Rasters and Tables for Selection and Survival of Greater Sage-grouse Nests and Broods in the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment of California and Nevada

We demonstrate a quantitative approach to differentiate source and sink habitats at large spatial scales using the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse), an indicator species for sagebrush ecosystems, as a case-study. We evaluated both selection and survival across multiple reproductive life stages (nesting, brood-rearing) in the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment (DPS), a genetically distinct and geographically isolated population of sage-grouse on the southwestern edge of the species’ range. Our approach allowed us to identify both mismatches between selection and survival and trade-offs between life stages. These findings suggest competing resource demands across time, with predation risk being a dominant factor for nests and during early brood-rearing when chicks are smaller and flightless, whereas access to forage resources becomes more important during late brood-rearing when resources become increasingly limited. 

These data consist of both continuous indices and categorical rasters representing selection and survival for the nesting and brooding seasons. The selection and survival categories were then intersected again to creat source-sink classes. Seasonal results were also combined to produce composite rasters which represent selection, survival, and source-sinks across the entire reproductive life cycle of sage-grouse.