Effects of Wolf Presence on Daily Travel Distance of Range Cattle

摘要: The presence of gray wolves (Canis lupus) can directly and indirectly affect beef cattle (Bos taurus) production on rangelands the Northern Rocky Mountains. While fairly extensive knowledge exists for direct effects wolf predation threat (e.g., death injury losses, elevated stress), our understanding wolf-caused changes in behavior associated cascade potential indirect resource selection, diet quality, activity budgets, energetic relationships is still largely its infancy. We investigated whether affected daily travel distance Global Positioning System (GPS) — collared under a replicated, Impact-Control study conducted western Idaho northeastern Oregon during 2008 2012. Cattle three Control (Oregon) areas, where was consistently low, traveled farther per day (13.7 ± 0.396 SE km day-1) than those Impact (Idaho) areas (11.4 with moderate to high presence. At farthest July (13.2 0.355 were least mobile October (11.8 0.365 day-1), but distances similar across all months areas. This observational provides evidence suggesting mountainous grazing alter their spatial response These behavioral have consequences that could potentially impact productivity ranch economics. Additional research into budget selection responses these required better understand specific mechanisms behind results.