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Scholz C, Jarquín-Díaz VH, Planillo A, Radchuk V, Scherer C, Schulze C, Ortmann S, Kramer-Schadt S, Heitlinger E. Host weight, seasonality and anthropogenic factors contribute to parasite community differences between urban and rural foxes. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 936:173355. [PMID: 38796016 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
Pathogens often occur at different prevalence along environmental gradients. This is of particular importance for gradients of anthropogenic impact such as rural-urban transitions presenting a changing interface between humans and wildlife. The assembly of parasite communities is affected by both the external environmental conditions and individual host characteristics. Hosts with low body weight (smaller individuals or animals with poor body condition) might be more susceptible to infection. Furthermore, parasites' mode of transmission might affect their occurrence: rural environments with better availability of intermediate hosts might favour trophic transmission, while urban environments, typically with dense definitive host populations, might favour direct transmission. We here study helminth communities (141 intestinal samples) within the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), a synanthropic host, using DNA metabarcoding of multiple marker genes. We analysed the effect of urbanisation, seasonality and host-intrinsic (weight, sex) variables on helminth communities. Helminth species richness increased in foxes with lower body weight and in winter and spring. Season and urbanisation, however, had strong effects on the community composition, i.e., on the identity of the detected species. Surprisingly, transmission in two-host life cycles (trophic transmission) was more pronounced in urban Berlin than in rural Brandenburg. This disagrees with the prevailing hypothesis that trophically transmitted helminths are less prevalent in urban areas than in rural areas. Generally, co-infestations with multiple helminths and high infection intensity are associated with lighter (younger, smaller or low body condition) animals. Both host-intrinsic traits and environmental drivers together shape parasite community composition and turnover along urban-rural gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Scholz
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin, Germany
| | - Víctor Hugo Jarquín-Díaz
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin, Germany; Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute for Biology, Humboldt University Berlin (HU), Berlin, Germany; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany; Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), Berlin, Germany
| | - Aimara Planillo
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany
| | - Viktoriia Radchuk
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin, Germany
| | - Cédric Scherer
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph Schulze
- Berlin-Brandenburg State Laboratory (LLBB), Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
| | - Sylvia Ortmann
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephanie Kramer-Schadt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany; Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Emanuel Heitlinger
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V., Berlin, Germany; Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute for Biology, Humboldt University Berlin (HU), Berlin, Germany.
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2
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Gray squirrels consume anthropogenic food waste most often during winter. Mamm Biol 2022; 103:69-81. [PMID: 36373055 PMCID: PMC9638426 DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00326-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Urban habitats provide wildlife with predictable, easily accessible and abundant food sources in the form of human food waste. Urban eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) are commonly observed feeding in trash bins, but we lack data regarding the type, quantity and seasonal changes in food waste usage. We observed five trash bins on an urban university campus during four different observation periods. We recorded the time squirrels spent on and inside trash bins and type of retrieved food items. We also recorded ambient temperature, human presence and trash bin filling. Moreover, we determined changes in squirrel population density in a natural and three anthropogenic habitats during the same periods. Trash bins were fuller when human presence was higher. The higher human presence, the more squirrels went on and inside the bin, but there was no effect on number of retrieved food items. Trash bin usage by squirrels decreased when ambient temperature and bin filling increased. Most food items were retrieved during the coldest observation period, a period of high human presence, and the majority of retrieved food items were starchy foods (e.g., bread, French fries). The relationship between the number of squirrels observed along transects and a measure of urbanization, the normalized difference built-up index, was negative in periods with high ambient temperatures and positive in periods with low ambient temperatures, indicating winter may be less challenging in urban areas, likely facilitated by the availability of anthropogenic food sources, allowing a higher level of activity throughout winter. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42991-022-00326-3.
