{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/83111"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/83111","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"A Gis-Based Habitat Model Predicting Elk Nutritional Condition in the Pacific Northwest","abstract":"\"Declining habitat quality has been implicated in population declines in elk (Cervus elaphus) in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) although specific causes are unknown. Nutrition and summer-autumn body condition (percent body fat) have been linked to virtually every aspect of successful ungulate reproduction and productivity; however, many existing habitat evaluations discount the role of nutrition and are unlikely to detect changes in habitat nutritional quality. I applied an algorithm linking the biomass of suitable elk forage (BSF) and dietary digestibility (DD) to model habitat quality for elk at 3 sites in the PNW: 1 in western Oregon (Wendling), 1 in southwestern Washington (Pe Ell), and 1 in northwestern Washington (Nooksack). BSF was best predicted by overstory canopy cover (R2≥0.70) and I developed remote sensing-based maps of canopy cover (accuracy ≥74%) to characterize DD levels at each site. In a GIS, I estimated habitat quality for the overall landscape, and within actual wild elk homeranges. I compared model predictions to autumn fat levels in free-ranging lactating elk. Wendling (DD=55.9%, n=14, SE=0.02) and Pe Ell (DD=55.8% n=19, SE=0.02) afforded only \"\"marginal\"\" habitat quality while Nooksack (DD=61.8%, n=19, SE=0.05) had significantly higher quality (P<0.0001). Fat levels in wild elk corresponded to \"\"marginal\"\" levels at Wendling (10.8% fat, n=10, SE=0.65) and \"\"good\"\" levels at Nooksack (13.6% fat, n=8, SE=0.45). Pe Ell elk (6.1% fat, n=9, SE=0.54) were below \"\"marginal\"\" levels but also had the highest density of wild elk (5 elk/km2) indicating a potential negative feedback between density and condition. I compared BSF/DD predictions to those of 2 forage based and 4 HSI/HEI-type elk habitat models and compared these to wild elk condition BSF/DD models detected marked differences in habitat capacity among sites and accurately predicted elk condition. Forage based models overestimated habitat capacity at all sites (P≤0.001). HSI/HEI-type models did not did not reveal any reliable trends in habitat capacity or wild elk condition at these sites. Hence, habitat evaluation and management focused on road closures, forage-to-cover ratios, or total forage biomass are unlikely to address elk nutritional condition.\"","abstract_html":""Declining habitat quality has been implicated in population declines in elk (Cervus elaphus) in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) although specific causes are unknown. Nutrition and summer-autumn body condition (percent body fat) have been linked to virtually every aspect of successful ungulate reproduction and productivity; however, many existing habitat evaluations discount the role of nutrition and are unlikely to detect changes in habitat nutritional quality. I applied an algorithm linking the biomass of suitable elk forage (BSF) and dietary digestibility (DD) to model habitat quality for elk at 3 sites in the PNW: 1 in western Oregon (Wendling), 1 in southwestern Washington (Pe Ell), and 1 in northwestern Washington (Nooksack). BSF was best predicted by overstory canopy cover (R2&ge;0.70) and I developed remote sensing-based maps of canopy cover (accuracy &ge;74%) to characterize DD levels at each site. In a GIS, I estimated habitat quality for the overall landscape, and within actual wild elk homeranges. I compared model predictions to autumn fat levels in free-ranging lactating elk. Wendling (DD=55.9%, n=14, SE=0.02) and Pe Ell (DD=55.8% n=19, SE=0.02) afforded only ""marginal"" habitat quality while Nooksack (DD=61.8%, n=19, SE=0.05) had significantly higher quality (P<0.0001). Fat levels in wild elk corresponded to ""marginal"" levels at Wendling (10.8% fat, n=10, SE=0.65) and ""good"" levels at Nooksack (13.6% fat, n=8, SE=0.45). Pe Ell elk (6.1% fat, n=9, SE=0.54) were below ""marginal"" levels but also had the highest density of wild elk (5 elk/km2) indicating a potential negative feedback between density and condition. I compared BSF/DD predictions to those of 2 forage based and 4 HSI/HEI-type elk habitat models and compared these to wild elk condition BSF/DD models detected marked differences in habitat capacity among sites and accurately predicted elk condition. Forage based models overestimated habitat capacity at all sites (P&le;0.001). HSI/HEI-type models did not did not reveal any reliable trends in habitat capacity or wild elk condition at these sites. Hence, habitat evaluation and management focused on road closures, forage-to-cover ratios, or total forage biomass are unlikely to address elk nutritional condition."","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Davis, Ronald W."],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Natural Resrouces and Environmental Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Warner, Richard E."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-09-25T21:00:33Z","date_published":"2015-09-25T21:00:33Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:26:20Z","subjects":["Agriculture, Forestry and Wildlife"],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["(MiAaPQ)AAI3202083"],"render_values":[{"text":"(MiAaPQ)AAI3202083","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/83111","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Warner, Richard E."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Davis, Ronald W."