snow depth, and access to emerging vegetation, which varied among years, but was highly synchronous across study areas within years. Additionally, I observed longer step lengths and more rapid rates of travel by mule deer migrating through the most developed areas compared with deer in less-developed areas. Conservationists and managers must recognize the ecological processes and effects of anthropogenic alterations on habitat use and availability to effectively conserve migration routes.
Download or read book Habitat Use by Desert Mule Deer and Collared Peccary in an Urban Environment written by Elizabeth S. Bellantoni and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Jonah Infill Drilling Project written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Effects of Induced Hydraulic Fracturing on the Environment written by Matthew McBroom and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2013-12-07 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title includes a number of Open Access chapters.Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking" as it is commonly known, refers to the practice of using liquids at very high pressures to fragment rock, thereby allowing natural gas to be harvested. This process increases energy resources but also has some negative environmental impacts as well. This book l
Download or read book Desert Mule Deer Ecology and Habitat Use on Cattle grazed Grass shrub Range written by Kim Elizabeth Ragotzkie and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States written by Matthew J. Kauffman and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Mule Deer written by Erwin A. Bauer and published by Voyageur Press (MN). This book was released on 1995 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An introduction to the mule deer, native of North America, discussing its physical characteristics, habitats, and behavior.
Download or read book Wild Migrations written by Matthew J. Kauffman and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The migrations of Wyoming's hooved mammals--mule deer, pronghorn, elk, and moose--between their seasonal ranges are some of the longest and most noteworthy migrations on the North American continent. Wild Migrations presents the previously untold story of these migrations, combining wildlife science and cartography. Facing pages cover more than 50 migration topics, ranging from ecology to conservation and management, enriched by visually stunning graphics and maps, and an introductory essay by Emilene Ostlind.
