Diurnal habitat selection and survival of elk neonates

Natural selection should favor development of behaviors that increase survival, including juvenile survival. Habitat characteristics (e.g., hiding cover, forage quality and availability), maternal habitat selection, and microhabitat selection by the calf may influence elk (Cervus canadensis) calf survival and recruitment. We assessed diurnal microhabitat selection of bed sites by elk calves and calf-rearing areas selected by adult females to determine if these characteristics were associated with calf survival. We radio-tagged 33 elk calves in west-central New Mexico in 2011 and 55 calves in north-central New Mexico in 2012. We tracked calves daily to locate calf bedding sites and collected data on selected physical features and vegetation characteristics at used and paired random sites. The paired differences in these characteristics were then associated with calf fate. At the calf selection scale, for every 1-m difference in the distance to nearest concealment cover, the odds that a site was from a surviving calf increased by 7.8%. Habitat selection by adult females also was associated with calf survival. The odds of a bed site being from a surviving calf increased by 1.9% for every 1% difference in percentage of grass cover. High levels of concealment cover at the bed site were related to calf survival status. When we expanded selection to the adult level, females with surviving calves selected areas with higher grass cover, suggesting adult selection for higher forage availability while still providing high concealment cover for the calf.