matt guyerson winter ecology spring 2014 mountain research station, university of colorado, boulder
TRANSCRIPT
EFFECTS OF SNOW DEPTH AND SNOWSHOE HARE ABUNDANCE ON THE
DISTRIBUTION OF COYOTES IN THE SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FORESTS
Matt GuyersonWinter Ecology
Spring 2014
Mountain Research Station, University of Colorado, Boulder
Introduction
Research suggests: traveling and hunting in deep snow is
energetically expensive for coyotes (Gese, 2013) Coyotes were most abundant at low elevations
where snow was shallow (Murray, 1991) Snowshoe hares are the main prey of coyotes
and lynx (Murray 1991)Q: How does snow depth and snowshoe hare
abundance affect the distribution of coyotes in the southern rocky mountain forests?
Introduction
H1: The coyotes will be more abundant in lower elevation forests with less snow
H2: The coyotes will be more abundant in areas of high snowshoe hare abundance
Introduction
Gain an understanding of the relationship between coyotes and snowshoe hares in the winter
Gain an understanding of the habitats preferred by coyotes and also by snowshoe hare in the winter
Methods
Selected two sites MRS high elevation deep snow depth forest Caribou Ranch Open Space Lower elevation
medium-low snow depth forest At each site selected a random area of the
forest to be studied area of forest studied was calculated using plotted
locations Walked around selected area of forest
recording snowshoe hare and coyote tracks along with snow depth at each track occurrence
MRS Site
850 ft
625 ft
675 ft
Area=208,656 ft2
Caribou Ranch Open Space
850 ft
500 ft
400 ft
925 ft
Area= 397,500 ft2
Limitations of Study Design
Data collection is dependent on good weather
Have no replication
Results
Results
Snow depth is affecting coyotes distribution
There is a relationship between Snowshoe Hare abundance and the coyotes distribution
Discussion
Snowshoe Hare tracks were always found next to coyote tracks
Snowshoe Hares did not mind the snow depth
Snow depth seemed to be the driving factor in the coyotes distribution
Discussion
Coyotes use of snowmobile tracks increased in areas of deep snow (Gese 2013)
Other factors could be affecting coyotes distribution
Possible Sources of Error: Not enough data collection/ no replication Hard to tell if tracks were the same or
different animal
Conclusion
Snowshoe Hare abundance is affecting the coyotes distribution
Snow depth is the main driver for the distribution of the coyotes
References
Murray DL, Boutin S (1991) The influence of snow on lynx and coyote movements: does morphology affect behavior? Oecologia 88: 463– 469.
Gese, Eric M., Jennifer L. B. Dowd, and Lise M. Aubry. "The Influence of Snowmobile Trails on Coyote Movements during Winter in High- Elevation Landscapes." Ed. Matt Hayward. PLoS ONE 8.12 (2013): E82862. Print.