Scale and heterogeneity in habitat selection by elk in Yellowstone National Park

Resource selection functions (RSF) can be used to explore the role of scale in determining patterns of habitat use. We estimated RSFs for 93 radiocollared adult female elk (Cervus canadensis) with resource availability defined at four spatial scales and two seasons in Yellowstone National Park . Habitat selection differed markedly among scales and seasonal ranges. During winter elk moved to ranges at lower elevations where snow water equivalents were low and selected landscapes with a mix of forest and open vegetation at all spatial scales. Areas of high vegetation diversity were selected at large spatial scales during summer, whereas elk selected less diverse areas on winter range. During summer elk selected forests that burned 12-14 y earlier, but they used these burns less than expected by chance during winter. Habitat selection by elk occurred at multiple spatial scales; thus, we cannot prescribe a single scale as being best for modelling habitat use by elk. Instead, selection of an appropriate scale will vary depending on the research question or management issue at hand.