Efficacy of Predator Exclusion Methods and Id of Nest Predators for Interior Least Terns and Piping Plovers at Off-Channel Nesting Sites along the Central Platte River, Nebraska, Usa

Nest predation is a major cause of failed shorebird reproduction. Management to increase reproductive success and survival of nesting interior least terns (Sterna antillarum athalassos; hereafter, least tern), and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) that nest along the Central Platte River focuses on constructing and managing off-channel nesting habitats that are protected and monitored for least tern and piping plover productivity (i.e., nesting success and fledging success). However, nest and brood fates of unknown outcome, failed to unknown causes, or failed due to predation have been high for both species. These uncertainties lead to the investigation of avian and mammalian predator presence and mode of access at off-channel nesting sites along the Central Platte River in Nebraska. In chapter 2, we investigated the effectiveness of a predator exclusion method, called a panel wing system, where we determined probabilities of approaches and breaches of predator panel wings present on nesting peninsulas. In chapter 3, we investigated the predator communities on least tern and piping plover nesting peninsulas. The results of these studies will help determine which management techniques are the most effective and possible new management techniques that could be implemented in the future to help reduce predator related issues and increase the success of least terns and piping plovers

SUSTAINABILITY IN A CHANGING LANDSCAPE: IDENTIFYING THE EFFECTS OF LAND USE ON VEGETATION AND MAMMAL COMMUNITIES

Increases in habitat loss and fragmentation from anthropogenic disturbance present substantial threats to global biodiversity; thus, sustainable land management will be crucial to support current and future generations of humans and wildlife. In the western United States, approximately 70% of the land is grazed by domestic cows (i.e., “cattle”), and urban development is increasing rapidly. These land uses may affect vegetation composition and mammal communities, which could alter ecosystem function through bottom-up or top-down processes. Therefore, understanding the responses of vegetation and mammal communities to these practices is important when considering socio-ecological sustainability. In this dissertation, I evaluated how cattle grazing and urban development affected vegetation dynamics and medium to large (\u3e150 g) mammal community structure at multiple scales. First, I identified and quantified factors associated with vegetation change over the past 36 years on public lands grazing allotments across the western contiguous United States. Then, using multispecies occupancy models, Poisson count models, and daily activity patterns, I determined how cattle grazing on private ranches in western Montana and housing density surrounding Missoula, Montana influenced the spatiotemporal dynamics of mammal communities. Finally, I identified how residential yard management affected mammal relative abundance in Raleigh, North Carolina. At both continental and local scales, environmental and abiotic factors were generally more important drivers of vegetation and mammal community dynamics than cattle grazing. In contrast, housing development strongly influenced mammal community structure, with generally smaller-bodied, urban-adapted species occurring within higher housing densities. Further, supplemental feeding in residential yards was the strongest predictor of mammal abundance, compared with landscape-scale vegetation characteristics and predation risk. My research demonstrates that cattle grazing on rangelands in the western United States has had relatively minor associations with vegetation production and mammal community dynamics at the stocking rates evaluated, although local-level management could dictate the strength of effects. In contrast, urban development strongly impacts mammal communities, but effects may vary across urban areas with different human population densities, urban structure, and ecological communities. Thus, conserving “working lands” that sustain human livelihood, while maintaining the natural biodiversity and function of the ecosystem, may facilitate socio-ecological sustainability

Habitat selection by sympatric ungulates in an agricultural landscape : implications for disease transmission and human-wildlife conflict

