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Seasonal Variation of Coyote Diet in Northwestern Wyoming: Implications for Dietary Overlap with Canada Lynx?

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Seasonal Variation of Coyote Diet in Northwestern Wyoming: Implications for Dietary Overlap with Canada Lynx? University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Publications Plant Health Inspection Service 2012 Seasonal Variation of Coyote Diet in Northwestern Wyoming: Implications for Dietary Overlap with Canada Lynx? Jennifer L. B. Dowd Utah State University Eric M. Gese USDA/APHIS/WS National Wildlife Research Center, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc Dowd, Jennifer L. B. and Gese, Eric M., "Seasonal Variation of Coyote Diet in Northwestern Wyoming: Implications for Dietary Overlap with Canada Lynx?" (2012). USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications. 1125. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_usdanwrc/1125 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Jennifer L. B. Dowd, Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84322 and Eric M. Gese1, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84322 Seasonal Variation of Coyote Diet in Northwestern Wyoming: Implications for Dietary Overlap with Canada Lynx? Abstract Exploitative competition through resource utilization may occur between coyotes (Canis latrans) and other carnivores. In the southern periphery of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) range, there is concern that increased snowmobile activity may enable coyotes to increase their movements into deep snow areas during the winter months, thereby potentially creating heightened resource competition with lynx, mainly for the lynx’s main prey, snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus). We studied the seasonal variation of coyote diets and the dietary overlap between coyotes and lynx in a 512-km2 high-elevation study area in northwestern Wyoming. Dietary shifts by coyotes were documented during the winter, spring, summer, and fall from August 2006 through June 2008. Although lynx are known to primarily prey on snowshoe hares, lynx scats were also collected to assess their diet for comparative purposes. A total of 470 coyote scats and 24 lynx scats were collected, dried and analyzed. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) was the predominant prey item for coyotes by percent occurrence (20.1%) for all 3 years combined, followed by elk (Cervus elaphus, 12.5%), montane vole (Microtus montanus, 12.0%), and snowshoe hare (8.0%). Snowshoe hares were the dominant prey item for lynx during the winter, accounting for 85.2% of all prey occurrences. Coyote use of snowshoe hares peaked in the fall (24.1% of all occurrences). We found little dietary overlap between coyotes and lynx during the winter months when lynx mainly fed on snowshoe hares and coyotes fed mostly on ungulates. Key Words: Exploitative competition, resource competition, diet overlap Introduction and Anthony 1988, Morey et al. 2007) and demon- strate behavioral flexibility in their diet (Patterson Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) were listed un- et al. 1998, Bartel and Knowlton 2004). One way der the Endangered Species Act due to a lack to gain insight into what role coyotes play in an of adequate management plans incorporating ecosystem is to document their food habits in a monitoring and research to identify potential given environment (Bartel and Knowlton 2004). factors influencing their viability and protection Because recent findings indicate humans may of critical habitats (Ruediger et al. 2000). One of be facilitating coyote access to habitats used by the key research needs for lynx management was lynx via increased winter recreation (Ruggiero an understanding of community interactions and et al. 2000, Bunnell et al. 2006), biologists have how various predator species may compete with become increasingly concerned with interactions lynx for resources. Ruggiero et al. (2000) reported between coyotes and lynx. the number of generalist predators competing with lynx increased from the northern to southern part Coyotes and lynx are sympatric in areas of of their range. Coyotes (Canis latrans) have been Canada and the United States. In the southern recognized as a potential competitor with lynx periphery of lynx distribution, coyote populations (Buskirk et al. 2000, Ruediger et al. 2000). Not have remained stable or increased while lynx only are coyotes highly adaptable, but they can numbers have declined (Buskirk et al. 2000). thrive in human-dominated landscapes (Toweill These sympatric predators have coexisted be- cause morphological