The strength of responses to habitat variables varied across seasons. Sage-grouse selected for greater sagebrush ( Artemisia spp.) cover, higher elevations, and gentler slopes and avoided lower precipitations and higher temperatures.
We used location data obtained from sage-grouse marked with very-high-frequency radio-transmitters and lek location data collected between 19 to quantify species habitat selection in relation to a suite of topographic, edaphic, climatic, and anthropogenic variables using random forest algorithms. We quantified seasonal second-order habitat selection for sage-grouse across the state of Utah to produce spatio-temporal predictions of their distribution at the southern periphery of the species range. Finer-scale information for applications within jurisdictional units inside the species range is lacking, yet necessary, because state wildlife agencies are the management authority for sage-grouse in the United States. Previous research has described habitat selection processes shaping the distribution of greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus sage-grouse) at the range-wide scale. Because habitat selection may be driven by different factors at different scales, conservation planners require information at the scale of the intervention to plan effective management actions. Species distribution reflects habitat selection processes occurring across multiple spatio-temporal scales. Mapping suitable habitat is an important process in wildlife conservation planning.
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