Презентация на тему «Coyote Diet on the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch, Texas»

Coyote Diet on the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch, Texas

Mark A. Tyson?, Dale Rollins?, Warren B. Ballard?, Philip Gipson?, and Lloyd LaCoste?

© Wyman Meinzer

?Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, USA ?Texas AgriLife Research, San Angelo, Texas 76903, USA ?Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch, Roby, Texas 79543, USA

Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch Mission

To sustain Texas’ wild quail hunting heritage for this and future generations.

Coyotes: Friend or Foe to Quail

Our study area is specifically managed for quail. “Everything points to quail” – Dr. Dale Rollins Coyotes are often targeted for control. How does quail-focused management influence coyote (Canis latrans) predation (+/-) on northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus)?

Coyotes and Quail

Previous coyote diet research suggests that predation of northern bobwhites by coyotes tends to be an opportunistic event .

Previous Coyote Diet Research in the Rolling Plains of Texas

Foodniche of Coyotes in the Rolling Plains of Texas. By Meinzer et al.1975. Researched coyote diets on native rangelands primarily used for cattle production. Quail was a minor food item ranking 15th out of 17 food items reported.

Previous Coyote Diet Research

“Northern bobwhite appear to be an incidental prey item for coyotes in southern Texas.” (Henke, 2002) 12 of 407 coyote stomachs collected from 1994 to 1997, contained the remains of northern bobwhite or their eggs.

Coyotes and Quail

An exception to this is Lehmann (1946). He reported that coyotes destroyed 80 of 189 (42%) bobwhite nests between 1942 and 1943. Rader et al (2007) monitored the nests of 43 radiomarked bobwhites using 24-hr infrared video surveillance. Coyotes destroyed 11 of 43 nests (32%).

Objective

Document the seasonal and annual diets of coyotes on the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch (RPQRR) in order to provide data concerning coyote predation on quail and other species.

Study Area

The Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch consists of 1,902 ha in Fisher County Texas. Mesquite-dominated grasslands consisting of mid- and short- grass species .

© Mark Tyson

Study Area

Prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) is abundant on most sites. Common trees and mast-producing shrubs include: Mesquite, Netleaf hackberry, Littleleaf sumac, Lotebush, Wolfberry, Chittam , Catclaws , and Agarito .

Study Area

30 year rainfall average for Fisher County, Texas is 61.5 cm RPQRR rainfall: 2009: 57.5 cm 2010: 64.2 cm

© Mark Tyson

Methods

30 scats were collected monthly from December 2008 to December 2010 (N=720). Scats were collected along 2, 18-km transects which represented each of the habitat types occurring on the ranch.

© RPQRR

Methods

Followed general washing methodology reported by Johnson and Hansen (1979) with some modifications. Food items identified macroscopically and microscopically. A collection of reference materials was used to identify food remains in each scat.

Quail Abundance on RPQRR

Quail Abundance on RPQRR

Results

2008-2009-------------------------------------------2010-----------------------------------------

Results

2008-2009-------------------------------------------2010-----------------------------------------

Results

2008-2009-----------------------------2010--------------------------------------

% of scats containing:

YEAR

Total

Food Items

12/2008-2009

2010

Rank

Rodents

47.0

46.0

46.5

1

Opuntia Fruit

35.0

30.0

33.0

2

Insects

7.2

23.4

15.3

3

Grass

10.0

8.0

9.0

4

Feral Hog

7.0

9.5

8.2

5

Mesquite Pods

14.0

2.0

8.0

6

Lotebush Berries

0.3

15.0

7.5

7

Deer

7.0

6.5

6.8

8

Other Birds

5.6

3.6

4.6

9

Food Items

12/2008-2009

2010

Total

Rank

Leporids

4.2

3.0

3.6

10

Raccoon

1.9

3.0

2.5

11

Chittam Berries

2.5

0.0

1.3

12

Reptiles

1.3

0.8

1.1

13

Skunk

1.1

0.5

0.8

14

Badger

1.1

0.2

0.7

15

Juniper Berries

0.0

1.2

0.6

16

Hackberry

0.3

0.6

0.4

17

Bird Eggs

0.3

0.2

0.3

18

Acacia

0.3

0

0.2

19

Quail

0.3

0

0.2

19

Coyote Consumption of Quail and its Predators

Comparison of Results

Conclusions

This research suggests that having a diversity of native fruits available on the landscape serves as a buffer species, which can be important in the survival of quail. During our study coyotes consumed more predators of quail than quail themselves.

Management Implications

Land managers must consider the Hippocratic Oath: “First do no harm”. Managers must evaluate the relationship between coyotes and quail on their property to determine if coyote control is warranted. Based on our results, coyotes not only preyed on mesopredators but also on rodents and other species which may have competed with quail for resources.

Management Implications

Our results suggest that mast plays an important role in the diets of coyotes. Species diversity of mast-producing shrubs should be maintained during brush control; land managers should be concerned about the importance of these plants to both coyotes and quail.

Acknowledgments

Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch Texas Tech University Museum of Texas Tech University – Natural Science Research Laboratory Staff at RPQRR Mark Peyton and Wyman Meinzer

Literature Cited

Henke, S. E. 2002. Coyotes: friend or foe of northern bobwhite in southern Texas. Pages 50-67 in S. J. DeMaso, W. P. Kuvlesky, Jr., F. Hernandez, and M. E. Berger, eds. Quail V: Proceedings of the Fifth National Quail Symposium. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, Texas. Johnson, M. K., and R. M. Hansen. 1979. Estimating coyote food intake from undigested residues in scats. American Midland Naturalist 102:363-367.

Literature Cited

Lehmann, V. W. 1946. Bobwhite quail reproduction in southwestern Texas. Journal of Wildlife Management. 10:111-123. Meinzer, W. P., D. N. Ueckert, and J. T. Flinders. 1975. Foodniche of coyotes in the Rolling Plains of Texas. Journal of Range Management 28:22-27 Rader, M. J., T. W. Teinert, L. A. Brennan, F. Hernandez, N. J. Silvy, and X. B. Wu. 2007. Identifying predators and nest fates of bobwhites in southern Texas. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1626-1630.

Questions

© Wyman Meinzer