e-obs Stories & Publications

@article{goodman_space_2026,

title = {Space Use and Movements During Egg Laying Associated With Nest Fate and Female Survival in Eastern Wild Turkeys},

author = {Paige E. Goodman and Nicholas W. Bakner and Nickolas A. Gulotta and Erin E. Ulrey and Bret A. Collier and Michael J. Chamberlain},

url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ece3.73026},

doi = {10.1002/ece3.73026},

issn = {2045-7758},

year  = {2026},

date = {2026-01-01},

urldate = {2026-02-17},

journal = {Ecology and Evolution},

volume = {16},

number = {2},

pages = {e73026},

abstract = {Reproduction is a fundamental aspect of a species' life history that is energetically costly, yet critical for population sustainability and genetic diversity. Wild turkeys exhibit high rates of nest loss and female mortality during reproduction, prompting females to make decisions related to spatial and movement decisions during nesting. Using GPS data from eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris ), we assessed female movements and space use during laying and evaluated potential impacts of those metrics on nest success and female survival during incubation. We used a Bayesian logistic regression to estimate nest success and female survival based on space use, daily movements, and range overlap with conspecifics during the laying period. We found that with each increase of 700 m in average daily distance traveled during laying, there was a 1.73% decrease in the probability of nest success. We also found that having a greater number of conspecific females with overlapping core areas had a positive influence on nest fate. Specifically, an increase of 1 overlapping female (one standard deviation) was associated with a 4.76% increase in the probability of nest success. Conversely, we found weak support that female survival was positively related to increasing average daily distances traveled. Our findings suggest that female wild turkeys perceive reproductive advantages to sharing space with conspecifics during the laying period. Conversely, our findings suggest that movements of female wild turkeys within their reproductive period may only weakly influence metrics of reproductive success during both laying and incubation.},

note = {_eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ece3.73026},

keywords = {accelerometer, egg laying, ground, Meleagris gallopavo, mortality, nesting, reproduction, social, Space use, survival, terrestrial, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{goodman_influence_2025,

title = {Influence of lymphoproliferative disease virus on behaviors of female eastern wild turkeys during reproductive periods},

author = {Paige E. Goodman and Nicholas W. Bakner and Dylan L. Bakner and Nicole M. Nemeth and Chloe C. Goodwin and Bret A. Collier and Michael J. Chamberlain},

url = {https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.1632},

doi = {10.1002/wsb.1632},

issn = {2328-5540, 2328-5540},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

urldate = {2025-12-17},

journal = {Wildlife Society Bulletin},

volume = {49},

number = {S1},

pages = {e1632},

abstract = {Abstract 

 The wild turkey ( 

 Meleagris gallopavo 

 ) is a socially and economically important species, but local populations throughout broad areas of the species range have declined, primarily due to low reproductive success. Lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) is a retrovirus that can cause disease in wild turkeys. Contemporary research suggests that LPDV is prevalent in wild turkeys. Whether LPDV is related to observed wild turkey population declines is unclear, but there is potential that the virus could cause direct and indirect effects on species demography. Our objectives were to evaluate whether LPDV infection in female wild turkeys influenced behaviors during reproductive periods, including during egg laying and incubation. We found that females infected with LPDV had greater average daily distances (+324 m) traveled during the egg laying period than non‐infected females. However, we failed to detect any biologically relevant relationships between infection with LPDV and rates of nest initiation or success, or female survival during incubation. Our findings suggest that LPDV may influence female behaviors during the reproductive period, but superficially these influences appear to have no negative influence on demography.},

keywords = {Lymphoproliferative disease virus, Meleagris gallopavo, reproduction, retrovirus, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{butler_vital_2025,

title = {Vital rates and population trajectory of a declining eastern wild turkey population in southeastern Oklahoma},

author = {Nicolle Butler and R. Dwayne Elmore and Cody Griffin and Kent Andersson and Michael Barrett and Cyrena Bedoian and Craig A. Davis and Samuel D. Fuhlendorf and Evan P. Tanner and M. Colter Chitwood},

url = {https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.70002},

doi = {10.1002/wsb.70002},

issn = {2328-5540, 2328-5540},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

urldate = {2025-12-17},

journal = {Wildlife Society Bulletin},

volume = {49},

number = {S1},

pages = {e70002},

abstract = {Abstract 

 The eastern wild turkey ( 

 Meleagris gallopavo silvestris 

 ; hereafter, wild turkey) is a culturally and economically important game species in North America, yet populations have shown apparent declines across their distribution. Oklahoma, USA, has not been immune to declines, with several indices of abundance and recruitment (e.g., poults per female) trending downward in recent years. To investigate underlying demographic rates driving apparent declines in Oklahoma, we quantified current stage‐specific survival and reproductive rates. Our objective was to determine the current population trajectory using field‐derived vital rates and identify which demographic factors had the greatest influence on the asymptotic population growth rate (λ). In 2022 and 2023, we captured 28 and 33 female wild turkeys, respectively, during winter (January\textendashMarch) using rocket nets in McCurtain County, Oklahoma. Overall annual survival was low (0.40; 95% CI: 0.27\textendash0.59, 

