Resource Use, Activity Patterns, and Disease Analysis of Rocky Mountain Elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) at the Los Alamos National Laboratory

摘要

To form the basis for the development of management strategies for elk and other large herbivores, it is necessary to understand how, when, where, and why animals move with respect to the landscape and availability of essential habitats (i.e., foraging, watering). From 1996 to 1998, the authors evaluated daily/seasonal movements, habitat use, and activity patterns of elk on and near Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) property through the use of global positioning system collars and the geographic information system. The authors have identified primary travel corridors on and immediately adjacent to LANL property and identified travel routes for collared animals moving west off LANL property in the vicinity of Pajarito Mountain. Daily use of different land cover types and terrain was evaluated seasonally by comparing six four-hour periods to one another: 0000-0400, 0400-0800, 0800-1200, 1200-1600, 1600-2000, and 2000-2400. There were significantly more locational fixes of weld in pinion/juniper (Pearson's x(squared) test, p<0.05) compared to all other cover types between the hours of 0400-1200 and significantly more than all other cover types, except ponderosa pine, through the 2000 hour period. In general, use of pinon/juniper increased during daylight hours and decreased during evening hours. Use of grasslands decreased during day hours while increasing during evening hours. Generally, northeast slopes were used greater than expected and west and northwest slopes less than expected. There were significantly greater fixes on 0 deg. - 5 deg. Slopes compared to all other slope classes between the evening and early morning hours of 1600-0400 and significantly greater than slopes above 10 deg. For all hourly subperiods except 0800-1200. During spring, use of 0 deg. - 5 deg. slopes decreased during midday hours while increasing during evening and early morning hours, and animals tended to increase their proportion of use on steeper slopes during most subperiods during summer. The authors also examined diseases of animals by analyzing blood samples drawn from all collared elk. Vesicular stomatitis was the most commonly observed disease among tested elk. By understanding movement and activity patterns of elk on LANL property, management strategies can be developed and applied to reduce adverse impacts (i.e., automobile accidents, overuse of sensitive habitats) associated with this species.