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Sunde P, Böcker F, Rauset GR, Kjellander P, Chrenkova M, Skovdal TM, van Beeck Calkoen S, Mayer M, Heurich M. Mammal responses to predator scents across multiple study areas. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Sunde
- Department of Ecoscience—Wildlife Ecology Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Felix Böcker
- Department of Forest and Society Forest Research Institute Baden‐Württemberg Freiburg Germany
| | - Geir Rune Rauset
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Science Riddarhyttan Sweden
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research Trondheim Norway
| | - Petter Kjellander
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Science Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Monika Chrenkova
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | | | - Suzanne van Beeck Calkoen
- Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring Bavarian Forest National Park Grafenau Germany
- Wildlife Ecology and Management University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Martin Mayer
- Department of Ecoscience—Wildlife Ecology Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Marco Heurich
- Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring Bavarian Forest National Park Grafenau Germany
- Wildlife Ecology and Management University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
- Institute for Forest and Wildlife Management Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Koppang Norway
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2
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Tattoni C, Bragalanti N, Ciolli M, Groff C, Rovero F. Behavior of the European brown bear at rub trees. URSUS 2021. [DOI: 10.2192/ursus-d-20-00022.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clara Tattoni
- Forest Ecology Laboratory, DICAM, University of Trento, via Mesiano 77 Trento, Italy
| | - Natalia Bragalanti
- Servizio Foreste e Fauna, Provincia Autonoma di Trento, Via Trener 3, Trento, Italy
| | - Marco Ciolli
- Forest Ecology Laboratory, DICAM, University of Trento, via Mesiano 77 Trento, Italy
| | - Claudio Groff
- Servizio Foreste e Fauna, Provincia Autonoma di Trento, Via Trener 3, Trento, Italy
| | - Francesco Rovero
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Madonna del Piano 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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3
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Goldberg JK, Pintel G, Pruett JA, Weiss SL. Whiptail lizards (
Aspidoscelis exsanguis
) recognize invertebrate prey via cuticular hydrocarbons. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jay K. Goldberg
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
- Department of Biology Indiana University Bloomington IN USA
| | | | - Jake A. Pruett
- Department of Biology Indiana State University Terre Haute IN USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant OK USA
| | - Stacey L. Weiss
- Department of Biology University of Puget Sound Tacoma WA USA
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4
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Gable TD, Homkes AT, Johnson-Bice SM, Windels SK, Bump JK. Wolves choose ambushing locations to counter and capitalize on the sensory abilities of their prey. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Comprehensive knowledge of ambush behavior requires an understanding of where a predator expects prey to be, which is generally unknowable because ambush predators often hunt mobile prey that exhibit complex, irregular, or inconspicuous movements. Wolves (Canis lupus) are primarily cursorial predators, but they use ambush strategies to hunt beavers (Castor canadensis). Terrestrial beaver activity is predictable because beavers use well-defined, conspicuous habitat features repeatedly. Thus, studying where wolves wait-in-ambush for beavers provides a unique opportunity to understand how predators choose ambush locations in relation to prey activity. We searched 11 817 clusters of GPS locations from wolves in the Greater Voyageurs Ecosystem, International Falls, MN, and documented 748 ambushing sites and 214 instances where wolves killed beavers. Wolves chose ambush locations: 1) with olfactory concealment to avoid detection from the highly developed olfactory senses of beavers and 2) close (generally <5 m) to beaver habitat features to take advantage of beavers’ inability to visually detect motionless predators. Our work describes in detail the ambush strategies wolves use to hunt beavers and continues to overturn the traditional notion that wolves rely solely on cursorial hunting strategies. We also demonstrate that ambush predators can anticipate the movements and behavior of their prey due to a fundamental understanding of their prey’s sensory abilities. Wolves, therefore, and likely ambush predators in general, appear capable of simultaneously accounting for abiotic and biotic factors when choosing ambush locations, ultimately allowing them to counter and capitalize on the sensory abilities of their prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Gable
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Austin T Homkes
