Poster Session #1
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Hugh Robinson
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Wildlife Biology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Predator prey interactions are essential relationships to understand in order to best manage communities for natural and healthy population abundances. I will be studying predator prey relationships between moose, deer, and cougars in North East Washington using camera trap data. To study predator prey dynamics within communities requires significant radio collar data and aerial surveillance. These methods can be expensive, time inefficient, and tend to be more difficult for illusive species. A new method for determining density estimates for predator and prey species called the Space to Event model (Moeller et al 2018) could eliminate the need for aerial surveys and collar data on ungulate and predator populations.
I am using this novel method to quantify the density of moose, deer, and cougars in that study area to determine whether there is evidence for indirect or apparent competition between these species. The model uses time-lapse imagery and a calculated area of the camera viewshed to determine the population densities from the space to first detection. Once I have calculated the densities for these species, I will use a linear regression to compare the densities and determine whether there is evidence for competition. We would see evidence for interference competition between the ungulate species if there was a negative correlation between their densities with no correlation to cougar density. We would see evidence for apparent competition between all three species if the prey species densities were again inversely correlated but the cougar density would be positively correlated to a single high prey density. The significance of this data can help us understand complex predator prey dynamics happening within communities and how to manage them to maximize natural population abundance and growth. Additionally, there is significance in using new models to aid in studying these species and their relationships more effectively and efficiently.
Category
Life Sciences
Finding Evidence for Competition in Moose, Deer, and Cougar Using Space to Event Model
UC South Ballroom
Predator prey interactions are essential relationships to understand in order to best manage communities for natural and healthy population abundances. I will be studying predator prey relationships between moose, deer, and cougars in North East Washington using camera trap data. To study predator prey dynamics within communities requires significant radio collar data and aerial surveillance. These methods can be expensive, time inefficient, and tend to be more difficult for illusive species. A new method for determining density estimates for predator and prey species called the Space to Event model (Moeller et al 2018) could eliminate the need for aerial surveys and collar data on ungulate and predator populations.
I am using this novel method to quantify the density of moose, deer, and cougars in that study area to determine whether there is evidence for indirect or apparent competition between these species. The model uses time-lapse imagery and a calculated area of the camera viewshed to determine the population densities from the space to first detection. Once I have calculated the densities for these species, I will use a linear regression to compare the densities and determine whether there is evidence for competition. We would see evidence for interference competition between the ungulate species if there was a negative correlation between their densities with no correlation to cougar density. We would see evidence for apparent competition between all three species if the prey species densities were again inversely correlated but the cougar density would be positively correlated to a single high prey density. The significance of this data can help us understand complex predator prey dynamics happening within communities and how to manage them to maximize natural population abundance and growth. Additionally, there is significance in using new models to aid in studying these species and their relationships more effectively and efficiently.