 n = 48), with higher survival in after‐second‐year females (0.55; 95% CI: 0.37\textendash0.82) than second‐year females (0.30; 95% CI: 0.16\textendash0.58); mammalian predation was the leading cause of mortality. Additionally, reproductive output was low, with only 17% of incubated nests (5 of 28) successfully hatching poults and no observed poults survived until independence. A stage‐structured projection matrix parameterized with our field‐derived estimates predicted a 45% annual population decline under current estimated demographic rates. Sensitivity and elasticity analyses corroborated previous work that determined adult female survival as the most influential vital rate driving population dynamics. However, the lack of any poults achieving independence indicates concern regarding the lack of recruitment. Our results underscore the importance of understanding and managing factors that influence adult female survival and reproduction to address wild turkey population declines. Our findings also highlight the necessity of sustained, long‐term monitoring to better understand population dynamics across time and variable environmental conditions. Additionally, while our work provides insights into a local population, there is a need for continued distribution‐wide efforts to identify broad‐scale drivers of population change.},

keywords = {bird, Bird‐2A‐IMU, matrix models, Meleagris gallopavo, nest success, Oklahoma, survival, telemetry, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{boone_effects_2025,

title = {Effects of temperature and precipitation on wild turkey brood survival in the southeastern United States},

author = {Wesley W. Boone and Christopher E. Moorman and David J. Moscicki and Bret A. Collier and Michael J. Chamberlain and Adam J. Terando and John C. Kilgo and Nicholas W. Bakner and Krishna Pacifici},

url = {https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.70003},

doi = {10.1002/wsb.70003},

issn = {2328-5540, 2328-5540},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

urldate = {2025-12-17},

journal = {Wildlife Society Bulletin},

volume = {49},

number = {S1},

pages = {e70003},

abstract = {Abstract 

 Climate change is altering annual recruitment and influencing the trajectory of wildlife populations. The effect of climate change on recruitment varies among wildlife species, making implications difficult to generalize, necessitating species‐specific assessments. Assessment is especially important for investigating implications of future climate change for populations currently in decline, such as the eastern wild turkey ( 

 Meleagris gallopavo silvestris 

 ). We evaluated how variation in weather and plant phenology affected wild turkey brood survival by monitoring 257 broods across the southeastern United States during 2014\textendash2022. Average daily low temperature, average daily precipitation, maximum single‐day precipitation, and proximity to green‐up date did not predict daily brood survival. Although we documented no support for weather effects on wild turkey brood survival, additional work is likely needed to assess how climate change will influence other factors that indirectly influence brood survival and subsequent recruitment, including availability of food and cover resources.},

keywords = {bird, brood survival, climate change, Meleagris gallopavo, precipitation, temperature, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{wightman_hunting_2025,

title = {Hunting impacts male wild turkey space use and resource selection: insights from a hunted and non‐hunted population},

author = {Patrick H. Wightman and Erin E. Ulrey and John C. Kilgo and Jay R. Cantrell and Charles R. Ruth and Bret A. Collier and Michael J. Chamberlain},

url = {https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.1629},

doi = {10.1002/wsb.1629},

issn = {2328-5540, 2328-5540},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-12-01},

urldate = {2025-12-17},

journal = {Wildlife Society Bulletin},

volume = {49},

number = {S1},

pages = {e1629},

abstract = {Abstract 

 Predation risk is known to influence prey behaviors. Risk from human predators can be more influential on prey responses than risk from natural predators. The wild turkey ( 

 Meleagris gallopavo 

 ) is a widely distributed game species, and growing literature suggests that hunting activity influences various behavioral metrics of males, including rates of vocalizations, resource selection, and movements. However, previous studies have made inferences about potential influences of hunting activity on male resource selection and movement behaviors solely by studying hunted populations, using a before‐during‐after treatment design, wherein the treatment was the onset of hunting. A more appropriate design would rely on matching individual males from both hunted and non‐hunted populations to better account for individual variation in behaviors, hence improving causal inference. We compared space use, minimum daily distance moved, roost fidelity, and resource selection of male wild turkeys in a hunted population on the Webb Wildlife Management Area Complex during 2014\textendash2018 to males in a non‐hunted population on the Savannah River Site during 2020\textendash2023 in South Carolina, USA. We found that male wild turkeys in the hunted population maintained 53% smaller home ranges and 69% smaller core use areas once hunting began compared to the non‐hunted population, but this reduction in space use was temporary. We found no differences in minimum daily distance traveled, whereas males in the hunted population generally exhibited greater fidelity to roost sites. Males in the non‐hunted population selected areas closer to openings and secondary roads, whereas males in the hunted population exhibited the reverse pattern of selection until hunting ceased. Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature suggesting that male wild turkeys react to risk associated with hunting activity by altering their behaviors, although these alterations appear to be short in duration.},

