Assignment Task:
Describe a paper from the peer-reviewed literature that provides an additional example of behavioral mediation of habitat use due to perceived risk related to human presence or activities that fits their scenario and discuss the management implications. In your response, rely on additional sources. Be sure to provide the citation in JWM format. Need Assignment Help?
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Hunting for humans towards some species is a common recreational activity that is participated in towards specific species. A common species that is hunted, especially back home in Michigan, includes deer. While this is a normal activity and happens regularly for humans, it does cause disturbance to species in their habitats. Some ways that human activity could potentially impact the wildlife species include increasing vigilant behaviors, avoidance tendencies, and loss of or changing in foraging habits.
In our reading it discussed that hoofed animals (primarily elk) to be more vigilant on lands where hunting and recreational activities occurred, as opposed to protected areas where they were less vigilant. (Storch 2013) It was also determined that the effects of human disturbance on elk exceeded those of what they would encounter in their natural habitat or natural predators. (Storch 2013) In this case, a deer who is being hunted is likely to be more vigilant of their surroundings if they are used to humans and regularly being hunted. They are also more likely to be vigilant towards humans than they are their regular predators or in a space where they don't encounter humans.
While animals are likely to be more vigilant, they also are more likely to show avoidance behaviors. This could be in avoiding their regular foraging spaces, areas where humans are present or close. In most cases when encountered by humans, most animals will go into flight response and move away. (Meisingset et al. 2022) In the case of deer, this reaction can cause them to actually move out of their regular habitat space. (Meisingset et al. 2022) Deer will modify their habitat selection based on the presence of predators and humans and are likely to choose spaces that are denser in trees, further from trails, steeper in elevation and slopes. (Rempfler et al. 2025) In the case of human disturbance this puts the animal in an environment that it feels safe in from humans but may not be its regular space and has to adjust moving through this habitat that could be distant from their home range.
Alongside of both of these impacts, include changes in foraging behaviors. Animals who are more vigilant and spend more time in flight mode are allocating less time towards regular daily activities such as resting, prenatal care, and even foraging. (Storch 2013) This could also cause them to avoid spaces that are at risk of being close to or regularly experiencing human disturbance. Because of this, adjusting foraging habits by either eating at a time of day that is low risk, or even foraging in new patches of land that hold less risk for them to feed in. (Dwinnell et al. 2019) Indirect habitat loss of regular forage could be experienced by avoiding spaces that are deemed as risky or to be close to humans. (Dwinnell et al. 2019) Even in the instance where there is plenty of food available, during hunting seasons deer are more likely to avoid spaces that are plentiful in food if they are known to be at high risk for human disturbance. (Benhaiem et al. 2008) This decreases the space seen as available for forage and can potentially impact population abundance, especially over time where the avoidance and risk is still perceived by the animal. (Dwinnell et al. 2019) A change in foraging behaviors, and avoidance of certain spaces, can directly impact the population and reduce food that is available.
Hunting is an activity that is done recreationally and has been for years. Deer are a common animal that is hunted seasonally, and other animals who are hunted on a less regular schedule may experience this disturbance differently. The tendency to be more vigilant, show avoidant tendencies, and even change foraging habits are just three examples of impacts we can see of human disturbance on species.