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3
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Thaweepworadej P, Evans KL. Avian species richness and tropical urbanization gradients: Effects of woodland retention and human disturbance. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2586. [PMID: 35333421 PMCID: PMC9541691 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization is a major driver of tropical biodiversity loss. In temperate regions avian species richness-urbanization intensity relationships typically exhibit unimodal patterns, with peak richness at intermediate urbanization levels. In tropical regions, the form of such relationships and the extent to which they are moderated by patches of seminatural habitat are unclear. We address these questions in Bangkok, Thailand (one of the largest and most rapidly expanding tropical mega-cities) and generate conservation recommendations for tropical biodiversity in urban locations. We use repeated point count surveys at a random location, and the largest available woodland patch, in 150 1 km × 1 km grid cells selected along the urbanization gradient. Woodland patches support higher species richness compared with randomized locations (except for non-natives), and avian species richness declines linearly with increasing urbanization. The contrast with unimodal patterns in temperate regions is probably driven by divergent patterns of habitat heterogeneity along tropical and temperate urbanization gradients. Moreover, we provide novel evidence that retaining patches of urban woodland moderates adverse impacts of urbanization on avian species richness. For most species groups, the benefits of woodland increase as urbanization intensifies, despite such woodland patches being very small (mean of 0.38 ha). Avian species richness in woodland patches is maximized, and community composition less similar to that in randomized locations, when woodland patches are larger and visited by fewer people. Assemblages of forest-dependent species (which provide additional ecological functions) have higher richness, and are less similar to those in randomized locations, in patches of woodland with higher tree species richness and biomass. Finally, species richness in randomized sites is greatest when they are closer to woodland patches, and such assemblages more closely resemble those of woodland sites. Our work highlights four strategies for tropical urban bird conservation: (1) conserving woodland patches across the urbanization gradient regardless of patch size, (2) improving the quality of existing woodland by increasing tree biomass and diversity, (3) creating additional woodland that is well distributed throughout the urban area to minimize effects of habitat isolation and (4) reducing human disturbance, especially in areas of the highest habitat quality, while ensuring that the benefits of connecting people to nature are realized in other locations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Karl L. Evans
- School of Biosciences, The University of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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4
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Thaweepworadej P, Evans KL. Squirrel and tree‐shrew responses along an urbanisation gradient in a tropical mega‐city – reduced biodiversity, increased hybridisation of
Callosciurus
squirrels, and effects of habitat quality. Anim Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- P. Thaweepworadej
- School of Biosciences The University of Sheffield, Western Bank Sheffield UK
| | - K. L. Evans
- School of Biosciences The University of Sheffield, Western Bank Sheffield UK
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5
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Krauze‐Gryz D, Gryz J, Brach M. Spatial organization, behaviour and feeding habits of red squirrels: differences between an urban park and an urban forest. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. Krauze‐Gryz
- Department of Forest Zoology and Wildlife Management Institute of Forest Sciences Warsaw University of Life Sciences WULS‐SGGW Warsaw Poland
| | - J. Gryz
- Department of Forest Ecology Forest Research Institute Sękocin Stary Poland
| | - M. Brach
- Department of Geomatics and Land Management Institute of Forest Sciences Warsaw University of Life Sciences WULS‐SGGW Warsaw Poland
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6
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Silva JLS, de Oliveira MTP, Cruz-Neto O, Tabarelli M, Lopes AV. Plant-pollinator interactions in urban ecosystems worldwide: A comprehensive review including research funding and policy actions. AMBIO 2021; 50:884-900. [PMID: 33247414 PMCID: PMC7982380 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-020-01410-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization has rapidly increased in recent decades and the negative effects on biodiversity have been widely reported. Urban green areas can contribute to improving human well-being, maintaining biodiversity, and ecosystem services (e.g. pollination). Here we examine the evolution of studies on plant-pollinator interactions in urban ecosystems worldwide, reviewing also research funding and policy actions. We documented a significant increase in the scientific production on the theme in recent years, especially in the temperate region; tropical urban ecosystems are still neglected. Plant-pollinator interactions are threatened by urbanization in complex ways, depending on the studied group (plant or pollinator [generalist or specialist]) and landscape characteristics. Several research opportunities emerge from our review. Research funding and policy actions to pollination/pollinator in urban ecosystems are still scarce and concentrated in developed countries/temperate regions. To make urban green spaces contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services, transdisciplinary approaches (ecological-social-economic-cultural) are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jéssica Luiza S. Silva
- Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901 Brazil
| | - Marcela Tomaz Pontes de Oliveira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Biologia Vegetal, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901 Brazil
| | - Oswaldo Cruz-Neto
- Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901 Brazil
| | - Marcelo Tabarelli
- Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901 Brazil
| | - Ariadna Valentina Lopes
- Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901 Brazil
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7
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Fidino M, Gallo T, Lehrer EW, Murray MH, Kay CAM, Sander HA, MacDougall B, Salsbury CM, Ryan TJ, Angstmann JL, Amy Belaire J, Dugelby B, Schell CJ, Stankowich T, Amaya M, Drake D, Hursh SH, Ahlers AA, Williamson J, Hartley LM, Zellmer AJ, Simon K, Magle SB. Landscape-scale differences among cities alter common species' responses to urbanization. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 31:e02253. [PMID: 33141996 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how biodiversity responds to urbanization is challenging, due in part to the single-city focus of most urban ecological research. Here, we delineate continent-scale patterns in urban species assemblages by leveraging data from a multi-city camera trap survey and quantify how differences in greenspace availability and average housing density among 10 North American cities relate to the distribution of eight widespread North American mammals. To do so, we deployed camera traps at 569 sites across these ten cities between 18 June and 14 August. Most data came from 2017, though some cities contributed 2016 or 2018 data if it was available. We found that the magnitude and direction of most species' responses to urbanization within a city were associated with landscape-scale differences among cities. For example, eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) responses to urbanization changed from negative to positive once the proportion of green space within a city was >~20%. Likewise, raccoon (Procyon lotor) and Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) responses to urbanization changed from positive to negative once the average housing density of a city exceeded about 700 housing units/km2 . We also found that local species richness within cities consistently declined with urbanization in only the more densely developed cities (>~700 housing units/km2 ). Given our results, it may therefore be possible to design cities to better support biodiversity and reduce the negative influence of urbanization on wildlife by, for example, increasing the amount of green space within a city. Additionally, it may be most important for densely populated cities to find innovative solutions to bolster wildlife resilience because they were the most likely to observe diversity losses of common urban species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason Fidino
- Department of Conservation and Science, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois, 60614, USA
| | - Travis Gallo
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, 22030, USA
| | - Elizabeth W Lehrer
- Department of Conservation and Science, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois, 60614, USA
| | - Maureen H Murray
- Department of Conservation and Science, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois, 60614, USA
| | - Cria A M Kay
- Department of Conservation and Science, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois, 60614, USA
| | - Heather A Sander
- Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52240, USA
| | - Brandon MacDougall
- Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52240, USA
| | - Carmen M Salsbury
- Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46208, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46208, USA
| | - Travis J Ryan
- Center for Urban Ecology and Sustainability, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46208, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46208, USA
| | - Julia L Angstmann
- Department of Biological Sciences, Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, 46208, USA
| | | | - Barbara Dugelby
- Wild Basin Creative Research Center, St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas, 78704, USA
| | - Christopher J Schell
- Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington, 98405, USA
| | - Theodore Stankowich
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, California, 90840, USA
| | - Max Amaya
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, California, 90840, USA
| | - David Drake
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Sheryl H Hursh
- Nelson Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Adam A Ahlers
- Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, 66506, USA
| | - Jacque Williamson
- Department of Education & Conservation, Brandywine Zoo, Wilmington, Delaware, 19802, USA
| | | | - Amanda J Zellmer
- Department of Biology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California, 90041, USA
- Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy, Pasadena, California, 91102, USA
| | - Kelly Simon
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, Texas, 78774, USA
| | - Seth B Magle
- Department of Conservation and Science, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois, 60614, USA