keywords = {Meleagris gallopavo, movement ecology, predation risk, res, resource selection, south carolina, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{ulrey_genetic_2025,

title = {Genetic analysis provides insight into the mating system of textitMeleagris gallopavo (Wild Turkey) and reveals frequent extra-pair paternity},

author = {Erin E Ulrey and Paige E Goodman and Sara A Watkins and Nicholas W Bakner and John C Kilgo and Philip Lavretsky and Helen M Bothwell and Bret A Collier and Michael J Chamberlain},

url = {https://academic.oup.com/auk/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ornithology/ukaf055/8279657},

doi = {10.1093/ornithology/ukaf055},

issn = {0004-8038, 2732-4613},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-10-01},

urldate = {2025-10-13},

journal = {Ornithology},

pages = {ukaf055},

abstract = {Abstract 

 Lekking is a polygynous mating strategy where males gather on communal display grounds to attract females, who primarily visit these sites to mate. Females at leks are considered free to choose their mates, and only a few dominant males are expected to obtain most mating opportunities. Meleagris gallopavo (Wild Turkey) is a widely distributed, ground-nesting, uniparental galliform that exhibits a polygynous mating strategy, but aspects of the species’ mating system are poorly understood. Our objective was to describe the mating system for M. g. sylvestris (Eastern Wild Turkey) using DNA extracted from eggshell membranes obtained from hatched clutches. We identified 307 offspring across 34 nests, assigned parentage, and examined sibling relationships among offspring. Our findings revealed that 19 (56%) nests had a single mother and father, whereas we detected multiple paternity in 15 (44%) nests. Additionally, we found that intraspecific nest parasitism occurred in 2.94% of nests, and we observed quasi-parasitism in only one nest containing an egg from an additional mother, indicating that parasitism is not a common alternative reproductive strategy represented in successful M. g. sylvestris nests. We observed that occurrences of multiple paternity were comparable to rates reported in other lekking species and suggest that multiple mating by females is an important alternative reproductive strategy for wild turkeys. Number of offspring sired by individual males increased with an increasing number of mates, and 6 males were responsible for 28% of all offspring, indicating a few males are most likely obtaining most mating opportunities. Our findings offer new insights into sexual selection and mating strategies of M. gallopavo.},

keywords = {Meleagris gallopavo, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{gulotta_harvest_2025,

title = {Harvest and natural predation shape selection for behavioural predictability in male wild turkeys},

author = {Nick A. Gulotta and Patrick H. Wightman and Bret A. Collier and Michael J. Chamberlain},

url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2656.70157},

doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.70157},

issn = {1365-2656},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

urldate = {2025-10-21},

journal = {Journal of Animal Ecology},

volume = {n/a},

number = {n/a},

abstract = {Previous research has shown that traits increasing prey detectability, such as using open areas, higher activity levels and using areas frequented by hunters, reduce survival rates and are considered risk-taking behaviours. Despite extensive studies on how harvest-induced and natural selection impact average phenotypic expression, the influence of these factors on behaviour predictability remains unclear. Using a double hierarchical generalized linear modelling framework, we assessed variation in both average behavioural expression and predictability in male wild turkeys (n = 108) and explored how it related to susceptibility to harvest and predation. Our analysis revealed individual variation in predictability linked to risk-taking and activity (average speed\textemdashCVp = 0.28, 95% CrI = 0.23\textendash0.33), with some males exhibiting more consistent behaviour than others. We also identified a behavioural type\textendashpredictability syndrome, where riskier individuals were more predictable, and more active individuals were less predictable (Average speed\textemdashr = 0.71, 95% CrI = 0.59\textendash0.81). Additionally, individuals became more predictable and occurred closer to risky areas during the hunting season, coinciding with peak mortality for male wild turkeys. Our data suggest harvest-induced and natural selection on both behavioural types and behavioural predictability. Riskier behaviour types were more predictable in their behavioural expression and were more likely to be killed by both hunters and predators. We also found evidence that hunters selectively targeted individuals that were more active and unpredictable in their activity patterns, whereas predators preferentially targeted turkeys exhibiting less active, more predictable behaviours. Our findings suggest that adopting a cautious, sit-and-wait tactic may help male wild turkeys detect and avoid hunters, but may increase their vulnerability to predators that use a combination of visual and olfactory cues, along with area-restricted search behaviours, to locate prey. Our findings highlight the potential for harvest-induced selection to influence the behavioural composition of male wild turkeys, which has implications for management and conservation strategies.},

note = {_eprint: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1365-2656.70157},

keywords = {behavioural predictability, behavioural syndrome, behavioural type, harvest-induced selection, Meleagris gallopavo, natural selection, residual intra-individual variation, Wild Turkey},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}