Search

Passive transport has likely contributed to the post-glacial dispersal of species in temperate regions. However, identifying such processes from patterns can be obscured by confounding environmenta...

Syrphids (Diptera: Syrphidae) are a diverse and widespread family of pollinating flies. Their diverse life history traits not only allow them to thrive in a wide range of habitats but also make them potential bioindicators of environmental change. Here, we report on their distributions from a previously understudied and undeveloped part of northern Ontario that is a large part of the third-largest wetland in the world. Samples were collected from across the region between 2009 and 2016, using numerous sampling methods. Of the 122 species identified from 1514 specimens, six are new provincial records to Ontario. Five species were collected over 800 km from their previously known ranges, some of which were west of the Rocky Mountains. Of all the trapping methods employed in the study, Malaise traps were found to be the most effective at catching syrphid species. This work updates known range and provincial records for more than 100 species of syrphids, bringing into clearer focus their distribution throughout this region.

The distribution and diversity of fauna of remote regions, including much of the boreal forest, are incompletely known. We took part in extensive biodiversity surveys in the Far North of Ontario (north of 51° N), Canada from 2009 to 2015. In the family Carabidae Latreille (Coleoptera), we report new records and range extensions for 600 specimens representing 99 species. We documented the first record for Canada of one species, the first records for Ontario of 11 species, and range extensions (> 100 km from the known range) for 70 species. The range extensions were largely in a northwards direction, with a median distance of 650 km and a positive skew in the distribution of these distances. These new records fill an important gap in knowledge of the distribution of this family.

Background While patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) are thought to encounter poor primary care experiences, the perspectives of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD), specifically, are unknown. This study compares the primary care experiences of patients with OUD, other SUDs and no SUD in the Veterans Health Administration. Methods The sample included Veterans who responded to the national Patient-Centered Medical Home Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients, 2013–2015. Respondents included 3554 patients with OUD, 36,175 with other SUDs, and 756,386 with no SUD; 742 OUD-diagnosed patients received buprenorphine. Multivariable multinomial logistic regressions estimated differences in the probability of reporting positive and negative experiences (0–100 scale) for patients with OUD, compared to patients with other SUDs and no SUD, and for OUD-diagnosed patients treated versus not treated with buprenorphine. Results Of all domains, patients with OUD reported the least positive experiences with access (31%) and medication decision-making (35%), and the most negative experiences with self-management support (35%) and provider communication (23%). Compared to the other groups, patients diagnosed with OUD reported fewer positive and/or more negative experiences with access, communication, office staff, provider ratings, comprehensiveness, care coordination, and self-management support (adjusted risk differences[aRDs] range from |2.9| to |7.0|). Among OUD-diagnosed patients, buprenorphine was associated with more positive experiences with comprehensiveness (aRD = 8.3) and self-management support (aRD = 7.1), and less negative experiences with care coordination (aRD = −4.9) and medication shared decision-making (aRD = −5.4). Conclusions In a national sample, patients diagnosed with OUD encounter less positive and more negative experiences than other primary care patients, including those with other SUDs. Buprenorphine treatment relates positively to experiences with care comprehensiveness, medication decisions, and care coordination. As stakeholders encourage more primary care providers to manage OUD, it will be important for healthcare systems to attend to patient access and experiences with care in these settings.

AIM: Population‐limiting factors represent the core of conservation biology. Because animal space use is affected by ecological constraints that can vary among populations, limiting factors might be revealed from intraspecific variation in home range size. We evaluated biogeographic variation in the home range size of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), a threatened species inhabiting the boreal forest, in relation to land cover, topography, snowcover and disturbance across the species’ range. LOCATION: Twenty‐five populations in Canada, spanning the contiguous boreal forest (an east–west extent of 4,400 km), including the southern fringe of the species’ range, adjacent to a broad region of extirpation. METHODS: We compiled the average annual home range size of adult female caribou (5–68 home ranges per population) and 18 putative predictor variables in each population range. We uncovered major gradients using principal components analysis and then evaluated models of home range size using multiple regression, with orthogonal variables representing vegetation, human disturbance and snowcover. RESULTS: Average home range size varied 28‐fold among populations (range: 312–8,838 km²). Home range area was most strongly and negatively correlated with anthropogenic disturbance in the population range (R² = 0.391), a variable in all seven top models (ΔAICc ≤ 5.99). Among populations, where human disturbance in the population range was low (≤10%), mean home range sizes consistently exceeded 1,400 km². Conversely, where human disturbance was high (>55%), especially at the species’ southern range margin, mean home range sizes did not exceed 1,500 km². MAIN CONCLUSIONS: In the boreal forest, female caribou may constrict their home ranges amid human‐caused disturbances. We speculate that smaller home ranges may lower the risk of encounter by predators, a key limiting factor. Among populations, smaller home ranges may serve as a signal of anthropogenic habitat loss.

