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Tebelmann H, Ganslosser U. Differences in boldness between Eurasian and American wolves ( Canis lupus) might be based on adaptive mechanisms. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70178. [PMID: 39165539 PMCID: PMC11333551 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Boldness - defined as the propensity of individuals to take risks - is a key research area within animal behavioural studies, significantly affecting adaptive strategies, habitat selection, foraging behaviour, reproduction, dispersal, and other crucial survival behaviours. Despite the extensive study of personality traits like extraversion and curiosity across various animal species, data on wolves (Canis lupus), particularly on the subspecies level, remains sparse. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining boldness and its associated personality traits in different wolf subspecies (Canis lupus lupus, Canis lupus arctos, Canis lupus lycaon) (n = 23), and wolf-dog hybrids (n = 10), utilising novel object interaction tests and validated questionnaires previously applied to wild canids. Our results show significant differences in boldness as well as in related personality traits between taxa, both between pure wolves and wolf hybrids, with significantly higher boldness of North American subspecies. The inter-subspecies differences were more significant than the differences between groups or at the individual level, suggesting that subspecies ecology and historical selection pressure in subspecies history might have caused long-lasting adaptations in Canis lupus ssp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Tebelmann
- Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, School of Mathematics and ScienceCarl von Ossietzsky Universität OldenburgOldenburgGermany
- Institute for Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Faculty for BiosciencesFriedrich Schiller Universität JenaJenaGermany
| | - Udo Ganslosser
- Institute for Zoology and Evolutionary Research, Faculty for BiosciencesFriedrich Schiller Universität JenaJenaGermany
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2
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Orrick K, Dove M, Schmitz OJ. Human-nature relationships: An introduction to social-ecological practice theory for human-wildlife interactions. AMBIO 2024; 53:201-211. [PMID: 37837503 PMCID: PMC10774249 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01945-x] [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: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
Conservation science requires a balance of social and ecological perspectives to understand human-wildlife interactions. We look for an integrative social-ecological framework that emphasizes equal representation across social and ecological conservation sciences. In this perspective, we suggest "social-ecological practice theory", an integration of general ecological theory and anthropology's practice theory, for a conservation-minded social-ecological framework to better theorize human-nature relationships. Our approach deliberately pulls from subdisciplines of anthropology, specifically a body of social theory founded by anthropology and social science called practice theory. We then illustrate how to apply social-ecological practice theory to our case study in the Makgadikgadi region of Botswana. We highlight how the practices of people, lions, and cattle-in combination with environmental and structural features-provide the needed context to deepen the understanding of human-wildlife conflict in the region. Social-ecological practice theory highlights the complexity that exists on the landscape, and may more effectively result in conservation strategies for human-wildlife coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaggie Orrick
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, 370 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
| | - Michael Dove
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, 370 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, P.O. Box 208277, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Oswald J Schmitz
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, 370 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
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3
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van den Bosch M, Kellner KF, Gantchoff MG, Patterson BR, Barber-Meyer SM, Beyer DE, Erb JD, Isaac EJ, MacFarland DM, Moore SA, Norton DC, Petroelje TR, Price Tack JL, Roell BJ, Schrage M, Belant JL. Habitat selection of resident and non-resident gray wolves: implications for habitat connectivity. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20415. [PMID: 37990118 PMCID: PMC10663587 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47815-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Habitat selection studies facilitate assessing and predicting species distributions and habitat connectivity, but habitat selection can vary temporally and among individuals, which is often ignored. We used GPS telemetry data from 96 Gray wolves (Canis lupus) in the western Great Lakes region of the USA to assess differences in habitat selection while wolves exhibited resident (territorial) or non-resident (dispersing or floating) movements and discuss implications for habitat connectivity. We used a step-selection function (SSF) to assess habitat selection by wolves exhibiting resident or non-resident movements, and modeled circuit connectivity throughout the western Great Lakes region. Wolves selected for natural land cover and against areas with high road densities, with no differences in selection among wolves when resident, dispersing, or floating. Similar habitat selection between resident and non-resident wolves may be due to similarity in environmental conditions, when non-resident movements occur largely within established wolf range rather than near the periphery or beyond the species range. Alternatively, non-resident wolves may travel through occupied territories because higher food availability or lower human disturbance outweighs risks posed by conspecifics. Finally, an absence of differences in habitat selection between resident and non-resident wolf movements may be due to other unknown reasons. We recommend considering context-dependency when evaluating differences in movements and habitat use between resident and non-resident individuals. Our results also provide independent validation of a previous species distribution model and connectivity analysis suggesting most potential wolf habitat in the western Great Lakes region is occupied, with limited connectivity to unoccupied habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- M van den Bosch
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
| | - K F Kellner
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - M G Gantchoff
- Department of Biology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA
| | - B R Patterson
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wildlife Research and Development Section, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | | | - D E Beyer
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - J D Erb
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Forest Wildlife Populations and Research Group, Grand Rapids, MN, USA
| | - E J Isaac
- Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Biology and Environment, Grand Portage, MN, USA
| | - D M MacFarland
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Office of Applied Science, Rhinelander, WI, USA
| | - S A Moore
- Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Biology and Environment, Grand Portage, MN, USA
| | - D C Norton
- Wildlife Division, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Marquette, MI, USA
| | - T R Petroelje
- Wildlife Division, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Marquette, MI, USA
| | - J L Price Tack
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Office of Applied Science, Rhinelander, WI, USA
| | - B J Roell
- Wildlife Division, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Marquette, MI, USA
| | - M Schrage
- Fond du Lac Resource Management Division, Cloquet, MN, USA
| | - J L Belant
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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4
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Mumme S, Middleton AD, Ciucci P, De Groeve J, Corradini A, Aikens EO, Ossi F, Atwood P, Balkenhol N, Cole EK, Debeffe L, Dewey SR, Fischer C, Gude J, Heurich M, Hurley MA, Jarnemo A, Kauffman MJ, Licoppe A, van Loon E, McWhirter D, Mong TW, Pedrotti L, Morellet N, Mysterud A, Peters W, Proffitt K, Saïd S, Signer J, Sunde P, Starý M, Cagnacci F. Wherever I may roam-Human activity alters movements of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and elk (Cervus canadensis) across two continents. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:5788-5801. [PMID: 37306048 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Human activity and associated landscape modifications alter the movements of animals with consequences for populations and ecosystems worldwide. Species performing long-distance movements are thought to be particularly sensitive to human impact. Despite the increasing anthropogenic pressure, it remains challenging to understand and predict animals' responses to human activity. Here we address this knowledge gap using 1206 Global Positioning System movement trajectories of 815 individuals from 14 red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 14 elk (Cervus canadensis) populations spanning wide environmental gradients, namely the latitudinal range from the Alps to Scandinavia in Europe, and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in North America. We measured individual-level movements relative to the environmental context, or movement expression, using the standardized metric Intensity of Use, reflecting both the directionality and extent of movements. We expected movement expression to be affected by resource (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) predictability and topography, but those factors to be superseded by human impact. Red deer and elk movement expression varied along a continuum, from highly segmented trajectories over relatively small areas (high intensity of use), to directed transitions through restricted corridors (low intensity of use). Human activity (Human Footprint Index, HFI) was the strongest driver of movement expression, with a steep increase in Intensity of Use as HFI increased, but only until a threshold was reached. After exceeding this level of impact, the Intensity of Use remained unchanged. These results indicate the overall sensitivity of Cervus movement expression to human activity and suggest a limitation of plastic responses under high human pressure, despite the species also occurring in human-dominated landscapes. Our work represents the first comparison of metric-based movement expression across widely distributed populations of a deer genus, contributing to the understanding and prediction of animals' responses to human activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Mumme
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Arthur D Middleton
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Paolo Ciucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
| | - Johannes De Groeve
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andrea Corradini
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering (DICAM), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Stelvio National Park-Ersaf Lombardia, Bormio, Italy
| | - Ellen O Aikens
- School of Computing, University of Wyoming, Wyoming, Laramie, USA
- Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Wyoming, Laramie, USA
| | - Federico Ossi
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
| | - Paul Atwood
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Idaho, Coeur d'Alene, USA
| | - Niko Balkenhol
- Wildlife Sciences, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Eric K Cole
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Elk Refuge, Wyoming, Jackson, USA
| | - Lucie Debeffe
