Energy Infrastructure Clears the Way for Coyotes in Alberta's Oil Sands

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Wildlife Biology
• Conservation Science

Background:

• Canada's oil sands region is experiencing significant landscape fragmentation due to energy extraction.
• Linear features, such as roads and seismic lines, are prevalent, impacting wildlife.
• The influence of energy development on coyotes, a recently expanding species in the boreal forest, is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effects of linear features on coyote distribution and interspecific interactions.
• To understand how landscape alterations from energy development influence coyote presence.
• To investigate the role of prey and competitor availability in coyote occurrence.

Main Methods:

• Camera traps were deployed across landscapes with varying energy disturbance intensities.
• An information theoretic approach was used to test hypotheses.
• Factors examined included linear feature type and density, natural feature coverage, and prey/competitor abundances.

Main Results:

• High densities of wide linear features (e.g., roads, seismic lines) and abundant small mammal prey positively predicted coyote occurrence.
• Natural features negatively affected coyote presence.
• Coyotes appeared to co-occur with wolves and lynx, potentially due to shared resources or temporal segregation.

Conclusions:

• Linear features created by energy development serve as important movement corridors and potential prey sources for coyotes.
• Coyote expansion and altered interspecific interactions are reshaping boreal forest community dynamics.
• Generalist, range-expanding species like coyotes are favored by energy development in this region.