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Habitat selection of Gould’s wild turkeys in southeastern Arizona

Authors :
Erin E. Ulrey
Patrick H. Wightman
Nicholas W. Bakner
Byron R. Buckley
Nathan Fyffe
Brittany Oleson
Alex Smallwood
James R. Heffelfinger
Michael J. Chamberlain
Bret A. Collier
Source :
Scientific Reports, Vol 13, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Nature Portfolio, 2023.

Abstract

Abstract In semi-arid environments, resources necessary for survival may be unevenly distributed across the landscape. Gould’s wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo mexicana) are spatially restricted to mountainous semi-arid areas of southwestern United States and Mexico, and information on their distribution and habitat use is limited. We described how landcover type and topographical features influenced space use and habitat selection by Gould’s wild turkeys in southeastern Arizona. We used GPS data from 51 Gould’s wild turkeys to describe resource selection during 2016–2017 in southeastern Arizona, USA. We estimated home ranges and calculated resource selection functions using distance from landcover types, slope, aspect, and elevation at used locations and random locations within individual home ranges. Gould’s wild turkeys selected areas closer to pine forest and water. Likewise, Gould’s wild turkeys selected locations with moderate elevations of 1641 ± 235 m (range = 1223–2971 m), and on north and west facing slopes with a 10° ± 8.5 (range = 0.0–67.4°) incline. Our findings suggest that conserving portions of the landscape with appropriate topography and landcover types as described above will promote habitat availability for Gould’s wild turkeys.

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine
Science

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20452322
Volume :
13
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Scientific Reports
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.71dac050f7fc48c3a3695f7740c705a9
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45684-1