Files
Abstract
Coyotes (Canis latrans) colonized the eastern USA during the last century, impacting local ecosystems and restructuring trophic dynamics. In the southeastern USA, coyotes exert competitive pressure on mesopredator guilds and consumptive impacts on prey populations, including important game species such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo). However, population dynamics, including resident and transient life strategies, make managing coyote populations difficult. A growing body of research advocates for state agencies to reassess harvest recommendations for impacted game populations as opposed to relying on lethal coyote control. Further understanding of coyote population dynamics and behavior is necessary to effectively respond to this top predator on the southeastern USA landscape. From 2019 – 2021, I employed non-invasive genetic sampling, spatial capture-recapture analysis, DNA metabarcoding diet analysis, and population genetics to assess coyote density, resource selection, diet, and genetic structure in South Carolina, USA, a state that has experienced recent deer declines concurrent with coyote colonization. I found that coyote densities existed heterogeneously across the state in relation to the availability of open/early successional landcover types. Densities across all sites were 8.73 coyotes/100km2 in 2019 and 8.20 coyotes/100km2 in 2020 but site-specific densities ranged from 1.74 – 27.48 coyotes/100km2. Coyote movements across Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina, USA revealed foraging behavior associated with open/early successional landcover and an avoidance of primary and secondary roads. Coyotes also shifted foraging towards forest landcover types during April – June, potentially in response to the availability of fawns. Metabarcoding analysis revealed that coyotes consumed a variety of vertebrate prey species from May – June, including a large proportion of deer, but showed low levels of wild turkey consumption. Finally, I documented genetic panmixia among coyote populations across South Carolina, USA with low levels of relatedness at local geographic scales. Future management of coyotes should recognize the difficulties of controlling a far-reaching mosaic of coyote populations and seek to reassess management goals for game species, especially in regions that support high coyote densities.