Trey McClinton, David R. Luukkonen, Daniel B. Hayes
{"title":"Comparing autumn duck use of intensely managed wetlands in Michigan using a novel approach","authors":"Trey McClinton, David R. Luukkonen, Daniel B. Hayes","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.70214","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70214","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Socioeconomic value derived from duck hunting has contributed to autumn habitat use becoming a particular focus for the natural resource community. Land managers work to promote waterfowl and hunting by providing energy-rich food resources across the landscape that attract and concentrate individuals while mitigating disturbance by providing spatial and temporal sanctuary. Questions remain on how ducks distribute themselves on the landscape during autumn migration, which overlaps harvest windows. We compared 2018 and 2019 autumn duck use on 6 areas in southeastern Michigan, USA, and assessed relationships with associated vegetation (natural marsh or farmed fields), hunting status (whether a location was open to hunting or not), diel period, and season progression. We employed a novel camera trap survey method and used a subset of our data to compare estimates derived from motion-triggered and time-lapse camera settings. Generally, use was greater in areas closed to hunting (sanctuary) as compared to hunted locations. Similarly, use of fields was typically greater than use of marshes. However, these relationships were modified by an interaction between diel period and season progression. Motion-trigger and time-lapse methods generated similar estimates, indicating both are viable options for duck use comparisons. We encourage natural resource managers to promote a suite of vegetation types on the landscape and to maintain or expand areas of sanctuary for autumn duck use.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":"90 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.70214","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148238215","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}
Alexander B. May, Rebecca L. Levine, Lee Knox, Corey Class, Matthew J. Kauffman, Kevin L. Monteith
{"title":"Nutritional and reproductive dynamics of moose near their southern range limit","authors":"Alexander B. May, Rebecca L. Levine, Lee Knox, Corey Class, Matthew J. Kauffman, Kevin L. Monteith","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.70202","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70202","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding the relationships between nutrition and life-history characteristics can provide insight into the factors limiting populations. Moose (<i>Alces alces</i>) at their southern range periphery are subject to nutritional constraints because of marginal climatic and habitat conditions, but how these limitations influence vital rates remains a point of uncertainty. We examined the nutritional and reproductive dynamics of moose at the fringes of their range in southeast Wyoming, USA. We used an individual-based approach to evaluate the nutritional condition (i.e., body fat) of female moose by recapturing the same individuals each autumn and spring to measure body fat, pregnancy, recruitment of offspring, and survival. Like other temperate ungulates, we anticipated that moose would accumulate body fat over summer and use those reserves to support survival and reproduction over winter. Throughout the annual cycle, we expected that body fat, an integrated measure of energetic gains and losses, would influence pregnancy, recruitment, and adult survival. Contrary to expectations, body fat varied by less than 1.5 percentage points between autumn and spring. Despite relatively low seasonal fluctuations, body fat was positively associated with probability of pregnancy and adult survival but did not influence recruitment of young. Moreover, age influenced probability of pregnancy and overwinter survival. We demonstrate clear signs of nutritional limitation and unexpectedly absent relationships between body fat and recruitment that may be unique to moose living at the fringes of their range, highlighting environmental constraints on reproduction at distributional limits. By investigating the connections between nutrition and reproduction in southern moose, we provide insight into how vital rates can be used to monitor demographic performance for at-risk populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":"90 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.70202","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148237544","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}
Sydney M. Brewer, Nathan P. Snow, James C. Beasley
{"title":"Proximity to bait and social interactions influence individual wild pig (Sus scrofa) visitation at bait sites","authors":"Sydney M. Brewer, Nathan P. Snow, James C. Beasley","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.70220","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70220","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Human–wildlife interactions and conflicts with pest species (native and invasive) are a growing problem worldwide, leading to a need for improved management tools and approaches. Wild pigs (<i>Sus scrofa</i>) are extensively managed as a pest in both their native and invasive range, with the goal of population reduction or eradication to mitigate damage to native and anthropogenic ecosystems. Management programs for wild pigs often use a variety of tools (e.g., remote cameras, traps, shooting, and toxic bait) that require attracting individuals to a location with bait. However, not all bait sites are visited by wild pigs, and it is often unknown why individuals locate some bait sites but not others. We conducted 325 experimental bait site replicates on 52 collared individual wild pigs in South Carolina, USA, to test the hypothesis that wild pig visitation to bait sites was influenced by a combination of intrinsic (sex, space use) and extrinsic (bait placement methods, addition of scent lure, presence of other wild pigs) factors. We found that target wild pigs visited 30.6% more sites and 33.4 hours faster when bait sites were placed within areas of more concentrated use rather than the periphery of their home ranges. Further, a target animal was more likely to find a bait site and had reduced times to detection when they were nearer to bait at the time of deployment. However, females visited 28.3% fewer sites and took 118.9 hours longer to locate bait when an adult male visited the site prior to them compared to when an adult male did not, suggesting potential exclusion or avoidance behaviors at bait. The addition of scent or presentation method of bait did not influence visitation rates, suggesting the location of bait on the landscape was the most important factor for enticing wild pigs to visit. Collectively, these results add to the growing body of evidence that the location of bait on the landscape relative to the distribution of wild pigs is critical to optimizing detection, and scents or placement methods cannot overcome poorly located bait sites. Further, managers should consider that the presence of adult males may reduce the likelihood of female or sounder visitation at sites.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":"90 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.70220","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148237594","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}
