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Farwell TA, Clucas B. Seasonal variation in the ultrasonic vocal activity of Humboldt's flying squirrel ( Glaucomys oregonensis). Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70344. [PMID: 39315302 PMCID: PMC11419791 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2024] [Revised: 09/03/2024] [Accepted: 09/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Most mammals rely on vocal communication to increase survival and reproductive success. While the functions of audible vocalizations have been well-studied across mammal species, ultrasonic vocalizations in small mammals outside of bats are less understood. North American flying squirrel species (Glaucomys spp.), including the newly described Humboldt's flying squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis), produce numerous call-types that extend into the ultrasonic range. To investigate the potential function of ultrasonic call-types in the Humboldt's flying squirrels, we used ultrasonic recorders to record squirrels in the wild across multiple seasons to determine if there are temporal and seasonal patterns in nightly vocal activity and rates of different call-types. We recorded Humboldt's flying squirrels in two geographic locations - Humboldt and San Bernardino counties-in California from 2018 to 2022 in the summer and winter across multiple study areas. We found that although seasonal weather conditions differ between locations, flying squirrels in Humboldt and San Bernardino had similar vocal activity patterns across nightly active periods between locations and between summer and winter. Nightly activity patterns of when the three main chirp-like call-types (arc chirps, tonal chirps, upsweeps) were given varied between seasons in both geographic locations, and these call-types were given at greater rates in the summer in San Bernardino, but rates did not vary by season in Humboldt. Trills, the most structurally complex of the four main call-types, were produced more in the summer than in winter, and also differed in their nightly activity patterns, in both geographic locations. Flying squirrels may use certain call-types earlier or later in the nightly active period due to their potentially varying functions, and may produce more trills in the summer coinciding with the breeding season. Further understanding of the function of different call-types can provide insight into social, foraging, and antipredator behavior of this nocturnal and elusive species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Barbara Clucas
- Department of WildlifeCal Poly HumboldtArcataCaliforniaUSA
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A case of arboreal nest building in the small Japanese field mouse ( Apodemus argenteus). MAMMALIA 2023. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2022-0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
To better understand the arboreal activity of small mammals, we focused on the arboreal nest-building behaviour of Apodemus argenteus. Using a camera trap, we found that a mouse took 18 days to build a nest in a tree cavity. For a few days during the nest building period, the mouse intensively carried nesting materials (leaves) to the cavity, though not regularly. The mouse did not constantly carry nesting materials, but rather showed two peaks working activities at 02:00 and 22:00. Judging from the uneven working pattern, its nest-building behaviour may depend on environmental condition such as meteorological factors.
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Diggins CA, Lipford A, Farwell T, Eline DV, Larose SH, Kelly CA, Clucas B. Can camera traps be used to differentiate species of North American flying squirrels? WILDLIFE SOC B 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Corinne A. Diggins
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
| | - Aylett Lipford
- School of Renewable Natural Resources Louisiana State University Baton Rouge LA 70808 USA
| | - Travis Farwell
- Department of Wildlife Humboldt State University Arcata CA 95521 USA
| | - Drew V. Eline
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse NY 13210 USA
| | - Summer H. Larose
- School of Natural Resources University of Missouri Columbia MO 65211 USA
| | | | - Barbara Clucas
- Department of Wildlife Humboldt State University Arcata CA 95521 USA
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Gracanin A, Mikac KM. Camera traps reveal overlap and seasonal variation in the diel activity of arboreal and semi-arboreal mammals. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-021-00218-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
AbstractOur study aimed to investigate seasonal variation in the activity of arboreal and semi-arboreal mammals and investigate their overlap in temporal activity, as well temporal shifts in activity because of behavioural interference. In our camera trapping study in a fragmented landscape in south-eastern Australia, a total of ten arboreal and semi-arboreal species were found, with 35,671 independent observations recorded over 6517 camera trap nights. All species were found to be nocturnal; however, a notable number of daytime observations were made for several species (i.e. brown antechinus, Antechinus stuartii; sugar glider, Petaurus breviceps; bush rat, Rattus fuscipes; brown rat, Rattus norvegicus). Seasonal variations in diel activity were observed through an increase in crepuscular activity in spring and summer for antechinus, sugar gliders, brown rats, brushtail possums, Trichosurus vulpecula and ringtail possums, Pseudocheirus peregrinus. Diel activity overlap between species was high, that is 26/28 species comparisons had overlap coefficients (Δ) > 0.75. The species pair with the least amount of overlap was between southern bobucks, Trichosurus cunninghami and brown antechinus (Δ4 = 0.66). The species pair with the most overlap was between the native sugar glider and introduced brown rat (Δ4 = 0.93). When comparing the activity of sugar gliders in sites with low and high abundance of brown rats, sugar gliders appear to shift their activity relative to the brown rats. Similarly, behavioural interference was also observed between antechinus and sugar gliders, and when comparing sites of low and high abundance of sugar glider, antechinus had a shift in activity. Our work provides some of the first quantification of temporal patterns for several of the species in this study, and the first for a community of arboreal and semi-arboreal mammals. Our results indicate that some shifts in behaviour are potentially occurring in response to behavioural interference, allowing for coexistence by means of temporal partitioning.