As areas of agricultural production expand worldwide, complex zones of wildlife-agriculture interface present numerous benefits and challenges to farmers and wildlife managers. In western Canada, free-ranging elk (Cervus canadensis), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) make frequent use of cereal, oilseed, and pulse crops. However, cervid use of annual crops presents substantial socio-economic concerns for producers. Additionally, use of crops may facilitate cervids co-mingling and increase the risk of intra- and inter-specific transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD). The purpose of my thesis research was to determine the key environmental factors influencing the selection of agricultural crops by elk, white-tailed deer, and mule deer, analyze overlap in species’ selection, and develop predictive models to identify the spatial distribution of crop damage risk. In this study, I analyzed 19,069 damage claims paid by Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation to Saskatchewan farmers for confirmed losses to annual crops (cereals, oilseeds, pulses) from 2000-2012 by elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer. These data were used to conduct species-specific ecological niche factor analyses (ENFAs), which relate habitat variables within damaged sites to that of the surrounding landscape. The key habitat variables influencing selection of annual crops were then incorporated into resource selection probability function (RSPF) models. These models characterize and predict the probability of crop damage by elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer, and each possible dual species combination. By integrating damage probability values and historical monetary values of regional crop production, I evaluated the risk of annual crop damage by each of the three species, and dual species combinations, across all sections of agricultural land in Saskatchewan. The ENFAs revealed that elk and white-tailed deer selected for areas where a high proportion of farmland is seeded to oats, barley, canola, and alfalfa, while avoiding areas farther from protected areas, with a high density of paved or unpaved roads and a high proportion of open grassland. Alternately, mule deer favoured open grasslands, shrublands, and areas with a greater density of streams or water bodies, while avoiding areas where a high proportion of farmland is seeded to oats, canola, flaxseed, wheat, and barley. Areas at highest risk for annual crop damage by elk bordered the northern edge of the study area; mule deer damage risk was highest in south-western and central Saskatchewan; while white-tailed deer damage risk was highest in north-eastern and north-central areas of the province. Identifying these specific associations between landscape variables, rates of crop damage, and associated species overlap may provide an important opportunity for agencies to develop cooperative management strategies to efficiently allocate mitigation resources. Efforts to prevent the selection of cereal, oilseed, and pulse crops by free ranging elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer in Saskatchewan could prove to be a valuable step in not only minimizing crop damage and maintaining wildlife tolerance in rural communities, but also in managing the spread of chronic wasting disease throughout western Canada

Energy, Fractal Movement Patterns, and Scale-Dependent Habitat Relationships of Urban and Rural Mule Deer

I studied the behaviors, movement dynamics, habitat relationships, and population characteristics of Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) using urban and rural winter ranges in Cache Valley, Utah , from January 1994 to February 1998. There were 2 goals to my research endeavors. The first was to assess how and why the behaviors and demographic characteristics of urban deer differed from those of rural deer. The second was to assess the scale-dependent responses to habitat and the scale-dependent patterns of habitat use by deer living in each area. To accomplish the first goal, I compared the prevalence of migration, the spatial and temporal patterns of migration, and the spatial patterns of home range use between urban and rural deer. I also compared deer reproduction and population density in each area. I then explain how behavioral and demographic dissimilarities between urban and rural deer may have corresponded to differences in their net energetic gains (NEG) on seasonal ranges. These explanations, when combined graphically, generated a time-specific hypothesis of lower NEG by urban deer on a year-round basis. To accomplish the second goal, I developed new methodologies for analyzing animal movement pathways (which represent signatures of how animals respond to habitat), and animal patterns of habitat use . These methodologies explicitly incorporated the effects of spatial scale by employing fractal geometry and information theory. The results of these analyses showed that urban and rural deer responded to their habitats in similar ways at coarse resolutions of analysis (100-600 m), but differently at fine resolutions of analysis ( 4-60 m). I argue that similarities in habitat response at coarse resolutions reflected a common movement process that allowed deer maximize use of their home ranges while minimizing energetic expenditures. With respect to patterns of habitat use, urban deer concentrated in areas with concealment vegetation , which was highly fragmented across all resolutions of analysis. Rural deer, on the other hand, dispersed throughout areas containing shrubby vegetation at fine resolutions, and south-facing slopes at coarse resolutions. Interpretation of these results is discussed in detail

Survival, movements, and resource selection of female white-tailed deer in Missouri

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Missouri are a socially and economically important game species generating annual revenue in excess of $1 billion. The last comprehensive deer study in Missouri was conducted in the 1980s – 1990s when deer populations were rapidly expanding. Since this time there has been a reduction in deer population size, declining growth rates, changes in harvest strategies, and the emergence and spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD). These changes have rendered prior survival estimates outdated, and the presence of CWD requires a deeper understanding of movement patterns and space use. We were interested in providing updated deer survival rates, and quantifying how deer altered their movements and resource selection during two critical time periods in the Glaciated Plains (GP) and Ozarks (OZ) eco-regions. Two contrasting study areas allowed us to understand how land use and ownership, harvest regulations, and habitat composition and fragmentation affected deer survival and behavior. In Chapter 1 we estimated neonate (≤ 16 weeks old) survival rates and determined how habitat characteristics influenced neonate survival. In Chapter 2 we investigated how pregnancy, parturition, and lactation affected deer movement behaviors and resource selection. In Chapter 3 we estimated annual female fawn (\u3e 6 months, but \u3c 1 year old), yearling (1 year old), and adult (≥ 2 years old) survival rates, and investigated how the hunting season affected female movement behaviors and resource selection. Survival rates of all age classes were similar between the two eco-regions, with neonate survival rates between 0.40 – 0.50, and survival rates for females \u3e 6 months old between 0.80 – 0.90. Females in both study areas altered their movements similarly in response to parturition, and selected for conservation reserve program grasslands in the GP, and forest habitat in the OZ during pregnancy and lactation. Females in both study areas increased their movements during the hunting season, and altered their resource selection after the hunting season, suggesting that breeding behaviors and resource availability were influencing deer behavior during this time period