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Sean M Johnson-Bice
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Steve K Windels
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
- Voyageurs National Park, National Park Service, International Falls, MN, USA
| | - Joseph K Bump
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
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Mayer M, Aparicio Estalella C, Windels SK, Rosell FN. Landscape structure and population density affect intraspecific aggression in beavers. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:13883-13894. [PMID: 33391688 PMCID: PMC7771123 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Intraspecific competition plays an important role for territory acquisition and occupancy, in turn affecting individual fitness. Thus, understanding the drivers of intraspecific aggression can increase our understanding of population dynamics. Here, we investigated intraspecific aggression in Eurasian (Castor fiber) and North American (Castor canadensis) beavers that are both monogamous, territorial mammals. Combined, we examined tail scars from >1,000 beavers (>2,000 capture events) as part of two long-term studies in Norway and the USA. We investigated the influence of landscape structure, population density, sex, age, and (for Eurasian beavers only) social status and group size on the number of tail scars caused by conspecifics. The number of tail scars was affected by population density in well-connected landscape types (large lakes and rivers), but not in more isolated areas (ponds), where individuals generally had fewer tail scars. Further, the relationship of population density was not linear. In the North American beaver population occurring in large lakes, intraspecific aggression increased with population density. Conversely, in the saturated Eurasian beaver population, intraspecific aggression was in a negative relationship with population density (except at the highest densities), likely due to inverse density-dependent intruder pressure via dispersers. Our findings emphasize that population density can affect intraspecific aggression depending on landscape structure, which might have important consequences for local patterns of dispersal, mate change, and territory occupancy, all of which can affect population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Mayer
- Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences, and Maritime SciencesDepartment of Natural Sciences and Environmental HealthUniversity of South‐Eastern NorwayBø i Vestfold and TelemarkNorway
- Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Clàudia Aparicio Estalella
- Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences, and Maritime SciencesDepartment of Natural Sciences and Environmental HealthUniversity of South‐Eastern NorwayBø i Vestfold and TelemarkNorway
- Faculty of BiologyUniversity of BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | | | - Frank N. Rosell
- Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences, and Maritime SciencesDepartment of Natural Sciences and Environmental HealthUniversity of South‐Eastern NorwayBø i Vestfold and TelemarkNorway
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6
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McClanahan K, Rosell F, Mayer M. Minding your own business: low pair cohesion in a territorial, monogamous mammal. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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7
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Bartra Cabré L, Mayer M, Steyaert S, Rosell F. Beaver (Castor fiber) activity and spatial movement in response to light and weather conditions. Mamm Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-020-00029-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAnimal behaviour can affect individual fitness and is influenced by exogenous and endogenous factors. Here, we investigated how light (daylight length and moonlight), weather (precipitation and temperature), age, sex and social status affected activity and movement of a semiaquatic mammal, the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), using GPS relocation data from 47 individuals in south-eastern Norway. Independent of daylight length, beavers had a mean daily activity time of 9:42 h and reduced their activity periods when they were older, most likely due to senescence. In line with this, older individuals also spent less time in water and moved shorter distances. Furthermore, beavers reduced their activity periods in drier weather conditions and spent less time on land during brighter nights and drier conditions, indicating a predation risk avoidance strategy. Individuals spent less time in the water during the colder parts of the year and moved shorter distances with decreasing temperature, suggesting thermal constraints. Our study adds to the increasing amount of evidence that animal behaviour is modulated by various endogenous and exogenous factors, and that weather conditions can affect their behaviour. It remains to be tested, however, how climate variability together with hunting and predation pressure affect space use and demography in species such as the Eurasian beaver.
