Roffler Gretchen H, Pilgrim Kristine L, Williams Benjamin C
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, Douglas, AK 99824, USA.
National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Missoula, MT 59802, USA.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Feb 15;14(4):622. doi: 10.3390/ani14040622.
Wolves are highly mobile predators and can disperse across a variety of habitats and over long distances. However, less is known about dispersal capabilities across water and among islands. The biogeography of island systems fosters spatially structured local populations, and their degree of connectivity may influence the dynamics and long-term viability of the regional population. We sought to quantify wolf dispersal rate, distance, and dispersal sex bias throughout Prince of Wales Island, a 6670 km island in southeast Alaska, and the surrounding islands that constitute the wildlife management unit (9025 km). We also investigated patterns of dispersal in relation to hunting and trapping intensity and wolf population density. We used DNA data collected during 2012-2021 long-term monitoring efforts and genotyped 811 wolves, 144 of which (18%) were dispersers. Annual dispersal rates were 9-23% and had a weakly positive relationship with wolf density. Wolves dispersed 41.9 km on average (SD = 23.7 km), and males and females did not disperse at different rates. Of the dispersing wolves, 107 died, and the majority (n = 81) died before they were able to settle. The leading manner of death was trapping (97% of mortalities), and wolves tended to disperse from areas with low harvest density to areas where harvest density was relatively higher. Dispersal occurred both to and from small islands and the larger Prince of Wales Island, indicating bidirectional as opposed to asymmetrical movement, and the genetic overlap of wolf groups demonstrates connectivity throughout this naturally patchy system. Island ecosystems have different predator-prey dynamics and recolonization processes than large, intact systems due to their isolation and restricted sizes; thus, a better understanding of the degree of population connectivity including dispersal patterns among islands in the Prince of Wales archipelago could help inform the management and research strategies of these wolves.
狼是高度移动的食肉动物，能够在各种栖息地中分散并远距离迁徙。然而，对于它们跨越水域和在岛屿间的扩散能力，我们了解得较少。岛屿系统的生物地理学造就了空间结构分明的本地种群，而它们的连通程度可能会影响区域种群的动态和长期生存能力。我们试图量化阿拉斯加东南部一座面积为6670平方公里的威尔士王子岛以及构成野生动物管理单元的周边岛屿（9025平方公里）上狼的扩散率、扩散距离和扩散的性别偏差。我们还研究了与狩猎和诱捕强度以及狼种群密度相关的扩散模式。我们利用了在2012年至2021年长期监测工作中收集的DNA数据，对811只狼进行了基因分型，其中144只（18%）为扩散个体。年扩散率为9%至23%，与狼的密度呈弱正相关。狼平均扩散了41.9公里（标准差=23.7公里），雄性和雌性的扩散速率没有差异。在扩散的狼中，有107只死亡，大多数（n = 81）在能够定居之前就死亡了。主要的死亡方式是被诱捕（97%的死亡案例），狼倾向于从收获密度低的地区扩散到收获密度相对较高的地区。扩散在小岛和较大的威尔士王子岛之间双向发生，这表明是双向移动而非不对称移动，并且狼群的基因重叠表明了在这个自然斑块状系统中的连通性。由于岛屿生态系统的孤立性和有限规模，它们具有与大型完整系统不同的捕食者 - 猎物动态和重新定殖过程；因此，更好地了解种群连通程度，包括威尔士王子群岛中岛屿间的扩散模式，有助于为这些狼的管理和研究策略提供信息。
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