Behavioral response of white-tailed deer to coyote predation risk

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dc.contributor.authorGulsby, William D.en
dc.contributor.authorCherry, Michael J.en
dc.contributor.authorJohnson, James T.en
dc.contributor.authorConner, L. Mikeen
dc.contributor.authorMiller, Karl V.en
dc.contributor.departmentFish and Wildlife Conservationen
dc.date.accessioned2019-05-03T19:30:00Zen
dc.date.available2019-05-03T19:30:00Zen
dc.date.issued2018-03en
dc.description.abstractBehavioral responses of prey to predation risk can affect lower trophic levels. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; hereafter deer) increase vigilance in response to coyote (Canis latrans) presence, but vigilance responses to spatiotemporal variation in coyote abundance are unknown. Therefore, we examined the relationship between deer foraging behavior and coyote abundance on two 2000-ha study areas in Georgia, USA, during 2010-2013. We used baited camera traps during fall and winter to quantify deer behavior (i.e., feeding or vigilant) and estimated coyote abundance using fecal genotyping to noninvasively mark and recapture individuals. During 2011 and 2012, coyote removals were implemented on each study area. Coyote abundance (i.e., predation risk) varied spatiotemporally and was a predictor of foraging behavior during at least one season for all sex-age classes of deer except juveniles. Adult males were more sensitive to predation risk in winter, after the breeding season, whereas adult females were sensitive to predation risk during both seasons, but more so during fall when offspring are at greater risk. Yearling males were more sensitive to predation risk than adult males, and juveniles were least sensitive to predation risk, likely because of inexperience and high energetic demands. Reproductive chronology explained sex-specific and seasonal antipredator responses to predation risk, but there was a non-linear relationship between indirect predator effects and direct predation risk for some sex-age classes. Our results suggest deer detect and respond behaviorally to variation in coyote abundance. Due to the widespread distribution of deer and their interactions at multiple trophic levels, the ecological implications of this finding may be wide-reaching.en
dc.description.notesFunding for this project was provided by the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division through the Wildlife Restoration Program. Capture and euthanasia procedures were approved by the University of Georgia Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (A2009 09-157-Y3-A0). We thank B. Sacks and M. Statham of the UC Davis, Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit, for their time, expertise, and in-kind contributions. Field support was provided by J. Kelly, J. Hickman, C. Paschal, F. Hays, F. Mahone, D. Thompson, and E. Caldwell. We thank the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center for database support. Finally, we thank E. Gese and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on a previous version of this manuscript.en
dc.description.sponsorshipGeorgia Wildlife Resources Division through the Wildlife Restoration Programen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2141en
dc.identifier.eissn2150-8925en
dc.identifier.issue3en
dc.identifier.othere02141en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/89357en
dc.identifier.volume9en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherEcological Society of Americaen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subjectcoyoteen
dc.subjectforaging behavioren
dc.subjectherbivoreen
dc.subjectlandscape of fearen
dc.subjectpredation risken
dc.subjecttrophic cascadeen
dc.subjectvigilanceen
dc.subjectwhite-tailed deeren
dc.titleBehavioral response of white-tailed deer to coyote predation risken
dc.title.serialEcosphereen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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