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Ważna A, Cichocki J, Bojarski J, Gabryś G. Selective Foraging on Tree and Shrub Species by the European Beaver Castor fiber in Lowland and Highland Habitats in Western Poland. POLISH JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.3161/15052249pje2018.66.3.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Ważna
- University of Zielona Góra, Department of Zoology, Prof. Z. Szafrana 1, 65-516 Zielona Góra, Poland
| | - Jan Cichocki
- University of Zielona Góra, Department of Zoology, Prof. Z. Szafrana 1, 65-516 Zielona Góra, Poland
| | - Jacek Bojarski
- University of Zielona Góra, Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Econometrics, Center for Ap
| | - Grzegorz Gabryś
- University of Zielona Góra, Department of Zoology, Prof. Z. Szafrana 1, 65-516 Zielona Góra, Poland
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Gable TD, Windels SK, Romanski MC, Rosell F. The forgotten prey of an iconic predator: a review of interactions between grey wolvesCanis lupusand beaversCastorspp. Mamm Rev 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D. Gable
- University of Minnesota; 2003 Upper Buford Circle St Paul MN 55108 USA
| | - Steve K. Windels
- Voyageurs National Park; 360 Highway 11 E International Falls MN 56649 USA
| | - Mark C. Romanski
- Isle Royale National Park; 800 East Lakeshore Drive Houghton MI 49931 USA
| | - Frank Rosell
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health; University College of Southeast Norway; Bø i Telemark Norway
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10
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Mihailova M, Berg ML, Buchanan KL, Bennett ATD. Olfactory eavesdropping: The odor of feathers is detectable to mammalian predators and competitors. Ethology 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Milla Mihailova
- Centre for Integrative Ecology; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Mathew L. Berg
- Centre for Integrative Ecology; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Katherine L. Buchanan
- Centre for Integrative Ecology; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Geelong Vic. Australia
| | - Andrew T. D. Bennett
- Centre for Integrative Ecology; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Geelong Vic. Australia
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11
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Salandre JA, Beil R, Loehr JA, Sundell J. Foraging decisions of North American beaver (Castor canadensis) are shaped by energy constraints and predation risk. MAMMAL RES 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-017-0312-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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12
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Mesopredator behavioral response to olfactory signals of an apex predator. J ETHOL 2017; 35:161-168. [PMID: 28496288 PMCID: PMC5403865 DOI: 10.1007/s10164-016-0504-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Olfactory signals constitute an important mechanism in interspecific interactions, but little is known regarding their role in communication between predator species. We analyzed the behavioral responses of a mesopredator, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), to an olfactory cue (scat) of an apex predator, the lynx (Lynx lynx) in Białowieża Primeval Forest, Poland, using video camera traps. Red fox visited sites with scats more often than expected and the duration of their visits was longer at scat sites than at control sites (no scat added). Vigilant behavior, sniffing and scent marking (including over-marking) occurred more often at scat sites compared to control sites, where foxes mainly passed by. Vigilance was most pronounced during the first days of the recordings. Red fox behavior was also influenced by foxes previously visiting scat sites. They sniffed and scent marked (multiple over-marking) more frequently when the lynx scat had been over-marked previously by red fox. Fox visits to lynx scats may be seen as a trade-off between obtaining information on a potential food source (prey killed by lynx) and the potential risk of predation by an apex predator.
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Mayer M, Künzel F, Zedrosser A, Rosell F. The 7-year itch: non-adaptive mate change in the Eurasian beaver. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2259-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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14
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Wallach AD, Dekker AH, Lurgi M, Montoya JM, Fordham DA, Ritchie EG. Trophic cascades in 3D: network analysis reveals how apex predators structure ecosystems. Methods Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arian D. Wallach
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation School of Life Sciences University of Technology Sydney PO Box 123 Broadway Ultimo NSW 2007 Australia
| | - Anthony H. Dekker
- Federation University (Ballarat) Mt Helen PO Box 663 Ballarat Vic. 3353 Australia
| | - Miguel Lurgi
- Ecological Networks and Global Change Group Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station CNRS and Paul Sabatier University Moulis 09200 France
- The Environment Institute & School of Biological Sciences University of Adelaide Adelaide SA 5005 Australia
| | - Jose M. Montoya
- Ecological Networks and Global Change Group Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station CNRS and Paul Sabatier University Moulis 09200 France