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet Tolosan, France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne, Auzeville Tolosane, France
| | - Sarah R Dewey
- National Park Service, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, Moose, USA
| | - Claude Fischer
- Department of Nature Management, University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland, Jussy, Switzerland
| | - Justin Gude
- Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana, Helena, USA
| | - Marco Heurich
- Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Inland Norway University of Applied Science Institute for Forest and Wildlife Management, Koppang, Norway
| | - Mark A Hurley
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Idaho, Boise, USA
| | - Anders Jarnemo
- School of Business, Innovation and Sustainability, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden
| | - Matthew J Kauffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Wyoming, Laramie, USA
| | - Alain Licoppe
- Natural and Agricultural Environmental Studies Department, Service Public de Wallonie, Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Emiel van Loon
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Tony W Mong
- Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming, Cody, USA
| | - Luca Pedrotti
- Stelvio National Park-Ersaf Lombardia, Bormio, Italy
| | - Nicolas Morellet
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet Tolosan, France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne, Auzeville Tolosane, France
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Wibke Peters
- Department for Conservation, Biodiversity and Wildlife Management, Bavarian State Institute of Forestry, Freising, Germany
| | - Kelly Proffitt
- Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana, Bozeman, USA
| | - Sonia Saïd
- Office Français de la Biodiversité, DRAS, "Montfort", Birieux, France
| | - Johannes Signer
- Wildlife Sciences, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Peter Sunde
- Department of Ecoscience-Wildlife Ecology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Palermo, Italy
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5
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Johnson-Bice SM, Gable TD, Homkes AT, Windels SK, Bump JK, Bruggink JG. Logging, linear features, and human infrastructure shape the spatial dynamics of wolf predation on an ungulate neonate. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2911. [PMID: 37602927 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Humans are increasingly recognized as important players in predator-prey dynamics by modifying landscapes. This trend has been well-documented for large mammal communities in North American boreal forests: logging creates early seral forests that benefit ungulates such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), while the combination of infrastructure development and resource extraction practices generate linear features that allow predators such as wolves (Canis lupus) to travel and forage more efficiently throughout the landscape. Disturbances from recreational activities and residential development are other major sources of human activity in boreal ecosystems that may further alter wolf-ungulate dynamics. Here, we evaluate the influence that several major types of anthropogenic landscape modifications (timber harvest, linear features, and residential infrastructure) have on where and how wolves hunt ungulate neonates in a southern boreal forest ecosystem in Minnesota, USA. We demonstrate that each major anthropogenic disturbance significantly influences wolf predation of white-tailed deer fawns (n = 427 kill sites). In contrast with the "human shield hypothesis" that posits prey use human-modified areas as refuge, wolves killed fawns closer to residential buildings than expected based on spatial availability. Fawns were also killed within recently-logged areas more than expected. Concealment cover was higher at kill sites than random sites, suggesting wolves use senses other than vision, probably olfaction, to detect hidden fawns. Wolves showed strong selection for hunting along linear features, and kill sites were also closer to linear features than expected. We hypothesize that linear features facilitated wolf predation on fawns by allowing wolves to travel efficiently among high-quality prey patches (recently logged areas, near buildings), and also increase encounter rates with olfactory cues that allow them to detect hidden fawns. These findings provide novel insight into the strategies predators use to hunt ungulate neonates and the many ways human activity alters wolf-ungulate neonate predator-prey dynamics, which have remained elusive due to the challenges of locating sites where predators kill small prey. Our research has important management and conservation implications for wolf-ungulate systems subjected to anthropogenic pressures, particularly as the range of overlap between wolves and deer expands and appears to be altering food web dynamics in boreal ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M Johnson-Bice
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Thomas D Gable
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Austin T Homkes
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, USA
| | - Steve K Windels
- Voyageurs National Park, International Falls, Minnesota, USA
| | - Joseph K Bump
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - John G Bruggink
- Department of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, USA
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6
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Wikenros C, Di Bernardi C, Zimmermann B, Åkesson M, Demski M, Flagstad Ø, Mattisson J, Tallian A, Wabakken P, Sand H. Scavenging patterns of an inbred wolf population in a landscape with a pulse of human-provided carrion. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10236. [PMID: 37415640 PMCID: PMC10319521 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Scavenging is an important part of food acquisition for many carnivore species that switch between scavenging and predation. In landscapes with anthropogenic impact, humans provide food that scavenging species can utilize. We quantified the magnitude of killing versus scavenging by gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Scandinavia where humans impact the ecosystem through hunter harvest, land use practices, and infrastructure. We investigated the cause of death of different animals utilized by wolves, and examined how the proportion of their consumption time spent scavenging was influenced by season, wolf social affiliation, level of inbreeding, density of moose (Alces alces) as their main prey, density of brown bear (Ursus arctos) as an intraguild competitor, and human density. We used data from 39 GPS-collared wolves covering 3198 study days (2001-2019), including 14,205 feeding locations within space-time clusters, and 1362 carcasses utilized by wolves. Most carcasses were wolf-killed (80.5%) while a small part had died from other natural causes (1.9%). The remaining had either anthropogenic mortality causes (4.7%), or the cause of death was unknown (12.9%). Time spent scavenging was higher during winter than during summer and autumn. Solitary wolves spent more time scavenging than pack-living individuals, likely because individual hunting success is lower than pack success. Scavenging time increased with the mean inbreeding coefficient of the adult wolves, possibly indicating that more inbred individuals resort to scavenging, which requires less body strength. There was weak evidence for competition between wolves and brown bears as well as a positive relationship between human density and time spent scavenging. This study shows how both intrinsic and extrinsic factors drive wolf scavenging behavior, and that despite a high level of inbreeding and access to carrion of anthropogenic origin, wolves mainly utilized their own kills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Wikenros
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesRiddarhyttanSweden
| | - Cecilia Di Bernardi
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesRiddarhyttanSweden
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”University of Rome La SapienzaRomeItaly
| | - Barbara Zimmermann
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and BiotechnologyInland Norway University of Applied SciencesElverumNorway
| | - Mikael Åkesson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesRiddarhyttanSweden
| | - Maike Demski
- County Administrative Board of NorrbottenLuleåSweden
| | | | - Jenny Mattisson
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA)TrondheimNorway
| | - Aimee Tallian
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA)TrondheimNorway
| | - Petter Wabakken
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and BiotechnologyInland Norway University of Applied SciencesElverumNorway
| | - Håkan Sand
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesRiddarhyttanSweden
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7
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Suzuki M, Saito MU. Forest road use by mammals revealed by camera traps: a case study in northeastern Japan. LANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s11355-023-00544-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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8
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Roffler GH, Pilgrim KL, Zarn KE, Schwartz MK, Levi T. Variation in adult and pup wolf diets at natal den sites is influenced by forest composition and configuration. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9648. [PMID: 36644699 PMCID: PMC9834010 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Although wolves are wide-ranging generalist carnivores throughout their life cycle, during the pup-rearing season wolf activity is focused on natal den sites where pup survival depends upon pack members provisioning food. Because prey availability is influenced by habitat quality within the home range, we investigated the relative importance of prey species for adults and pups and further examined the relationship between habitat characteristics, wolf diet, and litter size on Prince of Wales Island (POW) in Southeast Alaska. During 2012-2020, we detected 13 active den sites within the home ranges of nine wolf packs. We estimated minimum pup counts using motion-detecting cameras and individual genotypes from noninvasive samples (hair: n = 322; scat: n = 227) and quantified wolf diet composition using fecal DNA metabarcoding (n = 538). We assessed habitat composition, configuration, and connectivity within denning and annual home ranges estimated using wolf GPS-collar data. Contrary to expectations, wolves had a more constricted diet during denning season (April 15-July 31), and within this season pups had a narrower dietary niche (species richness [S] = 4) focused more on deer (relative frequency of occurrence [O/I] = 0.924) than adults (S = 15; deer O/I = 0.591). Litter size had a positive relationship with the relative frequency of deer in a wolf pack's diet. Wolf consumption of deer was positively associated with the proportion of young-growth forest (≤25 years old) within denning and annual home ranges. High levels of vegetation patch interspersion, and the density of closed logging roads were also important predictors, suggesting these habitat qualities were influential for increasing the availability of deer to wolves. Our results contrast with previous research indicating wolf pup diets included more alternate prey (i.e., beaver) than adults and emphasize the importance of deer to wolf viability on POW, especially during denning season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gretchen H. Roffler
- Division of Wildlife ConservationAlaska Department of Fish and GameDouglasAlaskaUSA
| | - Kristine L. Pilgrim
- National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish ConservationRocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest ServiceMissoulaMontanaUSA
| | - Katherine E. Zarn
- National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish ConservationRocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest ServiceMissoulaMontanaUSA
- Present address:
