Title
How do human activities shape wolves' behavior in the central Rocky Mountains region, Alberta, Canada?
Abstract
Wolves (Canis lupus) may be considered an indicator species for cumulative effects induced by human interactions. This paper describes the conceptualization and implementation of an agent-based model to investigate how different intensity levels of human activities affect wolf's behavior in the central Rocky Mountains region of Alberta. Most agent-based models for wildlife study include two components: an animal movement component and a set of environmental data layers that represent attributes of the physical environment over which the animals move. Our model consists of a wolf module as the primary component, and bear, elk, and human modules that represent dynamic components of the wolf's environment. The model was run for six months of the summer from April 16 to October 15 using seven sets of parameters replicated 15 times. The model was calibrated and validated with previously collected radio collared GPS data acquired yearly from 2001 to 2005. The simulated trajectories of wolves reflect similar movement patterns as indicated by the real trajectories. The simulations reveal that the wolves' movement and behavior are significantly affected when increasing the intensity of human presence. The modeling prototype developed in this study may serve as a useful tool to test hypotheses about human-wildlife interactions and guide decision makers in designing adequate management strategies.
Year
Venue
Keywords
2009
SpringSim
human presence,human module,wolf module,agent-based model,central rocky mountains region,similar movement pattern,human activity,different intensity level,gps data,animal movement component,human interaction,decision maker,animal movement,cumulant,indicator species
Field
DocType
Citations 
Gps data,Agent-based model,Computer science,Wildlife,Conceptualization,Real-time computing,Canis,Environmental data,Cumulative effects,Indicator species,Cartography
Conference
0
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.34
2
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Sk. Morshed Anwar1111.75
Marco Musiani200.34
Greg McDermid300.68
Danielle Marceau400.34