Coyote (Canis latrans) range expansion into desert ecosystems has highlighted the role of anthropogenic water sources in arid ecosystems. Despite hypotheses that additional water facilitated this expansion, previous studies reported that coyotes did not exhibit a spatial or dietary response to removal of anthropogenic water. We used GPS data to examine if coyotes responded to water removal at a finer spatial scale than previously investigated. Our integrated step selection analysis did not find evidence that coyotes adjusted their distance to water following water removal. Vegetation was an important factor in habitat selection of coyotes, with riparian and agricultural areas being the most selected among vegetation types. Coyotes selected for locations where hunting and trapping was prohibited. Possibly the cause of increased coyote abundance in our study area was not due to the introduction of anthropogenic water sources but rather due to the cessation of regional lethal predator control programs. These two management decisions both occurred in the 1970s, therefore, their influences on the subsequent increase of coyote abundance may have been conflated. Our results, in combination with previous studies, provide evidence that coyotes are desert-adapted carnivores that do not rely on anthropogenic water sources.

土狼 ( Canis latrans ) 范围扩展到沙漠生态系统，凸显了人为水源在干旱生态系统中的作用。尽管假设额外的水促进了这种扩张，但之前的研究报告称土狼并没有表现出对人为水的去除的空间或饮食反应。我们使用 GPS数据来检查土狼是否在比之前研究更精细的空间尺度上对水分去除做出反应。我们的综合步骤选择分析没有发现土狼在去除水分后调整与水的距离的证据。植被是郊狼栖息地选择的一个重要因素，河岸和农业区是选择最多的植被类型。土狼被选择在禁止狩猎和诱捕的地点。我们研究区域土狼丰度增加的原因可能不是由于人为水源的引入，而是由于区域致命捕食者控制计划的停止。这两项管理决策均发生在 20 世纪 70 年代，因此，它们对随后土狼丰度增加的影响可能被混为一谈。我们的研究结果与之前的研究相结合，提供了证据表明土狼是适应沙漠的食肉动物，不依赖人类产生的水源。