Abstract
Terrestrial mammals are in many ways connected to water, although studies on habitat selection within anthropogenic landscapes often overlook the importance of natural waterbodies. Moose (Alces alces) occur throughout large parts of Fennoscandia, offering opportunities to study spatio-temporal patterns of large ruminants in relation to water in human-influenced boreal landscapes.
To investigate moose habitat selection in relation to riparian areas, I utilised data from 31 GPS-collared adult moose individuals in Finnskogen area (Norway, Sweden) taken at 2-hourly intervals in the years of 2020 to 2023. For a comprehensive view of the environmental context, I added covariates, such as proximity to linear and areal water features, landcover types, road networks and temperature data. By applying an integrated step selection analysis (SSA), which compared observed moose steps with available random steps and conducting generalized linear mixed models (GLMM), I assessed their habitat preference over seasonal variation, temperature change and activity levels.
I found that the step length of moose increased in riparian areas of rivers during migration periods. In proximity to lakes the step length increased in late summer and warm conditions. Besides that, rivers and lakes were mostly avoided. Streams had limited influence on the step length across seasons. However, moose selected riparian areas of streams in early summer and in warm temperatures. Moose also demonstrated a strong preference for mature mixed, spruce and early successional forest during summer and fall, while wetlands were mostly avoided all year.
My findings suggest that moose in this part of Scandinavia select for natural waterbodies less frequently than their North American relatives. Active moose utilising streams during summer and hot days might be related to both forage availability and heat stress though, while rivers may function as travel corridors to migrate between summer and winter habitat. Future studies could enhance the understanding of moose trajectories and habitat selection in relation to water by considering higher GPS sampling rates, incorporating camera collars, and exploring more nuanced interactions between moose preferences for waterbodies, other landscape elements and seasonal climate change under anthropogenic influence.
