Journal
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Volume 12, Issue 8, Pages -Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9241
Keywords
home range; population dynamics; settlement decision; space use; survival
Categories
Funding
- Davis Walter and Elizabeth Howard Award
- University of California
- American Society of Mammalogists
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Graduate Fellowship
- California Agricultural Experiment Station
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Investigating individual-based habitat settlement decisions is a central theme in ecology. This study focused on golden-mantled ground squirrels and quantified their habitat selection and how it may be influenced by density or linked to fitness outcomes. The study found that squirrels preferred dry meadow over other habitat types and that the lack of visual obstruction in dry meadow may drive their habitat selection. Surprisingly, the study also found that squirrels maintained their preference for dry meadow even as density increased, leading to reduced survival rates. This study contributes to our understanding of the causes and consequences of changes in habitat use.
Investigating individual-based habitat settlement decisions is a central theme in ecology, yet studies that quantify density-dependent habitat selection or tie fitness to resource selection decisions remain rare. We quantified habitat selection in golden-mantled ground squirrels (Callospermophilus lateralis) across two spatial scales (home-range placement, and occurrence within the home range) by using 11 consecutive years of data on individual space use, and we used resource selection functions and multilevel modeling to address how habitat preferences may be influenced by density or linked to fitness outcomes. Squirrels preferred dry meadow over other habitat types (wet meadow, aspen, spruce, and willow) at both spatial scales. Squirrels were more likely to use dry meadow that contained shorter vegetation and vision-enhancing prominences such as rocks (perches). The use of dry meadow at each scale was not influenced by changes in density. The use of dry meadow did not lead to increased litter size, pre-hibernation mass, or survival. However, squirrels that experienced a greater number of perches or lower local densities had higher survival rates. Our results suggest that a lack of visual obstruction, probably facilitating detection of predators, drives habitat selection in this system. Surprisingly, squirrels maintained their preference for dry meadow as density increased, and they experienced reduced survival as a result. This work furthers our understanding about the causes and consequences of changes in habitat use, informing wildlife management and conservation.
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