Mark S. Boyce

University of Alberta | UAlberta · Department of Biological Sciences

Landscape heterogeneity plays an integral role in shaping ecological and evolutionary processes. Despite links between the two disciplines, ecologists and population geneticists have taken different approaches to evaluating habitat selection, animal movement, and gene flow across the landscape. Ecologists commonly use statistical models such as res...

We review and update population viability analyses (PVA) conducted for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) in the Rocky Mountains of the United States. Our analysis focused on grizzly bears of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) because this population has been most studied. Counts of unduplicated adult female bears accompanied by cubs of t...

Populations of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) have declined across much of their range. Wolves (Canis lupus L., 1758) are believed to be responsible for the majority of mortality in adult female caribou; however, we hypothesize that other predators such as black bears (Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780) may be important con...

Fragmentation is a growing threat to wildlife worldwide and managers need solutions to reverse its impacts on species' populations. Populations of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos), often considered an umbrella and focal species for large mammal conservation, are fragmented by human settlement and major highways in the trans-border region of southern Br...

Habitat-selection analysis lacks an appropriate measure of the ecological significance of the statistical estimates—a practical interpretation of the magnitude of the selection coefficients. There is a need for a standard approach that allows relating the strength of selection to a change in habitat conditions across space, a quantification of the...

Caring for newborn offspring hampers resource acquisition of mammalian females, curbing their ability to meet the high energy expenditure of early lactation. Newborns are particularly vulnerable, and, among the large herbivores, ungulates have evolved a continuum of neonatal antipredator tactics, ranging from immobile hider (such as roe deer fawns...

Background Social network analysis of animal societies allows scientists to test hypotheses about social evolution, behaviour, and dynamic processes. However, the accuracy of estimated metrics depends on data characteristics like sample proportion, sample size, and frequency. A protocol is needed to assess for bias and robustness of social network...

There is limited information available on wolverine (Gulo gulo) population density and trends in the boreal forest of North America. We estimated wolverine density using spatial capture-recapture methods across 2 boreal forest study areas in Red Lake, Ontario (26,568 km 2) and Rainbow Lake, Alberta (19,084 km 2), Canada. We also used radio-telemetr...

Wildlife conservation often focuses on mitigating disturbance in critical habitats like reproductive ranges. We studied lambing and nursery habitat selection by Stone’s sheep (Ovis dalli stonei (J.A. Allen, 1897)) in the Cassiar Mountains in British Columbia. We estimated the timing of parturition and delineated lambing and nursery habitats based o...

Grassland soils play an important role in sequestering carbon (C) and are primarily used for livestock grazing. Grazing management can increase the amount of C stored in soils and the distribution of C in different soil fractions by altering soil microbial community structure, thereby influencing the persistence of soil C over time. Adaptive multi-...

Wildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amo...

For many species of mammals, sexes are separated through much of the year except during mating season when they get together to breed. Indeed, seasonal habitat segregation happens in each of the ungulate taxa reviewed in this book: Moose (Alces alces), elk (Cervus canadensis), Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus), White-tailed Deer (O. virginianus), and...

The influence of bottom-up food resources and top-down mortality risk underlies the demographic trajectory of wildlife populations. For species of conservation concern, understanding the factors driving population dynamics is crucial to effective management and, ultimately, conservation. In southeastern British Columbia, Canada, populations of the...

Outdoor recreation is widespread, with uncertain effects on wildlife. The human shield hypothesis (HSH) suggests that recreation could have differential effects on predators and prey, with predator avoidance of humans creating a spatial refuge 'shielding' prey from people. The generality of the HSH remains to be tested across larger scales, wherein...

Climate change has altered precipitation regimes with concomitant influences in hydrology. For a complex assemblage of ungulates, these water-level fluctuations might alter habitat partitioning thought to be crucial for coexistence in response to livestock introduction. We placed camera traps in three habitat types along the Mayanja River in centra...

Increasing resource extraction and human activity are reshaping species' spatial distributions in human-altered landscape and consequently shaping the dynamics of in-terspecific interactions, such as between predators and prey. To evaluate the effects of industrial features and human activity on the occurrence of wolves (Canis lupus), we used wildl...

We describe temporal and spatial patterns of seasonal space-use and migration by 16 GPS-collared Stone’s sheep ( Ovis dalli stonei ) from nine bands in the Cassiar Mountains of northern British Columbia, Canada. Our objectives were to identify the timing of spring and fall migrations, characterize summer and winter ranges, map and describe migratio...

Wildlife population dynamics are modulated by abiotic and biotic factors, typically climate, resource availability, density-dependent effects, and predator-prey interactions. Understanding whether and how human-caused disturbances shape these ecological processes is helpful for the conservation and management of wildlife and their habitats within i...

1. Social network analysis of animal societies allows scientists to test hypotheses about social evolution, behaviour, dynamical processes, and transmission events such as the spread of disease. However, the accuracy of estimated social network metrics depends on the proportion of individuals sampled, actual sample size, and frequency of observatio...

