Seasonal space use of gray wolves is concurrent with primary prey

Abstract Ecological seasonality describes the dynamic adaptation of species to changes in the biotic community and suggests predators should alter space use synchronously with seasonal prey availability. We assessed seasonal space use states (i.e., periods of similar movement and resource use) of mainland gray wolves ( Canis lupus ), moose ( Alces alces ), and white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, Minnesota, USA and island wolves and moose on Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, USA. We predicted mainland wolves would alter space use states (i.e., ecological seasons) corresponding to sympatric deer migration but island wolves would not, corresponding to their primary prey, non-migratory moose. We also predicted parturition would influence seasonal space use states in both systems. We used GPS collar locations recorded during 2008–2021, cluster analyses to temporally define space use states, and weighted resource selection functions to assess habitat selection during seasonal space use states. Mainland wolves exhibited two seasonal space use states with transitions between seasons coinciding with deer migration, and habitat selection varied among space use states for mainland wolves and their prey. Island wolves and moose did not alter their space use states seasonally, and their habitat selection differed from mainland populations. Parturition did not have a clear influence on seasonal space use. Our results suggest ecological seasonality is moderated by migration and linked to inter- and intra-guild species interactions via seasonal space use dynamics. These findings expand understanding of ecological seasonality at the community level and support the importance of multi-species management decisions.