National Technology and Development ProgramUSDA Forest ServiceFlagstaffArizonaUSA
| | - Michael K. Schwartz
- National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish ConservationRocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest ServiceMissoulaMontanaUSA
| | - Taal Levi
- Department of Fisheries and WildlifeOregon State UniversityCorvallisOregonUSA
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9
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Torretta E, Corradini A, Pedrotti L, Bani L, Bisi F, Dondina O. Hide-and-Seek in a Highly Human-Dominated Landscape: Insights into Movement Patterns and Selection of Resting Sites of Rehabilitated Wolves ( Canis lupus) in Northern Italy. Animals (Basel) 2022; 13:ani13010046. [PMID: 36611657 PMCID: PMC9817923 DOI: 10.3390/ani13010046] [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: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Assessing the behavioural responses of floating wolves to human presence is crucial for investigating the chance of wolf populations expanding into urbanised landscapes. We studied the movement ecology of three rehabilitated wolves in a highly human-dominated landscape (Po Plain, Italy) to explore wolf's plasticity amid widespread human pressure. To reach this aim, we estimated individual 95% utilisation distributions (UD) after the release and inspected both 95% UDs and net squared displacements to identify individual movement patterns; tested for differences in movement patterns during day and night; and analysed the selection of resting sites during dispersal movement in a highly human-altered environment. Both the 95% UDs and step lengths were smaller for wolves settling in suitable areas than for those settling in more urbanised areas. All wolves exhibited strong temporal segregation with humans during all movement phases, particularly while dispersing across highly urbanised areas. Main roads and proximity to built-up areas were shown to limit wolves' dispersal, whereas small-wooded patches that provide shelter during rest facilitated long-distance movements. This study provides important insights into wolf movement and settling in urban and peri-urban areas, providing critical knowledge to promote human-carnivore coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Torretta
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Andrea Corradini
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Edmund Mach, 1, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, Italy
| | | | - Luciano Bani
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Bisi
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Insubria University, Via J. H. Dunant, 3-I, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Olivia Dondina
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
- Correspondence:
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10
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Ausilio G, Wikenros C, Sand H, Wabakken P, Eriksen A, Zimmermann B. Environmental and anthropogenic features mediate risk from human hunters and wolves for moose. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- G. Ausilio
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Koppang Norway
| | - C. Wikenros
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - H. Sand
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - P. Wabakken
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Koppang Norway
| | - A. Eriksen
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Koppang Norway
| | - B. Zimmermann
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Koppang Norway
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11
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Thorsen NH, Hansen JE, Støen OG, Kindberg J, Zedrosser A, Frank SC. Movement and habitat selection of a large carnivore in response to human infrastructure differs by life stage. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:52. [PMID: 36447280 PMCID: PMC9706841 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00349-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The movement extent of mammals is influenced by human-modified areas, which can affect population demographics. Understanding how human infrastructure influences movement at different life stages is important for wildlife management. This is true especially for large carnivores, due to their substantial space requirements and potential for conflict with humans. METHODS We investigated human impact on movement and habitat selection by GPS-collared male brown bears (Ursus arctos) in two life stages (residents and dispersers) in central Sweden. We identified dispersers visually based on their GPS locations and used hidden Markov models to delineate dispersal events. We used integrated step selection analysis (iSSA) to infer movement and habitat selection at a local scale (availability defined by hourly relocations), and resource selection functions (RSFs) to infer habitat selection at a landscape scale (availability defined by the study area extent). RESULTS Movement of residents on a local scale was facilitated by small forestry roads as they moved faster and selected areas closer to forestry roads, and they avoided areas closer to larger public roads and buildings on both scales. Dispersers were more ambivalent in their response to human infrastructure. Dispersers increased their speed closer to small forestry roads and larger public roads, did not exhibit selection for or against any road class, and avoided areas closer to buildings only at local scale. Dispersers did not select for any features on the landscape, which is likely explained by the novelty of the landscape or their naivety towards it. CONCLUSION Our results show that movement in male brown bears is life stage-dependent and indicate that connectivity maps derived from movement data of dispersing animals may provide more numerous and more realistic pathways than those derived from resident animal data alone. This suggests that data from dispersing animals provide more realistic models for reconnecting populations and maintaining connectivity than if data were derived from resident animals alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- N H Thorsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Oslo, Norway.
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
| | - J E Hansen
- Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø, Telemark, Norway
| | - O-G Støen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Oslo, Norway
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - J Kindberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - A Zedrosser
- Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø, Telemark, Norway.
- Department of Integrative Biology, Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
| | - S C Frank
- Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Bø, Telemark, Norway
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12
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Ditmer MA, Wittemyer G, Breck SW, Crooks KR. Defining ecological and socially suitable habitat for the reintroduction of an apex predator. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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13
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Donatelli A, Mastrantonio G, Ciucci P. Circadian activity of small brown bear populations living in human-dominated landscapes. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15804. [PMID: 36138081 PMCID: PMC9499929 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20163-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Whereas numerous studies on large carnivores have focused on analyzing spatial patterns and habitat use, the temporal dimension of their activity has been relatively little investigated, making this a topic of growing interest, especially in human-dominated landscapes. Relict and isolated Apennine brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) have been living in a human-modified landscape since millennia, but no information is available on their activity patterns. By means of GPS telemetry (26,880 GPS locations collected from 18 adult Apennine brown bears) we investigated their circadian rhythms, using hourly movement rates as an index of bear activity. Based on a Bayesian modeling approach, circadian activity of Apennine brown bears was described by a bimodal curve, with peaks of activity around sunrise and sunset. We revealed seasonal effects, with bears exhibiting higher movement rates throughout the mating season, but no relevant influence of sex. In addition, bears increased their movement rate at distances < 100–500 m to roads and settlements exclusively during spring and late summer, suggesting a trade-off between foraging opportunities and risk avoidance. The absence of a marked nocturnality in Apennine brown bears suggests a relatively low degree of habitat encroachment and disturbance by humans. Yet, the occurrence of crepuscular activity patterns and the responses in proximity of anthropogenic landscape features likely indicate a coadaptation by bears to human presence through a shift in their temporal niche. Further studies should aim to unveil fitness implications of such modifications in activity patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Donatelli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Ciucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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14
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Distribution model transferability for a wide-ranging species, the Gray Wolf. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13556. [PMID: 35941166 PMCID: PMC9359985 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16121-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Using existing data can be a reliable and cost-effective way to predict species distributions, and particularly useful for recovering or expanding species. We developed a current gray wolf (Canis lupus) distribution model for the western Great Lakes region, USA, and evaluated the spatial transferability of single-state models to the region. This study is the first assessment of transferability in a wide-ranging carnivore, as well as one of few developed for large spatial extents. We collected 3500 wolf locations from winter surveys in Minnesota (2017–2019), Wisconsin (2019–2020), and Michigan (2017–2020). We included 10 variables: proportion of natural cover, pastures, and crops; distance to natural cover, agriculture, developed land, and water; major and minor road density; and snowfall (1-km res.). We created a regional ensemble distribution by weight-averaging eight models based on their performance. We also developed single-state models, and estimated spatial transferability using two approaches: state cross-validation and extrapolation. We assessed performance by quantifying correlations, receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC), sensitivities, and two niche similarity indices. The regional area estimated to be most suitable for wolves during winter (threshold = maximum sensitivity/specificity) was 106,465 km2 (MN = 48,083 km2, WI = 27,757 km2, MI = 30,625 km2) and correctly predicted 88% of wolf locations analyzed. Increasing natural cover and distance to crops were consistently important for determining regional and single-state wolf distribution. Extrapolation (vs. cross-validation) produced results with the greatest performance metrics, and were most similar to the regional model, yet good internal performance was unrelated to greater extrapolation performance. Factors influencing species distributions are scale-dependent and can vary across areas due to behavioral plasticity. When extending inferences beyond the current occurrence of individuals, assessing variation in ecology such as habitat selection, as well as methodological factors including model performance, will be critical to avoid poor scientific interpretations and develop effective conservation applications. In particular, accurate distribution models for recovering or recovered carnivores can be used to develop plans for habitat management, quantify potential of unoccupied habitat, assess connectivity modeling, and mitigate conflict, facilitating long-term species persistence.
