Birth-site selection and predation risk of Rocky Mountain elk

Habitat Selection of Rocky Mountain Elk in a Nonforested Environment

Recent expansions by Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) into nonforested habitats across the Intermountain West have required managers to reconsider the traditional paradigms of forage and cover as they relate to managing elk and their habitats. We examined seasonal habitat selection patterns of a hunted elk population in a nonforested high-desert region of southwestern Wyoming, USA. We used 3...

Chronic wasting disease model of genetic selection favoring prolonged survival in Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus)

As the area where chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found continues to expand, there is concern over the impact it may have on elk (Cervus elaphus) populations that congregate on winter feedgrounds in Wyoming. A stochastic simulation model was created to determine the effect that genotype-specific CWD mortality rates had on a hypothetical free-ranging elk population. Life table data gather...

Predation Risk, Elk, and Aspen: Comment

Predation risk affects reproductive physiology and demography of elk.

Elk (Cervus elaphus) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem alter patterns of aggregation, habitat selection, vigilance, and foraging in the presence of wolves (Canis lupus). Antipredator behaviors like these can reduce predation risk but are also likely to carry costs. Data from five elk populations studied for 16 site years showed that progesterone concentrations (from 1489 fecal samples) decli...

Increased risk of chronic wasting disease in Rocky Mountain elk associated with decreased magnesium and increased manganese in brain tissue.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) of Rocky Mountain elk in North America. Recent studies suggest that tissue and blood mineral levels may be valuable in assessing TSE infection in sheep and cattle. The objectives of this study were to examine baseline levels of copper, manganese, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and molybdenum in the brains of Rocky Moun...