Wildlife Monographs最新文献

{"title":"Heightened threats to small woodland caribou populations in Canada and key considerations for their persistence\u0000 Menaces pesant sur les petites populations de caribou des bois au Canada et considérations essentielles à leur rétablissement","authors":"Anna M. Calvert, Mathieu Leblond, Esther Chang","doi":"10.1002/wmon.70022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wmon.70022","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Woodland caribou (<i>Rangifer tarandus</i>) are one of the most iconic wildlife species in Canada. These large ungulates depend on undisturbed, interconnected assemblages of mature and old-growth conifer forests for survival, and exhibit life-history traits typical of K-selected species (i.e., low reproductive rates, long generation times, and slow population growth rates). Many of their local populations are threatened by habitat alteration and loss, increases in predation rates, climate change, and the cumulative effects of these stressors. Three of Canada's Designatable Units for caribou, which represent irreplaceable components of its biodiversity, are listed as threatened or endangered under the Species at Risk Act owing to their rapid population declines. There are rising concerns about the feasibility of their recovery, as many caribou populations become increasingly small and isolated. While most of the discussion on caribou conservation has focused on the relationship between habitat, human disturbances, and ensuing changes to predation pressure, here we broaden the conversation by exploring the influences of evolutionary forces, ecological processes, and population-level demographic and genetic parameters on the vulnerability and viability of critically small caribou populations. Our objective is to support the management and recovery of caribou in Canada through an in-depth, consolidated assessment of scientific information on the conservation of small wildlife populations in general, and of small caribou populations in particular. We begin by introducing small caribou populations of concern in Canada, including their population status and ongoing recovery efforts. Next, we examine several factors broadly relevant to the persistence of any small wildlife population, namely population size, connectivity among populations, habitat suitability, and population response variability, and discuss how they apply to caribou. We discuss ways by which demographic and environmental stochasticity interact with population-level demographic and genetic parameters, and how certain evolutionary forces and ecological interactions increase the vulnerability of small populations. We conclude by examining key but difficult questions surrounding the viability and recovery potential of small caribou populations, including relationships between population size, sustainability, and recovery potential, interventions available to help small populations, and what could be lost when small caribou populations become extirpated. We emphasize the importance Résuméof combining information about population size, connectivity, and habitat availability in determining probability of persistence of small populations, but also the urgency of acting even when this knowledge is incomplete. We underline the urgent need for concomitant interventions to address both proximate (e.g., increased predation pressure) and ultimate drivers of decline (e.g., habitat alteration and lo","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"227 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wmon.70022","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149235196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Issue Information - Cover","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/wmon.70024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wmon.70024","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"227 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wmon.70024","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149235165","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Issue Information - Cover","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/wmon.70021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wmon.70021","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"226 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wmon.70021","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148807708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecology of declining populations of gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in Indiana, USA\u0000 Ecología de las poblaciones en declive de zorros grises (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) en Indiana, EE.UU.","authors":"Tim L. Hiller, Julia A. Nawrocki, Brandon M. Bernhardt, Lane K. Jeakle, Dawn M. Reding, Geriann Albers","doi":"10.1002/wmon.70019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wmon.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Several indices and studies have indicated declining populations of gray foxes (<i>Urocyon cinereoargenteus</i>) in several Midwest states in the United States. Causes of these declines are unknown and may vary by region but could be linked to habitat loss and fragmentation, changing mesocarnivore communities, disease, and other complex factors. During 2020–2023, we collected data (e.g., location, biological samples, reproductive tracts [females only]) from 26 global positioning system (GPS)-collared gray foxes in central and southern Indiana, and data (e.g., biological samples) from 74 gray fox carcasses statewide. We estimated seasonal space use, cover selection, and resource selection of radiomarked gray foxes based on reproductive (Jan–Jun) and nonreproductive (Jul–Dec) seasons. To assess space use, we used a biased random bridge approach to estimate 95% utilization distributions (UDs), 30% intensity distributions (IDs; an index of the intensity of resource exploitation of areas), and 30% recursive distributions (RDs; rate at which resources are exploited) based on reproductive (<i>n</i> = 21 foxes) and nonreproductive (<i>n</i> = 23) seasons. Patterns of seasonal space use consistently included larger areas during the reproductive season (UD = 871.2 ha vs. 822.2 ha), although 95% confidence limits (CLs) overlapped. We used a use-availability approach to assess second- (landscape scale) and third-order (home-range scale) cover selection. Calculations of selection ratios (proportional use/proportional availability) by season suggested weak patterns for landscape-level selection, including no selection for any individual cover type and selection against agriculture-row crop and open water, regardless of season. Patterns were somewhat stronger for home-range-level