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8
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Chow PKY, Clayton NS, Steele MA. Cognitive Performance of Wild Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in Rural and Urban, Native, and Non-native Environments. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.615899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced cognitive ability has been shown to impart fitness advantages to some species by facilitating establishment in new environments. However, the cause of such enhancement remains enigmatic. Enhanced cognitive ability may be an adaptation occurring during the establishment process in response to new environments or, alternatively, such ‘enhancement’ may merely reflect a species’ characteristic. Based on previous findings that have shown ‘enhanced’ cognitive ability (i.e., higher success rate in solving novel food-extraction problems or, ‘innovation’) in Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), a successful mammalian invader and urban dweller, we used an intraspecific comparative paradigm to examine the cause of their ‘enhanced’ cognitive ability. We conducted a field study to compare cognitive performance of free-ranging squirrels residing in rural and urban habitats in native (United States) and non-native environments (United Kingdom). By using established tasks, we examined squirrels’ performance in easy and difficult, novel food-extraction problems (innovation), a motor memory recall test of the difficult problem, and a spatial learning task. We found that the four groups of squirrels showed comparable performance in most measures. However, we also found that the native urban squirrels showed: (1) higher success rate on the first visit for the difficult problem than the non-native urban squirrels; (2) some evidence for higher recall latency for the difficult problem after an extended period than the non-native rural squirrels; and (3) learning when encountering the same difficult problem. These results suggest that the previously reported ‘enhanced’ performance is likely to be a general characteristic and thus, a pre-adaptive phenotypic trait that brings fitness advantages to this species in a new environment. Despite this, some cognitive abilities in gray squirrels such as solving novel problems has undergone mild variation during the adaptive process in new environments.
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9
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Toews E, Musiani M, Checkley S, Visscher D, Massolo A. A global assessment of Echinococcus multilocularis infections in domestic dogs: proposing a framework to overcome past methodological heterogeneity. Int J Parasitol 2021; 51:379-392. [PMID: 33482171 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2020.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Echinococcus multilocularis, the aetiological agent of human Alveolar Echinococcosis, is transmitted between small mammals and wild or domestic canids. Dogs infected with E. multilocularis as dead-end hosts. Whereas E. multilocularis infections in wild hosts and humans have been well-studied in recent decades, infections in domestic dogs are sparsely reported. This literature review and meta-analysis highlighted gaps in the available data and provided a re-assessment of the global distribution of domestic dog E. multilocularis infections. We found 46 published articles documenting the prevalence of E. multilocularis in domestic dogs from 21 countries across Europe, Asia and North America. Apparent prevalence estimates ranged from 0.00% (0.00-0.33%) in Germany to 55.50% (26.67-81.12%) in China. Most studies were conducted in areas of high human Alveolar Echinococcosis. By accounting for reassessed diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, we estimated true prevalence in a subset of studies, which varied between 0.00% (0.00-12.42%) and 41.09% (21.12-65.81%), as these true prevalence estimates were seldom reported in the articles themselves. Articles also showed a heavy emphasis on rural dogs, dismissing urban ones, which is concerning due to the role urbanisation plays in the transmission of zoonotic diseases, especially those utilising pets as definitive hosts. Lastly, population studies on canine Alveolar Echinococcosis were absent, highlighting the relative focus on human rather than animal health. We thus developed a framework for investigating domestic dog E. multilocularis infections and performing risk assessment of dog-associated transmission to fill the gaps found in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie Toews
- Department of Biology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Marco Musiani
- Department of Biology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada; Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Sylvia Checkley
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada; Alberta Precision Laboratories, Alberta Health Services, 3535 Research Rd NW, Calgary, Alberta T2L 2K8, Canada; O'Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary, 3280 Hospital Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada
| | - Darcy Visscher
- Department of Biology, The King's University, 9125 - 50 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T6B 2H3, Canada; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 116 St. and 85 Ave., Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Alessandro Massolo
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada; Ethology Unit, Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Volta 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy; UMR CNRS 6249 Chrono-environnement, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 16 Route de Gray, 25030 Besançon, France.