Evaluation of ecosystem services and conflicts associated with native and exotic wild ungulates

El funcionamiento de los ecosistemas incluye todos aquellos ciclos de materia y energía, así como la interacción entre los organismos. El funcionamiento natural ha sido alterado por las actividades humanas, especialmente la biodiversidad, provocando la modificación de las interacciones entre las distintas especies. Actualmente, la comunidad científica ha reconocido una crisis de biodiversidad por causas antropogénicas asociada a la extinción de especies o la introducción de especies exóticas. Esta pérdida de biodiversidad puede desembocar en efectos negativos sobre el bienestar humano, ya que dicho bienestar está asociado con los ecosistemas y sus componentes (las sociedades obtienen beneficios de los ecosistemas). Todos aquellos beneficios que los humanos obtienen de los ecosistemas son servicios ecosistémicos, como por ejemplo alimentos, herramientas, el mantenimiento de hábitats o incluso aspectos culturales relacionados. Uno de los grupos taxonómicos más relacionado con los humanos es el de los ungulados. Sin embargo, las relaciones entre los humanos y los ungulados silvestres dependen del contexto. En los países en vías de desarrollo las poblaciones de ungulados silvestres están en descenso, mientras que en los países desarrollados sus poblaciones están creciendo tanto en abundancia como en distribución. Este proceso, denominado “rewilding” en inglés y que podríamos traducir como reconstrucción de los ecosistemas, ha favorecido la aparición de interacciones negativas entre los humanos y los ungulados silvestres, como por ejemplo los daños a la agricultura y a la silvicultura. Para evitar o mitigar estos conflictos se emplean distintas herramientas de gestión como el vallado o los aportes suplementarios. Por lo tanto, la investigación sobre los ungulados y su relación con las personas debe abordarse desde una perspectiva socio-ecológica. Esta tesis se centra en las relaciones entre las personas y los ungulados silvestres, tanto en las interacciones positivas como negativas, y las herramientas de gestión empleadas para la mitigación de los conflictos. Concretamente esta tesis pretende evaluar: i) el estado del arte de la investigación sobre las interacciones humanoungulados (Capítulo 1); ii) los beneficios y perjuicios que proveen los ungulados silvestres para dos agentes implicados: la comunidad científica y los pastores (Capítulo 2); iii) el solapamiento de nicho entre la cabra montesa (Capra pyrenaica), especie nativa, y el arrui (Ammotragus lervia), especie exótica en la península ibérica, como ejemplo de un conflicto de conservación (Capítulo 3); iv) los efectos de los aportes suplementarios como herramienta de gestión sobre la especie objeto de la gestión (el arrui), otras especies no objetivo y las alteraciones en las propiedades edáficas (Capítulos 4 y 5). En el Capítulo 6 discutimos los resultados obtenidos en los capítulos anteriores. Para establecer el estado del arte con respecto a las interacciones que se dan entre los humanos y los ungulados silvestres, revisamos las publicaciones científicas sobre este tema. Este capítulo mostró que los artículos científicos abordan los estudios, principalmente, desde la perspectiva de los conflictos, teniendo en poca consideración los servicios ecosistémicos. En general, la mayoría de las publicaciones tienen en consideración a agentes implicados, siendo los principales actores sociales relacionados con los ungulados silvestres los gestores ambientales y los cazadores. Además, las herramientas de gestión empleadas para la mitigación de los conflictos no suelen ser evaluadas, aun siendo recomendadas algunas de ellas como el control letal y el uso de barreras y elementos disuasorios. En el Capítulo 2 abordamos las interacciones entre humanos y ungulados silvestres desde la perspectiva del nuevo término “Contribuciones de la Naturaleza para las Personas” (NCP por sus siglas en inglés) de dos de los agentes implicados menos considerados en las publicaciones científicas, es decir, los propios investigadores y los pastores. En este trabajo examinamos y comparamos las prioridades científicas a partir de los estudios publicados y las percepciones de los pastores respecto a los NCP proporcionados por los ungulados silvestres. Revisamos artículos científicos sobre los NCP proporcionados por los ungulados en España y realizamos entrevistas en profundidad a pastores en sistemas ganaderos extensivos donde los ungulados domésticos coexisten con los silvestres. Después comparamos si las prioridades científicas coinciden con lo percibido por los pastores. Ambos agentes implicados destacaron más los NCP negativos que los positivos, aunque éstos no coincidían en importancia. Respecto a los NCP negativos, los pastores no mencionaron la alteración del suelo, los daños a la silvicultura, a la salud humana, las colisiones de tráfico y los conflictos entre colectivos humanos. Consideraron como principales aspectos negativos de los ungulados los daños a la vegetación, la competencia por el pasto, los daños a otros animales de interés económico, los daños agrícolas y la transmisión de enfermedades. Por otro lado, mientras que en las publicaciones la caza deportiva adquiría gran importancia como NCP positivo, los pastores ni siquiera la tuvieron en cuenta, siendo para éstos agentes implicados la regulación de otros organismos el beneficio más importante. Estos resultados pueden tener dos implicaciones. Un mayor énfasis en los NCP negativos puede reforzar la idea de que los ungulados pueden suponer una amenaza para las personas en lugar de contribuir positivamente al bienestar social. El hecho de que las investigaciones no coincidan con los intereses de los pastores puede afectar a la tolerancia social hacia estas especies ya que los daños experimentados o percibidos