Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America.
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Helena, Montana, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2020 Jun 4;15(6):e0233756. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233756. eCollection 2020.
Habitat selection links individual behavior to population abundance and dynamics, so evaluation of habitat selection is necessary for conservation and management. Land management can potentially alter both the structure and composition of habitats, thus influencing habitat selection and population size. Livestock grazing is the dominant land use worldwide and, while overstocking has been linked to the decline of many wildlife species, properly managed grazing could improve habitat quality and maintain native rangeland habitats. We evaluated breeding season habitat selection of female sharp-tailed grouse, an indicator species for grassland ecosystems, in relation to grazing management and landscape features in eastern Montana and western North Dakota. At broad spatial scales, females selected for multiple landscape features, including grassland, but exhibited no selection for either landscape or management variables when selecting habitat at smaller spatial scales. Females selected for pastures managed with rest-rotation grazing when choosing a home range, but selection did not equate to improved fitness. Moreover, we observed strong individual variation in both home range size and third-order habitat selection. While the high variability among individuals makes specific management recommendations difficult, selection for grassland habitats at broad scales suggests that strategies that maintain intact native rangelands are important for the conservation of sharp-tailed grouse.
生境选择将个体行为与种群丰度和动态联系起来，因此对生境选择进行评估对于保护和管理是必要的。土地管理可能会改变栖息地的结构和组成，从而影响生境选择和种群规模。牲畜放牧是世界范围内占主导地位的土地利用方式，虽然过度放牧与许多野生动物物种的减少有关，但适当管理的放牧可以改善栖息地质量并维持本地牧场栖息地。我们评估了雌性草原榛鸡（一种草原生态系统的指示物种）在与放牧管理和景观特征相关的繁殖季节的生境选择，该物种分布在蒙大拿州东部和北达科他州西部。在广泛的空间尺度上，雌性选择了多种景观特征，包括草原，但在较小的空间尺度上选择栖息地时，对景观或管理变量没有选择。当选择一个家域时，雌性选择了采用轮牧方式管理的牧场，但选择并不等同于更好的适应性。此外，我们观察到个体在家域大小和第三阶生境选择方面存在强烈的个体变异。虽然个体之间的高度变异性使得特定的管理建议变得困难，但对广泛的草原生境的选择表明，维持完整的本地牧场的策略对于保护草原榛鸡很重要。