Grasslands are used extensively for grazing livestock, and variation in grazing management may affect the soil microbial community and ecosystem functions, such as nutrient cycling, in grasslands. In particular, adaptive multi-paddock (hereafter ‘multi-paddock’) grazing is considered a regenerative grazing management practice that can improve the s...

Large predators often are believed to cause declines in hunter harvests of ungulates due to direct competition for prey with hunters. In Alberta, predators of elk (Cervus elaphus), including grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), cougar (Puma concolor), and wolf (Canis lupus), have increased in recent years. We used trend analysis replicated by Wildlife Mana...

Elk Island National Park (EINP) is a fenced park in the Beaver Hills UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of central Alberta where aspen parkland is being conserved. This area maintains high densities of native ungulates including elk (Cervus elaphus), bison (Bison bison bison, B. bison athabascae), moose (Alces alces), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianu...

Grassland plant community structure and function are dependent on the type, timing, frequency and intensity of disturbance. Grazing systems employing dense herds of livestock for short periods of time (e.g. Adaptive Multi‐paddock Grazing; AMP) are gaining popularity as a potentially sustainable practice. Effects of AMP systems on plant diversity an...

Large predators often are believed to cause declines in hunter harvests of ungulates due to direct competition for prey with hunters. In Alberta, predators of elk ( Cervus elaphus ), including grizzly bear ( Ursus arctos ), cougar ( Puma concolor ), and wolf ( Canis lupus ), have increased in recent years. We used trend analysis replicated by Wildl...

Aim: Macroecological studies that require habitat suitability data for many species often derive this information from expert opinion. However, expert-based information is inherently subjective and thus prone to errors. The increasing availability of GPS tracking data offers opportunities to evaluate and supplement expert-based information with de...

Population densities are an important consideration for wildlife management. For hunted species, estimates of population size are essential for establishing quotas. There are limited data regarding sitatunga ( Tragelaphus spekii ) abundance, and few studies have used camera traps for estimating population densities. We estimated sitatunga density i...

Significant interest exists in the potential for specialized grazing systems, including adaptive multipaddock (AMP) grazing, to enhance grassland health and function. However, specific pasture management practices associated with AMP grazing at the ranch level remain poorly understood in comparison with more regionally representative management sys...

Adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing, a grazing system in which individual paddocks are grazed for a short duration at a high stock density and followed by a long rest period, is claimed to be an effective tool to sustainably manage and improve grasslands and enhance their ecosystem services. However, whether AMP grazing is superior to conventional...

The maintenance of hydrologic function on grazing lands is an important management objective to sustain forage production during low moisture supply, safeguard other ecosystem goods and services and build resilience to a warming climate. Hydrologic function can be influenced by grazing patterns, as represented by variation in the timing, intensity...

Migratory prey experience spatially variable predation across their life cycle. They face unique challenges in navigating this predation landscape, which affects their perception of risk, antipredator responses, and resulting mortality. Variable and unfamiliar predator cues during migration can limit accurate perception of risk and migrants often r...

Several species of bears are known to rub deliberately against trees and other objects, but little is known about why bears rub. Patterns in rubbing behavior of male and female brown bears (Ursus arctos) suggest that scent marking via rubbing functions to communicate among potential mates or competitors. Using DNA from bear hairs collected from rub...

Models of population dynamics are a central piece for harvest management, allowing managers to evaluate alternative strategies and to identify uncertainty. Here we present a density-dependent population dynamics model that can be used in conjunction with adaptive management to optimize big game management, designed to use data commonly collected by...

The pathways through which environmental variability affects population dynamics remain poorly understood, limiting ecological inference and management actions. Here, we use matrix-based population models to examine the vital rate responses to environmental variability and individual traits, and subsequent transient dynamics of the population in re...

Bears have fascinated people since ancient times. The relationship between bears and humans dates back thousands of years, during which time we have also competed with bears for shelter and food. In modern times, bears have come under pressure through encroachment on their habitats, climate change, and illegal trade in their body parts, including t...

Adaptive multi-paddock (AMP) grazing is a form of rotational grazing in which small paddocks are grazed with high densities of livestock for short periods, with long recovery periods prior to regrazing. We compared the fluxes of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH 4), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O), from soils of AMP-gr...

Estimates of population density of mammals are critical data for effective management. Estimating density is complicated if the species of interest has cryptic markings and occupies dense habitat. Sitatunga is such a species, specially adapted to the dense swamps and marshes of sub-Saharan Africa, where traditional population survey techniques have...

Nest survival is most limited by nest predation, which often is increased by anthropogenic causes including habitat fragmentation, mesopredator release and predator subsidies. In mallards and other upland-nesting duck species in the North American prairies, the rate of nest survival is the vital rate most influential to population dynamics, with 15...

Phenological shifts are occurring in many ecosystems around the world. The capacity of species to adapt to changing phenology will be critical to their success under climate change scenarios. Failure to adjust migratory and reproductive timing to keep pace with the earlier onset of spring has led to negative demographic effects for populations of s...