BACKGROUND Homeless patients describe poor experiences with primary care. In 2012, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) implemented homeless-tailored primary care teams (Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, HPACTs) that could improve the primary care experience for homeless patients. OBJECTIVE To assess differences in primary care experiences between homeless and nonhomeless Veterans receiving care in VHA facilities that had HPACTs available (HPACT facilities) and in VHA facilities lacking HPACTs (non-HPACT facilities). RESEARCH DESIGN We used multivariable multinomial regressions to estimate homeless versus nonhomeless patient differences in primary care experiences (categorized as negative/moderate/positive) reported on a national VHA survey. We compared the homeless versus nonhomeless risk differences (RDs) in reporting negative or positive experiences in 25 HPACT facilities versus 485 non-HPACT facilities. SUBJECTS Survey respondents from non-HPACT facilities (homeless: n=10,148; nonhomeless: n=309,779) and HPACT facilities (homeless: n=2022; nonhomeless: n=20,941). MEASURES Negative and positive experiences with access, communication, office staff, provider rating, comprehensiveness, coordination, shared decision-making, and self-management support. RESULTS In non-HPACT facilities, homeless patients reported more negative and fewer positive experiences than nonhomeless patients. However, these patterns of homeless versus nonhomeless differences were reversed in HPACT facilities for the domains of communication (positive experience RDs in non-HPACT versus HPACT facilities=-2.0 and 2.0, respectively); comprehensiveness (negative RDs=2.1 and -2.3), shared decision-making (negative RDs=1.2 and -1.8), and self-management support (negative RDs=0.1 and -4.5; positive RDs=0.5 and 8.0). CONCLUSIONS VHA facilities with HPACT programs appear to offer a better primary care experience for homeless versus nonhomeless Veterans, reversing the pattern of relatively poor primary care experiences often associated with homelessness.

BACKGROUND: Managing depression in primary care settings has increased with the rise of integrated models of care, such as patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). The relationship between patient experience in PCMH settings and receipt of depression treatment is unknown. OBJECTIVE: In a large sample of Veterans diagnosed with depression, we examined whether positive PCMH experiences predicted subsequent initiation or continuation of treatment for depression. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a lagged cross-sectional study of depression treatment among Veterans with depression diagnoses (n = 27,362) in the years before (Y1) and after (Y2) they completed the Veterans Health Administration’s national 2013 PCMH Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients. MAIN MEASURES: We assessed patient experiences in four domains, each categorized as positive/moderate/negative. Depression treatment, determined from administrative records, was defined annually as 90 days of antidepressant medications or six psychotherapy visits. Multivariable logistic regressions measured associations between PCMH experiences and receipt of depression treatment in Y2, accounting for treatment in Y1. KEY RESULTS: Among those who did not receive depression treatment in Y1 (n = 4613), positive experiences in three domains (comprehensiveness, shared decision-making, self-management support) predicted greater initiation of treatment in Y2. Among those who received depression treatment in Y1 (n = 22,749), positive or moderate experiences in four domains (comprehensiveness, care coordination, medication decision-making, self-management support) predicted greater continuation of treatment in Y2. CONCLUSIONS: In a national PCMH setting, patient experiences with integrated care, including care coordination, comprehensiveness, involvement in shared decision-making, and self-management support predicted patients’ subsequent initiation and continuation of depression treatment over time—a relationship that could affect physical and mental health outcomes. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s11606-018-4522-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Movement influences a myriad of ecological processes operating at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Yet our understanding of animal movement is limited by the resolution of data that can be obtained from individuals. Traditional approaches implicitly assume that movement decisions are made at the spatial and temporal scales of observation, although this scale is typically an artifact of data-gathering technology rather than biological realism. To address this limitation, we used telemetry-based movement data for caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in Newfoundland, Canada, and compared movement decisions estimated at the temporal resolution of GPS relocations (2 hours) to a novel model describing directional movement to areas reachable over an extended period. We showed that this newer model is a better predictor of movement decisions by caribou, with decisions made at the scale of ~2 km, including the strong avoidance of dense coniferous forest, an outcome not detectable at the scale of GPS relocations. These results illustrate the complexity of factors affecting animal movement decisions and the analytical challenges associated with their interpretation. Our novel modelling framework will help support increased accuracy in predictive models of animal space-use, and thereby aid in determining biologically meaningful scales for collecting movement and habitat data. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Background In 2012, select Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities implemented a homeless-tailored medical home model, called Homeless Patient Aligned Care Teams (H-PACT), to improve care processes and outcomes for homeless Veterans. Objective The main aim of this study was to determine whether H-PACT offers a better patient experience than standard VHA primary care. Research design We used multivariable logistic regressions to estimate differences in the probability of reporting positive primary care experiences on a national survey. Subjects Homeless-experienced survey respondents enrolled in H-PACT (n=251) or standard primary care in facilities with H-PACT available (n=1527) and facilities without H-PACT (n=10,079). Measures Patient experiences in 8 domains from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and Systems surveys. Domain scores were categorized as positive versus nonpositive. Results H-PACT patients were less likely than standard primary care patients to be female, have 4-year college degrees, or to have served in recent military conflicts; they received more primary care visits and social services. H-PACT patients were more likely than standard primary care patients in the same facilities to report positive experiences with access [adjusted risk difference (RD)=17.4], communication (RD=13.9), office staff (RD=13.1), provider ratings (RD=11.0), and comprehensiveness (RD=9.3). Standard primary care patients in facilities with H-PACT available were more likely than those from facilities without H-PACT to report positive experiences with communication (RD=4.7) and self-management support (RD=4.6). Conclusions Patient-centered medical homes designed to address the social determinants of health offer a better care experience for homeless patients, when compared with standard primary care approaches. The lessons learned from H-PACT can be applied throughout VHA and to other health care settings.

