Venison to beef and deviance from truth: biotelemetry for detecting seasonal wolf prey selection in Alberta

• Author / Creator

  Morehouse, Andrea

• An abrupt interface between mountains and prairies in southwestern Alberta means wilderness areas and carnivore populations overlap cattle grazing lands. Consequently, there is concern about the effects of large carnivores, especially wolves, on livestock. I used GPS clusters and scat samples to determine year-round wolf diets in this region. Both methods indicated a significant seasonal shift in wolf diets from wild prey during the non-grazing season to cattle in the grazing season. The GPS cluster method effectively identified wolf kills but this method relies on telemetry with high accuracy and precision. In southwestern Alberta, Argos satellite radicollars have been used extensively by wildlife managers. I compare how differences in precision between GPS and Argos technologies affect the estimation of habitat-selection models. Differences in accuracy and precision can lead to erroneous conclusions about animal selection of habitat.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Canis lupus
  • Radiocollar
  • Livestock
  • Telemetry
  • Diet
  • Wolves
  • Precision
  • Global Positioning System
  • Measurement error
  • Prey composition
  • Alberta

• Graduation date

  Fall 2010

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3ZH8R

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.