Journal of Wildlife Management最新文献

{"title":"Temporal habitat use of mule deer in the Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico","authors":"Daniel E. Bird,&nbsp;Laura E. D'Acunto,&nbsp;Daniel Ginter,&nbsp;Glenn Harper,&nbsp;Patrick A. Zollner","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22621","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jwmg.22621","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Mule deer (<i>Odocoileus hemionus</i>) are important economically, culturally, and recreationally to the Pueblo of Santa Ana in central New Mexico, USA. Studies of habitat selection improve our understanding of mule deer ecology in central New Mexico and provide the Tribe with valuable information for management of mule deer. We used global positioning system telemetry-collar data collected on mule deer around the Pueblo of Santa Ana to create resource selection functions from proximity-based habitat predictors using a generalized linear mixed model. We created separate resource selection functions for females and males during summer and winter at different times of the day. Season generally had a greater effect on mule deer habitat use than the time of day. Female and male mule deer selected for similar habitats but were sexually segregated in their summer distributions. These findings are consistent with results from other locations where mule deer partitioned habitat similarly between seasons and sexes. Supported models reaffirm accepted patterns of habitat selection for mule deer to the Pueblo of Santa Ana where local results were lacking. Our results can help managers identify locations in and around the Pueblo of Santa Ana where future development such as highway expansion are likely to conflict with mule deer activity and locations where habitat enhancement projects such as adding water sources can have the greatest effect for the deer population.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.22621","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141358952","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Natural disturbance allows multiple anuran taxa to persist in a dynamic wetland complex","authors":"Victoria Tawa,&nbsp;Douglas C. Tozer,&nbsp;David M. Green","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22617","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22617","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The maintenance of biological diversity is frequently enhanced in a heterogenous landscape by some level of disturbance. Thus, when a landscape becomes stabilized and homogenized through the spread of an invasive plant species, there may be consequences for native biodiversity, particularly for those biotas that depend on the pre-existing, natural disturbance regime of that landscape. At Long Point, Ontario, Canada, a sandspit in Lake Erie, the community of anuran amphibians experienced the co-incidence of 2 major disturbance events, 1 anthropogenic and 1 natural: an intervention to remove the invasive form of the common reed (<i>Phragmites australis australis</i>) and a spate of extensive dune washouts caused by high water levels and storms. As a result of the unequal distribution of disturbance in the landscape, different areas were affected by only the dune washouts, only the common reed treatment, both disturbances, or neither disturbance. From May to August 2021, we explored how the disturbances affected the resident frog and toad species habitat associations in the 4 different disturbance conditions in the landscape. By means of minnow traps, acoustic surveys, and visual surveys, we determined that the dune washouts had a greater influence on resident anurans than the common reed treatment. Ranid frogs (Ranidae) tended to inhabit non-washout sites, whereas Fowler's toads (<i>Anaxyrus fowleri</i>) congregated in the newly formed, sand flats and shallow, de-vegetated pools resulting from the washouts. Neither ranid frogs nor Fowler's toads demonstrated avoidance of the sites affected by the herbicide treatment and mechanical rollover of the common reed. This evidence of species sorting, which enables multiple species to persist in a dynamic and heterogeneous landscape, suggests that wildlife management in aid of threatened species recovery may find success by encouraging natural disturbance regimes in dynamic landscapes. Future management endeavors should consider refraining from complete dune stabilization in these landscapes to allow the natural washouts to occur at a higher frequency, while ensuring the continued effectiveness of the invasive common reed eradication.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.22617","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141308798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mule deer mortality in the northern Great Plains in a landscape altered by oil and natural gas extraction","authors":"Brett P. Skelly,&nbsp;Christopher T. Rota,&nbsp;Jesse L. Kolar,&nbsp;Bruce A. Stillings,&nbsp;John W. Edwards,&nbsp;Melissa A. Foster,&nbsp;Ryan M. Williamson,&nbsp;Joshua J. Millspaugh","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22619","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jwmg.22619","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A worldwide increasing demand for renewable and non-renewable energy resources has been ongoing since the mid-1970s and is projected to increase for the next 2 decades. The effects of oil and natural gas development on wildlife mortality risk may play an important role in mule deer (<i>Odocoileus hemionus</i>) population dynamics. We evaluated the potential effects of oil and natural gas development on mortality risk of mule deer in western North Dakota and eastern Montana, USA. We assessed adult and juvenile female mule deer mortality risk with Poisson point process models using 265 deer fitted with global positioning system (GPS) radio-collars that were deployed from 2013–2016. Mortality covariates included proportion of