BACKGROUND Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) may be effective in managing care for racial/ethnic minorities with mental health and/or substance use disorders (MHSUDs). How such patients experience care in PCMH settings is relatively unknown.

Generalist predators typically have broad diets, but their diets may become constrained when one species of prey becomes disproportionately available. Yet there is poor understanding regarding whether generalist predators exhibit stereotypic relationships with pulsed prey resources. We used telemetry data from 959 woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788); 146 adult females, 813 calves), 61 coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823), and 55 black bears (Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780) to investigate how two generalist predators interacted with caribou neonates on the island of Newfoundland. We examined the similarity of patterns of habitat use between caribou and their predators across time and related this similarity to interspecific spatiotemporal co-occurrence and mortality risk for caribou neonates. The similarity in habitat use between coyotes and caribou mirrored variation in juvenile hazard risk, but had weak association with actual co-occurrence with caribou. Bears and caribou exhibited less similarity in habitat use during the calving season than coyotes and caribou. The relationship between habitat use of bear and caribou did not correspond with either co-occurrence patterns or overall risk for caribou neonates. Our work illustrates how risk for a prey species can be shaped differently based upon differences between the behavioural strategies of generalist predator species.

Identifying limiting factors is fundamental to understanding and conserving mammals, yet it often requires long-term data for long-lived species. Numerical changes of migratory caribou ( Rangifer tarandus ), for example, may unfold over decades, but few studies have examined habitat use at similar timeframes. We analyzed multiple decades of habitat use by caribou in Newfoundland, Canada, coincident with their numeric growth ( r = 0.064 in 1980s, 1990s) and decline ( r = −0.099 in 2000s). We examined 2 scales: selection of land cover, based on radiotracking of 520 adult females, and diet, based on microhistological analysis of feces and age-specific tooth wear from jawbones of harvested animals. Caribou responded at both scales. In contrast to previous decades, females during the population decline used proportionally less open coniferous and closed coniferous forests, they used more shrublands (in fall and winter) and barrens, open habitats with greater vascular plant resources. Patterns of selection also changed from nonselection to avoidance of open coniferous forest and from avoidance to nonselection or preference of barrens. The proportion of dietary moss increased at the expense of deciduous shrubs, especially during spring and summer and of ericaceous shrubs, graminoids, and lichens during winter. Teeth of both sexes exhibited premature wear, likely indicative of abrasion from low-quality forages and cropping of foods near the ground. These patterns mirror other responses, including declines in calf weight, female body size, number of male antler points, herd affinities, and time spent on the summer grounds. We surmise that they reflect density-dependent forage limitation of this island population.

The rates and causes of juvenile mortality are central features of the dynamics and conservation of large mammals, like woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)), but intrinsic and extrinsic factors may be modified by variations in animal abundance. We tested the influences of population size, climate, calf weight and sex on survival to 6 months of age of 1241 radio-collared caribou calves over three decades, spanning periods of population growth (1979–1997) and decline (2003–2012) in Newfoundland, Canada. Daily survival rates were higher and rose more quickly with calf age during the population growth period compared to the decline. Population size (negatively) and calf weight (positively) affected survival during the decline but neither had a detectable influence during the growth phase. Sex, climate and plant productivity (the latter two derived from the North Atlantic Oscillation and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, respectively) exerted minimal influence during either phase. Predation was the dominant source of mortality. The mean percentage of calves killed by predators was 30 % higher during the decline compared to the growth phase. Black bears (Ursus americanus) and lynx (Lynx canadensis) were the major predators during the population increase but this changed during the decrease to black bears and coyotes (Canis latrans). Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that Newfoundland caribou experienced phase-dependent survival mediated proximally by predation and competition for food.

Habitat selection is a multi-level, hierarchical process that should be a key component in the balance between food acquisition and predation risk avoidance (food–predation trade-off). However, to date, studies have not fully elucidated how fine- and broad-scale habitat decisions by individual prey can help balance food versus risk. We studied broad-scale habitat selection by Newfoundland caribou Rangifer tarandus, focusing on trade-offs between predation risk versus access to forage during the calving and post-calving period. We improved traditional measures of habitat availability by incorporating fine-scale movement patterns of caribou into the availability kernel, thus enabling separation of broad and fine scales of selection. Remote sensing and field surveys served to create a spatio-temporal model of forage availability, whereas GPS telemetry locations from 66 black bears Ursus americanus and 59 coyotes Canis latrans provided models of predation risk. We then used GPS telemetry locations from 114 female caribou to assess food–predation trade-offs through the prism of our refined model of caribou habitat availability. We noted that migratory movements of caribou were oriented mainly towards habitats with abundant forage and lower risk of bear and (to a lesser extent) coyote encounter. These findings were generally consistent across caribou herds and would not have been evident had we used traditional methods instead of our refined model when estimating habitat availability. We interpret these findings in the context of stereotypical migratory behaviour observed in Newfoundland caribou, which occurs despite the extirpation of wolves Canis lupus nearly a century ago. We submit that caribou are able to balance food acquisition against predation risk using a complex set of factors involving both finer and broader scale selection. Accordingly, our study provides a strong argument for using refined habitat availability estimates when assessing food–predation trade-offs.

