Abstract
Context
Organisms commonly respond to their environment across a range of scales, however many habitat selection studies still conduct selection analyses using a single-scale framework. The adoption of multi-scale modeling frameworks in habitat selection studies can improve the effectiveness of these studies and provide greater insights into scale-dependent relationships between species and specific habitat components.
Objectives
Our study assessed multi-scale nest/roost habitat selection of the federally “Threatened” Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) in northern Arizona, USA in an effort to provide improved conservation and management strategies for this subspecies.
Methods
We conducted multi-scale habitat modeling to assess habitat selection by Mexican spotted owls using survey data collected by the USFS. Each selected covariate was included in multi-scale models at their “characteristic scale” and we used an all-subsets approach and model selection framework to assess habitat selection.
Results
The “characteristic scale” identified for each covariate varied considerably among covariates and results from multi-scale models indicated that percent canopy cover and slope were the most important covariates with respect to habitat selection by Mexican spotted owls. Multi-scale models consistently outperformed their analogous single-scale counterparts with respect to the proportion of deviance explained and model predictive performance.
Conclusions
Efficacy of future habitat selection studies will benefit by taking a multi-scale approach. In addition to potentially providing increased explanatory power and predictive capacity, multi-scale habitat models enhance our understanding of the scales at which species respond to their environment, which is critical knowledge required to implement effective conservation and management strategies.
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Acknowledgments
We thank S. Hedwall, J. Jenness, and S. Sesnie for valuable input throughout various stages of this manuscript preparation. This research was funded primarily by the Joint Fire Science Program (Project ID: 12-1-06-56). This is manuscript XXXXX of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Agricultural Extension.
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Timm, B.C., McGarigal, K., Cushman, S.A. et al. Multi-scale Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) nest/roost habitat selection in Arizona and a comparison with single-scale modeling results. Landscape Ecol 31, 1209–1225 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-016-0371-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-016-0371-0