My PhD Finishing Talk, “Ecological & social challenges of wolf-livestock conflict: wolf-elk interactions & local perspectives in the eastern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem” is scheduled for Friday, May 10th at 12pm Pacific Time in 36 Mulford - Mulford Hall, University of California Berkeley. I am the final presenter of the Spring 2024 Berkeley Wildlife Seminar series. Email me for the Zoom link or recording if you want the recording afterwards!
I’m very excited to share our paper titled, “The plasticity of ungulate migration in a changing world”, led by the fearless, Wenjing Xu, and the core team of Amy Van Scoyoc, Kristin Barker and myself. Our co-authors include Hall Sawyer, Thomas Mueller and other members of the Middleton Lab group. Below is the abstract and graphic created by the brilliant Justine Smith:
Abstract
Migratory ungulates are thought to be declining globally because their dependence on large landscapes renders them highly vulnerable to environmental change. Yet recent studies reveal that many ungulate species can adjust their migration propensity in response to changing environmental conditions to potentially improve population persistence. In addition to the question of whether to migrate, decisions of where and when to migrate appear equally fundamental to individual migration tactics, but these three dimensions of plasticity have rarely been explored together. Here, we expand the concept of migratory plasticity beyond individual switches in migration propensity to also include spatial and temporal adjustments to migration patterns. We develop a novel typological framework that delineates every potential change type within the three dimensions, then use this framework to guide a literature review. We discuss broad patterns in migratory plasticity, potential drivers of migration change, and research gaps in the current understanding of this trait. Our result reveals 127 migration change events in direct response to natural and human‐induced environmental changes across 27 ungulate species. Species that appeared in multiple studies showed multiple types of change, with some exhibiting the full spectrum of migratory plasticity. This result highlights that multi‐dimensional migratory plasticity is pervasive in ungulates, even as the manifestation of plasticity varies case by case. However, studies as far have rarely been able to determine the fitness outcomes of different types of migration change, likely due to the scarcity of long‐term individual‐based demographic monitoring as well as measurements encompassing a full behavioral continuum and environmental gradient for any given species. Recognizing and documenting the full spectrum of migratory plasticity marks the first step for the field of migration ecology to employ quantitative methods, such as reaction norms, to predict migration change along environmental gradients. Closer monitoring for changes in migratory propensity, routes, and timing may improve the efficacy of conservation strategies and management actions in a rapidly changing world.
Graphic created by Justine Smith
A livestock guardian dog protects sheep in the open range of south central Idaho as part of the Wood River Wolf Project (Credit: Defenders of Wildlife)
Check out our paper in the new: "Special Section: Challenges of and Solutions to Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Agricultural Landscapes" released in Conservation Biology today!
Christine E. Wilkinson, Alex McInturff, Jennifer R. B. Miller, Veronica Yovovich, Kaitlyn M. Gaynor, Kendall Calhoun, Harshad Karandikar, Jeff Vance Martin, Phoebe Parker‐Shames, Avery Shawler, Amy Van Scoyoc, Justin S. Brashares
First published: 14 May 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13469
Abstract
Carnivore predation on livestock is a complex management and policy challenge, yet it is also intrinsically an ecological interaction between predators and prey. Human–wildlife interactions occur in socioecological systems in which human and environmental processes are closely linked. However, underlying human–wildlife conflict and key to unpacking its complexity are concrete and identifiable ecological mechanisms that lead to predation events. To better understand how ecological theory accords with interactions between wild predators and domestic prey, we developed a framework to describe ecological drivers of predation on livestock. We based this framework on foundational ecological theory and current research on interactions between predators and domestic prey. We used this framework to examine ecological mechanisms (e.g., density‐mediated effects, behaviorally mediated effects, and optimal foraging theory) through which specific management interventions operate, and we analyzed the ecological determinants of failure and success of management interventions in 3 case studies: snow leopards (Panthera uncia), wolves (Canis lupus), and cougars (Puma concolor). The varied, context‐dependent successes and failures of the management interventions in these case studies demonstrated the utility of using an ecological framework to ground research and management of carnivore–livestock conflict. Mitigation of human–wildlife conflict appears to require an understanding of how fundamental ecological theories work within domestic predator–prey systems.
Avery Shawler ’13 left her Idaho apartment one morning in 2016 to hike a prominent mountain peak. It’s a miracle that she returned.
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