Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Spatial ecology of mountain ungulates in the northern Rocky Mountains: range expansion, habitat characteristics, niche overlap, and migratory diversity(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2018) Lowrey, Blake Henson; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert A. Garrott; Robert A. Garrott, Hollie M. Miyasaki, Gary Fralick and Sarah R. Dewey were co-authors of the article, 'Seasonal resource selection by introduced mountain goats in the southwest greater Yellowstone area' in the journal 'Ecosphere' which is contained within this thesis.; Robert A. Garrott, Doug E. McWhirter, P.J. White, Nicholas J. DeCesare and Shawn T. Stewart were co-authors of the article, 'Niche similarities among introduced and native mountain ungulates' in the journal 'Ecological applications' which is contained within this thesis.; Kelly M. Proffitt, Douglas E. McWhirter, P. J. White, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Sarah R. Dewey, Hollie M. Miyasaki, Kevin L. Monteith, Julie S. Mao, Jamin L. Grigg, Carson J. Butler, Ethan S. Lula and Robert A. Garrott were co-authors of the article, 'Contrasting seasonal movements in native and restored populations: a case for conserving migratory portfolios' submitted to the journal 'Journal of applied ecology' which is contained within this thesis.; Douglas E. McWhirter, Kelly M. Proffitt, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Kevin L. Monteith, P. J. White, J. Terrill Paterson, Sarah R. Dewey and Robert A. Garrott were co-authors of the article, 'Individual variation creates diverse portfolios of seasonal movement patterns and ranges in a migratory ungulate' submitted to the journal 'Ecology' which is contained within this thesis.Mountain ungulates, although recognized as iconic and charismatic wildlife species, are the least studied and understood large mammals in western North America. The paucity of data, specifically concerning spatial ecology, presents a formidable challenge to regional wildlife managers tasked with the responsibility of managing populations with limited empirical studies on which to base decisions. We used GPS data collected from bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) sampled from multiple populations throughout the northern Rocky Mountains to develop comparative studies characterizing seasonal habitats and potential range expansion of introduced mountain goats, niche overlap with native bighorn sheep, and migratory diversity of restored, augmented, and native bighorn sheep. Slope was the dominant predictor of mountain goat habitat use in both seasons, although mountain goats selected for steeper slopes in winter than in summer. Regional extrapolations depicted suitable mountain goat habitat in the Snake River, Teton, Gros Ventre, Wyoming and Salt Ranges centered around steep and rugged areas. Although bighorn sheep occurred on steeper slopes than mountain goats in summer and mountain goats occurred on steeper slopes in winter, we observed broad niche overlap according to season-species niche models and observed GPS locations where the two species were sympatric. In native bighorn sheep herds, we observed longer migrations on average and significantly more variation among individuals when compared to restored herds. The enhanced individual variation in native herds resulted in diverse portfolios of migratory behaviors and ranges, including newly documented high elevation long-distance migrants, increased switching rates between migratory behaviors, and sub-populations that were diffusely spread across both summer and winter ranges. In contrast, restored herds had limited individual variation, were largely non-migratory, had less switching between years, and were generally concentrated on both summer and winter ranges. In addition to increasing the abundance and distribution of bighorn sheep on the landscape, we suggest there may be value in simultaneously increasing the diversity of seasonal movement strategies, and in so doing, building resilience to future perturbations and disease, and mirroring the movement portfolios observed in native populations of bighorn sheep.Item Occupancy modeling of non-native mountain goats in the greater Yellowstone area(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2015) DeVoe, Jesse Daniel; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert A. GarrottNon-native species can have adverse impacts on native species; however, coexistence may be possible if their ecological niches minimally overlap. Fine spatial scale information is needed to understand these niches but can be challenging to obtain for rare, imperfectly detected species inhabiting difficult to survey landscapes. Non-native mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) in the greater Yellowstone area (GYA) are such a species and have substantial potential to expand in distribution and occupy similar habitats to native Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis). To understand the niche and potential for expansion of mountain goats in the GYA, this study used a unique, fine spatial scale method to collect detection-nondetection data from two study areas with established mountain goat populations over three summer seasons (2011-2013). Relationships between scale-specific habitat covariates and mountain goat selection were evaluated using a single-species, single-season occupancy analysis to model occupancy and detection probabilities based on 505 mountain goat detections from 53,098 surveyed sampling units. Habitat selection was most strongly associated with terrain covariates, including mean slope and slope variance, at a spatial scale of 500 x 500 m, and canopy cover, heat load, and normalized difference vegetation index at a spatial scale of 100 x 100 m. These results provide new insight into multi-scale patterns of mountain goat habitat selection, as well as evidence that mean slope and slope variance are superior terrain covariates to distance to escape terrain that has dominated published mountain goat habitat models. The model predicted 10,745 km2 of suitable habitat within the GYA, of which 57% is currently un-colonized. Throughout the GYA, suitable habitat appears to generally overlap extensively with areas occupied by bighorn sheep. I also estimated the GYA may have the potential to support 5,372-8,918 mountain goats when all predicted habitat is occupied, or approximately 2.5-4.2 times the most recent abundance estimate of 2,104.Item A two-year study of the Rocky Mountain goat in the Crazy Mountains, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1954) Lentfer, Jack W.Item The ecology of the Rocky Mountain goat in the Spanish Peaks area of southwestern Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1972) Peck, Stanley VernonItem A two year investigation of the food habits and range use of the Rocky Mountain goat in the Crazy Mountains, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1954) Saunders, Jack K.Item Seasonal locations of bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and elk on the Haystack Domestic Sheep Allotment, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1993) Byelich, Boyd RaldonItem Ecology of mountain goats in the Absaroka Range, south-central Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1996) Varley, Nathan Crane LentzItem A study of the Rocky Mountain goat in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1962) Foss, Arnold JamesItem Mountain goat distribution, population characteristics and habitat use in the Sawtooth Range, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1981) Thompson, Michael