Christopher K. Williams, Clark Nissley, Kenneth F. Abraham
{"title":"Does snow melt timing affect nesting interspecific competition between two goose species?","authors":"Christopher K. Williams, Clark Nissley, Kenneth F. Abraham","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.70212","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70212","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Global climate change can alter the timing of migration for birds, and these temporal shifts can differ across species. There is little knowledge about whether these timing shifts could alter interspecific competition, with effects on reproductive success or interspecific interactions. Cackling geese (<i>Branta hutchinsii</i>) and Atlantic brant (<i>Branta bernicla hrota</i>) share similar coastal nesting habitat and may exhibit pre-emptive interference competition for nest sites. Thus, in early snow melt years when cackling geese can initiate nests 2 weeks sooner than brant, they may have a competitive advantage in finding optimal nesting sites that provide protection from Arctic foxes (<i>Vulpes lagopus</i>). In late melt years when both species initiate nests within a few days of each other, competitive advantages are less certain. Using a natural experiment driven by strong interannual variation in snow melt timing (early snow melt year of 2014 and the late snow melt year of 2015) on Southampton Island, Nunavut, Canada, we assessed whether snow melt timing affected nest site characteristics, brant behaviors, and nest success. Behavioral scans revealed that brant males and females altered their behavior between years that differed in cackling goose nest density, suggesting indirect exploitative competition for food resources. Apparent nest success varied between species and years, with brant nest success increasing in the late snow melt year of 2015. Our top model indicated that water levels surrounding nest sites limited arctic fox depredation, and brant nest success was higher in the years with later snow melt, which also had higher water levels during nesting. This study highlights the importance of considering interspecific competition in understanding the impacts of climate change on Arctic breeding bird populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":"90 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148238126","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}
Lora L. Smith, Colin P. Shea, Michelina C. Dziadzio, Jennifer M. Howze, Kyle Brown, Katherine Richardson
{"title":"Using gopher tortoise monitoring data to inform habitat restoration and translocations","authors":"Lora L. Smith, Colin P. Shea, Michelina C. Dziadzio, Jennifer M. Howze, Kyle Brown, Katherine Richardson","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.70221","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70221","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Translocation has become an increasingly important tool for mitigating the loss of wildlife populations; however, determining appropriate stocking levels for recipient sites is challenging for species that occur across a wide array of land cover types. The gopher tortoise (<i>Gopherus polyphemus</i>) occurs in nearly all terrestrial ecosystems in the southeastern United States and is one of the most frequently translocated reptiles in North America. There is a need to determine which habitat characteristics are most suitable to support translocated tortoises and to provide restoration and management targets across different land cover types. To address these needs, we used existing line transect distance sampling data to predict tortoise densities in different land cover types using a Bayesian implementation of a hierarchical distance sampling model. Data were collected from 2014 through 2020 as part of Florida's gopher tortoise monitoring program for state conservation lands, and our models included 2 covariates describing habitat condition: soil depth to water table and canopy cover. The predicted gopher tortoise densities varied by land cover type but generally increased with decreasing canopy cover. Among land cover types and under average soil depth to water table and canopy conditions in each land cover type, coastal strand, sandhill, coastal grassland, and coniferous plantation had the highest predicted tortoise densities (>1 tortoise/ha). Under the same conditions, the lowest predicted densities occurred in upland pine, upland coniferous, xeric hammock, and mesic flatwoods (<0.40 tortoise/ha). This study demonstrates how extensive monitoring data and metrics of land cover condition can be used to inform future translocation protocols and habitat management and restoration.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":"90 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148237557","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}
Rosemary Ronca, Elyssa Winterton, Jon M. Davenport
{"title":"Bridging data gaps: Evidence-based population assessment for an endemic amphibian of conservation concern","authors":"Rosemary Ronca, Elyssa Winterton, Jon M. Davenport","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.70216","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70216","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Understanding the ecological niches and needs of a species, and how specific threats may affect their survival, are necessary to effectively conserve a species or a larger community. The Southern Appalachians in the United States are home to a plethora of endemic salamander species, including Weller's salamander (<i>Plethodon welleri</i>). Like many other endemic species in this region, Weller's salamander is chronically understudied, resulting in a limited understanding of the population occurrences and ecological requirements. The objective of our study was to develop foundational knowledge for Weller's salamander by investigating patterns in occupancy and abundance and identifying primary habitat characteristics. We used an occupancy modeling framework to assess a variety of static and variable habitat parameters and identified trends in habitat needs and seasonal activity shifts. Additionally, we used N-mixture models to conservatively estimate the number of Weller's salamanders at each plot and determine which parameters influenced the number of salamanders present. We found that the environmental factors associated with desiccation risk were most strongly correlated with detection of Weller's salamanders across seasons, resulting in detection probabilities of 0.364 (spring), 