Journal
OECOLOGIA
Volume 200, Issue 1-2, Pages 11-22Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05218-4
Keywords
Canis lupus; Alces alces; Cervus canadensis; Predator-prey game; Prey abundance; Prey habitat; Prey catchability; Hunting strategy; Spatial dynamics; Habitat selection
Categories
Funding
- Manitoba Fish and Wildlife Fund
- Nature Conservancy of Canada
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Vanier Graduate Scholarship
- NSERC Discovery Grant
- Parks Canada
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Predators employ different spatial tactics to track their prey, influenced primarily by prey habitat and catchability.
Predators use different spatial tactics to track the prey on the landscape. Three hypotheses describe spatial tactics: prey abundance for prey that are aggregated in space; prey habitat for uniformly distributed prey; and prey catchability for prey that are difficult to catch and kill. The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is a generalist predator that likely employs more than one spatial hunting tactic to match their diverse prey with distinct distributions and behavior that are available. We conducted a study on 17 GPS collared wolves in 6 packs in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba, Canada where wolves prey on moose (Alces alces) and elk (Cervus canadensis). We evaluated wolf selection for prey density, habitat selection and catchability on the landscape through within-territory habitat selection analysis. We reveal support for both the prey habitat and prey catchability hypotheses. For moose, their primary prey, wolves employed a mixed habitat and catchability tactic. Wolves used spaces described by the intersection of moose habitat and moose catchability. Wolves selected for the catchability of elk, their secondary prey, but not elk habitat. Counter to our predictions, wolves avoided areas of moose and elk density, likely highlighting the ongoing space race between predator and prey. We illustrate that of the three hypotheses the primary driver was prey catchability, where the interplay of both prey habitat with catchability culminate in predator spatial behaviour in a multiprey system.
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