IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Fuller, A.K.; Harrison, D.J. | |
| Movement paths reveal scale-dependent habitat decisions by Canada lynx | |
| 2010 Journal of Mammalogy (91): 1269-1279 | |
We documented the relative grain at which Canada lynx (_Lynx canadensis_) perceive habitat heterogeneity using fractal dimension of foraging paths. We evaluated whether lynx expended greater foraging effort (i.e., greater fractal dimension of movement paths) in patches with the highest density of snowshoe hares (_Lepus americanus_), or in patches with intermediate densities of prey where lower stem densities and greater visibility promote increased mobility and access to prey. Lynx foraged within patches with intermediate to high hare density and intermediate cover for hares, and thus, attempted to maximize access to prey rather than exposure to habitats with highest prey density but optimal escape cover. Fractal dimension of movement paths was greater within preferred than in nonpreferred habitats and corresponded with higher foraging success in preferred habitats. Movement paths were more tortuous at broader than finer scales, suggesting that lynx were exhibiting stronger coarse-grained than fine-grained habitat preferences. Higher fractal dimension of movement paths reduced the number of transitions between patches of higher and lower foraging quality, resulting in individual movement patterns matching the scale of interpatch variation in hare abundance and accessibility within home ranges. Lynx made their strongest foraging decisions when exhibiting higher-order resource selection, so focusing conservation efforts to alter within-patch structure may be less effective than creating patch- and landscape-scale conditions that enhance foraging success. Coarse-grained resource selection by wide-ranging carnivores may reduce the importance of fine-scale conservation efforts and emphasizes the importance of focusing conservation for these coarse-grained species on factors influencing home-range quality and maintenance of viable landscapes. |
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