Where to Forage When Afraid: Does Perceived Risk Impair Use of the Foodscape?

Human disturbance associated with energy development on winter ranges of migratory mule deer can prompt behaviors of perceived risk in areas near development. We evaluated how perceived risk affected the use of available food near development. Mule deer avoided disturbance at multiple scales, resulting in a loss of otherwise available food near development; a consequence of which was indirect habitat loss that was 4.6 times greater than direct habitat loss. Such multiplicative effects of indirect habitat loss in reducing the amount of available food for mule deer may result in winter ranges that support fewer animals than they did before development. Photo credit: Samantha Dwinnell. This photograph illustrates the article “Where to forage when afraid: Does perceived risk impair use of the foodscape?” by Samantha P. H. Dwinnell, Hall Sawyer, Jill E. Randall, Jeffrey L. Beck, Jennifer S. Forbey, Gary L. Fralick, and Kevin L. Monteith published in Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.197