Landscape Context Affects Use of Restored Grasslands by Mammals in a Dynamic Agroecosystem

Abstract

Abstract Habitat loss from agricultural expansion is one of the leading causes of endangerment for terrestrial vertebrates. Restoration programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) were initiated in part to ameliorate grassland loss. Previous assessments of grassland restoration efforts have not focused on medium and large mammals because of sampling difficulties. More generally, few assessments of restoration outcomes consider effects of landscape context. We integrated camera trapping with occupancy modeling to assess mammal responses on 30 restored grassland sites in a dynamic agroecosystem in Illinois from 2014 to 2015. We tested hypotheses about the effects of local habitat conditions and landscape context on use of restored grasslands by four focal species: raccoons (Procyon lotor), eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Most species showed seasonal differences in...