0.430 (summer), and 0.518 (fall). Plot occupancy and abundance were influenced primarily by terrain and elevational characteristics, coupled with seasonal changes resulting in occupancy estimates of 0.603 (spring), 0.278 (summer), and 0.466 (fall), and density estimates of 2.382/50 m<sup>2</sup> (spring), 2.370/50 m<sup>2</sup> (summer), and 10.629/50 m<sup>2</sup> (fall). We observed seasonal changes in activity patterns across the surveyed elevational gradient, with salamanders being active at lower elevations during transitional seasons (spring and fall) and active at higher elevation sites during the warmer summer months. Our study provides evidence that Weller's salamander is not a habitat specialist of high-elevation spruce-fir forests, as originally described, but rather can be found in a variety of forest types along a greater elevation gradient. The findings from this study will help guide future research into Weller's salamander and could help guide efforts to conserve and manage this species in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":"90 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.70216","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148238057","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}
Jonathan D. Brooks, Aniruddha V. Belsare, Joe N. Caudell, Patrick A. Zollner
{"title":"Harvest increase and culling as tools for managing chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer","authors":"Jonathan D. Brooks, Aniruddha V. Belsare, Joe N. Caudell, Patrick A. Zollner","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.70211","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70211","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that affects white-tailed deer (<i>Odocoileus virginianus</i>) and other cervids, is increasing in geographic distribution and prevalence and causing population declines. To mitigate CWD spread, wildlife management agencies frequently allow hunters to harvest more deer (i.e., CWD management zones) and remove symptomatic or asymptomatic deer from locations where CWD has been detected (i.e., post-harvest targeted culling). However, it is unclear how factors such as geographic location of CWD introduction, age and sex of deer that introduce CWD, geographic location and extent of CWD management zones, harvest within CWD management zones, and post-harvest targeted culling may affect the establishment and spread of CWD in a region. By simulating a CWD outbreak using the <i>Ov</i>CWD modeling framework, we explored how such factors impact effectiveness of CWD management in northwest Indiana and northeast Illinois, USA. Location of CWD introduction and age-sex class of the deer introducing CWD had the largest effect on geographic spread of CWD and fadeout probability. Larger CWD management zones (2,352 km<sup>2</sup>) increased fadeout probability and decreased geographic spread more than smaller zones (976 km<sup>2</sup> or 532 km<sup>2</sup>). Increasing harvest by ≥200% within the largest management zone, especially in combination with post-harvest culling, also resulted in greater fadeout probability and reduced spread. Fadeout probability increased and geographic spread decreased with increasing percentage of deer tested for CWD and percentage of deer removed during culling. The location of disease introduction and demographics of the deer that introduce disease proved important when simulating CWD outbreaks using agent-based models. Our simulations demonstrate that increases in harvest and culling must be greater than those currently in practice to slow the spread of CWD. Although control of CWD using the strategies simulated may be epidemiologically possible, such management may be intractable given current levels of deer hunter participation and desire to harvest more deer. These findings provide decision makers with information needed to determine the feasibility of CWD management strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":"90 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.70211","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148238155","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}
Rachelle A. Fortier, Donnell M. L. Gasbarrini, Kelton H. Adderley-Heron, Christine A. Drader, Toby J. Thorne
{"title":"Modeling long-term population viability to inform recovery of a functionally extinct urban Blanding's turtle population","authors":"Rachelle A. Fortier, Donnell M. L. Gasbarrini, Kelton H. Adderley-Heron, Christine A. Drader, Toby J. Thorne","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.70219","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70219","url":null,"abstract":"<p>After being assessed as functionally extinct, Toronto Zoo and Parks Canada have been working since 2012 to recover the Rouge National Urban Park (RNUP) population of Blanding's turtle (<i>Emydoidea blandingii</i>) through <i>ex situ</i> incubation of eggs and headstarting. To evaluate progression toward recovery goals and identify which demographic factors most strongly affect long-term population persistence, we performed a population viability analysis using the program VORTEX. Analyses used demographic data from 2014 to 2022 to evaluate population trajectory over the next 150 years and to compare the influence of various management strategies and model uncertainties on population growth rate, population size, and probability of extinction. Completing the remaining 12 years of the 20-year headstarting program is projected to result in a population that is roughly twice the size compared to if headstarting is stopped immediately. Given uncertainty in some demographic parameters, sensitivity analyses highlight juvenile survival has the largest influence on stochastic growth and extinction risk, and even small reductions in juvenile mortality could greatly increase population growth. Overall, results highlight that continued headstarting efforts along with additional management interventions will be needed to meet project goals and support the long-term persistence of the population. Further investigation of demographic parameters as this population ages and grows will help address current knowledge gaps and inform future adaptive management.</p>","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":"90 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jwmg.70219","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148238117","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":"Home Ranges of Animals: Cognitive Maps, Research Approaches, and Insights By \u0000 Roger A. Powell, Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 2025. pp. 238. $155.00 (hardback). ISBN: 9780192858337","authors":"Dylan G. Stewart","doi":"10.1002/jwmg.70200","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.70200","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17504,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Wildlife Management","volume":"90 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148238271","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}