Influence of canopy cover on behavioral traits of snowshoe hare Breanna Avery Winter Ecology/ Spring 2018 Mountain Research Station, University of Colorado, Boulder Professor Tim Kittel Key Words: snowshoe hare, canopy cover, behavior, tracks Citation: Avery, B. Influence on Canopy Cover on Behavioral Traits of Snowshoe Hare. Winter ecology. University of Colorado at Boulder, 2018

Introduction The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) Mostly found in coniferous and boreal forests of the rocky mountains Nocturnal animals that are active at dawn and dusk and spend the daylight hours grooming, napping, or avoiding predators. Hind feet act as snowshoes to help float atop of snow Picture credit: Tom Brakefield http://animals.mom.me/snowshoe-rabbit-live-11256.html

background Previous Projects: “Snowshoe behavior in different environments” (Paliwoda, 2016) Literature Suggests: Prefer dense understory in order to provide thermal and hiding cover. Eat aspen trees and willow trees Tend to be found where there is deep snow depth (Ellsworth, 2006) Research Question: Why do snowshoe hares behave particular ways based on the environment in which they are in? Previous Project Results: Megan described that it is evident that snowshoe hares prefer to be in closed canopy cover. I am expanding on this idea by determining why snowshoe hares prefer closed canopy cover and a dense understory.

behaviors When looking at tracks, in order to address why a snowshoe hare might act a particular way we might ask: Are they more predated in a particular area? Do they have a habitat that they feel most comfortable in? Is there a type of tree they prefer to eat more during the winter months? These are the questions I asked myself when looking at the tracks Picture Citations: http://infoaboutalaska.com/preparedness/tularemia-infections-in-alaska-snowshoe-hares/

Different levels of canopy cover: Willow Aspen Willow & Aspen

Hypothesis Null Hypothesis: There will be no difference in snowshoe hare behaviors due to a given environment. Alternative Hypothesis: There will be a difference in behaviors due to a given environment. Predictions: Snowshoe hares will move quicker in more open areas and will move more leisurely in areas where there is a dense understory cover.

Methods In each environment determined percentage of canopy cover in each particular area. Laid out 20 meter transect tape. Every 2 meters on the transect tape determined whether mammal was running, walking, or standing in place/eating. At every 2 meters also analyzed surrounding trees for signs of foraging or tracks of predators. Compared the different behaviors in all three of the locations Discussion of Limitations: freshly fallen snow is harder to determine exact foot placement of tracks Nearby eaten trees are hard to tell whether it was the snowshoe hare eating or another animal eating Would need more data and would have to lay out more transect tapes Bohman’s trail

Methods In order to determine snowshoe hare behavior Walking Running Less than 60cm apart from each footprint If front feet were in front Running Greater than 60 cm distance apart Back feet were in front of back feet Standing in place noticeable foraging from surround trees, scat, or left over food by tracks

statistics One- way ANOVA to analyze the data P-Value= 0.03 which shows there is statistical significance in snowshoe hare behavior and the amount of canopy cover. Reject Null hypothesis Did a one way ANOVA to see the average speeds in different environments X axis is the type of canopy cover Y axis is the distance traveled per cm Willow and Aspen were very similar but Willow/Aspen environments has the lowest average speed of the snowshoe hare

Results In areas with both aspen and willow trees, there was the lowest average distance that the snowshoe hare traveled and noticeable bark eaten from a nearby Aspen tree. This makes sense due to more understory (more than 30 percent cover), dense canopy cover, and more protection from predation. The snowshoe hare traveled the quickest in areas with just one type of tree, Willow trees being the fastest and aspen forests being a close second. In aspen forests especially, there is very minimal understory to provide protection (less than 30 percent cover). Snowshoe hares are more often predated in areas where they are easy to get and where they are unable to hide in the understory of the trees. Snowshoe hares act more comfortable in areas with dense canopy cover because of the reduced risk of predators getting to them. Snowshoe hares are well adapted to dense canopy cover due to their hind feet not only acting as snowshoes to allow for floatation along deep snow but also give them the agility to run in a zig-zag pattern to escape their predators. This allows the snowshoe hare to swiftly turn in areas with a lot of low branches, making it hard for the predators to get to them. Dense canopy cover is where they are more likely to find shelter, warmth, and woody vegetation to eat.

Discussion Questions? Further research: Finding predator tracks such as coyotes or bobcat and determine if they more often predate on snowshoe hares in open areas or closed. Picture Citation: Joseph M. Mahaffy https://jmahaffy.sdsu.edu/courses/f09/math636/lectures/lotka/qualde2.html Why wouldn’t the willow trees have a slower average than the aspen trees if willows generally provide more canopy cover than aspens?

References Boonstra, R., Hik, D., Singleton, G. R. and Tinnikov, A. (1998), THE IMPACT OF PREDATOR-INDUCED STRESS ON THE SNOWSHOE HARE CYCLE. Ecological Monographs, 68: 371–394. doi:10.1890/0012- 9615(1998)068[0371:TIOPIS]2.0.CO;2 Ellsworth, E. and T.D. Reynolds. (2006, July 19). Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus): a technical conservation assessment. [Online]. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/projects/scp/assessments/snowshoehare.pdf [February 19, 2018].