selection; frequency of visitation and relative time of residence were both positively associated with several cover types (e.g., upland shrubland or forest, developed-low intensity, developed-roads) and negatively associated with agriculture-row crop. To assess resource selection, we used infinitely weighted logistic regression, constructed models using anthropogenic (e.g., distance to nearest developed cover type and building, density of buildings, traffic volume) and environmental (e.g., cover type, landscape connectivity, weather) covariates, and used Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) to assess model performance. Probability of use was greatest in areas near agricultural cover (strongest relative effect), buildings, and roads, regardless of season, and probabilities substantially decreased >100 m from each, suggesting the potential importance of habitat edge to meet life requisites associated with cover and forage. For assessments of genetics, we extracted DNA from 102 individuals and genotyped each at approximately 1,700 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using 2bRADseq. We identified 10 pairs of first-order relatives (parent-offspring or full siblings), 7 of which ha","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"226 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wmon.70019","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148807795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feathers and flu: identifying data gaps in avian influenza host dynamics to prioritize wildlife conservation\u0000 Plumas y gripe: identificación de datos faltantes en la dinámica de hospedadores de la influenza aviar para priorizar la conservación de la vida silvestre","authors":"Johanna A. Harvey,&nbsp;Matthew Gonnerman,&nbsp;Shenglai Yin,&nbsp;Cody M. Kent,&nbsp;Joshua Cullen,&nbsp;Jeffery D. Sullivan,&nbsp;Jonathan B. Dain,&nbsp;Nichola J. Hill,&nbsp;Diann J. Prosser,&nbsp;Jennifer M. Mullinax","doi":"10.1002/wmon.70015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wmon.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) have had disastrous, worldwide effects on wild birds and domestic poultry since the emergence of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 (Gs/GD/96) lineage. The currently circulating H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has an expanded set of susceptible hosts, including many migratory wild birds, and is associated with higher transmission rates, increased susceptibility among wild bird hosts, and a greater number of wildlife reservoirs. Certain wild bird life-history strategies and behaviors have been suggested to explain avian hosts’ susceptibility and exposure to HPAIV. These biological traits include gregariousness, such as colonial nesting and mixed flock foraging, predation or scavenging on wild birds, and association with aquatic habitats. Variation in host infection responses (e.g., infectability, shedding rates and duration, mortality rate, antibody development) informs the overall infection risk across avian species, yet the specific role of biological traits is often inconsistent and unclear across taxa. Moreover, the interactions and potential compounding effects among these biological traits remain largely unknown. To develop a more holistic understanding of cumulative risk across bird species, we integrate existing information on infection risk factors (i.e., susceptibility, immunological response, and behavioral traits) into a qualitative multivariate analysis. This approach enabled us to examine how infection risk factors relate to biological traits (e.g., phylogeny, physiology, behavior, species range) and to begin disentangling their complex interactions. We quantified and summarized these risk factors across host species and qualitatively ranked species by their viral responses along a proposed HPAIV response continuum, guided by expectations of traits and metrics associated with competence or vulnerability to HPAIV. In doing so, we aimed to better understand how viral responses and biological traits synergistically interact to influence cumulative risk across wild bird species. This work broadly expands on the previous avian influenza literature, which has focused on Anseriformes and Charadriiformes as primary viral reservoirs. We tie our findings to effective disease management responses with links to risk components, including descriptions of potential surveillance strategies applied to research and One Health goals, as well as a fuller understanding of how resources may be better deployed for rapid response when spillovers do inevitably occur. Additionally, we identified numerous areas where vital epidemiological information is lacking to best characterize the spread of these viruses. Ultimately, this improved understanding will help identify and inform disease management needs and decision making.</p>","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"225 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wmon.70015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148553419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Issue Information - Cover","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/wmon.70020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wmon.70020","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"225 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wmon.70020","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148553445","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of wildfire on spotted owls in California: a bioregional-scale data synthesis\u0000 Impactos de los incendios forestales en el búho moteado en California: una síntesis de datos a escala bioregional","authors":"Kate McGinn,&nbsp;M. Zachariah Peery,&nbsp;John Keane,&nbsp;Kevin Roberts,&nbsp;Brian Dotters,&nbsp;Sheila A. Whitmore,&nbsp;William J. Berigan,&nbsp;Lief R. Gallagher,&nbsp;Paula A. Shaklee,&nbsp;Thomas E. Munton,&nbsp;Ronan Hart,&nbsp;R. J. Gutiérrez,&nbsp;Gavin M. Jones","doi":"10.1002/wmon.70014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wmon.70014","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Wildfire has been a fundamental component of ecosystem dynamics for millennia. However, climate change, fire suppression, and land use practices have produced larger, more severe, and more frequent fires that threaten a range of wildlife species. Land managers in some fire-prone forest systems use fuels reduction treatments, including prescribed burning and mechanical thinning, to reduce vegetation density and the risk of large, high-severity fires. The strategy is to create forest landscapes that are more resilient to wildfire, which in turn will lessen the negative impact of uncharacteristically severe