DOI: 10.5061/dryad.44j0zpcn1
title: Carnivore guild utilization of hunter-provided food sources in boreal forest

description: Scavenging is an alternative foraging strategy to predation for many
 carnivore species, as they shift between predation and scavenging in
 response to changes in resource availability. The use of carrion
 may lead to interspecific competition and is thus influenced by a
 risk–reward trade-off to balance coexistence with guild-members, where
 smaller species are expected to be more vigilant due to their
 vulnerability to larger competitors. We used cameras to investigate the
 utilization of viscera from the annual moose Alces alces hunt by four
 sympatric carnivore species: wolf Canis lupus, wolverine Gulo gulo, red
 fox Vulpes vulpes and pine marten Martes martes in south-central
 Scandinavia, in relation to body size and habitat. Red foxes had highest
 probability of visiting viscera sites in both open and forested
 habitats. Visits by both red foxes and pine martens were longer in open
 habitats, while number of visits or activity did not differ
 between habitats. For pine martens, the probability of visiting
 viscera sites was twice as high in forest compared to open habitat;
 consequently, red foxes showed the highest overall use of
 viscera. Red foxes were most vigilant, especially in open habitat, whereas
 wolverines and pine martens spent a higher proportion of time feeding.
 Increased vigilance of red foxes facilitates extended resources
 use in open habitat, while for pine martens, the risk–reward decision
 occurs before leaving forest cover and entering open habitats.
 Viscera were not used to a large extent by wolves or wolverines. Wolves
 are generally less prone to scavenging and wolverines probably use other
 food resources, more suitable for caching. Overall, competition
 did not prevent use of viscera, probably due to small-scale temporal
 segregation and limited use by the larger
 carnivores. Consequently, this pulse of human-subsidized food
 resources before winter may have important implications for the smaller
 facultative scavengers.
description: # Carnivore guild utilization of hunter-provided food sources in boreal
 forest The data set contains 4 separate csv files used for Wikenros et al.
 Carnivore guild utilization of hunter-provided food sources in boreal
 forest Data1_Carnivore guild utilization of hunter-provided food sources
 in boreal forest.csv Data set used for the analysis of probability of
 visit to gut pile sites for wolves, wolverine, red fox and pine marten.
 For details regarding the analysis see Analysis A in Supporting
 information, Appendix 2 in the study Variables camera.id: gut pile site
 identity. Repeated 4 times, once per species active: days camera at gut
 pile site was active, maximum 28 days from deployment. wolf: “dummy
 variable” for wolf (e.g., 1 - the presence information at the cameras are
 for wolf, 0 - the presence information at the cameras are for other
 species) wolverine: “dummy variable” for wolf (e.g., 1 - the presence
 information at the cameras are for wolverine, 0 - the presence information
 at the cameras are for other species) red.fox: “dummy variable” for wolf
 (e.g., 1 - the presence information at the cameras are for red fox, 0 -
 the presence information at the cameras are for other species)
 pine.marten: “dummy variable” for wolf (e.g., 1 - the presence information
 at the cameras are for pine marten, 0 - the presence information at the
 cameras are for other species) presence: the species in question had
 visited the gut pile within 28 days of deployment (1), no visit from the
 species in question habitat: habitat at the gut pile site (forest/open)
 Data2_Carnivore guild utilization of hunter-provided food sources in
 boreal forest.csv Data set used for the analysis of number of visits to
 gut pile sites for wolves, wolverine, red fox and pine marten. For details
 regarding the analysis see Analysis B in Supporting information, Appendix
 2 in the study Variables camera.id: gut pile site identity n.visit: number
 of visits at the gut pile site active: days camera at gut pile site was
 active, maximum 28 days from deployment. wolf: gut pile sites visited by
 wolf wolverine: gut pile sites visited by wolverine red.fox: gut pile
 sites visited by red fox pine.marten: gut pile sites visited by pine
 marten habitat: habitat at the gut pile site (forest/open) Data3_Carnivore
 guild utilization of hunter-provided food sources in boreal forest.csv
 Data set used for the analysis of visit length for wolves, wolverine, red
 fox and pine marten, and for proportion of vigilant/feeding behavior for
 wolverine, red fox and pine marten at gut pile sites. For details
 regarding the analysis see Analysis C and D in Supporting information,
 Appendix 2 in the study Variables camera.id: gut pile site identity
 habitat: habitat at the gut pile site (forest/open) species: species for
 each visit feeding: proportion of time during the visit the individual
 spent foraging (for visits constituted by &gt;1 photo for wolverine, red
 fox and pine marten) vigilance: proportion of time during the visit the
 individual spent vigilant (for visits constituted by &gt;1 photo for
 wolverine, red fox and pine marten) active: days camera at gut pile site
 was active, maximum 28 days from deployment. duration.visit: length of
 visit (min) no.photos: number of photos constituting the visit
 Data4_Carnivore guild utilization of hunter-provided food sources in
 boreal forest.csv Five-minute time laps photos used for the analysis of
 temporal activity pattern for wolves, wolverine, red fox and pine marten
 at gut pile sites. Variables camera.id: gut pile site identity habitat:
 habitat at the gut pile site (forest/open) species: species for each visit
 date: date for photo time: time for photo