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10
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A spatially explicit population model to compare management using culling and fertility control to reduce numbers of grey squirrels. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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11
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Kostrzewa A, Krauze-Gryz D. The choice and handling of supplemental food by red squirrels in an urban park. Behav Processes 2020; 178:104153. [PMID: 32479840 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
One of the main factors that allow the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) to live in cities may be the availability of supplemental food provided by people. In this article, preferences of red squirrels in relation to supplemental food, how it is handled, and whether change seasonally, is investigated. A cafeteria test was performed, in which squirrels could choose one from six kind of nuts. Three types of nuts were used: walnuts, hazelnuts and peanuts, with unshelled and shelled nuts of each offered. In most cases squirrels took an offered nut. If a nut was not taken, it was mostly due to lack of interest, without signs of fear. Regardless of season, whole, unshelled walnuts were selected most frequently - the most high-energy and least perishable from offered food. The least frequently selected overall were peanuts. Caching behaviour changed seasonally - nuts were mostly eaten in spring and hoarded in autumn and it took less time to cache nuts in autumn and winter. It may reflect optimal caching strategy at the time when food is abundant and there is a desire to secure as big a store of food as possible. Results from the study suggest that supplemental food is an important component of squirrels' diet and have an impact on their caching strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Kostrzewa
- Dept. of Forest Zoology and Wildlife Management, Warsaw University of Life Sciences WULS-SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, Warsaw, 02-776, Poland.
| | - Dagny Krauze-Gryz
- Dept. of Forest Zoology and Wildlife Management, Warsaw University of Life Sciences WULS-SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, Warsaw, 02-776, Poland.
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12
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Broughton RK. Current and future impacts of nest predation and nest‐site competition by invasive eastern grey squirrels
Sciurus carolinensis
on European birds. Mamm Rev 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard K. Broughton
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Maclean BuildingCrowmarsh Gifford Wallingford OX10 8BBUK
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13
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LeFlore EG, Fuller TK, Finn JT, DeStefano S, Organ JF. Wild Canid Distribution and Co-existence in a Natural–Urban Matrix of the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2019. [DOI: 10.1656/045.026.0208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eric G. LeFlore
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003
| | - Todd K. Fuller
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003
| | - John T. Finn
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003
| | - Stephen DeStefano
- US Geological Survey Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003
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14
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Hämäläinen S, Fey K, Selonen V. The effect of landscape structure on dispersal distances of the Eurasian red squirrel. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:1173-1181. [PMID: 30805150 PMCID: PMC6374674 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Landscape structure can affect dispersal and gene flow in a species. In urban areas, buildings, roads, and small habitat patches make the landscape highly fragmented and can inhibit movement and affect dispersal behavior. Similarly, in rural forested areas, large open areas, such as fields, may act as barriers to movement. We studied how landscape structure affects natal dispersal distances of Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in an urban area and a rural area in Finland, by monitoring juvenile red squirrels with radio telemetry. We observed extremely long dispersal distances-up to 16 km-in the rural study area, but shorter distances-on average only half a kilometer-in the urban study area. The landscape structure affected the eventual dispersal paths; in the rural landscape, dispersers favored spruce dominated areas and avoided fields along their dispersal route, although they occasionally even crossed wide fields. In the urban landscape, squirrels preferred areas with deciduous or coniferous trees. The movement steps made by dispersers were longer in the more hostile landscape compared to forested areas. Despite these effects on movement path, the landscape structure only had a minor effect on straight line dispersal distances moved from the natal nest. In other words, individuals moved longer distances and were likely to circumvent barriers in their path, but this did not affect how far they settled from their natal home. This result indicates that, although landscape structure has obvious effects on movement, it still may have only a small effect on other aspects of the population, for example, gene flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suvi Hämäläinen
- Department of Biology, Section of EcologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Karen Fey
- Department of Biology, Section of EcologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Vesa Selonen
- Department of Biology, Section of EcologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