area disturbed by oil and natural gas development, distance to oil and natural gas development, distance to roads, temperature, snow depth, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and age of deer. During the study there was no effect of oil and natural gas development or roads on mule deer mortality, though &lt;1% of all deer locations were within 500 m of active drilling rigs. Mule deer mortality was greatest in winter and spring, and positively related to temperature during these seasons. Estimated annual adult survival probability was 0.79 (95% CI = 0.71–0.85). Given the strong influence of season and temperature variables on mortality risk, weather had the strongest influence on mule deer mortality during this study. Although we did not detect an effect of energy development on mule deer mortality, effects on space use resulting from development could influence deer dynamics in the region through displacement and could occur over longer time scales than we evaluated. This study can be used in pre-development planning in a risk assessment framework to minimize effects of development on mule deer.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141269409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spring black bear harvest and predation pressure on moose calves in a multi-predator system","authors":"Seth A. Moore,&nbsp;Tiffany M. Wolf,&nbsp;William J. Severud,&nbsp;E. J. Isaac,&nbsp;Yvette M. Chenaux-Ibrahim","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22618","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jwmg.22618","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The moose (<i>Alces alces</i>; mooz in Anishinaabemowin, Ojibwe language will follow scientific names) is a vital subsistence food source to Anishinabe people of the midwestern United States and has recently declined in Minnesota, USA, with poor calf survival as a contributing factor. Predation is the primary cause of moose calf mortality and we explored whether calf predation rates could be reduced through management of a single predator in a multi-predator system. Thus, we examined predation rates and causes of calf mortality before (2013–2015) and during (2016–2018) implementation of a spring black bear (<i>Ursus americanus</i>; makwa) harvest season, using baits to attract black bears, on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, Minnesota, where black bears and gray wolves (<i>Canis lupus</i>; ma'iinganag) are the primary predators of moose calves. We validated our early study findings for the 5 years following the initial study with intermittent spring bear hunting seasons, from 2019–2023. The spring bear hunt was canceled because of a pandemic lockdown in 2020, resumed 2021, and was closed in 2022 and 2023. Black bear harvest prior to adding a spring bear hunting season was 0.038 bears harvested/km² from 2012–2015, whereas after initiating a spring hunting season (2016–2018) it was 17% higher at 0.046 bears/km². We observed significantly lower bear predation (by 68%) in association with spring bear management and no compensatory change in the level of wolf predation. The validation years strengthened our findings that spring bear hunting seasons reduce moose calf predation rates, with an overall 68% lower proportion of bear predation on moose calves in the years when spring bear hunts were held. Mean proportion of calf predation attributed to bears was 4.9 times higher (30% vs. 6%) in the years when a spring bear hunt was not held. Despite an increasing wolf density during the study period, we did not observe a compensatory increase in wolf predation during spring bear hunt years. The results of this work suggest that the addition of a spring bear hunt, during a time when moose calves are most vulnerable to bear predation, has the potential to increase moose calf survival even in the presence of wolves.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.22618","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141271775","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wolverine population density and home range size in Arctic Alaska","authors":"Thomas W. Glass,&nbsp;Martin D. Robards","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22600","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jwmg.22600","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding the spatial requirements of exploited wildlife species, including population density and home range size, is important for wildlife management and conservation. Wolverines (<i>Gulo gulo</i>) are hunted and trapped across the Arctic, and are vulnerable to numerous, often interrelated, threats resulting from anthropogenic changes in their environment. Previous population density estimates for wolverines in the Arctic range tenfold, from the lowest to highest available for the species, limiting their utility outside the specific areas and times they were derived. The most recent density estimate in Arctic Alaska, USA, was produced 4 decades ago and was derived from a relatively small study area. We evaluated wolverine population density and home range size across the North Slope of Alaska during 2017–2022 using global positioning system (GPS)-based collar data and spatial capture-recapture models. Population density estimates were 2.0 individuals/1,000 km² (95% credible interval = 1.3–3.5) in 2018 and 2.8 individuals/1,000 km² (95% credible interval = 1.7–3.5) in 2021. Median home range sizes modeled with autocorrelated kernel density estimators and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck foraging movement processes were 699 km² (range = 158–2,895 km²) among 12 females and 2,332 km² (range = 797–4,699 km²) among 10 males. These population density estimates are nearly 10 times lower than the previous estimate for Arctic Alaska. We recommend incorporating this information into management strategies to ensure sustainable harvest, particularly as the region's remote areas are more efficiently accessed by hunters and are being considered for transportation corridors supporting new industrial development.