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15
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Fu W, Cao Y, Li X, Sun J, Liu F, Li W. The responses of riparian plant communities to environmental and spatial factors in the upper Han River basin, China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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16
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Hill JE, Boone HM, Gantchoff MG, Kautz TM, Kellner KF, Orning EK, Parchizadeh J, Petroelje TR, Wehr NH, Finnegan SP, Fowler NL, Lutto AL, Schooler SL, van den Bosch M, Zubiria Perez A, Belant JL. Quantifying anthropogenic wolf mortality in relation to hunting regulations and landscape attributes across North America. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8875. [PMID: 35600694 PMCID: PMC9121029 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the types and magnitude of human‐caused mortality is essential for maintaining viable large carnivore populations. We used a database of cause‐specific mortality to examine how hunting regulations and landscape configurations influenced human‐caused mortality of North American gray wolves (Canis lupus). Our dataset included 21 studies that monitored the fates of 3564 wolves and reported 1442 mortalities. Human‐caused mortality accounted for 61% of mortality overall, with 23% due to illegal harvest, 16% due to legal harvest, and 12% the result of management removal. The overall proportion of anthropogenic wolf mortality was lowest in areas with an open hunting season compared to areas with a closed hunting season or mixed hunting regulations, suggesting that harvest mortality was neither fully additive nor compensatory. Proportion of mortality from management removal was reduced in areas with an open hunting season, suggesting that legal harvest may reduce human‐wolf conflicts or alternatively that areas with legal harvest have less potential for management removals (e.g., less livestock depredation). Proportion of natural habitat was negatively correlated with the proportion of anthropogenic and illegal harvest mortality. Additionally, the proportion of mortality due to illegal harvest increased with greater natural habitat fragmentation. The observed association between large patches of natural habitat and reductions in several sources of anthropogenic wolf mortality reiterate the importance of habitat preservation to maintain wolf populations. Furthermore, effective management of wolf populations via implementation of harvest may reduce conflict with humans. Effective wolf conservation will depend on holistic strategies that integrate ecological and socioeconomic factors to facilitate their long‐term coexistence with humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob E Hill
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA.,Savannah River Ecology Laboratory University of Georgia Aiken South Carolina USA
| | - Hailey M Boone
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Mariela G Gantchoff
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Todd M Kautz
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Kenneth F Kellner
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Elizabeth K Orning
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA.,U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Jamshid Parchizadeh
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Tyler R Petroelje
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Nathaniel H Wehr
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Shannon P Finnegan
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Nicholas L Fowler
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Ashley L Lutto
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Sarah L Schooler
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Merijn van den Bosch
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Alejandra Zubiria Perez
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | - Jerrold L Belant
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
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17
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Åkesson M, Svensson L, Flagstad Ø, Wabakken P, Frank J. Wolf monitoring in Scandinavia: evaluating counts of packs and reproduction events. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Åkesson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE‐739 93 Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Linn Svensson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE‐739 93 Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Øystein Flagstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. P.O. Box 5685 Sluppen, NO‐7485 Trondheim Norway
| | - Petter Wabakken
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, NO‐2480 Koppang Norway
| | - Jens Frank
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE‐739 93 Riddarhyttan Sweden
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18
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Versluijs E, Eriksen A, Fuchs B, Wikenros C, Sand H, Wabakken P, Zimmermann B. Wolf Responses to Experimental Human Approaches Using High-Resolution Positioning Data. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.792916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans pose a major mortality risk to wolves. Hence, similar to how prey respond to predators, wolves can be expected to show anti-predator responses to humans. When exposed to a threat, animals may show a fight, flight, freeze or hide response. The type of response and the circumstances (e.g., distance and speed) at which the animal flees are useful parameters to describe the responses of wild animals to approaching humans. Increasing knowledge about behavioral responses of wolves toward humans might improve appropriate management and decrease conflicts related to fear of wolves. We did a pilot study by conducting 21 approach trials on seven GPS-collared wolves in four territories to investigate their responses to experimental human approaches. We found that wolves predominantly showed a flight response (N = 18), in a few cases the wolf did not flee (N = 3), but no wolves were seen or heard during trials. When wolves were downwind of the observer the flight initiation distance was significantly larger than when upwind, consistent with the hypothesis that conditions facilitating early detection would result in an earlier flight. Our hypothesis that early detection would result in less intense flights was not supported, as we found no correlation between flight initiation distances and speed, distance or straightness of the flight. Wolves in more concealed habitat had a shorter flight initiation distance or did not flee at all, suggesting that perceived risk might have been affected by horizontal visibility. Contrary to our expectation, resettling positions were less concealed (larger horizontal visibility) than the wolves’ initial site. Although our small number of study animals and trials does not allow for generalizations, this pilot study illustrates how standardized human approach trials with high-resolution GPS-data can be used to describe wolf responses at a local scale. In continuation, this method can be applied at larger spatial scales to compare wolf flight responses within and between populations and across anthropogenic gradients, thus increasing the knowledge of wolf behavior toward humans, and potentially improving coexistence with wolves across their range.
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19
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Ferreira EM, Valerio F, Medinas D, Fernandes N, Craveiro J, Costa P, Silva JP, Carrapato C, Mira A, Santos SM. Assessing behaviour states of a forest carnivore in a road-dominated landscape using Hidden Markov Models. NATURE CONSERVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.47.72781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic infrastructures and land-use changes are major threats to animal movements across heterogeneous landscapes. Yet, the behavioural consequences of such constraints remain poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between the behaviour of the Common genet (Genetta genetta) and road proximity, within a dominant mixed forest-agricultural landscape in southern Portugal, fragmented by roads. Specifically, we aimed to: (i) identify and characterise the behavioural states displayed by genets and related movement patterns; and (ii) understand how behavioural states are influenced by proximity to main paved roads and landscape features. We used a multivariate Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to characterise the fine-scale movements (10-min fixes GPS) of seven genets tracked during 187 nights (mean 27 days per individual) during the period 2016–2019, using distance to major paved roads and landscape features as predictors. Our findings indicated that genet’s movement patterns were composed of three basic behavioural states, classified as “resting” (short step-lengths [mean = 10.6 m] and highly tortuous), “foraging” (intermediate step-lengths [mean = 46.1 m] and with a wide range in turning angle) and “travelling” (longer step-lengths [mean = 113.7 m] and mainly linear movements). Within the genet’s main activity-period (17.00 h-08.00 h), the movement model predicts that genets spend 36.7% of their time travelling, 35.4% foraging and 28.0% resting. The probability of genets displaying the travelling state was highest in areas far away from roads (> 500 m), whereas foraging and resting states were more likely in areas relatively close to roads (up to 500 m). Landscape features also had a pronounced effect on behaviour state occurrence. More specifically, travelling was most likely to occur in areas with lower forest edge density and close to riparian habitats, while foraging was more likely to occur in areas with higher forest edge density and far away from riparian habitats. The results suggest that, although roads represent a behavioural barrier to the movement of genets, they also take advantage of road proximity as foraging areas. Our study demonstrates that the HMM approach is useful for disentangling movement behaviour and understanding how animals respond to roadsides and fragmented habitats. We emphasise that road-engaged stakeholders need to consider movement behaviour of genets when targeting management practices to maximise road permeability for wildlife.
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20
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Smartphone app reveals that lynx avoid human recreationists on local scale, but not home range scale. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4787. [PMID: 35314717 PMCID: PMC8938439 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08468-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Outdoor recreation is increasing and affects habitat use and selection by wildlife. These effects are challenging to study, especially for elusive species with large spatial requirements, as it is hard to obtain reliable proxies of recreational intensity over extensive areas. Commonly used proxies, such as the density of, or distance to, hiking paths, ignore outdoor recreation occurring on other linear feature types. Here we utilized crowdsourced data from the Strava training app to obtain a large-scale proxy for pedestrian outdoor recreation intensity in southeast Norway. We used the proxy and GPS-tracking data from collared Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) to investigate how recreation affects habitat selection at the home range scale and local scale by lynx during summer. We fitted resource selection functions at the two scales using conditional logistic regression. Our analysis revealed that lynx avoided areas of recreational activity at the local scale, but not at home range scale. Nonetheless, lynx frequently used areas associated with recreation, and to a greater degree at night than during the day. Our results suggest that local-scale avoidance of recreation and temporal adjustments of habitat use by lynx mitigate the need for a home range-scale response towards recreation. Scale-dependent responses and temporal adjustments in habitat use may facilitate coexistence between humans and large carnivores.
