AUTHOR=Picardi Simona , Ranc Nathan , Smith Brian J. , Coates Peter S. , Mathews Steven R. , Dahlgren David K. TITLE=Individual Variation in Temporal Dynamics of Post-release Habitat Selection JOURNAL=Frontiers in Conservation Science VOLUME=2 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-science/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2021.703906 DOI=10.3389/fcosc.2021.703906 ISSN=2673-611X ABSTRACT=
Translocated animals undergo a phase of behavioral adjustment after being released in a novel environment, initially prioritizing exploration and gradually shifting toward resource exploitation. This transition has been termed post-release behavioral modification. Post-release behavioral modification may also manifest as changes in habitat selection through time, and these temporal dynamics may differ between individuals. We aimed to evaluate how post-release behavioral modification is reflected in temporal dynamics of habitat selection and its variability across individuals using a population of translocated female greater sage-grouse as a case study. Sage-grouse were translocated from Wyoming to North Dakota (USA) during the summers of 2018–2020. We analyzed individual habitat selection as a function of sagebrush cover, herbaceous cover, slope, and distance to roads. Herbaceous cover is a key foraging resource for sage-grouse during summer; thus, we expected a shift from exploration to exploitation to manifest as temporally-varying selection for herbaceous cover. For each individual sage-grouse (