DOI: 10.5061/dryad.nk98sf86d
title: Landscape factors influencing predation on capercaillie nests by two competing mesopredators: pine marten and red fox

description: Predation by pine martens (Martes martes) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) is
 an important factor influencing the population dynamics of capercaillie
 (Tetrao urogallus). However, there is a knowledge gap regarding the
 relative effects of these mesopredators on the reproductive success of
 capercaillie. To better understand how various landscape factors influence
 nest predation by pine martens and red foxes, we monitored capercaillie
 nests in Norway between 2009 and 2014 using camera traps. We classified
 the fate of 156 nests and employed a cause-specific hazard model to
 evaluate how different predators contributed to nest predation risk, while
 accounting for landscape covariates such as distance from nest to
 forest-clearcut edges, proximity to roads, and agricultural land density.
 We found that predation by pine martens and red foxes was the predominant
 hazard to capercaillie nests, with similar daily predation rates observed
 for both mesopredators. Nest predation by pine martens decreased with
 increasing agricultural land density and tended to increase along
 gradients from clearcuts to forest interiors. Moreover, pine marten
 predation tended to decrease with increasing distance from roads. Nest
 predation by red foxes increased with distance from roads, but only in
 areas characterized by high density of agricultural land. Red fox
 predation was not associated with distance to forest-clearcut edges or to
 agricultural land density. Our findings show that landscape factors
 differentially influence pine marten and red fox predation on capercaillie
 nests and highlight the importance of considering predator-specific
 effects while managing populations of game birds and their predators.
description: # Landscape factors influencing predation on capercaillie nests by two
 competing mesopredators: pine marten and red fox Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.nk98sf86d](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nk98sf86d) ##
 Description of the data and file structure The methodology for data
 collection is available in the manuscript entitled "Landscape factors
 influencing predation on capercaillie nests by two competing
 mesopredators: pine marten and red fox"  (DOI: 10.1002/wlb3.01445). 
 ### Files and variables #### File: Mod_d_y_FuncR_Ellis_03_archive.R
 **Description:** Code for cause-specific hazard model  #### File:
 PM_pred_mod_d_y_FuncR_Ellis_03_archive.R **Description:** Code to run the
 model and parameters monitored #### File: nestdata_days_250124.rds
 **Description:** Nest fate data with associated landscape covariates data.
 Variables in this file: * nestID: unique ID of nest * days: day since
 first day of nesting season * Year: year id, from year 1 to year 6 of
 study * Road_2_m: Distance from nearest road (m), raw data * Road_2_sc:
 Distance from nearest road (m), scaled data * IDW_agri_H: Agricultural
 density (no unit), raw data * IDW_agri_sc: Agricultural density (no unit),
 scaled data * Edge_cc_m: Distance from forest edge/clearcut (m), raw data
 * Edge_cc_sc: Distance from forest edge/clearcut (m), scaled data *
 Marten: Abundance index of pine marten (no unit), raw data *
 Marten.sc: Abundance index of pine marten (no unit), scaled data *
 Fox: Abundance index of red fox (no unit), raw data * Fox.sc: Abundance
 index of red fox (no unit), scaled data * expose: 1 = yes, used to count
 number of days nest was exposed #### File: Fate_days_250124.rds
 **Description:** Nest fate/exposure data with survival (Column; Surv) or
 failure (different causes of nest failures; Aban (abandonment), Fox (fox
 predation), Mar (marten predation), Other (other predator)). Binaries
 legend: 0 = no, 1 = yes.  ## Code/software R version R-4.3.1 was used for
 all the analyses.  All packages used are available in the scripts
 provided.  ## Access information Other publicly accessible locations of
 the data: * Zenodo repository:
 [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17141955](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17141955) Data was derived from the following sources: * NA