Ruffed grouse stress-scape dataset

Context

Variability in temperature and snow cover are characteristics of high-latitude environments that impose significant pressures on overwintering species. To cope with increased energetic demands and decreased resources, species occupying seasonal environments often seek out refugia that buffer them from inclement conditions. Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) roosting in the thermally stable microhabitat beneath deep snow are buffered from negative effects of cold temperatures on physiological stress (glucocorticoid hormone levels).

Objective

Despite physiological advantages of accessing warmer refugia during winter, it is unknown how land cover and winter climate promote the occurrence of such refugia over space and time. Analogous to the landscape of fear, which mediates how prey navigate spatial variation in predation risk, mapping a landscape of stress, or stress-scape, may identify hotspots where metabolic challenges persist.

Methods

We assayed droppings for fecal...