Landscape change and age ratios for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) herd units in Wyoming,1980-2019
No abstract available.
Wyoming↗
Geology topics
Teagan A. Hayes
Publications and source records attributed to Teagan A. Hayes.
The interplay of habitat quality and temperature shape demographic patterns of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in North America
Mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ) are declining in abundance across their broad distribution in western North America. Identifying drivers of mule deer demography could inform habitat restoration. However, linking habitat quality to vital rates is challenging and often done indirectly using proxy metrics. We combine habitat selection with climate-related effects to identify synergistic influences affecting mule deer age ratios (fawn:doe). We used location data from 1473 female deer over 22 years in Wyoming to fit seasonal resource selection models, predict habitat suitability, and model age ratios as a function of drought conditions, winter severity, and seasonal habitat. Here we show temperature had the largest effect on mule deer recruitment with age ratios declining following hotter summers and colder winters. Age ratios increased with higher proportions of habitat with high-quality summer habitat of particular importance. Given the likely increases in summer temperatures and extreme winter weather events, populations may struggle to increase recruitment over the next half-century. Targeted management supporting forage quantity and quality, especially on summer range, could buffer the effects of decades-long drought conditions. Our findings also indicate mule deer avoid areas with high densities of oil and gas development. By delineating important mule deer habitat, we offer spatial tools for development siting and mitigation in Wyoming and a framework for broader application across the western United States.
Wyoming↗
Integrating climate and anthropogenic dynamics can inform multifaceted management for declining mule deer populations
Wildlife and their habitats face profound challenges from climate and landscape-scale changes that extend beyond the influence and time horizon of most biologists and land managers. In this changing environment, long-term datasets can enhance assessments of how demographic trends respond to interactions among local (e.g., habitat restoration decisions) and broad extent drivers, including energy development, to shape wildlife populations. Although many studies evaluate habitat selection or demographics for a single population, our multipopulation, multiscale study quantifies the influence of local management actions given broader environmental forces using both immediate and lagged effects. This approach may be particularly important for species with high site fidelity that may have less adaptive capacity, including mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ), which are experiencing widespread population declines. We analyzed a 40-year (1980–2019) dataset for 37 mule deer populations across Wyoming, USA, to test hypotheses about and quantify the relative influence of conditions within winter use areas on annual rates of juvenile recruitment. Recruitment has been strongly affected by multiple factors largely beyond the control of managers. Land cover (agriculture and shrubland) had the largest positive effects on recruitment, with estimates more than twice the magnitude of other variables, but also had limited presence in some winter use areas. The next strongest effect sizes were shared by energy developments (including oil/gas and wind energy) and climatic conditions, which, except for wind turbines, had broad distributions across winter use areas. Recruitment increased with higher mean winter temperatures and summer precipitation, but declined with wind, oil and gas developments, cumulative drought, and wildfire. Expected increases in drought and decreases in summer precipitation may constrain options to sustain mule deer populations. Although mule deer recruitment may sometimes be enhanced through habitat restoration, effects varied with treatment type, habitat type, and time since treatment. Given large constraining effects of temperature and drought, supporting drought resiliency for important habitat may be useful. Our results can be used to weigh the relative strength of threats and the value of restoration actions, interpret historic demographic change, prioritize populations for conservation, and optimize options for wildlife habitat management.
Wyoming↗