Data from: Characterizing wildlife behavioural responses to roads using integrated step selection analysis

1. Roads are a prevalent, ever-increasing form of human disturbance on the landscape. In many places in western North America, energy development has brought human and road disturbance into seasonal winter range areas for migratory elk. 2. We sought to evaluate predictions from the risk-disturbance hypothesis when studying elk response to roads during winter. Road proximity and crossing were used to evaluate these behaviours, which offered a rare comparison between two common measures of roads. We used integrated Step Selection Analysis (iSSA) to evaluate four alternative hypotheses regarding the influence of roads on space–use behaviour across 175 elk-years of elk telemetry data, and we quantified both population and individual variation in responses. 3. We demonstrated, for the first time, how iSSA can be used to combine movement analysis in a refined approach to habitat selection. Elk responded to roads as they would natural predation risk. Elk selected areas farther from roads at all times of day with avoidance being greatest during twilight. In addition, elk sought cover and moved more when in the vicinity of roads. Road crossings were generally avoided, but this avoidance was weakest during daytime when elk were both moving and closer to roads. 4. Synthesis and applications. Energy development is transforming landscapes in western North America with the proliferation of roads, which we show is having substantial and multifaceted negative effects on elk movement and behaviour. These adverse effects can be mitigated by minimizing new road construction and by restricting traffic on roads as well as providing protection of tree cover on elk winter ranges.

1. 道路是景观层面上一种普遍且日益加剧的人为干扰形式。在北美西部诸多区域，能源开发活动已将人类活动与道路干扰带入了迁徙麋鹿的季节性冬季栖息地。
2. 本研究旨在于冬季麋鹿对道路的响应研究中，验证风险干扰假说（risk-disturbance hypothesis）的相关预测。本研究采用道路临近度与道路穿越两个指标评估麋鹿行为，借此罕见地实现了两种常见道路影响度量方式的对比。我们依托175个麋鹿年的麋鹿遥测数据集，运用整合步长选择分析（integrated Step Selection Analysis, iSSA）对4个关于道路对麋鹿空间利用行为影响的备择假说开展验证，并量化了种群与个体层面的响应差异。
3. 本研究首次证实了整合步长选择分析可如何通过精细化方法结合运动分析以开展栖息地选择研究。麋鹿对道路的响应模式与其应对自然捕食风险的模式一致：全天时段均会选择远离道路的区域，且于晨昏时分的回避行为最为强烈。此外，当处于道路附近时，麋鹿会更多地寻求遮蔽并增加移动频次。研究对象通常会回避穿越道路，但在日间麋鹿移动且距离道路较近时，这种回避行为最弱。
4. 综合与应用。随着道路的不断增多，能源开发正在重塑北美西部的景观格局，本研究证实这一过程对麋鹿的运动与行为产生了显著且多维度的负面影响。可通过以下方式缓解这些不利影响：尽量减少新建道路工程、限制道路通行量，以及对麋鹿冬季栖息地的林木覆盖开展保护。