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A METAPOPULATION MODEL FOR FERAL HOGS IN GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK |
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| Authors: | BENJAMIN LEVY CHARLES COLLINS SUZANNE LENHART MARGUERITE MADDEN JOSEPH CORN RENÉ A SALINAS WILLIAM STIVER |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Mathematics University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN;2. Center for Remote Sensing and Mapping Science, Department of Geography, University of Georgia, Athens, GA;3. Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA;4. Department of Mathematical Sciences, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC;5. National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, TN |
| Abstract: | Feral Hogs (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species that have occupied the Great Smoky Mountains National Park since the early 1900s. Recent studies on vegetation, mast, and harvest history were important for our work. Using these data, a model with discrete time and space was formulated to represent the feral hog dynamics in the Park. Management strategies and key characteristics of the population were investigated. The model uses observed mast variation to help govern population dynamics and results indicate that Park control efforts have limited the growth of the population. |
| Keywords: | Discrete metapopulation model Great Smoky Mountains National Park feral hog invasive species |