A TEST OF THE HABITAT SUITABILITY MODEL FOR MERRIAM'S WILD TURKEYS

Abstract: An important research area regarding the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is development of sound habitat models. Habitat models provide standardized methods to quantify wild turkey habitat and stimulate new research hypotheses. Habitat suitability index (HSI) models show species‐habitat...

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Main Authors: Mark A. Rumble, Stanley H. Anderson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1995-01-01
Series:Wildlife Society Bulletin
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2328-5540.1995.tb00227.x
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author Mark A. Rumble
Stanley H. Anderson
author_facet Mark A. Rumble
Stanley H. Anderson
author_sort Mark A. Rumble
collection DOAJ
description Abstract: An important research area regarding the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is development of sound habitat models. Habitat models provide standardized methods to quantify wild turkey habitat and stimulate new research hypotheses. Habitat suitability index (HSI) models show species‐habitat relationships on a scale of 0‐1, with 1 being optimum. A proposed HSI model for Merriam's turkeys (M. g. merriami) was applied to data we collected at Merriam's turkey locations and random sites in the Black Hills, South Dakota. We tested this model, assuming that if all available habitats were suitable for turkeys, HSIs of random sites should not exceed those of turkey locations. Several variables and one component of the proposed model had higher HSIs from random sites than from turkey locations. The overall HSI from the Lindzey‐Suchy (L‐S) model suggested low habitat suitability for an area with an abundant and productive turkey population. We propose a revised HSI model that contains winter and summer brood components. Optimum values for some variables of our model are similar to those from other subspecies of wild turkeys.
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spelling doaj-art-5ee68cbdb9e14d71be091b3634cc572e2025-08-20T02:05:27ZengWileyWildlife Society Bulletin2328-55401995-01-011995S116517310.1002/j.2328-5540.1995.tb00227.xA TEST OF THE HABITAT SUITABILITY MODEL FOR MERRIAM'S WILD TURKEYSMark A. Rumble0Stanley H. Anderson1USDA Forest ServiceRocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment StationRapid CitySD57701USDI National Biological Survey, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitUniversity of WyomingLaramieWY82071Abstract: An important research area regarding the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is development of sound habitat models. Habitat models provide standardized methods to quantify wild turkey habitat and stimulate new research hypotheses. Habitat suitability index (HSI) models show species‐habitat relationships on a scale of 0‐1, with 1 being optimum. A proposed HSI model for Merriam's turkeys (M. g. merriami) was applied to data we collected at Merriam's turkey locations and random sites in the Black Hills, South Dakota. We tested this model, assuming that if all available habitats were suitable for turkeys, HSIs of random sites should not exceed those of turkey locations. Several variables and one component of the proposed model had higher HSIs from random sites than from turkey locations. The overall HSI from the Lindzey‐Suchy (L‐S) model suggested low habitat suitability for an area with an abundant and productive turkey population. We propose a revised HSI model that contains winter and summer brood components. Optimum values for some variables of our model are similar to those from other subspecies of wild turkeys.https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2328-5540.1995.tb00227.xhabitat suitabilityMerriam's turkeymodelsmodel testing
spellingShingle Mark A. Rumble
Stanley H. Anderson
A TEST OF THE HABITAT SUITABILITY MODEL FOR MERRIAM'S WILD TURKEYS
Wildlife Society Bulletin
habitat suitability
Merriam's turkey
models
model testing
title A TEST OF THE HABITAT SUITABILITY MODEL FOR MERRIAM'S WILD TURKEYS
title_full A TEST OF THE HABITAT SUITABILITY MODEL FOR MERRIAM'S WILD TURKEYS
title_fullStr A TEST OF THE HABITAT SUITABILITY MODEL FOR MERRIAM'S WILD TURKEYS
title_full_unstemmed A TEST OF THE HABITAT SUITABILITY MODEL FOR MERRIAM'S WILD TURKEYS
title_short A TEST OF THE HABITAT SUITABILITY MODEL FOR MERRIAM'S WILD TURKEYS
title_sort test of the habitat suitability model for merriam s wild turkeys
topic habitat suitability
Merriam's turkey
models
model testing
url https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2328-5540.1995.tb00227.x
work_keys_str_mv AT markarumble atestofthehabitatsuitabilitymodelformerriamswildturkeys
AT stanleyhanderson atestofthehabitatsuitabilitymodelformerriamswildturkeys
AT markarumble testofthehabitatsuitabilitymodelformerriamswildturkeys
AT stanleyhanderson testofthehabitatsuitabilitymodelformerriamswildturkeys