wildfire on wildlife. Yet there is uncertainty regarding the extent to which fire-adapted species are threatened by novel wildfire characteristics. The spotted owl (<i>Strix occidentalis</i>) has become a focal point for this controversy owing to its use of fire-suppressed forests that have been and will be vulnerable to changing fire regimes in the future. In this study, we attempted to address the question of how spotted owls respond to high-severity fire in California, USA, by leveraging 1) over 3 decades of detection–non-detection surveys in 1,514 historical spotted owl territories and 2) global positioning system (GPS) movement data from 171 individual spotted owls. Our study area included 7 national forests, 3 national parks, and extensive privately owned forests in California. Dynamic occupancy analysis indicated that spotted owl territories were more likely to become vacant and less likely to be colonized if they experienced recent and extensive high-severity fire. Consistent with the occupancy analysis, our movement analysis indicated that individual spotted owls avoided using severely burned forest. Although spotted owl territory persistence was higher in pyrodiverse territories (i.e., those with a mixture of low, moderate, and high severity burned areas), foraging owls showed mixed responses to local pyrodiversity, with some evidence that use of severely burned forest increased when pyrodiversity was high. We conclude that large and severe wildfires threaten the persistence of spotted owls in California. That said, forest restoration and fuels reduction treatments that reduce the risk of large and uncharacteristically severe fires while promoting multi-scale heterogeneity and pyrodiversity will likely benefit spotted owls and other species that occupy mixed conifer forests in California.</p>","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"224 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148533101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Issue Information - Cover","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/wmon.70018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wmon.70018","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"224 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wmon.70018","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148532908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Issue Information - Cover","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/wmon.70017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wmon.70017","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"223 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wmon.70017","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148292495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ecology of reintroduced Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in Dinosaur National Monument\u0000 La Ecología de Borrego Cimarron de las Montañas Rocosas Reintroducido en el Monumento Nacional de Dinosaurio","authors":"Sarah L. Carroll,&nbsp;Elizabeth P. Flesch,&nbsp;Salix R. Scoresby,&nbsp;Emily Spencer,&nbsp;Rachel S. Crowhurst,&nbsp;Clinton W. Epps,&nbsp;Nathan L. Galloway,&nbsp;William M. Janousek,&nbsp;Tabitha A. Graves","doi":"10.1002/wmon.70011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/wmon.70011","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Translocations have been widely used to restore and conserve bighorn sheep (&lt;i&gt;Ovis canadensis&lt;/i&gt;) populations in North America. Some translocations have been successful, but many populations remain small and genetically isolated. Population structure can influence the viability and long-term success of reintroductions. Social ungulates often function as interconnected subpopulations (metapopulations); however, few studies evaluate subpopulation sizes, connectivity, and genetic diversity within metapopulations. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive study of a reintroduced Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (&lt;i&gt;Ovis canadensis canadensis&lt;/i&gt;) population in Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado and Utah, USA, between 2006–2020. We analyzed global positioning system (GPS) radio-collar data, genetic samples, and results of health testing to evaluate abundance, distribution, genetic structure and diversity, habitat use, movement and connectivity, and presence of or exposure to respiratory pathogens. We integrated these analyses to evaluate the outcomes of a reintroduction effort that began in 1952, over 70 years ago, and to inform management decisions in Dinosaur National Monument. We also provide a framework for evaluating metapopulation processes, including a non-invasive approach that links genetic structure with Bayesian spatial capture-recapture analyses to estimate subpopulation sizes. Despite models indicating continuous suitable habitat, we found a spatially structured population with at least 4 subpopulations with constrained connectivity. Evidence from step selection and density analyses suggested that movement among subpopulations may be limited by semi-permeable barriers including rivers and human disturbance, which could contribute to maintenance of spatial structure over time. In 2006, antibody to &lt;i&gt;Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae&lt;/i&gt; was detected in all geographically and genetically distinct subpopulations. Widespread clinical signs of disease and a confirmed exposure to &lt;i&gt;M. ovipneumoniae&lt;/i&gt; in 2019 indicate a long-term disease challenge. Proximity to domestic sheep creates repeated opportunities for introduction of new &lt;i&gt;M. ovipneumoniae&lt;/i&gt; strains. We estimated abundance in 2019 at 109 (95% CrI = 87–133), composed of subpopulations ranging from 18–39 animals (95% CrIs from 11–50). Genetic diversity was relatively high compared to other reintroduced and native Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep populations, which is likely a consequence of multiple translocations from different sources. Three of 4 subpopulation centers generally aligned with the locations of original translocation release sites. Persistence in the presence of pathogens may be facilitated by metapopulation structure and moderately high genetic diversity. Conversely, metapopulation structure can also facilitate pathogen persistence. Our approach offers a path to advance understanding of the population ecology of reintroduced bighorn sheep and can inform effective co","PeriodicalId":235,"journal":{"name":"Wildlife Monographs","volume":"223 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/wmon.70011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148292464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}