Direct and indirect effects of cougar predation on bighorn sheep fitness

We sought to evaluate the direct and indirect fitness effects of intense cougar (Puma concolor) predation using 48 years of data on marked bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in Ram Mountain, Alberta, Canada. We compared years of intense cougar predation with years with no or occasional cougar predation. We first quantified the effects of predation on neonatal, weaning, and overwinter lamb survival, three metrics potentially affected by direct and indirect effects. We then investigated the possible indirect effects of intense cougar predation on lamb production, female summer mass gain, and lamb mass at weaning. Indirect effects included a 14.2% decline in lamb production. Female summer mass gain decreased by 15.6 % and lamb mass at weaning declined by 8.0% in years of intense cougar predation. Here are the six datasets, joined with a README.md file for the data description, in addition to the six corresponding R scripts for replicating the results.
, Data was collected by trapping bighorn sheep individuals multiple times per field season and other variables were assessed from long-term monitoring., , # Data from: Direct and indirect effects of cougar predation on bighorn sheep fitness

## Description of the data and file structure

### \"data\_1.csv\"

This dataset is to be used in \"Script_1.qmd\" for the analysis of neonatal survival. It contains data between 1976 and 2022 of the Ram Mountain bighorn sheep population.

Each row is unique and is associated with a female bighorn sheep that carried a lamb. Here is a list of each variable's description:

* **Pred_2019N_t_1 :** Cougar predation year (1) or not (0) in the year of conception, considering 2019 as a non-predation year (binomial).
* **Pred_2019Y_t_1 :** Cougar predation year (1) or not (0) in the year of conception, considering 2019 as a predation year (binomial).
* **Mom_wt_sept_t_1 :** Maternal mass adjusted to September 15 in the year of conception (Kg; numeric).
* **Density_t_1 :** Population density in the year of conception (numeric).
* **Pred_2019N_t :** Cougar predation year (1) or not (0) in the year of birth...