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Ji Y, Yuan S, Fu H, Yang S, Bu F, Li X, Wu X. Activity strategy and pattern of the Siberian jerboa ( Orientallactaga sibirica) in the Alxa desert region, China. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10996. [PMID: 33854836 PMCID: PMC7955674 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rodents exhibit seasonal changes in their activity patterns as an essential survival strategy. We studied the activity patterns and strategies of the Siberian jerboa (Orientallactaga sibirica) in the Alxa desert region to better understand the habitats and behavioural ecology of xeric rodents. We conducted an experiment using three plots to monitor the duration, time, and frequency of the active period of the Siberian jerboa using infrared cameras in the Alxa field workstation, Inner Mongolia, China in 2017. The relationships between the activity time and frequency, biological factors (perceived predation risk, food resources, and species composition), and abiotic factors (temperature, air moisture, wind speed) were analysed using Redundancy Analysis (RDA). Our results showed that: (1) relative humidity mainly affected activities in the springtime; temperature, relative humidity and interspecific competition mainly affected activities in the summertime; relative humidity and perceived predation risk mainly influenced activities in the autumn. (2) The activity pattern of the Siberian jerboa altered depending on the season. The activity of the Siberian jerboa was found to be bimodal in spring and summer, and was trimodal in autumn. The activity time and frequency in autumn were significantly lower than the spring. (3) Animals possess the ability to integrate disparate sources of information about danger to optimize energy gain. The jerboa adapted different responses to predation risks and competition in different seasons according to the demand for food resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Ji
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Rodent Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Hohhot, China
| | - Shuai Yuan
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Rodent Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Hohhot, China
| | - Heping Fu
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Rodent Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Hohhot, China.,College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China
| | - Suwen Yang
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Rodent Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Hohhot, China
| | - Fan Bu
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Rodent Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Hohhot, China
| | - Xin Li
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Rodent Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Hohhot, China
| | - Xiaodong Wu
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Rodent Research Center, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.,Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Hohhot, China
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Abstract
Abstract
Endangered species management is typically informed by an ecological knowledge of a species. Currently, little is known about the distribution and ecology of the Japanese flying squirrel (Pteromys momonga). To provide an effective rapid survey technique for flying squirrels, we used camera trap surveys and determined what methodology (i.e. camera placement, survey length) was most efficient. We placed 154 cameras in trees for 30 days. We detected flying squirrels at 12% of the camera points. The average suitable distance between camera and targeted tree (DCT) was 130 cm (SE: 15.4, range: 90–220). Moreover, flying squirrels were frequently detected on the trunks of taller trees. We found camera trap surveys were an efficient technique for detecting flying squirrels. Approximately 11% of camera points detected flying squirrels within one survey night. Initial detection of flying squirrels at a site occurred within 10 days at 58% of the points. To efficiently detect flying squirrels, we suggest that it is better to aim the camera towards taller trees at a suitable DCT and to conduct surveys for a minimum of 10 days at each site.
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