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Shackleton RT, Richardson DM, Shackleton CM, Bennett B, Crowley SL, Dehnen-Schmutz K, Estévez RA, Fischer A, Kueffer C, Kull CA, Marchante E, Novoa A, Potgieter LJ, Vaas J, Vaz AS, Larson BMH. Explaining people's perceptions of invasive alien species: A conceptual framework. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 229:10-26. [PMID: 30077400 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Human perceptions of nature and the environment are increasingly being recognised as important for environmental management and conservation. Understanding people's perceptions is crucial for understanding behaviour and developing effective management strategies to maintain, preserve and improve biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being. As an interdisciplinary team, we produced a synthesis of the key factors that influence people's perceptions of invasive alien species, and ordered them in a conceptual framework. In a context of considerable complexity and variation across time and space, we identified six broad-scale dimensions: (1) attributes of the individual perceiving the invasive alien species; (2) characteristics of the invasive alien species itself; (3) effects of the invasion (including negative and positive impacts, i.e. benefits and costs); (4) socio-cultural context; (5) landscape context; and (6) institutional and policy context. A number of underlying and facilitating aspects for each of these six overarching dimensions are also identified and discussed. Synthesising and understanding the main factors that influence people's perceptions is useful to guide future research, to facilitate dialogue and negotiation between actors, and to aid management and policy formulation and governance of invasive alien species. This can help to circumvent and mitigate conflicts, support prioritisation plans, improve stakeholder engagement platforms, and implement control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross T Shackleton
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L3G1, Canada; Institute of Geography and Sustainability, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland; Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, 7602, South Africa.
| | - David M Richardson
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
| | - Charlie M Shackleton
- Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
| | - Brett Bennett
- Humanities and Communication Arts, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia; Department of Historical Studies, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 523, Auckland Park, 2006, South Africa
| | - Sarah L Crowley
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | | | - Rodrigo A Estévez
- Centre of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Departamento de Ecología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, O'Higgins 340, Santiago, Chile
| | - Anke Fischer
- Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences Group, James Hutton Institute, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Christoph Kueffer
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian A Kull
- Institute of Geography and Sustainability, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Elizabete Marchante
- Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ana Novoa
- Institute of Botany, Department of Invasion Ecology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-252 43, Průhonice, Czech Republic
| | - Luke J Potgieter
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
| | - Jetske Vaas
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | - Ana S Vaz
- Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (InBIO-CIBIO), University of Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, PT4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Brendon M H Larson
- School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L3G1, Canada; Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, 7602, South Africa
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Kalnicky EA, Brunson MW, Beard KH. Predictors of Participation in Invasive Species Control Activities Depend on Prior Experience with the Species. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 63:60-68. [PMID: 30511315 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-018-1126-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The increasing worldwide spread of non-native species is both a component and a consequence of environmental change, and islands are especially vulnerable to negative effects. Efforts to control non-native species often include public education intended to promote behaviors designed to reduce or reverse their spread. To inform the use of information strategies to control the invasive, non-native frog Eleutherodactylus coqui in Hawaii, USA, we surveyed over 700 property owners about their attitudes and behaviors regarding the species. Included were residents of the island of Hawaii, where the species is common and management emphasizes prevention of further spread, and three other islands where the species is largely absent and management emphasizes detection and eradication. Where frogs are present, 61% of respondents reported taking actions to reduce their population, typically clearing vegetation or hand-capturing individual frogs. For these individuals, intentions to engage in future control activities were not significantly related to reports of past behavior. Intentions to participate in future control efforts on the island of Hawaii were best predicted by attitudes toward practices. On the other islands, behavioral intentions were best predicted by subjective norms (i.e., beliefs about others' expectations that they should manage frogs). Thus, intentions to engage in non-native species management behaviors appear to be influenced by prior exposure to, and experience with, that species. Understanding the predictors of behavioral intentions at different stages of invasion have implications for the design of information strategies that can promote participation in control activities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark W Brunson
- Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA.
