Moose habitat selection under the landscape of predation risk

Landscape of fear refers to the spatial variation in prey perception of
predation risk, that under certain conditions, may lead to changes in
their behavior. Behavioral responses of prey in relation to large
carnivore predation risk have mainly been conducted in areas with low
anthropogenic impact. We used long-term data on the distribution of moose
in different habitat types in a system characterized by intensive
management of all three trophic levels (silviculture, harvest of wolves
and moose) to study effects on moose habitat selection resulting from the
return of an apex predator, the wolf. We assumed that coursing predators
such as wolves will cause an increased risk for moose in some habitat
types and tested the hypotheses that moose will avoid open or young forest
habitats following wolf establishment. After wolf recolonization, moose
reduced their use of one type of open habitat (bog) but there was neither
change in the use of the other open habitat type (clear-cut), nor in their
use of young forest. Wolf establishment did not influence the use of
habitat close to dense habitat when being in open habitats. Thus, the
effect of wolves varied among habitat types and there was no
unidirectional support for a behavioral effect of wolves’ establishment on
moose habitat use. Human-driven habitat heterogeneity, concentration of
moose forage to certain habitat types, and the effects of a multiple
predator guild on moose may all contribute to the results found. We
conclude that the landscape of fear is likely to have weak ecological
effects on moose in this system.