| | - Damien A. Fordham
- The Environment Institute & School of Biological Sciences University of Adelaide Adelaide SA 5005 Australia
| | - Euan G. Ritchie
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences Centre for Integrative Ecology (Burwood Campus) Deakin University 221 Burwood Highway Burwood Vic. 3125 Australia
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15
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Short-term effects of tagging on activity and movement patterns of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber). EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-016-1051-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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16
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Steyaert SMJG, Zedrosser A, Rosell F. Socio-ecological features other than sex affect habitat selection in the socially obligate monogamous Eurasian beaver. Oecologia 2015; 179:1023-32. [PMID: 26260166 PMCID: PMC4630256 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-015-3388-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Habitat selection is a context-dependent mechanism, in which both the internal state as well as external factors affect the behavior and decisions of an individual. This is well known for polygamous mammals, which are typically sexually dimorphic, and often express great variability in behavior and habitat selection between individuals as well between the sexes. Among monogamous mammals, however, variability in habitat selection should be explained by group characteristics and the presence of offspring rather than by sex. We evaluated this hypothesis in a socially monogamous rodent, the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), in a saturated Norwegian population. For the first time in this species we applied GPS tracking devices (N = 22 adult beavers, in 15 territories, 2009–2013), and used resource selection functions (i) to document population-wide habitat selection and the importance of ‘territory’ therein, and (ii) to evaluate which socio-ecological factors explained potential individual differences in habitat selection. We found that variation in habitat selection was stronger between territories than between years or individuals nested by territory. We identified that family size and the presence of kits, but not sex, explained individual variation in habitat selection. Adults with kits and/or larger families tended to exhibit low risk-taking behavior (avoiding human-related variables such as roads, buildings, and agricultural land), and stayed close to their main lodge (parental care). Our results show that habitat selection is a context-dependent mechanism even in a species which expresses very little behavioral and morphological dimorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam M J G Steyaert
- Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1430, Ås, Norway.
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, 3800, Bø, Norway.
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, 3800, Bø, Norway.
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1180, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Frank Rosell
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, 3800, Bø, Norway.
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Ferkin MH. The response of rodents to scent marks: four broad hypotheses. Horm Behav 2015; 68:43-52. [PMID: 25637402 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2014.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2014] [Revised: 10/23/2014] [Accepted: 10/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This article is part of a Special Issue "Chemosignals and Reproduction". Many terrestrial mammals must be able to distinguish between the myriad of scent marks they encounter in order for them to facilitate or deter direct interactions with their scent donors. I review studies that examine how rodents, mainly meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus), respond when they encounter the scent marks of conspecifics and heterospecifics, and how context, as well as the age and condition of senders and receivers, affect their responses. The review uses four broad hypotheses to discuss the response of rodents to scent marks. The four hypotheses are as follows: 1) Scent marks convey accurate information to the receiver about the sender's state and phenotype and genotype. 2) Scent marks are individually distinct. 3) The response of receivers to scent marks is flexible and would be modulated by the cognitive abilities of receivers. 4) Receivers respond to the information contained or conveyed by the scent mark in a manner that will increase their survival and fitness. The studies cited in this review show that scent marks signal accurate information about the sender's phenotype, genotype, and condition, which receivers use to distinguish among the scent marks of different conspecifics and heterospecifics, and by doing so, receivers tailor their response accordingly to increase their survival and fitness. Thus, the four broad hypotheses may serve as guide to increase our understanding of the response of receivers to scent marks and provide a conceptual framework for future research and the development of additional hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H Ferkin
- The University of Memphis, Department of Biological Sciences, Ellington Hall, 3700 Walker Ave, Memphis, TN 38152, USA.