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21
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van Beeck Calkoen STS, Deis MH, Oeser J, Kuijper DPJ, Heurich M. Humans rather than Eurasian lynx (
Lynx lynx
) shape ungulate browsing patterns in a temperate forest. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne T. S. van Beeck Calkoen
- Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring Bavarian Forest National Park Grafenau Germany
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Michele H. Deis
- Forest Research Institute of Baden‐Württemberg Freiburg Germany
| | - Julian Oeser
- Geography Department Humboldt‐Universität zu Berlin Berlin Germany
| | | | - Marco Heurich
- Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring Bavarian Forest National Park Grafenau Germany
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg Freiburg Germany
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Koppang Norway
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22
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Musto C, Cerri J, Galaverni M, Caniglia R, Fabbri E, Apollonio M, Mucci N, Bonilauri P, Maioli G, Fontana MC, Gelmini L, Prosperi A, Rossi A, Garbarino C, Fiorentini L, Ciuti F, Berzi D, Merialdi G, Delogu M. Men and wolves: Anthropogenic causes are an important driver of wolf mortality in human-dominated landscapes in Italy. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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23
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Cerqueira RC, de Rivera OR, Jaeger JAG, Grilo C. Direct and indirect effects of roads on space use by jaguars in Brazil. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22617. [PMID: 34799617 PMCID: PMC8604938 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01936-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Roads pose an imminent threat to wildlife directly through mortality and changes in individual behavior, and also indirectly through modification of the amount and configuration of wildlife habitat. However, few studies have addressed how these mechanisms interact to determine species response to roads. We used structural equation modeling to assess direct and indirect effects (via landscape modification) of roads on space use by jaguars in Brazil, using radio-tracking data available from the literature. We fit path models that directly link jaguars' space use to roads and to land cover, and indirectly link jaguars' space use to roads through the same land cover categories. Our findings show that space use by jaguars was not directly affected by roads, but indirect effects occurred through reductions in natural areas on which jaguars depend, and through urban sprawl. Males´ space use, however, was not negatively influenced by urban areas. Since jaguars seem to ignore roads, mitigation should be directed to road fencing and promoting safe crossings. We argue that planners and managers need to much more seriously take into account the deforestation and the unbridled urban expansion from roads to ensure jaguar conservation in Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafaela Cobucci Cerqueira
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Câmpus Universitário, Caixa Postal 3037, Lavras, Minas Gerais, CEP 37200-000, Brazil.
| | - Oscar Rodríguez de Rivera
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Kent, Sibson, Park Wood Rd, Canterbury, CT2 7FS, UK
| | - Jochen A G Jaeger
- Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University Montreal, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Suite H1255, Montréal, QC, H3G 1M8, Canada
| | - Clara Grilo
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Câmpus Universitário, Caixa Postal 3037, Lavras, Minas Gerais, CEP 37200-000, Brazil
- CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal
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24
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Olson L, Van Deelen T, Storm D, Crimmins S. Understanding environmental patterns of canid predation on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). CAN J ZOOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The outcome of encounters between predators and prey affects predation rates and ultimately population dynamics. Determining how environmental features influence predation rates helps guide conservation and management efforts. We studied where gray wolves (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) and coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823) killed white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) in northern Wisconsin, USA. We monitored 499 white-tailed deer for cause-specific mortality between 2011 and 2014 using VHF radio collars. We investigated the locations of 125 deer mortalities and determined that 63 were canid (wolf or coyote) kill sites. We analyzed spatial patterns of kill sites using resource selection functions in a model selection framework, incorporating environmental variables including vegetative cover, human development, snow depth, and water. We found no evidence that vegetative cover or human development affected predation risk; however, we did find that increasing snow depth resulted in increased relative predation risk. This finding is consistent with existing research on the influence of snow cover on white-tailed deer survival. Our results suggest that understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of white-tailed deer predation requires a better understanding of snow depth variation in space and time. As climate change scenarios predict changes in snowfall throughout the northern hemisphere, understanding the effect on predator–prey spatial dynamics will be important for management and conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- L.O. Olson
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - T.R. Van Deelen
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - D.J. Storm
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 1300 West Clairemont Avenue, Eau Claire, WI 54701-6127, USA
| | - S.M. Crimmins
- College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, 800 Reserve Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481, USA
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Sand H, Jamieson M, Andrén H, Wikenros C, Cromsigt J, Månsson J. Behavioral effects of wolf presence on moose habitat selection: testing the landscape of fear hypothesis in an anthropogenic landscape. Oecologia 2021; 197:101-116. [PMID: 34420087 PMCID: PMC8445880 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04984-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Landscape of fear refers to the spatial variation in prey perception of predation risk, that under certain conditions, may lead to changes in their behavior. Behavioral responses of prey in relation to large carnivore predation risk have mainly been conducted in areas with low anthropogenic impact. We used long-term data on the distribution of moose in different habitat types in a system characterized by intensive management of all three trophic levels (silviculture, harvest of wolves and moose) to study effects on moose habitat selection resulting from the return of an apex predator, the wolf. We assumed that coursing predators such as wolves will cause an increased risk for moose in some habitat types and tested the hypotheses that moose will avoid open or young forest habitats following wolf establishment. After wolf recolonization, moose reduced their use of one type of open habitat (bog) but there was neither change in the use of the other open habitat type (clear-cut), nor in their use of young forest. Wolf establishment did not influence the use of habitat close to dense habitat when being in open habitats. Thus, the effect of wolves varied among habitat types and there was no unidirectional support for a behavioral effect of wolves' establishment on moose habitat use. Human-driven habitat heterogeneity, concentration of moose forage to certain habitat types, and the effects of a multiple predator guild on moose may all contribute to the results found. We conclude that the landscape of fear is likely to have weak ecological effects on moose in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Håkan Sand
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden.
| | - Mark Jamieson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Henrik Andrén
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Camilla Wikenros
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Joris Cromsigt
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Johan Månsson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 739 93, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
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Leighton GRM, Bishop JM, Merondun J, Winterton DJ, O’Riain MJ, Serieys LEK. Hiding in plain sight: risk mitigation by a cryptic carnivore foraging at the urban edge. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella R. M. Leighton
- Department of Biological Sciences Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
| | - Jacqueline M. Bishop
- Department of Biological Sciences Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
| | - Justin Merondun
- Division of Evolutionary Biology Faculty of Biology LMU Munich Planegg‐Martinsried Germany
| | | | - M. Justin O’Riain
- Department of Biological Sciences Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
| | - Laurel E. K. Serieys
- Department of Biological Sciences Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa
- Cape Leopard Trust Cape Town South Africa
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Fowler NL, Kautz TM, Petroelje TR, Wilton CM, Kellner KF, O'Brien DJ, Parsons B, Beyer DE, Belant JL. Marginal support for a trophic cascade among sympatric canids in peripheral wolf range. Ecology 2021; 102:e03494. [PMID: 34309013 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Trophic cascades reportedly structure ecological communities through indirect species interactions. Though the predator-herbivore-autotroph relationship has received much attention, mechanistic evidence supporting intraguild trophic cascades is rare. We established 348 remote camera sites (1 August-5 September 2019) across seven study areas of varying wolf (Canis lupus) density including one study area where wolves were absent in northern Michigan, USA. Using multi-species occupancy modeling at species-relevant spatial scales, we evaluated the hypothesis that increased wolf occurrence suppresses coyote (C. latrans) occurrence with corresponding increased red fox (Vulpes vulpes) occurrence mediated by land cover edge density, human presence, and temporal partitioning. Remote cameras recorded >600,000 images and included 6,370, 10,137, and 4,876 detections of wolves, coyotes, and foxes, respectively. Fox occupancy probability was more than three times as high (0.29) at camera sites where wolves were present, relative to sites wolves were absent (0.09). Pairwise species interactions supported expected size-based dominance patterns among canids and insignificant effects were directionally consistent with reported reduced strength of top-down effects in peripheral wolf range. Increased edge density also increased co-occurrence of coyote and wolves, likely a function of increased prey availability and refugia for coyotes. Though foxes occurred in spatial proximity to wolves, competition was limited by greater temporal partitioning than observed between coyotes and foxes that were spatially segregated. Collectively, our results provide marginal support for the reported trophic cascade among wolves, coyotes, and foxes wherein top-down effects may be reduced near the edge of current wolf distributions. As predators continue to recolonize portions of their historic range, knowledge of the effects on intraguild predators has implications for species management and predicting prey population responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas L Fowler
