PARENT SESSION

Population Ecology 3 -- Session Chair: Winston Smith-- Van Duzer Theater

LONG-TERM SPATIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF COYOTES IN SOUTH TEXAS. Julie K. Young¹, William F. Andelt² and John A. Shivik^1,3. ¹ Department of Forestry, Range, and Wildlife Sciences, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA; ² Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA; ³ National Wildlife Research Center, Wildlife Services-APHIS-USDA, Room 163 BNR Building, Logan, UT, USA.

ABSTRACT- Coyotes (Canis latrans) exhibit a range of social organization and home range patterns based on changes in population density, prey availability, and intraspecific competition. Although life history plasticity is well documented for coyotes, most studies have focused on short-term spatial and temporal variations. It is unclear if local coyote populations would retain or alter life history traits over time in a relatively stable environment. The objective of this study is to compare historical and current spatial and social structures of coyote home ranges. Our primary hypothesis is that spatial structure of home ranges, including core areas, social, and age structure of packs, will be similar to previous observations. Coyotes at the Welder Wildlife Refuge (WWR) in south Texas were radio-collared, aged, and tracked via triangulation to obtain information on their social structure, demographics, and space-use patterns. Scat was also collected to identify food habits of the local population. Information was compared with data collected at the WWR in 1978-1979. This study will help our understanding of space-use patterns of terrestrial predators.

KEY WORDS: Coyote, Canis latrans, home range patterns