Home range size, vegetation density, and season influences prey use by coyotes (Canis latrans)

摘要: To ensure reproductive success, Canis species establish contiguous mosaics of territories in suitable habitats to partition space and defend limiting resources. Consequently, can exert strong effects on prey populations locally because their year-round maintenance territories. We assessed use by coyotes (Canis latrans) sampling scats from within known southeastern Alabama the Savannah River area Georgia South Carolina. accounted for size habitat composition coyote home ranges investigate influence use, vegetation density, type diets. Coyote was influenced a combination mean monthly temperature, range size, hardwood forests. For example, adult white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) associated with cooler months smaller ranges, whereas rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.) months, larger less density. Coyotes our study relied primarily nutritionally superior mammalian supplemented diet fruit when available, as did not appreciably decrease increasing fruit. suggest that differential is heterogeneity prey-switching behaviors may stabilize local interactions between food resources permit stable Given affects future studies should also incorporate distribution abundance further identify influences communities.