EFFECT OF LANDSCAPE FEATURES AND FRAGMENTATION ON WILD TURKEY DISPERSAL
Abstract: Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) are now found in almost every county of New York State. Population recovery has probably been facilitated by the ability of individuals to disperse into unoccupied habitat. We investigated the effect of landscape patterns and barriers to moveme...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2005-01-01
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| Series: | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2328-5540.2005.tb00307.x |
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| Summary: | Abstract: Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) are now found in almost every county of New York State. Population recovery has probably been facilitated by the ability of individuals to disperse into unoccupied habitat. We investigated the effect of landscape patterns and barriers to movement on wild turkey dispersal in New York to determine if these landscape characteristics may have affected the statewide pattern of wild turkey population recovery. First, we simulated the effect of landscape features and landscape fragmentation (measured by edge/area) on dispersal patterns in a wild turkey population in New York State using land‐cover data derived from satellite imagery. We used cost–distance analysis in ArcView, a method that involves calculating least costly dispersal paths through a landscape, to determine the average least cost incurred by wild turkeys dispersing through landscapes along a gradient of fragmentation. We compared this cost to the edge density in each landscape. Average cost incurred was negatively correlated with edge/area (r = –0.80, P < 0.001). Second, we simulated the expansion of the wild turkey population in New York from wild birds released at sites throughout the state and birds crossing northward from Pennsylvania, and compared it visually to the spatial pattern of expansion of the fall wild turkey harvest in New York from 1982 to 2000. The analysis predicted a similar visual pattern of population expansion as the fall harvest. As managers seek to fill remaining vacant habitat, they should be aware of the extent to which landscape features may inhibit or facilitate dispersal of individuals from release sites. |
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| ISSN: | 2328-5540 |