Female Wild Turkeys Exhibit Context Dependence in Their Selection of Roads
8 affiliations
- 1Department of Ecosystem Science and Management The Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
- 2Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology The University of Maine Orono Maine USA
- 3College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment Auburn University Auburn Alabama USA
- 4Department of Environmental Science and Technology University of Maryland College Park Maryland USA
- 5Post‐doctoral Associate with the U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Science Center Laurel Maryland USA
- 6Cooperative Extension The University of Maine Orono Maine USA
- 7Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Augusta Maine USA
- 8School of Food and Agriculture The University of Maine Orono Maine USA
Abstract
It is essential for wildlife managers to understand how animals interact with and respond to the landscape. However, wildlife‐habitat relationships are often context‐dependent, with habitat selection influenced by abiotic and biotic factors. Recognizing this, we investigated how roads influenced female wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo silvestris ; hereafter female) seasonal habitat selection in Maine, USA, as a function of road type, time‐of‐day, and land cover type to identify context‐dependent responses. Because previous research has demonstrated that wildlife can display variable selection patterns in response to different road types, we assessed differences in selection between primary roads (state roads and highways) and secondary roads (local/township roads). When modeling baseline differences in seasonal habitat selection patterns, we found that females selected areas closer to secondary roads during winter and late spring and selected areas farther from primary roads during long‐distance movements in early spring. When modeling differences in selection of roads across time‐of‐day and season, we found that females selected locations closer to secondary roads during winter and summer mornings, periods typically associated with elevated traffic. When modeling the effect of land cover type on seasonal habitat selection relative to hardwood forest, we found that females selected locations farther from primary and secondary roads in developed landscapes across most seasons. However, relative to hardwood forest, females selected locations closer to primary roads near conifer forest cover during winter. Notably, we observed considerable individual variation in seasonal selection of primary and secondary roads, demonstrating heterogeneity in selection patterns between individuals within the study. Our findings have implications for understanding the temporal risk of wildlife‐vehicle collisions and suggest that factors such as season, time‐of‐day, and the surrounding landscape context of roads influence habitat selection, warranting consideration when evaluating the ecological effects of roads.
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BibTeX
@article{smelter2026female,
title = {{Female Wild Turkeys Exhibit Context Dependence in Their Selection of Roads}},
author = {Kyle J. Smelter and Erik J. Blomberg and Liam A. Berigan and Matthew B. Gonnerman and Stephanie A. Shea and Veronica A. Winter and Kelsey Sullivan and Pauline L. Kamath and Frances E. Buderman},
journal = {Ecology and evolution},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1002/ece3.74468},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13668704},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Female Wild Turkeys Exhibit Context Dependence in Their Selection of Roads
AU - Kyle J. Smelter
AU - Erik J. Blomberg
AU - Liam A. Berigan
AU - Matthew B. Gonnerman
AU - Stephanie A. Shea
AU - Veronica A. Winter
AU - Kelsey Sullivan
AU - Pauline L. Kamath
AU - Frances E. Buderman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Ecology and evolution
DO - 10.1002/ece3.74468
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13668704
AB - It is essential for wildlife managers to understand how animals interact with and respond to the landscape. However, wildlife‐habitat relationships are often context‐dependent, with habitat selection influenced by abiotic and biotic factors. Recognizing this, we investigated how roads influenced female wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo silvestris ; hereafter female) seasonal habitat selection in Maine, USA, as a function of road type, time‐of‐day, and land cover type to identify context‐dependent responses. Because previous research has demonstrated that wildlife can display variable selection patterns in response to different road types, we assessed differences in selection between primary roads (state roads and highways) and secondary roads (local/township roads). When modeling baseline differences in seasonal habitat selection patterns, we found that females selected areas closer to secondary roads during winter and late spring and selected areas farther from primary roads during long‐distance movements in early spring. When modeling differences in selection of roads across time‐of‐day and season, we found that females selected locations closer to secondary roads during winter and summer mornings, periods typically associated with elevated traffic. When modeling the effect of land cover type on seasonal habitat selection relative to hardwood forest, we found that females selected locations farther from primary and secondary roads in developed landscapes across most seasons. However, relative to hardwood forest, females selected locations closer to primary roads near conifer forest cover during winter. Notably, we observed considerable individual variation in seasonal selection of primary and secondary roads, demonstrating heterogeneity in selection patterns between individuals within the study. Our findings have implications for understanding the temporal risk of wildlife‐vehicle collisions and suggest that factors such as season, time‐of‐day, and the surrounding landscape context of roads influence habitat selection, warranting consideration when evaluating the ecological effects of roads.
SN - 2045-7758
ER -