Scale dependence of female ungulate reproductive success in relation to nutritional condition, resource selection and multi-predator avoidance

摘要: Female ungulate reproductive success is dependent on the survival of their young, and affected by maternal resource selection, predator avoidance, nutritional condition. However, potential hierarchical effects these factors are largely unknown, especially in multi-predator landscapes. We expanded previous research neonatal white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) daily within home ranges to assess if use, integrated risk 4 mammalian predators, nutrition, winter severity, hiding cover, or interactions among variables best explained landscape scale variation seasonal during post-partum period. hypothesized that would be limited greater predation at coarser spatiotemporal scales, but habitat use finer scales. An additive model non-ideal nutrition most (69%) survival; though 65% this was related nutrition. Strong support across scales did not fully our hypothesis, suggested dam behaviors directed increasing These were important following severe winters, when dams produced smaller fawns with less probability survival. To increase condition decrease wolf (Canis lupus) risk, appeared place isolated deciduous forest patches near roads. selection represented resources for fawns, which had led mortalities beyond those alone. Although strategy resulted from alternative it likely improved life-long dams, as many late-aged (>10 years old) could have multiple litters fawns. Our study emphasizes understanding scale-dependent hierarchy limiting essential providing reliable knowledge management.