Abstract
Resources that an individual selects contrasted against what is available can provide valuable information regarding species-specific behavior and ecological relationships. Small mammals represent excellent study organisms to assess such relationships. Isolated populations that exist on the edge of a species' distribution often exhibit behavioral adaptations to the extremes experienced by a species and can provide meaningful insight into the resource requirements of the species. We deployed radio transmitters in a peripheral population of the long-tailed vole (Microtus longicaudus) during the mating season. We developed models of resource selection at multiple scales (within home range and patch). We found voles generally selected areas close to water and roads and consisting of high understory vegetation primarily composed of grasses. Resource selection varied between sexes suggesting different resource needs during the breeding season. The differential resource needs of voles might be a result of the energetic requirements for reproduction and are representative of a promiscuous or polygynous mating system.
Highlights
Patterns of animal spatial distribution can have profound implications for conservation and management of species and their habitat [1]
Differential habitat selection by individuals for the highest quality areas available can be observed in individual home ranges [5,6]
Resource selection functions are the most common way that resource use is evaluated from individual location data [2,11]
Summary
Patterns of animal spatial distribution can have profound implications for conservation and management of species and their habitat [1]. Understanding patterns of resource selection can provide fundamental information about species ecology and their resource requirements that can inform current ecological knowledge and management strategies [1,2,3,4]. Differential habitat selection by individuals for the highest quality areas available can be observed in individual home ranges [5,6]. Which resources an individual selects within its home range can provide valuable information about species-specific behavior and ecological relationships [9,10]. Resource selection functions are the most common way that resource use is evaluated from individual location data [2,11].
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