Energy infrastructure clears the way for coyotes in Alberta's oil sands

Energy infrastructure clears the way for coyotes in Alberta's oil sands | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Ecology and Evolution This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 19 April 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Energy infrastructure clears the way for coyotes in Alberta's oil sands Authors : Jamie CLARKE 0009-0005-9718-7661 [email protected] , Larissa Bron 0009-0008-8400-2738 , Madison Carlson , Sophia Labiy , Zoe Penno , Hayley Webster , Jason Fisher 0000-0002-9020-6509 , and Marissa Dyck 0000-0002-6371-0646 Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174505184.46907047/v1 Published Ecology and Evolution Version of record Peer review timeline 380 views 306 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Energy extraction and development are fragmenting the landscape in Canada’s oil sands region, creating patches of boreal forest connected by millions of kilometres of cleared linear features. The impacts of oil and gas disturbance on some wildlife species, like caribou and wolves, have been a topic of much research; yet, the influence of energy development on other species, like coyotes – which have recently expanded into the boreal forest and established strong populations – are not well understood. Here, we assessed the effects of linear features on coyote distribution and interspecific interactions, by deploying camera traps across multiple landscapes of varying energy disturbance intensities. Using an information theoretic approach, we competed hypotheses about the effects of linear feature type and density, natural feature coverage, and prey and competitor relative abundances on coyote monthly occurrence. High densities of wide linear features, and high relative abundances of small mammal prey and large competitors, best-predicted coyote occurrence, while natural features had a negative effect. Selection for higher densities of these features suggest that wide linear clearings, like roads and geo-survey seismic lines, provide movement paths for coyotes as they do for wolves, although they may also provide prey subsidies. Snowshoe hare and red squirrel prey, but not ungulates, had a strong positive effect on coyote occurrence, although coyote-prey relationships could shift with the hare cycle. Coyotes appeared to coexist with wolf and lynx competitors, perhaps through shared use of abundant resources and temporal segregation or mediated by large coyote populations – potentially indicating a departure from top-down coyote suppression by dominant heterospecifics. Energy development has fundamentally reshaped the boreal forest of Canada’s oil sands region, giving way to landscapes that support generalist, range-expanding species like coyotes, and altering community dynamics. Image (Untitled design.png) is missing or otherwise invalid. Supplementary Material File (coyote_figures.pdf) Download 30.47 MB File (osm_coyote_glmm_apr15.docx) Download 13.18 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 19 April 2025 Peer review timeline Published Ecology and Evolution Version of Record 18 Aug 2025 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Collection Ecology and Evolution Keywords community ecology statistical terrestrial vertebrate Authors Affiliations Jamie CLARKE 0009-0005-9718-7661 [email protected] University of Victoria View all articles by this author Larissa Bron 0009-0008-8400-2738 University of Victoria View all articles by this author Madison Carlson University of Victoria View all articles by this author Sophia Labiy University of Victoria View all articles by this author Zoe Penno University of Victoria View all articles by this author Hayley Webster University of Victoria View all articles by this author Jason Fisher 0000-0002-9020-6509 University of Victoria View all articles by this author Marissa Dyck 0000-0002-6371-0646 University of Victoria View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 380 views 306 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Jamie CLARKE, Larissa Bron, Madison Carlson, et al. Energy infrastructure clears the way for coyotes in Alberta's oil sands. Authorea . 19 April 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.174505184.46907047/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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