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18
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Cross HB, Zedrosser A, Nevin O, Rosell F. Sex Discrimination via Anal Gland Secretion in a Territorial Monogamous Mammal. Ethology 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah B. Cross
- Department of Environmental and Health Studies Faculty of Arts and Sciences Telemark University College Bø i Telemark Norway
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Environmental and Health Studies Faculty of Arts and Sciences Telemark University College Bø i Telemark Norway
- Department of Integrative Biology Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Owen Nevin
- CQ University Australia Bryan Jordan Drive Gladstone Qld Australia
| | - Frank Rosell
- Department of Environmental and Health Studies Faculty of Arts and Sciences Telemark University College Bø i Telemark Norway
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Campbell RD, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Rosell F. Proximate weather patterns and spring green-up phenology effect Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) body mass and reproductive success: the implications of climate change and topography. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2013; 19:1311-1324. [PMID: 23504905 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2011] [Revised: 09/26/2012] [Accepted: 11/06/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Low spring temperatures have been found to benefit mobile herbivores by reducing the rate of spring-flush, whereas high rainfall increases forage availability. Cold winters prove detrimental, by increasing herbivore thermoregulatory burdens. Here we examine the effects of temperature and rainfall variability on a temperate sedentary herbivore, the Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber, in terms of inter-annual variation in mean body weight and per territory offspring production. Data pertain to 198 individuals, over 11 years, using capture-mark-recapture. We use plant growth (tree cores) and fAPAR (a satellite-derived plant productivity index) to examine potential mechanisms through which weather conditions affect the availability and the seasonal phenology of beaver forage. Juvenile body weights were lighter after colder winters, whereas warmer spring temperatures were associated with lighter adult body weights, mediated by enhanced green-up phenology rates. Counter-intuitively, we observed a negative association between rainfall and body weight in juveniles and adults, and also with reproductive success. Alder, Alnus incana, (n = 68) growth rings (principal beaver food in the study area) exhibited a positive relationship with rainfall for trees growing at elevations >2 m above water level, but a negative relationship for trees growing <0.5 m. We deduce that temperature influences beavers at the landscape scale via effects on spring green-up phenology and winter thermoregulation. Rainfall influences beavers at finer spatial scales through topographical interactions with plant growth, where trees near water level, prone to water logging, producing poorer forage in wetter years. Unlike most other herbivores, beavers are an obligate aquatic species that utilize a restricted 'central-place' foraging range, limiting their ability to take advantage of better forage growth further from water during wetter years. With respect to anthropogenic climate change, interactions between weather variables, plant phenology and topography on forage growth are instructive, and consequently warrant examination when developing conservation management strategies for populations of medium to large herbivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruairidh D Campbell
- Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, Telemark, Norway.
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Campbell RD, Nouvellet P, Newman C, Macdonald DW, Rosell F. The influence of mean climate trends and climate variance on beaver survival and recruitment dynamics. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2012; 18:2730-2742. [PMID: 24501052 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02739.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2010] [Revised: 03/22/2011] [Accepted: 03/26/2012] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Ecologists are increasingly aware of the importance of environmental variability in natural systems. Climate change is affecting both the mean and the variability in weather and, in particular, the effect of changes in variability is poorly understood. Organisms are subject to selection imposed by both the mean and the range of environmental variation experienced by their ancestors. Changes in the variability in a critical environmental factor may therefore have consequences for vital rates and population dynamics. Here, we examine ≥90-year trends in different components of climate (precipitation mean and coefficient of variation (CV); temperature mean, seasonal amplitude and residual variance) and consider the effects of these components on survival and recruitment in a population of Eurasian beavers (n = 242) over 13 recent years. Within climatic data, no trends in precipitation were detected, but trends in all components of temperature were observed, with mean and residual variance increasing and seasonal amplitude decreasing over time. A higher survival rate was linked (in order of influence based on Akaike weights) to lower precipitation CV (kits, juveniles and dominant adults), lower residual variance of temperature (dominant adults) and lower mean precipitation (kits and juveniles). No significant effects were found on the survival of nondominant adults, although the sample size for this category was low. Greater recruitment was linked (in order of influence) to higher seasonal amplitude of temperature, lower mean precipitation, lower residual variance in temperature and higher precipitation CV. Both climate means and variance, thus proved significant to population dynamics; although, overall, components describing variance were more influential than those describing mean values. That environmental variation proves significant to a generalist, wide-ranging species, at the slow end of the slow-fast continuum of life histories, has broad implications for population regulation and the evolution of life histories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruairidh D Campbell
- Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Telemark University College, N-3800 Bø, Telemark, Norway; Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 5QL, UK; Animal, Conservation and Education Department, Highland Wildlife Park, The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Kincraig, Inverness-shire, PH21 1NL, UK
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Vlautin CT, Ferkin MH. The influence of predator and conspecific odor on sex differences in path choice in meadow voles. BEHAVIOUR 2012. [DOI: 10.1163/156853912x630272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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CAMPBELL-PALMER R, ROSELL F. Conservation of the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber: an olfactory perspective. Mamm Rev 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2907.2010.00165.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Vlautin CT, Hobbs NJ, Ferkin MH. Male and Female Meadow Voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, Differ in Their Responses to Heterospecific/Conspecific Over-Marks. Ethology 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01803.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Pinto B, Santos MJ, Rosell F. Habitat selection of the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) near its carrying capacity: an example from Norway. CAN J ZOOL 2009. [DOI: 10.1139/z09-015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The Eurasian beaver ( Castor fiber L., 1758) was extirpated until the beginning of the twentieth century, but is becoming re-established over much of its former range. Since this rodent is considered both a keystone species and an ecosystem engineer, it is important to understand its habitat use in a population near its carrying capacity. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that habitat selection in beaver populations near their carrying capacities is different from populations that are still expanding. Also, a resource-selection model for the species using logistic regression was derived. Although most of the tested habitat variables were important for both populations expanding and populations near their carrying capacities, there were significant differences in the importance of the presence of shrub and (or) hardwood on the riverbank and the river flow speed. Beaver presence was associated with narrower river widths, bank slope, water depth close to the bank, silt–soil bank substrates, cover of deciduous forest, and cover of shrub and (or) hardwood on the bank. The models had high overall accuracy (overall correct classification >85%, area under the curve >90%). The final model is thought to be robust and applicable to areas with similar river and vegetation characteristics. Our results extend the habitat selection patterns of beavers to patterns at high-density populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Pinto
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, England
- Praceta das Palmeiras, N° 21 1°A, 2775-349 Parede, Portugal
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, N-3800 Bø i Telemark, Norway
| | - M. J. Santos
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, England
- Praceta das Palmeiras, N° 21 1°A, 2775-349 Parede, Portugal
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, N-3800 Bø i Telemark, Norway
| | - F. Rosell
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, NR4 7TJ, England
- Praceta das Palmeiras, N° 21 1°A, 2775-349 Parede, Portugal
- Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, N-3800 Bø i Telemark, Norway
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Monclús R, Arroyo M, Valencia A, de Miguel FJ. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) use rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) scent marks as territorial marking sites. J ETHOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-008-0098-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Scent marking behavior as an odorant communication in mice. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2008; 32:1236-48. [PMID: 18565582 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2008] [Revised: 05/06/2008] [Accepted: 05/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In rodents, where chemical signals play a particularly important role in determining intraspecies interactions including social dominance and intersexual relationships, various studies have shown that behavior is sensitive to conspecific odor cues. Mice use urinary scent marks for communication with individual conspecifics in many social contexts. Urinary scent involves genetic information about individuals such as species, sex, and individual identity as well as metabolic information such as social dominance, and reproductive and health status, which are mediated by chemical proteins in scent marks including the major histocompatibility complex and the major urinary proteins. The odor of the predator which can be considered to be a threatening signal for the prey also modulate mouse behavior in which scent marking is suppressed in response to the cat odor exposure in mice. These odorant chemicals are detected and recognized through two olfactory bulbs, the role of which in detection of chemosignals with biological relevant appears to be differential, but partly overlapped. Mice deposit scent marks toward conspecifics to maintain their social relationships, and inhibit scent marking in a context where natural predator, cat odor is contained. This suppression of scent marking is long-lasting (for at least 7 days) and context-dependent, while the odorant signaling to conspecifics tends to appear frequently (over 24h but less than 7 days intervals) depending on the familiarity of each signal-recipient. It has been discussed that scent marking is a communicative behavior associated with territoriality toward conspecifics, indicating that the social signaling within species are sensitive to predator odor cues in terms of vulnerability to predation risk.
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