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Rocha M, Serronha A, Rodrigues M, Alves PC, Monterroso P. Comfort over safety: thermoregulation overshadows predation risk effects in the activity of a keystone prey. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Rocha
- Escola de Ciências Universidade do Minho Braga Portugal
| | - A. Serronha
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos InBIO Laboratório Associado Universidade do Porto CIBIO Vairão Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics Biodiversity and Land Planning CIBIO Vairão Portugal
| | - M. Rodrigues
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos InBIO Laboratório Associado Universidade do Porto CIBIO Vairão Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics Biodiversity and Land Planning CIBIO Vairão Portugal
- Estação Biológica de Mértola (EBM) Mértola Portugal
| | - P. C. Alves
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos InBIO Laboratório Associado Universidade do Porto CIBIO Vairão Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics Biodiversity and Land Planning CIBIO Vairão Portugal
- Estação Biológica de Mértola (EBM) Mértola Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Faculdade de Ciências Universidade do Porto Porto Portugal
- Wildlife Biology Program Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - P. Monterroso
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos InBIO Laboratório Associado Universidade do Porto CIBIO Vairão Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics Biodiversity and Land Planning CIBIO Vairão Portugal
- Estação Biológica de Mértola (EBM) Mértola Portugal
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Woodgate Z, Distiller G, O’Riain MJ. Hare today, gone tomorrow: the role of interspecific competition in shaping riverine rabbit occurrence. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2021. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective conservation, particularly of threatened species, requires an understanding of both abiotic and biotic drivers of distribution. In the case of one of Africa’s most endangered mammals, the riverine rabbit Bunolagus monticularis, only environmental covariates of presence have been used to provide coarse predictions of their distribution. Two potential competitors, namely scrub hare Lepus saxatilis and cape hare L. capensis, have significant (>90%) range overlap with the riverine rabbit, yet little is known about how these species interact. We used multi-species occupancy models, which model co-occurrence as a function of environmental variables, to assess the spatial response of riverine rabbits to both species of hare in Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, South Africa. We also examined temporal overlap between riverine rabbits and hares. Camera trapping data were collected from 150 camera traps distributed in clusters of 5 cameras at 30 independent sites, covering 223.24 km2. Contrary to prior studies, we found that riverine rabbits were not restricted to riparian habitat, and that their occurrence was conditional on hare absence and was negatively affected by terrain ruggedness. Whilst hare occurrence was independent of terrain ruggedness, it was negatively affected by rabbit presence. Activity patterns revealed high temporal overlap between hares and rabbits (Δ = 0.828, CI = 0.745-0.940); however, neither species co-occurred at any given site. Our results suggest that conservation management has greatly underestimated the importance of competition with other lagomorphs in understanding riverine rabbit occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Woodgate
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - G Distiller
- Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Science, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - MJ O’Riain
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
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