Kays Roland W, Gompper Matthew E, Ray Justina C
New York State Museum, CEC 3140, Albany, New York 12230, USA.
Ecol Appl. 2008 Jun;18(4):1014-27. doi: 10.1890/07-0298.1.
Since their range expansion into eastern North America in the mid-1900s, coyotes (Canis latrans) have become the region's top predator. Although widespread across the region, coyote adaptation to eastern forests and use of the broader landscape are not well understood. We studied the distribution and abundance of coyotes by collecting coyote feces from 54 sites across a diversity of landscapes in and around the Adirondacks of northern New York. We then genotyped feces with microsatellites and found a close correlation between the number of detected individuals and the total number of scats at a site. We created habitat models predicting coyote abundance using multi-scale vegetation and landscape data and ranked them with an information-theoretic model selection approach. These models allow us to reject the hypothesis that eastern forests are unsuitable habitat for coyotes as their abundance was positively correlated with forest cover and negatively correlated with measures of rural non-forest landscapes. However, measures of vegetation structure turned out to be better predictors of coyote abundance than generalized "forest vs. open" classification. The best supported models included those measures indicative of disturbed forest, especially more open canopies found in logged forests, and included natural edge habitats along water courses. These forest types are more productive than mature forests and presumably host more prey for coyotes. A second model with only variables that could be mapped across the region highlighted the lower density of coyotes in areas with high human settlement, as well as positive relationships with variables such as snowfall and lakes that may relate to increased numbers and vulnerability of deer. The resulting map predicts coyote density to be highest along the southwestern edge of the Adirondack State Park, including Tug Hill, and lowest in the mature forests and more rural areas of the central and eastern Adirondacks. Together, these results support the need for a nuanced view of how eastern coyotes use forested habitats.
自20世纪中叶扩散至北美东部以来，郊狼（犬属草原狼）已成为该地区的顶级食肉动物。尽管在整个地区广泛分布，但郊狼对东部森林的适应情况以及对更广阔地貌的利用仍未得到充分了解。我们通过在纽约北部阿迪朗达克山脉及其周边不同景观的54个地点收集郊狼粪便，研究了郊狼的分布和数量。然后，我们使用微卫星对粪便进行基因分型，发现一个地点检测到的个体数量与粪便总数之间存在密切相关性。我们利用多尺度植被和景观数据创建了预测郊狼数量的栖息地模型，并采用信息论模型选择方法对其进行排序。这些模型使我们能够否定东部森林不适宜郊狼栖息的假设，因为它们的数量与森林覆盖率呈正相关，与农村非森林景观指标呈负相关。然而，事实证明，植被结构指标比一般的“森林与开阔地”分类更能预测郊狼的数量。得到最佳支持的模型包括那些表明森林受到干扰的指标，特别是在砍伐森林中发现的更开阔的树冠层，还包括沿水道的自然边缘栖息地。这些森林类型比成熟森林生产力更高，可能为郊狼提供更多猎物。第二个模型仅使用可在整个地区绘制的变量，突出了人类聚居程度高的地区郊狼密度较低，以及与降雪和湖泊等变量的正相关关系，这些变量可能与鹿的数量增加和易捕性有关。生成的地图预测，郊狼密度在阿迪朗达克州立公园的西南边缘（包括塔格山）最高，在阿迪朗达克山脉中部和东部的成熟森林及更偏远地区最低。总之，这些结果支持了需要对东部郊狼如何利用森林栖息地持细致入微的观点。
