Resource selection by wolves at dens and rendezvous sites in Algonquin park, Canada

• Published in: Biological conservation 2015-02, Vol.182, p.223-232
• Main Authors: Benson, John F., Mills, Kenneth J., Patterson, Brent R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algonquin; Canis; Canis lycaon; Conservation; Den; Forests; Lycaon; Mortality; Parks; Rendezvous; Rendezvous-site; Resource selection; Roads; Survival; Wetlands; Wolves
• ISSN: 0006-3207; 1873-2917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2014.12.010

•Wolves selected wetlands, water, conifer forests, tertiary roads and slopes at dens.•Wolves selected wetlands and conifer forests at rendezvous sites.•Resource selection differed between den and rendezvous sites.•Homesites associated with habitat of difficult prey resulted in lower pup survival. Eastern wolves (Canis lycaon) are a species of special concern in Canada and their geographic range appears to be restricted mainly to Algonquin Provincial Park (APP) in Ontario, Canada. Previous work showed pup survival was relatively low throughout portions of APP which may limit the extent to which this protected area can act as a source of dispersing individuals to adjacent areas. We modeled resource selection by wolves at dens and rendezvous sites to identify environmental variables that were selected and avoided in APP during pup-rearing. We also quantified differences in resource selection between den and rendezvous sites and investigated links between home-site selection and pup survival. Wolves selected dens closer to wetlands and water, farther from secondary roads, and on steeper slopes relative to rendezvous sites. When we modeled den and rendezvous sites separately, wolves selected wetlands, water, conifer forests and tertiary roads at dens, whereas they selected wetlands and conifer forests at rendezvous sites. Packs that lost pups to starvation and intraspecific strife avoided water and selected wetlands and mixed forests at home-sites more than packs that did not lose pups to these mortality agents. Previous research showed that pup starvation occurred for packs in APP with lower beaver density in their territories, and our results indicate that these packs selected habitats at dens and rendezvous sites associated with alternative prey (moose). Moose are likely more difficult prey than beavers to kill during summer which may contribute to the higher nutrition-related mortality of pups in packs with decreased access to beavers. Our results inform eastern wolf conservation efforts and should be considered during forest management and park planning activities in APP. More broadly, our research provides novel insight into temporal differences in home-site selection across the pup-rearing season and the relationship between resource selection and pup mortality.