no son evaluados. Nuestros resultados muestran la relevancia que supone considerar el conocimiento local, en este caso de los pastores, que es uno de los aspectos destacados por el enfoque que hemos tomado, es decir, desde los NCP. Con respecto al Capítulo 3, evaluamos la competencia potencial entre la cabra montés nativa y el arrui exótico estableciendo el solapamiento del nicho en condiciones de coexistencia en la península ibérica. Para ello comparamos el nicho trófico midiendo el contenido de isótopos estables de δ15N y δ13C en pelo, así como el nicho ambiental a partir de modelos de nicho basados en datos de presencia a escala fina. Después evaluamos si ambas especies coocurren espacialmente, o existe segregación espacial como mecanismo de facilitación de coexistencia. Nuestros resultados apuntaron a que ambas especies comparten un nicho trófico y un nicho ambiental similares. Encontramos una asociación espacial negativa entre la cabra montesa y el arrui. Por tanto, las especies son ecológicamente similares y es posible que la segregación espacial detectada favorezca la coexistencia entre ambas en las sierras mediterráneas que cohabitan. Para conocer los efectos de los aportes suplementarios para evitar daños agrícolas, en el Capítulo 4 evaluamos sus efectos en el comportamiento espacial del arrui, así como el uso de los comederos por parte de especies no objetivo de esos aportes. Para ello marcamos nueve arruis con collares GPS/GSM para establecer sus áreas de campeo sin aportes y con aportes, y lo mismo para el número de visitas a los comederos. Después comparamos ese área de campeo estimada y el número de visitas entre periodos para comprobar si hubo variaciones debidas a los aportes. Además, monitoreamos con cámaras de fototrampeo ocho los comederos para identificar que otras especies podían estar haciendo uso de los comederos. Obtuvimos que las áreas de campeo cambiaron para algunos individuos marcados, aunque no todos acudieron a los comederos durante los aportes. El número de visitas a los comederos se incrementó durante los aportes suplementarios. Identificamos a quince especies no objetivo que acudían a los comederos, especialmente el jabalí. Los arruis y los jabalíes mostraron una segregación temporal en cuanto al uso de los comederos. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la efectividad de los aportes suplementarios es limitada en cuanto al comportamiento espacial del arrui, por lo que la reducción de daños agrícolas es limitada. Continuando con los aportes suplementarios como herramienta de gestión evaluada, en el Capítulo 5, evaluamos los efectos de esta herramienta sobre el suelo de un área montañosa de clima mediterráneo. Evaluamos este aspecto porque las propiedades fisicoquímicas y biológicas del suelo pueden verse alteradas debido a la concentración de la fauna silvestre donde se deposita la comida suplementaria. Para ello tomamos muestras de suelo de tres comederos y comparamos las características del suelo entre tres áreas: suelo de los comederos, suelo de alrededor de los comederos, y un suelo de referencia no alterado por los comederos. Nuestros resultados sugirieron que las propiedades físicas del suelo no se veían afectadas en los comederos. Sin embargo, la conductividad eléctrica, la concentración de nutrientes, la actividad microbiana y las comunidades microbianas en los comederos sí se alteraron debido a los aportes y la concentración de fauna, siendo los efectos alrededor de los comederos más débiles. La dinámica edáfica pudo verse modificada debido a estas alteraciones detectadas y contribuir al cambio global. Finalmente, en el Capítulo 6 discutimos los resultados obtenidos en los capítulos previos, abordando también las limitaciones de cada uno, las implicaciones para la conservación de la biodiversidad y las perspectivas futuras sobre la relación entre los ungulados silvestres y los humanosEcosystem functioning includes all cycling materials and energy, the interactions among organisms and the abiotic system. This functioning has been modified due to human activities, especially the biodiversity, which has provoked alterations of interactions among species. Currently the scientific community has recognized a biodiversity crisis because of human activities, which could affect negatively to human wellbeing by means of losing ecosystems and its components. All those benefits that people obtain from ecosystems are ecosystem services (ES), as for example food, tools, maintenance of habitats or even cultural aspects. Historically, our species has been linked to many species and among them ungulates deserve a chapter of their own. Ungulates are animal species closely related with human societies. Relations between humans and wild ungulates vary depending of the context. In developing countries ungulate populations are declining whereas in developed countries they are increasing in abundance and distribution. This rewilding process has contributed to the rise negative interactions between humans and between wild ungulates, as for example agriculture or silviculture damage. To avoid or mitigate these conflicts people use different management tools such as fencing or supplementary feeding. So, research about ungulates and their relations with people should be done from a social-ecological perspective. This thesis focuses on the human-ungulate relations, both positive and negative interactions, and the evaluation of management tools employed to mitigate those negative impacts. Specifically this thesis aims to assess: i) the state of the art of research in human-ungulates relations (Chapter 1); ii) the services and disservices provided by wild ungulates for two stakeholders: scientists and shepherds (Chapter 2); the niche overlap and potential competition between the native Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) and the exotic aoudad (Ammotragus lervia) as a paradigm of conservation conflict (Chapter 3); the effects of supplementary feeding effects on the target species (aoudad), other non-target species and soil properties (Chapters 4 and 5). Finally, in Chapter 6, the results of previous chapters are discussed. First (Chapter 1), we reviewed scientific publications to establish the state of the art about human-ungulate relations. We showed that most scientific publications approach this relations from the perspective of conflicts, being the ES less considered in that studies. Also, most of the publications included environmental managers and hunters as the main social actors regarding human-ungulate relations. Moreover, management tools employed to mitigate ungulate damages to human interests rarely were evaluated, and lethal control and the use of barriers were the main strategies recommended to mitigate or avoid damages. In Chapter 2, we approached to the human-ungulate interactions from the perspective of researchers and shepherds and the framework of ecosystem services based on the categories of beneficial nature’s contributions to people (NCP; Díaz et al., 2018) . We examined and compared scientific research and shepherds’ perceptions regarding the provision of NCP by wild ungulates. We reviewed scientific articles of NCP provided by ungulates in Spain and conducted questionnaires regarding NCP to shepherds in farming systems of Spain where domestic and wild ungulates cohabit. Then, we compared whether the scientific priorities match with those perceived by shepherds. Both stakeholders highlighted more detrimental than beneficial NCP, there were some mismatches between scientific priorities and shepherds’ perceptions. Regarding detrimental NCP, soil alteration, damage to silviculture, human safety, traffic collision and human-human conflicts were frequently studied but not mentioned by shepherds. In contrast, shepherds mainly considered vegetation damage, grazing competence, damage to animals with economic interests, crop damage and disease transmission to livestock as important detrimental NCP. Concerning beneficial NCP, whilst hunting was prominent in the publications, shepherds did not conceived it as an important beneficial contribution and considered the regulation of other organisms as an important benefit. These results can have twofold implications. The emphasis on detrimental NCP can reinforce the idea that ungulates can threaten humans rather than contribute to societies’ wellbeing. The fact that research does not address the interests of shepherds can affect the social tolerance towards ungulates as the damages experienced or perceived by shepherds are not studied. Our results show the relevance of considering local knowledge systems of shepherds, something highlighted by the NCP approach. Regarding Chapter 3, we evaluated the potential competition between the native Iberian ibex and the exotic aoudad measuring the niche overlap under cohabit conditions in the Iberian Peninsula. To do that, we compared the trophic niche by using the content of stable isotopes δ15N and δ13C in the hair, and the environmental niche by modelling habitat based on fine-scale presence records. Then we assessed both species’ co-occurrence to test for spatial segregation. Our results indicated that both species shared a similar trophic niche, showed a similar distribution of suitable areas and that their environmental niches were similar. Moreover, negative spatial association was found between the aoudad and Iberian ibex. So, both species are ecologically similar and suggest that spatial segregation might have favoured their co-existence in semiarid Mediterranean mountains where they cohabit. In order to clarify the effect of diversionary feeding (i.e. specific use of supplementary feeding to avoid crop damage), in Chapter 4 we evaluated its effect in the spatial behaviour of the aoudad. Also, we assessed the use of the diversionary feeding stations (DFS) by non-target species. Nine aoudads were tracked with GPS/GSM collars to establish their home ranges and the visits to the DFS. We compared the home ranges and the number of GPS locations in the DFS before and meanwhile food was available at them. Moreover, eight DFS were monitored with camera traps to identify which other species used the DFS. We found that home ranges varied for some individuals and that not all the tracked animals used the DFS. The number of locations in the DFS increased when food was available. Furthermore, other fifteen non-target species of birds and mammals used DFS, especially the wild boar. Aoudads and wild boars segregated temporally in their use of the DFS. These results suggest that diversionary feeding had little effect on the spatial behaviour of the aoudad and benefited other conflictive species. Continuing with the diversionary feeding as a management tool, we evaluated the effect of this tool on semiarid Mediterranean mountain soils, because physicochemical and biological soil properties can be altered due to the concentration of wildlife in areas where food is deposited (Chapter 5). We collected soil samples from three DFS and compared soil characteristics from three areas: feeding stations (FS), contour area (C; surrounding the feeding stations) and a reference soil (RS; not influenced by feeding stations). Our results suggested no effects on soil physical properties. However, we found that diversionary feeding altered electrical conductivity, nutrient concentration, microbial activity and microbial communities at FS, but effects were weaker in the C. Soil functionality could change due to these alterations of soil dynamics. Finally, Chapter 6 discusses the results presented in this thesis, the limitations of each chapter and the biodiversity conservation implications and future perspectives about wild ungulates and human relations