The recently diminished caribou (Rangifer tarandus) population in insular Newfoundland, Canada, has been severely limited by predation on newborn calves. These neonates are patchily distributed on the landscape; therefore, to adequately understand predator–prey interactions, the temporal and geographic extent of the distribution of caribou calves must be identified so that current areas with calves can be differentiated from areas without calves. We used telemetry locations of 309 caribou calves and 100 adult females from 4 herds, 2008– 2010, to estimate the spatiotemporal distribution of caribou calves during the time when they were most vulnerable to predation, to evaluate the predictability of the calf resource among years, and to assess the degree of aggregation during calving. Patterns of calf distribution were predictable in time and space from year to year, with an average distributional overlap of 68% between years. The dispersion of female caribou during calving varied among herds from highly aggregated (8% and 20% of herd range) to more dispersed (50–70% of herd range). Postcalving (up to 9 weeks) distributions also varied among herds; the 2 more-dispersed herds remained sedentary, whereas both highly aggregated herds migrated away from their calving grounds at the end of June. The most-aggregated herd remained so as it migrated from its calving ground, whereas the less-aggregated herd spread out and moved in a variety of predictable directions. Dispersion and movement patterns varied with forest cover; herds with less forest cover in their range were more aggregated and migratory than herds with more forest cover.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have assessed sex or racial/ethnic differences in inpatient experiences in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare inpatient experiences by sex and race/ethnicity within and between VA hospitals. RESEARCH DESIGN: We used mixed-effects multinomial regression to assess within-facility and between-facility sex and racial/ethnic differences in the 2010 VA Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients. SUBJECTS: 50,471 respondents from 144 VA hospitals (4.5% female; 75.4% non-Hispanic white, 14.7% non-Hispanic black, 5.4% Hispanic, and 4.4% other race/ethnicity). MEASURES: Negative and positive patient-reported experiences in 13 health care domains were included. RESULTS: Adjusted within-facility sex differences indicated that women reported more negative and less positive experiences than men in 4 domains, and less negative and more positive experiences on domains related to noise and privacy. Patients at facilities with more female patients reported more negative and less positive experiences in 4 domains. Blacks and Hispanics reported less negative and/or more positive experiences than whites within the same facility, although patients at facilities with more black and Hispanic patients reported more negative and less positive experiences overall. There were few and inconsistent within-facility differences between other racial/ethnic patients and whites. Patients at facilities with more other racial/ethnic patients reported slightly less negative and more positive experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Male, black, and Hispanic patients treated in VA hospitals tend to report more positive experiences than female and white patients treated at the same facilities. However, less positive experiences are reported by patients overall in hospitals that serve larger populations of women and racial/ethnic minorities.

Declining use and abandonment of traditional ranges by migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus) have often been related to density-dependent depletion of summer forage. The Pen Islands caribou herd (R. t. caribou), Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, numbered in the thousands on its traditional summer tundra range during the 1980s, but then declined in that region. We postulated that increased caribou abundance over three decades negatively affected phytomass, given that under the exploitation ecosystem hypothesis (EEH), grazers limit the amount of primary production if few predators are present. We tested this prediction using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), as a proxy for phytomass available to caribou. We lagged caribou abundance in the explanatory model by the number of years (4–7) between peak caribou abundance and minimum NDVI. NDVI was negatively related to caribou abundance lagged by 6 years, and growing degree days explained much of the annual variation in NDVI. Precipitation was not an important predictor in the model. Our study is the first to apply NDVI to support the EEH for caribou. We propose that this method could be used over broad scales to shed light on limiting factors for migratory caribou across the circumpolar North.

Predicting space use patterns of animals from their interactions with the environment is fundamental for understanding the effect of habitat changes on ecosystem functioning. Recent attempts to address this problem have sought to unify resource selection analysis, where animal space use is derived from available habitat quality, and mechanistic movement models, where detailed movement processes of an animal are used to predict its emergent utilization distribution. Such models bias the animal's movement towards patches that are easily available and resource-rich, and the result is a predicted probability density at a given position being a function of the habitat quality at that position. However, in reality, the probability that an animal will use a patch of the terrain tends to be a function of the resource quality in both that patch and the surrounding habitat. We propose a mechanistic model where this non-local effect of resources naturally emerges from the local movement processes, by taking into account the relative utility of both the habitat where the animal currently resides and that of where it is moving. We give statistical techniques to parametrize the model from location data and demonstrate application of these techniques to GPS location data of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in Newfoundland. Steady-state animal probability distributions arising from the model have complex patterns that cannot be expressed simply as a function of the local quality of the habitat. In particular, large areas of good habitat are used more intensively than smaller patches of equal quality habitat, whereas isolated patches are used less frequently. Both of these are real aspects of animal space use missing from previous mechanistic resource selection models. Whilst we focus on habitats in this study, our modelling framework can be readily used with any environmental covariates and therefore represents a unification of mechanistic modelling and step selection approaches to understanding animal space use.