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2015-09-25T21:00:33Z","10000-01-01","2005"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Natural Resrouces and Environmental Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Agriculture, Forestry and Wildlife"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/83111","(MiAaPQ)AAI3202083"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["\"Declining habitat quality has been implicated in population declines in elk (Cervus elaphus) in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) although specific causes are unknown. Nutrition and summer-autumn body condition (percent body fat) have been linked to virtually every aspect of successful ungulate reproduction and productivity; however, many existing habitat evaluations discount the role of nutrition and are unlikely to detect changes in habitat nutritional quality. I applied an algorithm linking the biomass of suitable elk forage (BSF) and dietary digestibility (DD) to model habitat quality for elk at 3 sites in the PNW: 1 in western Oregon (Wendling), 1 in southwestern Washington (Pe Ell), and 1 in northwestern Washington (Nooksack). BSF was best predicted by overstory canopy cover (R2≥0.70) and I developed remote sensing-based maps of canopy cover (accuracy ≥74%) to characterize DD levels at each site. In a GIS, I estimated habitat quality for the overall landscape, and within actual wild elk homeranges. I compared model predictions to autumn fat levels in free-ranging lactating elk. Wendling (DD=55.9%, n=14, SE=0.02) and Pe Ell (DD=55.8% n=19, SE=0.02) afforded only \"\"marginal\"\" habitat quality while Nooksack (DD=61.8%, n=19, SE=0.05) had significantly higher quality (P<0.0001). Fat levels in wild elk corresponded to \"\"marginal\"\" levels at Wendling (10.8% fat, n=10, SE=0.65) and \"\"good\"\" levels at Nooksack (13.6% fat, n=8, SE=0.45). Pe Ell elk (6.1% fat, n=9, SE=0.54) were below \"\"marginal\"\" levels but also had the highest density of wild elk (5 elk/km2) indicating a potential negative feedback between density and condition. I compared BSF/DD predictions to those of 2 forage based and 4 HSI/HEI-type elk habitat models and compared these to wild elk condition BSF/DD models detected marked differences in habitat capacity among sites and accurately predicted elk condition. Forage based models overestimated habitat capacity at all sites (P≤0.001). HSI/HEI-type models did not did not reveal any reliable trends in habitat capacity or wild elk condition at these sites. Hence, habitat evaluation and management focused on road closures, forage-to-cover ratios, or total forage biomass are unlikely to address elk nutritional condition.\"","Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-25T21:00:33Z (GMT). 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Nutrition and summer-autumn body condition (percent body fat) have been linked to virtually every aspect of successful ungulate reproduction and productivity; however, many existing habitat evaluations discount the role of nutrition and are unlikely to detect changes in habitat nutritional quality. I applied an algorithm linking the biomass of suitable elk forage (BSF) and dietary digestibility (DD) to model habitat quality for elk at 3 sites in the PNW: 1 in western Oregon (Wendling), 1 in southwestern Washington (Pe Ell), and 1 in northwestern Washington (Nooksack). BSF was best predicted by overstory canopy cover (R2≥0.70) and I developed remote sensing-based maps of canopy cover (accuracy ≥74%) to characterize DD levels at each site. In a GIS, I estimated habitat quality for the overall landscape, and within actual wild elk homeranges. I compared model predictions to autumn fat levels in free-ranging lactating elk. Wendling (DD=55.9%, n=14, SE=0.02) and Pe Ell (DD=55.8% n=19, SE=0.02) afforded only \"\"marginal\"\" habitat quality while Nooksack (DD=61.8%, n=19, SE=0.05) had significantly higher quality (P<0.0001). Fat levels in wild elk corresponded to \"\"marginal\"\" levels at Wendling (10.8% fat, n=10, SE=0.65) and \"\"good\"\" levels at Nooksack (13.6% fat, n=8, SE=0.45). Pe Ell elk (6.1% fat, n=9, SE=0.54) were below \"\"marginal\"\" levels but also had the highest density of wild elk (5 elk/km2) indicating a potential negative feedback between density and condition. I compared BSF/DD predictions to those of 2 forage based and 4 HSI/HEI-type elk habitat models and compared these to wild elk condition BSF/DD models detected marked differences in habitat capacity among sites and accurately predicted elk condition. Forage based models overestimated habitat capacity at all sites (P≤0.001). HSI/HEI-type models did not did not reveal any reliable trends in habitat capacity or wild elk condition at these sites. Hence, habitat evaluation and management focused on road closures, forage-to-cover ratios, or total forage biomass are unlikely to address elk nutritional condition.\"","Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-25T21:00:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license.txt: 4848 bytes, checksum: 96035ab3f5e1c23cc7138a224ce498bd (MD5) 3202083.pdf: 2637806 bytes, checksum: 6352a6001e46564bd52f50cadc0afe05 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 84392 Lift date: Forever Reason: Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDs","Restricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETDs","U of I Only","117 p.","Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005."],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/83111","(MiAaPQ)AAI3202083"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:subject":["Agriculture, Forestry and Wildlife"],"dc:title":["A Gis-Based Habitat Model Predicting Elk Nutritional Condition in the Pacific Northwest"],"dc:type":["text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Natural Resrouces and Environmental Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:26:20Z"}