Journal
POPULATION ECOLOGY
Volume 56, Issue 2, Pages 349-358Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1007/s10144-013-0413-2
Keywords
Canis latrans; Consumption; Foraging theory; Functional response; Odocoileus virginianus
Categories
Funding
- Safari Club International (SCI) Foundation
- SCI Michigan Involvement Committee
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Federal Aid in Restoration Act under Pittman-Robertson project [W-147-R]
- Mississippi State University's Forest and Wildlife Research Center
Ask authors/readers for more resources
From foraging theory, generalist predators should increase consumption of prey if prey availability increases. Pulsed resource events introduce a large influx of prey to predators that may exhibit a functional response of increased consumption rate on, or specialization to, this abundant food resource. We predicted that coyotes (Canis latrans) would respond functionally to numerical increases of neonate white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) during the pulsed resource event of parturition. We used howl surveys and deer camera surveys with occupancy modeling to estimate densities for coyotes, adult deer, and fawns, respectively, in Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA, 2009-2011. We estimated biomass of adult and fawn deer consumed by coyotes during 2 periods [fawn limited mobility period (LMP) and social mobility period (SMP)] in May-August each year. Coyote densities were 0.32 and 0.37/km(2) for 2010-2011, respectively. Adult deer densities (3.7-3.9/km(2)) and fawn densities (0.6-1.3/km(2)) were similar across years. Overall, fawn hair occurrence in coyote scats was 2.3 times greater in LMP than SMP. Estimated consumption of fawns between periods (n = 157-880) by coyotes varied, suggesting a functional response, with increasing consumption of fawns relative to their availability. Coyotes, on average, consumed 2.2 times greater biomass of fawns than adults across years, and consumed 1.5 times greater fawn biomass, on average, during LMP than SMP. We suggest that consumption rates of coyotes is associated positively with increases in fawn density, and fawn consumption by coyotes follows predictions of optimal foraging theory during this pulsed resource event.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available