Citizens’ observations of wildlife offer a wealth of information. Such data, however, may be prone to biases or inaccuracies — in particular, the over-reporting of novel species and under-reporting of common or mundane species. Few studies have assessed the relationship between unstructured and structured observations using long-term data. We compared 69 years of voluntary bird sightings, recorded in the regular publication of Peterborough Field Naturalists (PFN), 1948-2016, to systematic Christmas Bird Counts (CBC; during winter) and Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS; during spring) in central Ontario, Canada. We focused on seven species that had expanded their ranges into the area: Northern Cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis ), House Finch ( Haemorhous mexicanus ), Purple Finch ( Haemorhous purpureus ), Red-bellied Woodpecker ( Melanerpes carolinus ), Wild Turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ), Canada Goose ( Branta canadensis ), and American Robin ( Turdus migratorius ). For each species, we compared the first record, the annual number of sightings, and the annual relative abundance from the PFN to the first record and annual relative abundance in the CBC and BBS. We anticipated that naturalists’ accounts would be more sensitive to the arrival of novel species but would underestimate abundance as the species became common. In general, our results agreed with these predictions. In 11 of 12 cases, the naturalists detected a species well in advance of the CBC and BBS — on average by 1½ decades (range: 5–33 years). The correlations in bird abundance between unstructured (PFN) and structured (CBC and BBS) data were variable; most were weak and negative. We found significant negative correlations for the two most common species, Northern Cardinal (winter) and House Finch (spring), as well as for Wild Turkey (winter), and a positive correlation for the rarest species, the Red-bellied Woodpecker (spring). We surmise that novelty underlies these results — that rarity increases the likelihood of reporting by non-professionals. We conclude that unstructured observations are valuable in detecting novel species, but they may be inconsistent, even inverse, indicators of the abundance of expanding species, once established.

Understanding the relationship between abundance and distribution is central to ecology but may require broad-scale observations, especially for long-lived, mobile animals like caribou (Rangifer tarandus (L., 1758)). We tested the link between demography and spatial ecology of Newfoundland caribou, coincident with their numerical growth (1980s, 1990s) and decline (2000s). We analysed site fidelity, rate of movements, timing of migration, and population organization from telemetry observations of more than 600 adult females. Site fidelity was consistent across herds, intensifying near the onset of calving and peaking in late summer, a cycle that may reflect selection for postpartum security. Late-summer fidelity was stronger in the 1980s than 1990s, a trend that reversed itself during the 2000s. Weekly movements were lower in the 2000s, but with no clear differences between the 1980s and 1990s. Timing of migration changed: in the 2000s, spring migration of the Buchans herd occurred 3 weeks earlier and autumn migration 3 weeks later compared with the previous decade, the reversal of a 40-year trend. Herd affinities, revealed by fuzzy membership coefficients, diminished by the 2000s. These changes are consistent with the hypothesis of limitation by summer forage competition. Space use represents a useful gauge of numerical changes in caribou.

Aim An understanding of the factors that influence species distributions in heterogeneous landscapes is important when making decisions regarding conservation. Moreover, occupancy probabilities based on detection data can reveal important species–habitat relationships. Accounting for the spatial autocorrelation of detection data increases the statistical validity of occupancy models, but is not often considered. Using novel occupancy modelling that explicitly incorporates detectability and spatial autocorrelation, we assessed the influence of habitat on occupancy patterns of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), moose (Alces alces) and wolves (Canis lupus) across a broad biogeographical extent where fire is the dominant agent of disturbance. Location Northern Ontario, Canada. Methods We aerially surveyed 3851 sampling units, each covering 100 km2, for woodland caribou, moose and wolves in February–March in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and visited 1663 units more than once to estimate detectability. We used restricted spatial regression to model occupancy probabilities of each species with respect to habitat factors in two ecozones, accounting for both imperfect detection and lack of independence of sampling units. Results Covariates influencing species detection varied among ecozones and species. Caribou occupancy was positively related to bogs and negatively related to disturbed areas, while moose occupancy showed opposite responses to these covariates. Wolf occupancy was related to high prey occupancy. Explicitly accounting for spatial autocorrelation in detection data reduced the chance of type I error in occupancy estimates compared with non-spatial models. Main conclusions Habitat relationships and occupancy patterns support the hypothesis that caribou remain spatially segregated from moose to reduce predation risk. The broad scale of analysis indicated changes in species–habitat relationships, suggesting that limiting factors vary across biogeographical gradients. The spatial pattern in caribou occupancy allowed us to identify important areas used by caribou across the region, including the ecotone between fire-driven boreal forests and peatland complexes. The evidence for significant relationships between caribou and land cover, predators and alternate prey underscores the need for careful planning of development and infrastructure in the area.

Racial and ethnic differences in patient health care experiences have not been well examined in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System.To examine racial/ethnic differences in outpatient health care experiences within and between VA medical facilities.We assessed within-facility and between-facility racial/ethnic differences in responses to the 2010 VA Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients using mixed-effects multinomial regression.A total of 211,459 respondents (53.2%) to a random survey of outpatients from 910 VA medical facilities (71.9% non-Hispanic white, 15.1% non-Hispanic black, 6.4% Hispanic, and 6.7% Other race/ethnicity).Negative and positive patient-reported experiences in 8 domains of health care.Between-facility effects for black race were higher for 7 domains of negative experiences [risk differences (RDs): 0.37% to 1.64%] and lower for 6 domains of positive experiences (RDs: -0.69% to -2.54%). Between-facility effects for Hispanic ethnicity were higher for 5 domains of negative experiences (RDs: 0.60%-1.34%) and lower for 5 domains of positive experiences (RDs: -1.00% to -1.88%). Hispanic ethnicity was also associated with higher within-facility rates of positive experiences for 5 domains of care (RDs: 2.97%-4.08%). Other race/ethnicity was associated with significantly higher within-facility rates of negative experiences (RDs: 2.04%-3.95%) and lower rates of positive experiences for all 8 domains (RDs: -2.05% to -4.70%).In a national random sample of Veterans managed in the VA Healthcare System, we demonstrated significant within-facility and between-facility racial and ethnic differences in outpatient health care experiences, with differing patterns for each minority group.

