ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL DRIVERS OF MEXICAN GRAY WOLF (CANIS LUPUS BAILEYI) HOME RANGE PATTERNS ACROSS SPATIOTEMPORAL SCALES

Evelyn M Lichwa; Humboldt State University; evelyn.lichwa@gmail.com; James W. Cain III, Genevieve Fuller, Cyrenea Piper, Micaela S. Gunther

Elucidating variables influencing home range size are fundamental ecological relationships that can be described for any species, particularly those of conservation concern. The Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) is an endangered sub-species of the gray wolf whose home range patterns have not been explicitly studied. We estimated home range sizes for 22 Mexican wolf packs using Brownian Bridge Movement Models (95% UD) and generalized linear mixed effect models to evaluate variables across four timeframes. Home range and pack size fluctuated across timeframes and seasonal ranging patterns mirrored seasonal movements of prey. Annual home range size was inversely correlated with human density, tree cover, and pack size, while during the denning period home range size was inversely correlated by ungulate biomass and litter size and positively correlated with pack size. When packs were traveling at maximum size during the post denning season, home range was inversely correlated with ungulate biomass and positively correlated with pack size. Home range size during the non-denning season was inversely correlated with snow depth. The differing relationships herein demonstrate the importance of analyzing ranging patterns with a multiscale approach for distinct populations to make data driven decisions for management.

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