differences allow them to 1Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. occupy separate niches within an ecosystem and Email: [email protected] utilize different resources (Krebs 1978). In the Northwest Science, Vol. 86, No. 4, 2012 289 past, coyotes and lynx in many regions of North with winter recreation. Furthermore, no studies America have occupied different habitats during have assessed variations in seasonal coyote diets winter due to the inability of coyotes to travel and within habitats used by lynx near the southern effectively hunt in deep snow (Murray and Boutin periphery of their range, aside from winter analy- 1991, Litvaitis 1992, Crete and Lariviere 2003). ses conducted in western Montana (Kolbe et al. With increased popularity of winter recreation 2007). Where southern populations persist, lynx (particularly snowmobiling), access to some deep and snowshoe hares have been reported as scarce snow landscapes have been altered. Studies con- and patchily distributed (Murie 1940, Aubry et al. ducted on southern lynx populations have found 2000, Hodges 2000, Squires and Laurion 2000), as coyotes are not only using snow-compacted trails, well as susceptible to generalist predators because but establishing themselves year-round in areas of habitat alteration and increased fragmentation they previously used only seasonally (Murray and (Ruggiero et al. 2000). Boutin 1991, Koehler and Aubry 1994, Murray Our objective was to determine the seasonal et al. 1995, Lewis and Wenger 1998, Bunnell et variation, dietary diversity, and dietary overlap al. 2006). In these areas, snowmobile activity and of coyotes and lynx in high elevation terrain in trail systems managed for winter recreation have northwestern Wyoming. A secondary objective was created travel networks for coyotes (Bunnell et al. to identify during which seasons dietary overlap 2006), leading to a potential breakdown of spatial was occurring and, for coyote diets, determine segregation between coyotes and lynx. whether specific prey items were correlated with Competition between coyotes and lynx oc- snow depth. We hypothesized coyote diets would curs via exploitation competition, interference reflect a generalist nature during all seasons with competition, or both. Exploitation competition greater dietary diversity occurring during the spring between coyotes and lynx may be documented in and summer when more prey species were avail- an overlap of coyote and lynx diets. Several stud- able. We further hypothesized that if snowshoe ies (e.g., Todd et al. 1981, Parker 1986, Murray hares occurred in coyote diets, they would peak et al. 1994, O’Donoghue et al. 1998, Patterson et in the fall and winter when other prey items were al. 1998) have identified snowshoe hares (Lepus less available. Similar to studies conducted in the americanus) as a major component of coyote northern part of their range, we hypothesized lynx winter diets in North America. O’Donoghue et diets would consist primarily of snowshoe hares al. (1997) found lynx were more abundant where with a small component of other small mammals, coyotes were less dense, rather than where hares such as red squirrel (Tamiansciurus hudsonicus) were denser, suggesting interactions with coyotes and dietary diversity of lynx would increase during may be more of a limiting factor for lynx popula- the spring and summer. tion size than the availability of snowshoe hares. Litvaitis and Harrison (1989) found in areas where Study Area coyote populations were increasing, they were We conducted this study on the east and west sides reducing the prey availability for subordinate of Togwotee Pass in northwestern Wyoming. The species, therefore reducing carrying capacity for 512-km2 study area was characterized by extensive those species. recreational trails and roads maintained year-round. Although exploitation competition between The area was composed of the Bridger-Teton coyotes and lynx may be a concern during the and Shoshone National Forests, plus some large, fall (Aubry et al. 2000, McKelvey et al. 2000, privately-owned ranches. Elevations ranged from Kolbe et al. 2007) and winter (Ozoga and Harger 1800 m to >3600 m. The area was characterized 1966, Murray et al. 1995, Buskirk et al. 2000, by short, cool summers (mean temperature of Bunnell et al. 2006), few studies have conducted 12°C) and long winters (mean temperature of multi-seasonal dietary analyses to determine the -8°C). Precipitation occurred mostly as snow, variation of coyote diets in high elevation areas and mean maximum snow depths ranged from 290 Dowd and Gese 100 cm at lower elevations to >245 cm at inter- Methods mediate elevations (2000 - 2400
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