Clayton K. Nielsen

Does Landscape Connectivity Shape Local and Global Social Network Structure in White-tailed Deer?

Intraspecific social behavior can be influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. While much research has focused on how characteristics of individuals influence their roles in social networks, we were interested in the role that landscape structure plays in animal sociality at both individual (local) and population (global) levels. We used female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Illinois, USA, to investigate the potential effect of landscape on social network structure by weighting the edges of seasonal social networks with association rate (based on proximity inferred from GPS collar data). At the local level, we found that sociality among female deer in neighboring social groups (n = 36) was mainly explained by their home range overlap, with two exceptions: 1) during fawning in an area of mixed forest and grassland, deer whose home ranges had low forest connectivity were more social than expected; and 2) during the rut in an area of intensive agriculture, deer inhabiting home ranges with high amount and connectedness of agriculture were more social than expected. At the global scale, we found that deer populations (n = 7) in areas with highly connected forest-agriculture edge, a high proportion of agriculture, and a low proportion of forest tended to have higher weighted network closeness, although low sample size precluded statistical significance. This result implies that infectious disease could spread faster in deer populations inhabiting such landscapes. Our work advances the general understanding of animal social networks, demonstrating how landscape features can underlie differences in social behavior both within and among wildlife social networks.

Single-Camera Trap Survey Designs Miss Detections: Impacts on Estimates of Occupancy and Community Metrics

The use of camera traps as a tool for studying wildlife populations is commonplace. However, few have considered how the number of detections of wildlife differ depending upon the number of camera traps placed at cameras-sites, and how this impacts estimates of occupancy and community composition. During December 2015–February 2016, we deployed four camera traps per camera-site, separated into treatment groups of one, two, and four camera traps, in southern Illinois to compare whether estimates of wildlife community metrics and occupancy probabilities differed among survey methods. The overall number of species detected per camera-site was greatest with the four-camera survey method (P<0.0184). The four-camera survey method detected 1.25 additional species per camera-site than the one-camera survey method, and was the only survey method to completely detect the ground-dwelling silvicolous community. The four-camera survey method recorded individual species at 3.57 additional camera-sites (P = 0.003) and nearly doubled the number of camera-sites where white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were detected compared to one- and two-camera survey methods. We also compared occupancy rates estimated by survey methods; as the number of cameras deployed per camera-site increased, occupancy estimates were closer to naïve estimates, detection probabilities increased, and standard errors of detection probabilities decreased. Additionally, each survey method resulted in differing top-ranked, species-specific occupancy models when habitat covariates were included. Underestimates of occurrence and misrepresented community metrics can have significant impacts on species of conservation concern, particularly in areas where habitat manipulation is likely. Having multiple camera traps per site revealed significant shortcomings with the common one-camera trap survey method. While we realize survey design is often constrained logistically, we suggest increasing effort to at least two camera traps facing opposite directions per camera-site in habitat association studies, and to utilize camera-trap arrays when restricted by equipment availability.

Ovarian features in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns and does

The knowledge about ovarian reserve is essential to determine the reproductive potential and to improve the methods of fertility control for overpopulated species, such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on the female reproductive tract of white-tailed deer, focusing on ovarian features. Genital tracts from 8 prepubertal and 10 pubertal females were used to characterize the preantral follicle population and density, morphology, distribution of follicular classes; stromal cell density; and apoptosis in the ovary. In addition, uterus and ovary weights and dimensions were recorded; and the number and the size of antral follicles and corpus luteum in the ovary were quantified. Overall, fawns had a greater (P < 0.05) preantral follicle population, percentage of normal follicles, and preantral follicle density than does. The mean stromal cell density in ovaries of fawns and does differed among animals but not between age groups. The apoptotic signaling did not differ (P > 0.05) between the ovaries of fawns and does. However, apoptotic ovarian cells negatively (P < 0.001) affected the preantral follicle morphology and density, and conversely, a positive correlation was observed with stromal cell density. As expected, the uteri and ovaries were larger (P < 0.002) and heavier (P < 0.001) in does than in fawns. In conclusion, this study has shown, for the first time, the preantral follicle population and distribution of classes, rate of morphologically normal follicles, and density of preantral follicles and stromal cells in white- tailed deer. Therefore, the findings herein described lead to a better understanding of the white-tailed deer ovarian biology, facilitating the development of new methods of fertility control.

