Date of Award

8-2025

Degree Name

MS in Biological Sciences

Department/Program

Biological Sciences

College

College of Science and Mathematics

Advisor

William Tim Bean

Advisor Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor College

College of Science and Mathematics

Abstract

Livestock depredation is one of the oldest and most widespread forms of human-wildlife conflict. The coyote (Canis latrans), a midsized canid, represents a significant proportion of domestic sheep depredations in the United States, costing livestock producers an estimated 24.6 million dollars annually. Management strategies for coyote-sheep depredation vary widely in their effectiveness and in their level of public support. Identifying appropriate strategies for farms, ranches, and other sheep grazing sites remains a pressing need due to the potentially negative consequences for surrounding ecosystems and socioeconomic outcomes for sheep producers. The livestock guardian dog (LGD) is a nonlethal control tool that has a long history of worldwide use but warrants further study due to the site-specific success of predator control methods and the potential for LGDs to influence the behavior and distribution of nontarget species. I aimed to explore the mechanisms by which LGDs deter coyotes and assess their impact on coyote and non-target wildlife species behavior at sites in a novel study region, the California Central Coast. I monitored coyote and non-target mammal species behavior and activity using camera traps at three study sites featuring different levels of LGD presence: completely absent, sometimes present, and always present. The following variables were measured and analyzed by period (as defined by LGD presence) and distance from LGDs: species richness, detection rate, and diel activity patterns. I found that LGDs are associated with short-term changes in wildlife behavior, notably in coyotes, represented by reduced species richness and detections and altered diel activity patterns. These results support the idea that LGDs function as a disruptive stimulus and generate a localized landscape of fear, consistent with previous studies on LGD impacts on non-target wildlife. Observed effects varied by site, highlighting the continued need for context-specific evaluations of sites employing predator management tools in this region and beyond. Despite constraints related to LGD deployment length and control site data, this research fills a critical gap in understanding LGD-wildlife interactions in a previously unstudied region, the California Central Coast. This study offers a foundation for future work on nonlethal predator management, helping livestock producers and wildlife managers make informed decisions about implementing predator management amid a declining sheep industry.

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