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Individual Variability in Surfing

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Aikens, E.O., Kauffman, M.J., Merkle, J.A., Dwinnell, S.P.H., Fralick, G.L., and Monteith, K.L., 2017, The greenscape shapes surfing of resource waves in a large migratory herbivore. Ecology Letters, 20: 741-750. U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi:10.5066/F7125RJS.

Summary

The Green Wave Hypothesis posits that herbivore migration manifests in response to waves of spring green-up (i.e., green-wave surfing). Nonetheless, empirical support for the Green Wave Hypothesis is mixed, and a framework for understanding variation in surfing is lacking. In a population of migratory mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), 31% surfed plant phenology in spring as well as a theoretically perfect surfer, and 98% surfed better than random. Green-wave surfing varied among individuals, and was unrelated to age or energetic state. Instead, the greenscape, which we define as the order, rate, and duration of green-up along migratory routes, was the primary factor influencing surfing. Our results indicate that migratory routes are [...]

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Aikens_etal_2017_individiual_variability_in_surfing.csv 20.52 KB text/csv
Aikens_etal_2017_individiual_variability_in_surfing.xml
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Purpose

This file contains the data necessary to address the second objective of this study (i.e., to determine the source of individual variability in green-wave surfing). Specifically, this data file contains surfing scores for each animal-year, along with the variables used to test the Greenscape Hypothesis (green-up duration, rate and order), the Adult Learning Hypothesis (age) and the State-dependent Hypothesis (nutritional condition and fetal rate in March). Nutritional condition is estimated by measuring ingesta-free body fat(IFBFat). This data can be used to reproduce figure 4.

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  • National CASC
  • National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers

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