DOI: 10.5061/dryad.pnvx0k6h8
title: Data from: Corridors or risk? movement along, and use of, linear features vary predictably among large mammal predator and prey species

description: 1. Space-use behaviour reflects trade-offs in meeting ecological needs and
 can have consequences for individual survival and population demographics.
 The mechanisms underlying space-use can be understood by simultaneously
 evaluating habitat selection and movement patterns, and fine-resolution
 locational data are increasing our ability to do so. 2. We use
 high-resolution location data and an integrated step-selection analysis to
 evaluate caribou, moose, bear, and wolf habitat selection and movement
 behavior in response to anthropogenic habitat modification, though caribou
 data were limited. Space-use response to anthropogenic linear features
 (LFs) by predators and prey are hypothesized to increase predator hunting
 efficiency and are thus believed to be a leading factor in woodland
 caribou declines in western Canada. 3. We found that all species moved
 faster while on LFs. Wolves and bears were also attracted towards LFs,
 whereas prey species avoided them. Predators and prey responded less
 strongly and consistently to natural features such as streams, rivers and
 lakeshores. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that LFs
 facilitate predator movement and increase hunting efficiency, while prey
 perceive such features as risky. 4. Understanding the behavioural
 mechanisms underlying space-use patterns is important in understanding how
 future land-use may impact predator-prey interactions. Explicitly linking
 behaviour to fitness and demography will be important to fully understand
 the implications of management strategies.
description: Adapted from Methods: The probability of selection was modelled
 as a function of landcover, distance to anthropogenic LFs, polygonal
 disturbances and riparian areas. The natural logarithm of step length,
 cosine of turning angle, and their interaction were included as modifiers
 of the observed movement parameters (used to generate random steps; Avgar
 et al. 2016). To allow the selection-free displacement rate to vary with
 feature type, the interaction between the natural logarithm transformed
 step length and each disturbance type of interest and riparian habitat
 were also included. We used inverse-variance weighted linear modelling to
 obtain population-level averages for each species (Murtaugh, 2007). The
 iSSA coefficient values for each variable were used as the response
 variable in a linear regression, with the variable’s availability (to
 account for potential functional responses; Mysterud & Ims, 1998),
 and the values of other iSSA coefficients that might be correlated with it
 as predictors, and the inverse of the estimated variance of the
 coefficient value as weights (using base R; R Core Team, 2014). The
 resulting intercept from each model can be interpreted as the average
 response to the feature, accounting for its availability and the
 uncertainty in each individual`s response.
description: Additional co-authors:<br> Scott McNay, Wildlife
 Infometrics Glenn Sutherland, Wildlife
 Infometrics