A classic question revisited in red-winged blackbirds: disentangling confounding hypotheses surrounding parental investment theory and nest defense intensity

The pattern of increased nest defense effort over the course of a nesting season could result from three distinct (albeit non-exclusive) mechanisms: increased value of offspring to parents with progression toward independence (parental investment theory), decreased opportunity for renesting (renesting potential hypothesis), or decreased perceived costs of defense after repeated encounters with human observers (positive reinforcement hypothesis). To gauge relative empirical support for each of these mechanisms, we disentangle these three often-confounded hypotheses using multimodel inference with mixed-model ordinal regression applied to an extensive red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) nesting data set (4518 monitoring visits to 1330 nests). Parent aggression was rated on an ordinal scale (0–4) during repeated monitoring visits. Additionally, we assessed clutch/brood size, nest density, time of day, and nest concealment effects on aggression. In a preliminary analysis, including all three major hypotheses, male and female nest defense was most strongly explained by parental investment (nest age). Positive reinforcement (visit number) and renesting potential (Julian date) were also well-supported predictors in males. The interactions of decomposed nest age (within-individual and between-individual centered) with Julian date were particularly important in the top male model. Additional factors, such as clutch/brood size, nest density, and nest concealment, appeared to have larger predictive roles in explaining female aggression relative to males. These patterns are likely explained by different sexual reproductive roles within a polygynous mating system. Our study highlights the importance of interacting mechanisms involving parental investment theory and the use of within-individual standardization to help disentangle competing and empirically confounded hypotheses.Significance statementAvian nest defense generally increases over the course of a nesting season, potentially from the result of three different mechanisms: parental investment theory, renesting potential hypothesis, or positive reinforcement hypothesis from repeated nest visitation. We revisit this classic question through a comprehensive analytical approach with an extensive observational data set with red-winged blackbirds, employing multimodel selection and within-individual and between-individual centering techniques. We found that parental investment (nest age) was the strongest predictor of nest defense for both sexes; however, positive reinforcement and renesting potential also appeared to help explain additional variation in nest defense for males. Competitiveness of models with interactive effects indicated that these mechanisms do not operate independently for either sex, and additional covariates (e.g., clutch/brood size) especially aided female model competiveness. Our study highlights the importance of multiple and often interacting factors that influence avian nest defense.

Survival and Cause-Specific Mortality of River Otters in Southern Illinois

Abstract River otter (Lontra canadensis) populations in Illinois have rebounded considerably after >80 y of harvest protection and a successful re-introduction program. However, few studies of river otter survival ecology exist in the Midwestern U.S. We estimated survival rates and mortality causes for river otters in southern Illinois during 2014–2016. Thirty-four (16 F, 18 M) river otters were radio-marked and monitored for 8235 radio-days (x̄ days/river otter = 242.2 ± 20.6 [se throughout]). Two males died (one trapped, one unknown) during the period of radio-telemetry monitoring. Annual survival rates were 1.0 ± 0.00 (lower confidence bound = 0.83) and 0.85 ± 0.09 for females and males, respectively, and similar between sexes (P = 0.19). Pooled-sex breeding season survival was 0.96 ± 0.04. Trapping was the primary cause of mortality during our study, and three river otters were killed after radio-telemetry ended: two were harvested by recreational trappers and one by a vehicle collision. These primary mortality sources (i.e., trapping and vehicle collisions) for river otters in southern Illinois were similar to those reported elsewhere, but the high survival we observed is similar to published estimates for unexploited populations. Our study provides useful demographic information for river otter management in lightly harvested populations in the Midwest.