By conventional standards, modern wildlife science is a success, but our ability to convey complex technical matters to the public and other decision-makers could be more effective. Hunting in North America epitomizes these successes and shortcomings. The observations and samples from hunters support science, but there is a gap in understanding and communicating with scientists. Because threats to conservation are accelerating, scientists need not only to make wildlife science accessible to non-scientists but also to engage in translating science into policy. To be effective conservationists, scientists should articulate their policy preferences, invite non-scientists to question the scientific rationales for action, become comfortable with making policy recommendations under uncertainty, patiently repeat their messages and build respectful relationships with the uncommitted and with open-minded opponents. Conservation concerns both good science and human choices.

Global warming threatens to reduce population connectivity for terrestrial wildlife through significant and rapid changes to sea ice. Using genetic fingerprinting, we contrasted extant connectivity in island-dwelling Peary caribou in northern Canada with continental-migratory caribou. We next examined if sea-ice contractions in the last decades modulated population connectivity and explored the possible impact of future climate change on long-term connectivity among island caribou. We found a strong correlation between genetic and geodesic distances for both continental and Peary caribou, even after accounting for the possible effect of sea surface. Sea ice has thus been an effective corridor for Peary caribou, promoting inter-island connectivity and population mixing. Using a time series of remote sensing sea-ice data, we show that landscape resistance in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago has increased by approximately 15% since 1979 and may further increase by 20–77% by 2086 under a high-emission scenario (RCP8.5). Under the persistent increase in greenhouse gas concentrations, reduced connectivity may isolate island-dwelling caribou with potentially significant consequences for population viability.

Dogs (Canis familiaris) are used in hunting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus )i n 10 North American jurisdictions. Although the practice is longstanding and controversial, the effects of dogs on the outcome of the hunt have rarely been studied. We evaluated the influence of dogs on recreational hunting of white-tailed deer based on long-term data from southeastern Ontario, Canada. Over 25 years, annual surveys of hunters were used to collect data on hunting effort and deer harvest from approximately 85 camps, roughly half of which had dogs. We investigated the relationship between harvest and 3 treatments (i.e., 0 dogs, 1 dog, and � 2 dogs in camp), interactions with weather and deer density, and effects of neighboring camps. Dogs enhanced hunter success. We found no difference in deer encounter rates but, per unit effort, camps with � 2 dogs harvested 0.013 (26%) more deer per hunter-day, missed 0.010 (23%) more deer per hunter-day, and wounded 0.002 (40%) more deer per hunter-day than camps without dogs. Conversely, camps without dogs saw, without shooting at, 0.033 (23%) more deer per hunter-day than camps with � 2 dogs. These results are consistent with the idea that hunters with dogs are less selective. Hunters with dogs harvested more fawns per unit effort, but we found no difference in the harvest rate of older female deer. More precipitation, greater wind speed, lower temperatures and greater deer density improved harvest success but had no differential effect among dog treatments. Hunter success at camps with � 2 dogs was less when neighboring camps also had � 2 dogs. Because antlerless deer quotas are the principal means to control populations, increasing use of hunting dogs is unlikely to have substantial effects in managing overabundant deer. 2012 The Wildlife Society.

Conservation strategies have a tendency to discount range peripheries, but recent evidence suggests that range edges may be important to species persistence by harboring genetic variants not found in core distributions. Wolverines in Canada are recognized as existing in two populations—an endangered eastern population and an extant western population thought to be largely panmictic. Studies from western North America identified strong patterns of female philopatry and increased genetic structure at the current southwestern periphery. Due to the paucity of data from the contemporary eastern periphery, it remains unclear if similar patterns exist at this range edge. Using neutral microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA markers from a broad geographic extent (>2,500 km), we found that wolverines at the eastern periphery displayed strong patterns of genetic distinctiveness from northwestern populations. While the microsatellite data suggest contemporary genetic structure exists, the haplotypic composition of the eastern periphery drastically differed from the core, indicating longstanding differences between regions. Further research is needed to determine if wolverines from the eastern periphery show evidence of interactions with the functionally extirpated eastern population, if functional markers display similar patterns of genetic diversity, and what relevance these may have in their evolutionary potential. Pronounced environmental fluctuations at range boundaries likely contribute to peripheral populations having genotypes with a greater capacity to respond to future selection pressures like climate change and may become a vital source of genetic diversity should core regions become replaced by edge habitats, and thus warrant separate conservation consideration.