Surface mining is the most prevalent form of coal extraction in North America. Reclamation aims to transform former surface mines into self‐sustaining ecosystems that support uses similar to pre‐development conditions. Success of reclamation often is determined by assessing the re‐establishment of landscape structure and vegetation communities. How...

Population fragmentation is stressing wildlife species worldwide. In populations with minimal genetic structure across potential fractures, detecting fragmentation can be challenging. Here we apply a relatively unused approach, genetic pedigree analysis, to detect fragmentation in the American black bear (Ursus americanus) across 2 highway corridor...

The growing human footprint has placed unprecedented stressors on ecosystems in recent decades resulting in losses of biodiversity and ecosystem function around the world. Roads are influential through their direct footprint and facilitating human access; however, their influence can be mitigated. Here, we review the scientific literature on the re...

Understanding the underlying mechanisms driving population demographics such as species-habitat relation- ships and the spatial scale in which these relationships occur is essential for developing optimal management strategies. Here we evaluated how landscape characteristics and winter severity measured at three spatial scales (1 km2, 9 km2, and hu...

Mammals are imperiled worldwide. Threats to terrestrial species are primarily from habitat loss or modification, and in some instances from commercial, illegal, or unregulated hunting. Terrestrial species are negatively affected throughout the tropics from deforestation. Threats to marine mammals are related to harvest, strikes in shipping lanes, p...

Adequate connectivity between discontinuous habitat patches is crucial for the persistence of metapopulations across space and time. Loss of landscape connectivity is often a direct result of fragmentation caused by human activities but also can be caused indirectly through anthropogenic climate change. Peary caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) are...

Grasslands cover a quarter of Earth’s surface and provide food for over a billion people. Improving grazing management practices can promote soil quality and health and produce higher-quality food. Specifically, we studied adaptive multi-paddock grazing (AMP), a rotational grazing system which involves stocking cattle at high density in small paddo...

Global biodiversity is decreasing rapidly. Parks and protected lands, while designed to conserve wildlife, often cannot provide the habitat protection needed for wide‐ranging animals such as the American black bear (Ursus americanus). Conversely, private lands are often working landscapes (e.g., farming) that have high human footprints relative to...

We respond to Festa‐Bianchet (2019) and caution against using interpretations from the unique Ram Mountain history to justify management of mountain sheep throughout their range. Because harvest management at Ram Mountain is atypical, it is not useful in informing the management of most mountain sheep herds.

Outdoor recreation on trail networks is a growing form of disturbance for wildlife. However, few studies have examined behavioural responses by large carnivores to motorised and non‐motorised recreational activity — a knowledge gap that has implications for the success of human access management aimed at improving habitat quality for wildlife. We u...

Artelle et al . (2018) conclude that “hallmarks of science” are largely missing from North American wildlife management based on a desk review of selected hunting management plans and related documents found through Internet searches and email requests to state and provincial wildlife agencies. We highlight three fundamental problems that compromis...

The reintroduction of gray wolves (Canis lupus) to Yellowstone National Park is the most celebrated ecological experiment in history. As predicted by population models, the rapid recovery of a wolf population caused both temporal and spatial variability in wolf-ungulate interactions that likewise generated temporal and spatial variation in the expr...

Here we reviewed the scientific literature on the relationship between grizzly bears, human motorized access, and the efficacy of motorized access control as a tool to benefit grizzly bear conservation in western Canada. We suggest landscape road targets that will benefit bear conservation.

The foraging patterns and behaviors of predators can be discerned using GPS data. We used GPS data to investigate the temporal patterns of wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) foraging on large prey in northern Alberta. We built a predictive model of wolverine large-prey events (beaver predation or ungulate scavenging) based on the spatial and temporal pat...

Large-scale climate oscillations may contribute to the observed dramatic fluctuations and regional synchrony in Rangifer abundance. Here, we test this hypothesis using long-term abundance and physical condition datasets to investigate the relationships between broad climate patterns, summer-range quality, and population dynamics in three barren-gro...

Compensation programs are used globally to increase tolerance for and help offset economic loss caused by large carnivores. Compensation program funding comes from a variety of sources, and in Wyoming and Idaho, USA and Alberta, Canada this includes revenue from hunting and fishing license sales. We review the patterns of livestock depredation and...

The fine-scale behavior of wildlife when crossing roads and interacting with traffic is likely to mirror natural responses to predation risk including not responding, pausing, avoiding, or increasing speed during crossing. We generated coarse-scale behavioral predictions based on these expectations that could be assessed with GPS radiotelemetry. We...

Increasing global demand for Canada’s re-sources is eroding the country’s iconic wilderness, intact ecosystems, and rich megafaunal diversity (1, 2). To meet its 2020 commitments to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Canada must protect 17% of its terrestrial area and 10% of its marine area (3); cur-rently, only 10% and 1%...