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, New York, 13210, USA
| | - Todd M Kautz
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, New York, 13210, USA
| | - Tyler R Petroelje
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, New York, 13210, USA
| | - Clay M Wilton
- Michigan Natural Features Inventory, P.O. Box 13036, Lansing, Michigan, 48901, USA
| | - Kenneth F Kellner
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, New York, 13210, USA
| | - Daniel J O'Brien
- Wildlife Disease Laboratory, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 4125 Beaumont Road, Room 250, Lansing, Michigan, 48910, USA
| | - Bill Parsons
- Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Natural Resource Department, 7845 Odawa Circle, Harbor Springs, Michigan, 49740, USA
| | - Dean E Beyer
- Wildlife Division, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 1990 US Highway 41 S, Marquette, Michigan, 49855, USA
| | - Jerrold L Belant
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, New York, 13210, USA
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Peterson CJ, Mitchell MS, DeCesare NJ, Bishop CJ, Sells SS. Habitat selection by wolves and mountain lions during summer in western Montana. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0254827. [PMID: 34293042 PMCID: PMC8297843 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Northern Rockies of the United States, predators like wolves (Canis lupus) and mountain lions (Puma concolor) have been implicated in fluctuations or declines in populations of game species like elk (Cervus canadensis) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). In particular, local distributions of these predators may affect ungulate behavior, use of space, and dynamics. Our goal was to develop generalizable predictions of habitat selection by wolves and mountain lions across western Montana. We hypothesized both predator species would select habitat that maximized their chances of encountering and killing ungulates and that minimized their chances of encountering humans. We assessed habitat selection by these predators during summer using within-home range (3rd order) resource selection functions (RSFs) in multiple study areas throughout western Montana, and tested how generalizable RSF predictions were by applying them to out-of-sample telemetry data from separate study areas. Selection for vegetation cover-types varied substantially among wolves in different study areas. Nonetheless, our predictions of 3rd order selection by wolves were highly generalizable across different study areas. Wolves consistently selected simple topography where ungulate prey may be more susceptible to their cursorial hunting mode. Topographic features may serve as better proxies of predation risk by wolves than vegetation cover-types. Predictions of mountain lion distribution were less generalizable. Use of rugged terrain by mountain lions varied across ecosystem-types, likely because mountain lions targeted the habitats of different prey species in each study area. Our findings suggest that features that facilitate the hunting mode of a predator (i.e. simple topography for cursorial predators and hiding cover for stalking predators) may be more generalizable predictors of their habitat selection than features associated with local prey densities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin J. Peterson
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Michael S. Mitchell
- US Geological Survey, Montana Cooperative Research Unit, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States of America
| | - Nicholas J. DeCesare
- Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Missoula, MT, United States of America
| | - Chad J. Bishop
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States of America
| | - Sarah S. Sells
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States of America
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Chamberlain MJ, Cohen BS, Wightman PH, Rushton E, Hinton JW. Fine-scale movements and behaviors of coyotes ( Canis latrans) during their reproductive period. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9575-9588. [PMID: 34306644 PMCID: PMC8293769 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In canids, resident breeders hold territories but require different resources than transient individuals (i.e., dispersers), which may result in differential use of space, land cover, and food by residents and transients. In the southeastern United States, coyote (Canis latrans) reproduction occurs during spring and is energetically demanding for residents, but transients do not reproduce and therefore can exhibit feeding behaviors with lower energetic rewards. Hence, how coyotes behave in their environment likely differs between resident and transient coyotes. We captured and monitored 36 coyotes in Georgia during 2018-2019 and used data from 11 resident breeders, 12 predispersing residents (i.e., offspring of resident breeders), and 11 transients to determine space use, movements, and relationships between these behaviors and landcover characteristics. Average home range size for resident breeders and predispersing offspring was 20.7 ± 2.5 km² and 50.7 ± 10.0 km², respectively. Average size of transient ranges was 241.4 ± 114.5 km². Daily distance moved was 6.3 ± 3.0 km for resident males, 5.5 ± 2.7 km for resident females, and 6.9 ± 4.2 km for transients. We estimated first-passage time values to assess the scale at which coyotes respond to their environment, and used behavioral change-point analysis to determine that coyotes exhibited three behavioral states. We found notable differences between resident and transient coyotes in regard to how landcover characteristics influenced their behavioral states. Resident coyotes tended to select for areas with denser vegetation while resting and foraging, but for areas with less dense vegetation and canopy cover when walking. Transient coyotes selected areas closer to roads and with lower canopy cover while resting, but for areas farther from roads when foraging and walking. Our findings suggest that behaviors of both resident and transient coyotes are influenced by varying landcover characteristics, which could have implications for prey.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bradley S. Cohen
- College of Arts and SciencesTennessee Technological UniversityCookevilleTNUSA
| | - Patrick H. Wightman
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
| | - Emily Rushton
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources – Wildlife Resources DivisionSocial CircleGAUSA
| | - Joseph W. Hinton
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental ScienceMichigan Technological UniversityHoughtonMIUSA
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Viola P, Adriani S, Rossi CM, Franceschini C, Primi R, Apollonio M, Amici A. Anthropogenic and Environmental Factors Determining Local Favourable Conditions for Wolves during the Cold Season. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11071895. [PMID: 34202132 PMCID: PMC8300267 DOI: 10.3390/ani11071895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Wolves normally howl in response to unfamiliar vocalisations, to defend their territory and the important resources within it (e.g., pups and prey). During the non-rendezvous period (late autumn and winter), the protectiveness of adults towards pups decreases, as well as reactions to unfamiliar vocal stimuli. In the late fall of 2010, we performed a saturation wolf howling design in the Cicolano area (Central Apennines, Italy), aiming to identify environmental and human-related characteristics of locations where wolves are prone to respond to unfamiliar howling and to assess their eventual ability to provide insights into the distribution of valuable resources (aside from pups) during the cold season. We found that winter response sites (WRS) were characterized by diverging conditions, with respect to all available sites, suggesting that they are non-randomly located but, instead, had been selected by wolves for some reason. We recorded a positive role of thermal refuges and the occurrence of wild boar drive hunts, as well as the negative roles of other forms of human presence and activities, including the occurrence of free-ranging dogs. These results could be of interest both for conservation purposes and for assessing interactions with human activities. Abstract Winter resources are crucial for wildlife, and, at a local scale, some anthropogenic and environmental factors could affect their availability. In the case of wolves, it is known that vocalisations in response to unfamiliar howls are issued to defend their territory and the important resources within it. Then, we studied the characteristics of winter response sites (WRS) during the cold season, aiming to assess their eventual ability to provide insights into the distribution of valuable resources within their territories. Within this scope, we planned a wolf-howling survey following a standardised approach. The study covered an Apennine (Central Italy) area of 500 km2. A hexagonal mesh was imposed on the area, in order to determine the values of different variables at the local scale. A logistic LASSO regression was performed. WRS were positively related to the presence of thermal refuges (odds = 114.485), to patch richness (odds = 1.153), wild boar drive hunting areas (odds = 1.015), and time elapsed since the last hunt (odds = 1.019). Among negative factors, stray dogs reply considerably affects wolves’ responsiveness (odds = 0.207), where odds are the exponentiated coefficients estimated by the logistic lasso regression. These results suggest that WRS are related to anthropogenic and environmental factors favouring the predation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Viola
- Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Via S. C. de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, VT, Italy; (P.V.); (S.A.); (C.M.R.); (C.F.); (R.P.)
| | - Settimio Adriani
- Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Via S. C. de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, VT, Italy; (P.V.); (S.A.); (C.M.R.); (C.F.); (R.P.)
| | - Carlo Maria Rossi
- Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Via S. C. de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, VT, Italy; (P.V.); (S.A.); (C.M.R.); (C.F.); (R.P.)
| | - Cinzia Franceschini
- Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Via S. C. de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, VT, Italy; (P.V.); (S.A.); (C.M.R.); (C.F.); (R.P.)