The demographic and environmental influences on large mammal morphology are central questions in ecology. We investigated the effects of population abundance and climate on body size and number of male antler points for the La Poile and Middle Ridge caribou (Rangifer tarandus, L. 1758) herds, Newfoundland, Canada. Across 40 years and 20-fold changes in abundance, adult males and females exhibited diminished stature as indicated by jawbone size (diastema and total mandible length) and the number of antler points at the time of harvest. Associations between jawbone size and population abundance at birth were consistently negative for both herds, both sexes, and all age classes. Large-scale climate patterns, as measured by the North Atlantic Oscillation in the winter prior to birth, were also negatively associated with jawbone size. Declines in male antler size, as measured by the number of antler points, were not well predicted by either abundance or climate, suggesting other factors (e.g., current, rather than latent, foraging conditions) may be involved. We conclude that these morphological changes indicate competition for food resources.

Although fundamental factors limiting geographic ranges are understood for many animal species, there is less certainty regarding how such factors influence the behavior of individuals near distributional edges. We tested the hypothe- sis that climate limits the southern distribution of moose (Alces alces (L., 1758)) by documenting space use and behavior of 36 females at the margin of the species' range in Ontario, Canada. We assessed temperature differences among habitats and related changes in seasonal habitat use and daily movement patterns in response to temperature. Ambient temperatures frequently exceeded the thresholds of -5 8C (winter) and 14 8C (summer), above which moose are supposed to be ther- mally stressed. We detected no differences in habitat use relative to thermoregulation thresholds. However, moose exhib- ited reduced movement when snow was deep and were more active at dawn and dusk. Low variability in temperature among habitat types implied that functional thermal shelters were absent. We suggest that moose in their southern range either ameliorate heat stress at a finer resolution than we measured or are more resilient to temperature than previously thought. Additional evidence linking temperatures with negative responses is necessary before the prevalent hypothesis of heat stress limiting the southern distribution of moose can be fully assessed. Resume´ : Alors que les facteurs fondamentaux qui limitent les aires geographiques sont bien connus pour plusieurs espe `- ces animales, il est moins clair comment ces facteurs influencent les individus habitant pres des marges de ces aires de re ´- partition. Nous testons l'hypothese qui veut que les conditions climatiques limitent la repartition vers le sud de l'orignal (Alces alces (L., 1758)) en etudiant l'utilisation de l'espace et le comportement de 36 femelles a la limite de l'aire de re ´- partition de l'espece en Ontario, Canada. Nous avons mesureles differences de temperature entre les habitats et noteles changements associes dans l'utilisation saisonniere des habitats et les patrons de deplacements journaliers en reaction ala temperature. Les temperatures depassaient souvent les seuils de -5 8C (hiver) et 14 8 C( ete ´), en-decaet au-deladesquels les orignaux sont senses subir un stress thermique. Nous ne decelons aucune difference dans l'utilisation de l'habitat en fonction des seuils de thermoregulation. Cependant, les orignaux se deplacent moins quand la neige est profonde et ils sont plus actifs al'aube et a la tombee du jour. La faible variabiliteentre les types d'habitats fait qu'il n'existe pas de re- fuges thermiques fonctionnels. Nous croyons que les orignaux dans le sud de leur aire de repartition ou bien mitigent leur stress thermique a une echelle plus fine que celle que nous utilisons ou alors sont plus resistants ala temperature qu'on ne le croyait anterieurement. Il faudra des donnees supplementaires reliant les temperatures ades reactions negatives avant que l'hypothese actuelle selon laquelle le stress duala chaleur limite la repartition des orignaux vers le sud puisse etre completement evaluee. (Traduit par la Redaction)

Monitoring the distribution and movements of a species following reintroduction can aid resource managers in assessing release-site fidelity, rates of spread, initial project success, and feasibility of (or need for) future releases. We used radio-telemetry to monitor an entire founding population of 70 elk (Cervus elaphus) during 16 months following their reintroduction to eastern Ontario, Canada. At the end of the study, elk were widely scattered over a 27,000 km 2 area. Dispersal distances ranged from 2 to 142 km; 50% of animals moved >40 km from the release site. Dispersal distances differed by time periods and age but not sex. Calves dispersed significantly shorter distances than adults and many mature elk were isolated during the rut. In contrast to a random distribution model, movements had a strongly southwestern directional bias, perhaps owing to prevailing winds from the same direction. Mortality during the study period was 27%; the primary causes of known mortalities were emaciation, collision with automobiles, and illegal shooting. During the first 11/2 years, lack of releasesite fidelity and high dispersal coupled with animal-human conflicts and mortalities likely contributed to an initial lag in population growth. Resource managers planning animal reintroductions should consider using methodologies that enhance site fidelity following release.

Habitat selection is the disproportionate use of available conditions and resources, and involves responses in space and time to perceived risks and rewards. It frequently depends on the scale of measurement, often in non-linear ways that preclude simple extrapolation across scales. More critically, animals often select different habitat components at different scales, and species vary in their scales of selection. Although multi-scaled research on habitat selection has proliferated, synthesis of this work has been impeded by imprecise terminology and arbitrarily defined analytical scales. Here, we review key concepts and findings and evaluate future prospects opened up in part by new technologies that enable novel and more efficient data collection. Innovative measurement, combined with novel analytical approaches, permits habitat selection to be investigated across a broad continuum of scales. By linking habitat selection to fitness as a function of scale, use-of-habitat assessments can be more effective. The fitness costs and benefits of habitat selection change with scale; the scales of habitat selection may inform us of limiting factors. We outline how reward/risk ratios can be used to assess the fitness implications of habitat selection across scales.