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141272481","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of habitat, weather, and raptors on northern bobwhite abundance at multiple spatial scales","authors":"John T. Edwards,&nbsp;Fidel Hernández,&nbsp;David B. Wester,&nbsp;Leonard A. Brennan,&nbsp;Chad J. Parent,&nbsp;Robert M. Perez","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22598","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jwmg.22598","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Rangelands in the southwestern United States represent a current stronghold for northern bobwhite (<i>Colinus virginianus</i>); however, bobwhite populations in rangelands exhibit extreme inter-annual variability in abundance in relation to fluctuating weather patterns. Recent declining bobwhite population trends within this region have led to the supposition that landscape-scale processes, such as habitat loss and fragmentation and predation from increased raptor abundance, may be acting in conjunction with weather to reduce bobwhite populations. Our objective was to determine the relative effects of these factors on bobwhite populations in the rangeland environments of Texas and Oklahoma, USA. We obtained publicly available datasets for bobwhite counts (Breeding Bird Survey, state-agency roadside counts), weather (PRISM), land cover (National Land Cover Database), and raptors (Christmas Bird Counts) for 3 5-year periods (1990–1994, 1999–2003, 2009–2013). Data were collected at route and landscape scales based on routes within the Rio Grande Plains region of Texas and the Central Mixed Grass Prairie region of Texas and Oklahoma. We used generalized linear mixed models with a backward selection approach to determine top models for each dataset based on scale and ecoregion. Covariate relationships with bobwhite abundance followed expected patterns, with positive relationships with habitat, precipitation, and minimum temperatures and negative relationships with maximum temperatures and raptor abundance. Weather variables were the factors most consistently selected within both regions, while minimum winter temperature was overall the top variable. These relationships occurred within a landscape still containing relatively vast amounts of unfragmented bobwhite habitat (&gt;60% rangeland; &gt;15 million ha). Management within these regions should be focused on retaining habitat at a broad scale, while managing for suitable cover at a local scale to help mitigate weather effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141165423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phylogenetics, subspecies, and conservation of the eastern pinesnake","authors":"Alexander R. Krohn,&nbsp;Joseph J. Apodaca,&nbsp;Louisa Collins,&nbsp;Bryan D. Hudson,&nbsp;Kyle Barrett","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22599","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jwmg.22599","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Whether or where to draw subspecies' taxonomic boundaries is much more than an esoteric argument. Subspecific taxonomies and associated geographic ranges have important conservation and management implications because the Endangered Species Act (ESA) protects distinct populations segments below the species level. Genomic data can help resolve taxonomic disputes and assist with conservation policy; however, because subspecific lineages often exhibit gene flow, genomic lineages for subspecific taxa are rarely distinct. We used genomic data from the eastern pinesnake (<i>Pituophis melanoleucus</i>) to determine the geographic range of the morphologically variable Florida pinesnake (<i>P. m. mugitus</i>), which is petitioned for listing under the ESA. The overall genomic pattern of the eastern pinesnake is one of admixture, and there are gradual differences over the wide range of the species. But there still are discernable areas of genetic differentiation that correspond to the morphologically defined Florida pinesnake, and other subspecies. This pattern of admixture should be expected for subspecies. We propose that boundaries for the Florida pinesnake should maximize the species redundancy, resilience, and representation based on genomic data. We also propose best practices for managers and policymakers interpreting genomic data of subspecies, given that the genomic cutoffs will rarely be truly distinct.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141107247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Greater sage-grouse chick mortality risk relative to livestock grazing management, environmental factors, and morphometric measurements","authors":"Lorelle I. Berkeley,&nbsp;Mark Szczypinski,&nbsp;Shea P. Coons,&nbsp;Victoria J. Dreitz,&nbsp;Justin A. Gude","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22596","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jwmg.22596","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Greater sage-grouse (<i>Centrocercus urophasianus</i>; sage-grouse) populations in the western United States have declined, necessitating conservation efforts. The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and livestock producers implemented the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) to improve sage-grouse habitat using regional-specific management actions such as rotational grazing. We assessed the effect of SGI grazing management, the influence of brood female and chick morphometric traits, and multiple environmental and anthropogenic disturbance factors on chick mortality risk in a sage-grouse population in central Montana, USA, from 2011–2019. We used a Kaplan-Meier survival function to evaluate chick survival, Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate chick mortality risk as a function of brood female and chick morphometric traits, and the Andersen-Gill formulation of the Cox proportional hazards model to