Testing the human shield hypothesis: female wild turkeys have greater fitness near human activity

Predator-prey dynamics are driven by trade-offs between resource acquisition and risk avoidance, with prey behavior and fitness shaped by both consumptive and non-consumptive effects. Human activity adds complexity to predator-prey dynamics. Humans can either act as super-predators through direct harvest or create refuge from natural predators. The human shield hypothesis suggests that proximity to human activity benefits prey by reducing predation risk, as predators tend to avoid humans. In hunted landscapes where both predators and prey are harvested, the benefits of the human shield may hinge on individual behaviors. However, the role of consistent among-individual differences in behavior (i.e., behavioral types) in influencing fitness, especially for non-targeted females in male-only harvest systems, remains largely unknown. Using GPS data from n = 200 female wild turkeys, we examined how proximity to human activity (i.e., secondary roads) and predation risk (i.e., shrub landcover) ..., , # Testing the human shield hypothesis: female wild turkeys have greater fitness near human activity

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.x3ffbg80z](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.x3ffbg80z)

## Description of the data and file structure

├── Data

│ ├── daily_DistanceTO_female_GA_2017_2023.csv              <- Behavioral data used in the main analysis

    └── Female_Survival_GA_17_23.csv                                      <- Fitness data used in nest fate/survival models

### Files and variables

#### File: daily_DistanceTO_female_GA_2017_2023.csv

**Description:** GPS movement metrics used in the main analysis

##### Variables

* lineID: line number
* ID: Transmitter ID for individual wild turkeys
* LMT_Date: Date column
* Phase: phenological phase
* SecondRdRast: Distance to secondary road (meters)
* Shrub: Distance to shrub landcover (meters)
* Year: Year data was collected
* Age: Age of wild turkeys (A = adult; J = Juvenile)
* Attempt: Nesting attempt

#### File: Female_Survival_GA_17_23.c...,