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Science, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta S. Donato 1, 40127 Bologna, BO, Italy
| | - Riccardo Primi
- Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Via S. C. de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, VT, Italy; (P.V.); (S.A.); (C.M.R.); (C.F.); (R.P.)
| | - Marco Apollonio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, SS, Italy;
| | - Andrea Amici
- Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, Via S. C. de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, VT, Italy; (P.V.); (S.A.); (C.M.R.); (C.F.); (R.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-(0)761-357443
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Noonan MJ, Martinez‐Garcia R, Davis GH, Crofoot MC, Kays R, Hirsch BT, Caillaud D, Payne E, Sih A, Sinn DL, Spiegel O, Fagan WF, Fleming CH, Calabrese JM. Estimating encounter location distributions from animal tracking data. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Noonan
- Department of Biology, The Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science The University of British Columbia Kelowna BC Canada
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology InstituteNational Zoological Park Front Royal VA USA
| | - Ricardo Martinez‐Garcia
- ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research & Instituto de Fisica Teorica – UNESP Sao Paulo Brazil
| | - Grace H. Davis
- Department of Anthropology University of California Davis CA USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama City Panama
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Margaret C. Crofoot
- Department of Anthropology University of California Davis CA USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama City Panama
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Roland Kays
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University Raleigh NC USA
| | - Ben T. Hirsch
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Panama City Panama
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville Qld Australia
| | - Damien Caillaud
- Department of Anthropology University of California Davis CA USA
| | - Eric Payne
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of California Davis Davis CA USA
| | - Andrew Sih
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of California Davis Davis CA USA
| | - David L. Sinn
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy University of California Davis Davis CA USA
| | - Orr Spiegel
- School of Zoology Faculty of Life Sciences Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel
| | - William F. Fagan
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park MD USA
| | - Christen H. Fleming
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology InstituteNational Zoological Park Front Royal VA USA
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park MD USA
| | - Justin M. Calabrese
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology InstituteNational Zoological Park Front Royal VA USA
- Department of Biology University of Maryland College Park MD USA
- Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS) Görlitz Germany
- Helmholtz‐Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf (HZDR) Dresden Germany
- Department of Ecological Modelling Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) Leipzig Germany
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32
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Sells SN, Mitchell MS, Podruzny KM, Gude JA, Keever AC, Boyd DK, Smucker TD, Nelson AA, Parks TW, Lance NJ, Ross MS, Inman RM. Evidence of economical territory selection in a cooperative carnivore. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210108. [PMID: 33653139 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
As an outcome of natural selection, animals are probably adapted to select territories economically by maximizing benefits and minimizing costs of territory ownership. Theory and empirical precedent indicate that a primary benefit of many territories is exclusive access to food resources, and primary costs of defending and using space are associated with competition, travel and mortality risk. A recently developed mechanistic model for economical territory selection provided numerous empirically testable predictions. We tested these predictions using location data from grey wolves (Canis lupus) in Montana, USA. As predicted, territories were smaller in areas with greater densities of prey, competitors and low-use roads, and for groups of greater size. Territory size increased before decreasing curvilinearly with greater terrain ruggedness and harvest mortalities. Our study provides evidence for the economical selection of territories as a causal mechanism underlying ecological patterns observed in a cooperative carnivore. Results demonstrate how a wide range of environmental and social conditions will influence economical behaviour and resulting space use. We expect similar responses would be observed in numerous territorial species. A mechanistic approach enables understanding how and why animals select particular territories. This knowledge can be used to enhance conservation efforts and more successfully predict effects of conservation actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah N Sells
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, 205 Natural Sciences Building, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Michael S Mitchell
- US Geological Survey, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, 205 Natural Sciences Building, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Kevin M Podruzny
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 1420 E. 6th Street, Helena, MT 59620, USA
| | - Justin A Gude
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 1420 E. 6th Street, Helena, MT 59620, USA
| | - Allison C Keever
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, 205 Natural Sciences Building, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Diane K Boyd
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 490 North Meridian Road, Kalispell, MT 59901, USA
| | - Ty D Smucker
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 4600 Giant Springs Road, Great Falls, MT 59405, USA
| | | | - Tyler W Parks
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 3201 Spurgin Road, Missoula, MT 59804, USA
| | - Nathan J Lance
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 1400 South 19th, Bozeman, MT 59718, USA
| | - Michael S Ross
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 1400 South 19th, Bozeman, MT 59718, USA
| | - Robert M Inman
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 1420 E. 6th Street, Helena, MT 59620, USA
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Ausilio G, Sand H, Månsson J, Mathisen KM, Wikenros C. Ecological Effects of Wolves in Anthropogenic Landscapes: The Potential for Trophic Cascades Is Context-Dependent. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.577963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, large predators have made a comeback across large parts of Europe. However, little is known about the impact that recolonizing predators may have on ecosystems with high degrees of anthropogenic influence. In Scandinavia, wolves (Canis lupus) now inhabit areas affected by intense forestry practices and their main prey, moose (Alces alces), are exposed to significant human hunting pressure. We used long-term datasets to investigate whether the return of wolves has affected moose distribution (i.e., presence and abundance) as well as browsing damage (i.e., presence and intensity) by moose on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). We found that the probability of moose presence and abundance increased with time since wolf territory establishment and was higher inside wolf territories than outside. Additionally, the probability of browsing damage was also higher inside wolf territories compared to outside, but wolf occurrence had no effect on browsing damage intensity. We suggest two possible underlying mechanisms behind these results: (1) wolves might select to establish territories in areas with higher moose abundance, increasing their probability of encounters, and/or (2) hunters within wolf territories reduce the number of harvested moose to compensate for wolf predation. This study highlights that the return of large predators to landscapes with strong anthropogenic influence may result in alternative effects than those described in studies on trophic cascades located in protected areas.
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Loosen AE, Devineau O, Zimmermann B, Cromsigt JPGM, Pfeffer SE, Skarpe C, Marie Mathisen K. Roads, forestry, and wolves interact to drive moose browsing behavior in Scandinavia. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anne E. Loosen
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Campus Evenstad Koppang2480Norway
| | - Olivier Devineau
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Campus Evenstad Koppang2480Norway
| | - Barbara Zimmermann
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Campus Evenstad Koppang2480Norway
| | - Joris P. G. M. Cromsigt
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Skogsmarksgränd Umeå901 83Sweden
- Department of Zoology Centre for African Conservation Ecology Nelson Mandela University PO Box 77000 Port Elizabeth6031South Africa
| | - Sabine E. Pfeffer
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Skogsmarksgränd Umeå901 83Sweden
| | - Christina Skarpe
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Campus Evenstad Koppang2480Norway
| | - Karen Marie Mathisen
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences Campus Evenstad Koppang2480Norway
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Wikenros C, Sand H, Månsson J, Maartmann E, Eriksen A, Wabakken P, Zimmermann B. Impact of a recolonizing, cross-border carnivore population on ungulate harvest in Scandinavia. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21670. [PMID: 33303844 PMCID: PMC7730186 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78585-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation from large carnivores and human harvest are the two main mortality factors affecting the dynamics of many ungulate populations. We examined long-term moose (Alces alces) harvest data from two countries that share cross-border populations of wolves (Canis lupus) and their main prey moose. We tested how a spatial gradient of increasing wolf territory density affected moose harvest density and age and sex composition of the harvested animals (n = 549,310), along a latitudinal gradient during 1995–2017. In areas containing average-sized wolf territories, harvest density was on average 37% (Norway) and 51% (Sweden) lower than in areas without wolves. In Sweden, calves made up a higher proportion of the moose harvest than in Norway, and this proportion was reduced with increased wolf territory density, while it increased in Norway. The proportion of females in the adult harvest was more strongly reduced in Sweden than in Norway as a response to increased wolf territory density. Moose management in both countries performed actions aimed to increase productivity in the moose population, in order to compensate for the increased mortality caused by wolves. These management actions are empirical examples of an adaptive management in response to the return of large carnivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Wikenros
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 730 91, Riddarhyttan, Sweden.