Temperature is often an important determinant of species presence and activity patterns, but observations of temperature at fine resolution and broad extents—scales relevant to individual organisms—are rare. We analyzed how biotic and abiotic variables influence ground surface temperature (GST) using high-resolution thermal data for a 1900-ha area of forest and field near Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada. Temperature was recorded at 2-h intervals from May to October, 2004 and 2005, from data loggers approximately 300 m apart. At the same sites, we recorded overstory and understory vegetation, elevation, and distances to the nearest road and urban infrastructure. Correspondence Analysis (CA) indicated that thermal conditions varied most strongly seasonally and diurnally. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) pinpointed which biotic and abiotic variables were related to surface temperature. Canopy cover and leaf litter cover were positively related to cool sites during both cool and warm periods. Si...

Accounting for spatial scale is essential for understanding habitat selection, but few studies have used spa- tial statistics to reveal the characteristic scale at which organisms respond to their environment. We studied habitat selection by GPS-tracked red deer (Cervus elaphus L., 1758) in the Pyrenees Mountains, France, by applying a geo- statistical model that compares autocorrelation of a resource between used and available sites to uncover the scale at which animals assess habitat. Using an artificial landscape, we demonstrated that the model can handle discrete habitat classes. Based on conventional hierarchical analysis, deer selected for open habitat, especially meadow, and avoided coniferous forest, more strongly at the coarse level of the home range than GPS locations. Home ranges ex- hibited generally lower autocorrelation in elevation and meadow habitat than random locations within the population range, indicative of preference for high habitat heterogeneity. Mean maximum discrepancy in autocorrelation, which was more pronounced at the level of the home range than GPS locations, occurred at 830 m for meadow habitat and at 1511 m for elevation, suggesting that red deer responded to their environment at this scale. Our study dem- onstrates how spatial statistics can serve as an instructive complement to conventional approaches to habitat selec- tion. Resume´ : L'etude de l'echelle spatiale est essentielle pour comprendre la selection de l'habitat, mais peu d'etudes ont utilisedes statistiques spatiales pour reveler l'echelle caracteristique alaquelle un organisme repond ason envi- ronnement. Nous avons etudiela selection de l'habitat par des cerfs rouges (Cervus elaphus L., 1758) suivis par GPS dans les montagnes pyreneennes, en France, en appliquant un modele geostatistique, qui compare l'autocorre´- lation d'une ressource entre les sites utilises et disponibles pour decouvrir l'echelle a laquelle les animaux evaluent leur habitat. Apartir d'un paysage artificiel, nous demontrons que ce modele peut etre generalisepour traiter des classes discretes d'habitat. D'apres une analyse hierarchique conventionnelle, les cerfs selectionnent un habitat ouvert, plus particulierement les prairies, et evitent les forets de coniferes, de facon plus marquee au niveau plus grossier du domaine vital que celui des localisations GPS. Les domaines revelent generalement une plus faible autocorrela- tion pour l'altitude et l'habitat prairie que les localisations aleatoires dans le domaine populationnel, revelateur d'une preference pour une forte heterogeneited'habitats. L'ecart moyen maximum d'autocorrelation, plus prononcea` l'echelle du domaine individuel que des localisations GPS, est de 830 m pour l'habitat prairie et de 1511 m pour l'altitude, ce qui laisse croire que le cerf reagit ason environnement a cette echelle. Notre etude demontre comment les statistiques spatiales peuvent servir de complement instructif aux approches conventionnelles de selection de l'habitat.

Preferential spatial associations between related animals have been reported in several species, but whether these relationships extend to fine resolution is largely unknown. Using a novel approach that combined pedigrees and precise geographic locations, we tested the relationship between extremely fine-scale (

We developed a new model of habitat selection to detect the extent at which organisms respond to habitat. Based on the premise that selection of a resource entails a change in its variance, the model compares two variograms: sites used by animals versus the general environment. With an artificial landscape, we explored this model by varying the extent of perception by animals, which was revealed as the approximate point of maximum divergence in variance. Selection for greater resource abundance produced variograms with lower variance than the general environment, whereas selection for extremes of resource abundance generated the converse. We applied the model to winter resource selection of muskoxen. Variograms in forage abundance diverged sharply at 200 m, consistent with a conventional analysis that demonstrated the strongest selection at that scale. The model appears widely applicable and capable of revealing the spatial scales at which organisms react to their environment.

Logging has often been implicated in the decline of caribou (Rangifer tarandus), but its effects are incompletely understood. We used a distance-based approach to assess the effects of progressive clearcut logging on the summer (28 May to 15 Sep) range of caribou in Newfoundland, Canada. We compared distances of random locations and of caribou, from 9 years of radiotelemetry, to landcover types across 3 spatial scales: population range, individual ranges, and radiolocations. We tested for incremental avoidance of cutovers and mature softwood forests, the preferred type for caribou and forest harvesting, while controlling for the confounding effects of each. At the individual range, females selected for hardwood and softwood forests, bogs, and barrens, and they avoided open water. Patterns for males were similar, although they avoided bogs and barrens at both scales. The sexes differed in their response to forest harvesting. Females progressively avoided cutovers, both pre- and postharvest, likely...