assess the effects of time-dependent habitat characteristics on chick mortality risk. Survival to 45 days post-hatch for 510 chicks varied annually from 0.26 ± 0.07 (SE) to 0.69 ± 0.07. The 45-day survival rate for all years combined was 0.51 ± 0.03. Chick mortality risk was not affected by changes in livestock grazing management implemented through the SGI grazing program. Brood female age and body condition, sex of chicks, vegetation, and anthropogenic variables were also unassociated with chick mortality risk. There were small protective effects of chick mass adjusted for age and mean minimum monthly temperature; greater chick mass and lower monthly temperatures correlated with reduced mortality risk. Overall, our study suggests the SGI grazing program does not confer additional benefits to sage-grouse chicks beyond existing grazing practices. Incentivizing grazing practices that adhere to fundamental principles of rangeland ecology and maintain intact rangelands may be more effective than specific prescribed grazing systems for sage-grouse conservation in this region.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.22596","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140968406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Roads reduce breeding occupancy and productivity in barn owls","authors":"Brian T. Busby,&nbsp;Michael P. Gordon,&nbsp;Jim Belthoff","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22597","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jwmg.22597","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Urbanization and expanding road networks threaten some avian populations through habitat loss and degradation. Barn owls (<i>Tyto alba</i>) have been particularly affected through roadway mortality, loss of grassland, and conversion or destruction of nesting sites. To combat declines and bolster reproduction, and as part of integrated pest management to reduce crop damage, some land managers provide supplemental owl nesting sites via the installation of nest boxes. If nearby habitat and land cover characteristics are not considered when placing boxes, such as major roads or other anthropogenic features, owls could be attracted to locations that could hinder populations further. We investigated the effects of roads and urban areas on barn owl breeding occupancy and productivity to provide information to help guide the placement of nest boxes. We monitored &gt;300 nest boxes over the 2020 and 2021 breeding seasons in southwestern Idaho, USA, where substantial roadway mortality of barn owls occurs. Barn owls occupied &gt;60% of nest boxes, but the likelihood of breeding occupancy decreased with increasing proximity of nest boxes to roads. Boxes 500 m from roads had a predicted probability of occupancy of over 0.9, which was nearly double that of boxes within 100 m. Proximity to roads also was associated with reduced productivity such that boxes within 100 m of roads were predicted to produce approximately 1 fewer fledgling than those 500 m away. There was no evidence that the proportion of urban area surrounding nest boxes substantially influenced breeding occupancy or productivity. Thus, land managers can consider placing nest boxes for barn owls farther from roads when possible as a potential tactic to increase the probability of breeding occupancy and to foster higher productivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140975676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influences of aquatic and terrestrial habitat characteristics on abundance patterns of adult wood turtles","authors":"Jena M. Staggs,&nbsp;Donald J. Brown,&nbsp;Andrew F. Badje,&nbsp;James T. Anderson,&nbsp;Lena V. Carlson,&nbsp;Carly N. Lapin,&nbsp;Madaline M. Cochrane,&nbsp;Ron A. Moen","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.22589","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jwmg.22589","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Wood turtles (<i>Glyptemys insculpta</i>) are a species of conservation concern throughout their geographic distribution. Several studies have investigated individual-level habitat selection of wood turtles in the Upper Midwest in the United States, but the effects of habitat characteristics on abundance are poorly understood. This information is needed to improve landscape-level habitat management and conservation initiatives for the species. Our study aimed to identify important aquatic and terrestrial habitat characteristics and quantify their influence on abundance dynamics of adult wood turtles in the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province ecoregion of Wisconsin and Minnesota, USA. We collected standardized population survey data at 57 sites within the ecoregion between 2016 and 2022. We used <i>N</i>-mixture models with a multi-stage model selection procedure to assess the influence of aquatic and terrestrial predictors on abundance, including several 3-dimensional forest structure metrics derived from airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. Several aquatic and terrestrial habitat characteristics influenced local abundance patterns of adult wood turtles. The most influential aquatic predictors were stream velocity and stream width, and the most influential terrestrial predictors were mean return height and vertical coefficient of variation of height. Abundance was high at sites containing comparatively narrow streams with moderate velocities. The most supported terrestrial predictors were derived from LiDAR and indicate that complex forest structures support larger wood turtle populations. Our results can be used in forest management strategies to improve habitat quality for wood turtles, such as selective tree harvesting to increase structural diversity, and potentially identify robust populations in under-surveyed areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2024-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140940940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}