| | - Karen H Beard
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
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Ancillotto L, Notomista T, Mori E, Bertolino S, Russo D. Assessment of Detection Methods and Vegetation Associations for Introduced Finlayson's Squirrels (Callosciurus finlaysonii) in Italy. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 61:875-883. [PMID: 29468263 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-018-1013-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Managing biological invasions requires rapid, cost-effective assessments of introduced species' occurrence, and a good understanding of the species' vegetation associations. This is particularly true for species that are elusive or may spread rapidly. Finlayson's squirrel (Callosciurus finlaysonii) is native to Thailand and southeastern Asia, and two introduced populations occur in peninsular Italy. One of the two introduced populations is rapidly expanding, but neither effective monitoring protocols nor reliable information on vegetation associations are available. To fill this gap, we conducted visual surveys and hair tube sampling in a periurban landscape of southern Italy to compare the effectiveness of these two methods in assessing presence of Finlayson's squirrel. We also determined the species' association with vegetation types at detection locations and nesting sites. Both visual and hair tube sampling effectively assessed the species' presence, but hair tubes resulted in fewer false absences. Moreover, when we controlled for the costs of labor and equipment, hair tubes were 33.1% less expensive than visual sampling. Presence of squirrels and their nests was positively correlated with shrub species richness, indicating that the occurrence of forests with well-developed understory may inhibit the spread of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Ancillotto
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, 80055, Portici, Italy
| | - Tommaso Notomista
- Dipartimento di Biologia Strutturale e Funzionale, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, strada vicinale Cupa Cintia 21, 80126, Napoli, Italy
| | - Emiliano Mori
- Unità di Ricerca di Ecologia Comportamentale, Etologia e Gestione della Fauna-Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita-Università di Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Sandro Bertolino
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università di Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Torino, Italy
| | - Danilo Russo
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via Università 100, 80055, Portici, Italy.
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK.
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Selonen V, Varjonen R, Korpimäki E. Predator Presence, but not Food Supplementation, Affects Forest Red Squirrels in Winter. ANN ZOOL FENN 2016. [DOI: 10.5735/086.053.0407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Bonnington C, Gaston KJ, Evans KL. Ecological traps and behavioural adjustments of urban songbirds to fine-scale spatial variation in predator activity. Anim Conserv 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C. Bonnington
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield UK
| | - K. J. Gaston
- Environment and Sustainability Institute; University of Exeter; Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - K. L. Evans
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences; University of Sheffield; Sheffield UK
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Relative roles of grey squirrels, supplementary feeding, and habitat in shaping urban bird assemblages. PLoS One 2014; 9:e109397. [PMID: 25338062 PMCID: PMC4206278 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2014] [Accepted: 09/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-native species are frequently considered to influence urban assemblages. The grey squirrel Sciurus carolinensis is one such species that is widespread in the UK and is starting to spread across Europe; it predates birds’ nests and can compete with birds for supplementary food. Using distance sampling across the urbanisation intensity gradient in Sheffield (UK) we test whether urban grey squirrels influence avian species richness and density through nest predation and competition for supplementary food sources. We also assess how urban bird assemblages respond to supplementary feeding. We find that grey squirrels slightly reduced the abundance of breeding bird species most sensitive to squirrel nest predation by reducing the beneficial impact of woodland cover. There was no evidence that grey squirrel presence altered relationships between supplementary feeding and avian assemblage structure. This may be because, somewhat surprisingly, supplementary feeding was not associated with the richness or density of wintering bird assemblages. These associations were positive during the summer, supporting advocacy to feed birds during the breeding season and not just winter, but explanatory capacity was limited. The amount of green space and its quality, assessed as canopy cover, had a stronger influence on avian species richness and population size than the presence of grey squirrels and supplementary feeding stations. Urban bird populations are thus more likely to benefit from investment in improving the availability of high quality habitats than controlling squirrel populations or increased investment in supplementary feeding.
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