Context-dependent effects on spatial variation in deer-vehicle collisions

Identifying factors that contribute to the risk of wildlife‐vehicle collisions (WVCs) has been a key focus of wildlife managers, transportation safety planners and road ecologists for over three decades. Despite these efforts, few generalities have emerged which can help predict the occurrence of WVCs, heightening the uncertainty under which conservation, wildlife and transportation management decisions are made. Undermining this general understanding is the use of study area boundaries that are incongruent with major biophysical gradients, inconsistent data collection protocols among study areas and species‐specific interactions with roads. We tested the extent to which factors predicting the occurrence of deer‐vehicle collisions (DVCs) were general among five study areas distributed over a 11,400‐km2 region in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. In spite of our system‐wide focus on the same genus (i.e., Odocoileus hemionus and O. virginianus), study area delineation along major biophysical gradients, and use of consistent data collection protocols, we found that large‐scale biophysical processes influence the effect of localized factors. At the local scale, factors predicting WVC occurrence varied greatly between individual study areas. Distance to water was an important predictor of WVCs in three of the five study areas, while other variables had modest importance in only two of the five study areas. Thus, lack of generality in factors predicting WVCs may have less to do with methodological or taxonomic differences among study areas than the large‐scale, biophysical context within which the data were collected. These results highlight the critical need to develop a conceptual framework in road ecology that can unify the disparate results emerging from field studies on WVC occurrence

Coyotes Go “Bridge and Tunnel”: A Narrow Opportunity to Study the Socio-ecological Impacts of Coyote Range Expansion on Long Island, NY Pre- and Post-Arrival

Currently, Long Island, NY is without a breeding population of northeastern coyote (Canis latras var.), yet recent evidence of dispersing individuals on the island, coupled with the “dogged” momentum of coyote range expansion across North America, suggests a Long Island coyote population is close at hand. We highlighted the fleeting opportunity to takes advantage of this natural experiment by developing a multidisciplinary research framework to investigate the ecological and social impacts of the coyote, pre- and post- range expansion. We reviewed coyote spatial ecology, community ecology, and human dimensions research and identified three components of future investigation: predicting future occupancy, monitoring colonization, testing hypotheses of trophic cascades by leveraging and expanding existing ecological data, and exploring attitudes towards coyotes to better understand and mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. Each proposed component will integrate for a comprehensive investigation to advance theory and applied management of northeastern coyotes