| | - Håkan Sand
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 730 91, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Johan Månsson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 730 91, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Erling Maartmann
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - Ane Eriksen
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - Petter Wabakken
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - Barbara Zimmermann
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2480, Koppang, Norway
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Malcolm K, Cheveau M, St-Laurent MH. Wolf habitat selection in relation to recreational structures in a national park. J Mammal 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Although most predators usually avoid human activity, some individuals instead will habituate to it. Habituation to human presence and infrastructure by predator species such as wolves may lead to conflicts implicating serious risks for public safety and for the survival of the animals involved. Accordingly, this research project aims to shed light on the relationship between wolves and recreational structures using telemetry data from 10 wolves located in the Parc National du Mont-Tremblant (Québec, Canada) and its surrounding area. Using resource selection functions (RSFs), we observed wolf habitat selection in relation to these structures during three biological periods (denning: May–June; rendezvous: June–October; and nomadic: October–April). Our results revealed that wolves selected proximity to linear structures (roads and trails) during the denning and rendezvous periods, but this selection depended on the density of such structures in the surroundings (i.e., functional response in habitat selection): wolves selected proximity to linear structures when these structures were present at greater densities. Wolves avoided housing structures (campsites, cabins, park facilities), especially when these structures were present at greater densities, suggesting that wolves perceived them as a risk. These results suggest that conflicts between visitors and wolves were unlikely to occur in campgrounds during the time of our study. This could indicate that the management measures implemented by the park following the past episodes of conflict were effective. However, wolves’ use of linear structures could lead to increased tolerance to human proximity if left unmanaged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Malcolm
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Center for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, Canada
| | - Marianne Cheveau
- Direction de l’expertise sur la faune terrestre, l’herpétofaune et l’avifaune, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, chemin Sainte-Foy, 2e étage, Québec City, Québec, Canada
| | - Martin-Hugues St-Laurent
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie, Centre for Northern Studies and Center for Forest Research, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, Canada
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Hill JE, DeVault TL, Belant JL. A review of ecological factors promoting road use by mammals. Mamm Rev 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob E. Hill
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1 Forestry Drive Syracuse NY13210USA
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory University of Georgia PO Drawer E Aiken SC29802USA
| | - Travis L. DeVault
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory University of Georgia PO Drawer E Aiken SC29802USA
| | - Jerrold L. Belant
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1 Forestry Drive Syracuse NY13210USA
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Ordiz A, Uzal A, Milleret C, Sanz-Pérez A, Zimmermann B, Wikenros C, Wabakken P, Kindberg J, Swenson JE, Sand H. Wolf habitat selection when sympatric or allopatric with brown bears in Scandinavia. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9941. [PMID: 32555291 PMCID: PMC7303184 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66626-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Habitat selection of animals depends on factors such as food availability, landscape features, and intra- and interspecific interactions. Individuals can show several behavioral responses to reduce competition for habitat, yet the mechanisms that drive them are poorly understood. This is particularly true for large carnivores, whose fine-scale monitoring is logistically complex and expensive. In Scandinavia, the home-range establishment and kill rates of gray wolves (Canis lupus) are affected by the coexistence with brown bears (Ursus arctos). Here, we applied resource selection functions and a multivariate approach to compare wolf habitat selection within home ranges of wolves that were either sympatric or allopatric with bears. Wolves selected for lower altitudes in winter, particularly in the area where bears and wolves are sympatric, where altitude is generally higher than where they are allopatric. Wolves may follow the winter migration of their staple prey, moose (Alces alces), to lower altitudes. Otherwise, we did not find any effect of bear presence on wolf habitat selection, in contrast with our previous studies. Our new results indicate that the manifestation of a specific driver of habitat selection, namely interspecific competition, can vary at different spatial-temporal scales. This is important to understand the structure of ecological communities and the varying mechanisms underlying interspecific interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Ordiz
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Evenstad, NO-2480, Koppang, Norway. .,Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Post box 5003, NO-1432, Ås, Norway. .,School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Brackenhurst, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, NG25 0FQ, UK.
| | - Antonio Uzal
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Brackenhurst, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, NG25 0FQ, UK
| | - Cyril Milleret
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Post box 5003, NO-1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Ana Sanz-Pérez
- Biodiversity and Animal Conservation Lab, Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), 25280, Solsona, Spain
| | - Barbara Zimmermann
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Evenstad, NO-2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - Camilla Wikenros
- Grimsӧ Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-730 91, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Petter Wabakken
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Evenstad, NO-2480, Koppang, Norway
| | - Jonas Kindberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NO-7485, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83, Umea, Sweden
| | - Jon E Swenson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Post box 5003, NO-1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Håkan Sand
- Grimsӧ Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-730 91, Riddarhyttan, Sweden
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39
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Anton CB, Smith DW, Suraci JP, Stahler DR, Duane TP, Wilmers CC. Gray wolf habitat use in response to visitor activity along roadways in Yellowstone National Park. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Colby B. Anton
- Yellowstone Center for Resources National Park Service Yellowstone National Park Wyoming 82190 USA
- Environmental Studies Department Center for Integrated Spatial Research University of California Santa Cruz California 95064 USA
| | - Douglas W. Smith
- Yellowstone Center for Resources National Park Service Yellowstone National Park Wyoming 82190 USA
| | - Justin P. Suraci
- Environmental Studies Department Center for Integrated Spatial Research University of California Santa Cruz California 95064 USA
| | - Daniel R. Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for Resources National Park Service Yellowstone National Park Wyoming 82190 USA
| | - Timothy P. Duane
- Environmental Studies Department University of California Santa Cruz California 95064 USA
| | - Christopher C. Wilmers
- Environmental Studies Department Center for Integrated Spatial Research University of California Santa Cruz California 95064 USA
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40
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Bojarska K, Sulich J, Bachmann S, Okarma H, Theuerkauf J, Gula R. Opportunity and peril: how wolves use a dense network of forest roads. Mamm Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-020-00014-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
AbstractWe investigated by snow tracking and GPS telemetry how wolves Canis lupus used a dense (4 km/km2) network of forest roads for travel and scent marking. Forty-six percent of wolf trails but only 4.6% of telemetry locations were on forest roads. Wolves used forest roads to travel fast and far across their home ranges but spent relatively little time on roads, especially on those with high traffic levels and during the time of highest human activity. The probability of scent marking was higher on roads than off-road and increased with traffic intensity on roads and close to junctions. Our findings suggest that wolves take advantage of the forest road infrastructure, while minimising human encounters by spatio-temporal avoidance of all roads, even those with negligible traffic. The ongoing expansion and improvements of the forest road network might lead to elevated costs for wolves associated with avoidance of humans and roads.
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41
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Rafiq K, Jordan NR, Meloro C, Wilson AM, Hayward MW, Wich SA, McNutt JW. Scent-marking strategies of a solitary carnivore: boundary and road scent marking in the leopard. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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42
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DeMars C, Nielsen S, Edwards M. Effects of linear features on resource selection and movement rates of wood bison (Bison bison athabascae). CAN J ZOOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2019-0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Human-mediated disturbances can lead to novel environmental features that can affect native biota beyond simple habitat loss. In boreal forests of western Canada, linear features (LFs; e.g., pipelines, seismic lines, and roads) are known to alter behaviour, movements, and interactions among species. Understanding LF impacts on native species has therefore been a management priority. Here, we investigate how LFs affect the spatial behaviour of wood bison (Bison bison athabascae Rhoads, 1898), which are designated as “threatened” in Canada. Using data collected from the Ronald Lake population in northeastern Alberta, we assessed how LFs influenced habitat selection and movement of bison by testing support among three hypotheses explaining whether LFs (i) increased forage availability, (ii) enhanced movement efficiency, or (iii) increased predation risk. Results supported the movement efficiency hypothesis as bison were generally ambivalent toward LFs, showing weak selection or avoidance depending on land-cover type, but moved slightly faster when on them. These findings contrast with avoidance behaviours reported for sympatric woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)), which are also “threatened.” Our results should inform critical habitat decisions for wood bison, but we caution that further research is needed to understand the effects of LFs on bison demography.
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Affiliation(s)
- C.A. DeMars
- Caribou Monitoring Unit, Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, CW405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - S.E. Nielsen
- Applied Conservation Ecology (ACE) Lab, Department of Renewable Resources, 701 General Services Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada
| | - M.A. Edwards
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, and Mammalogy Program, Royal Alberta Museum, 12845–102 Ave., Edmonton, AB T5N 0M6, Canada
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43
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Dickie M, McNay SR, Sutherland GD, Cody M, Avgar T. Corridors or risk? Movement along, and use of, linear features varies predictably among large mammal predator and prey species. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:623-634. [PMID: 31648375 PMCID: PMC7028095 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Space-use behaviour reflects trade-offs in meeting ecological needs and can have consequences for individual survival and population demographics. The mechanisms underlying space use can be understood by simultaneously evaluating habitat selection and movement patterns, and fine-resolution locational data are increasing our ability to do so. We use high-resolution location data and an integrated step-selection analysis to evaluate caribou, moose, bear, and wolf habitat selection and movement behaviour in response to anthropogenic habitat modification, though caribou data were limited. Space-use response to anthropogenic linear features (LFs) by predators and prey is hypothesized to increase predator hunting efficiency and is thus believed to be a leading factor in woodland caribou declines in western Canada. We found that all species moved faster while on LFs. Wolves and bears were also attracted towards LFs, whereas prey species avoided them. Predators and prey responded less strongly and consistently to natural features such as streams, rivers and lakeshores. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that LFs facilitate predator movement and increase hunting efficiency, while prey perceive such features as risky. Understanding the behavioural mechanisms underlying space-use patterns is important in understanding how future land-use may impact predator-prey interactions. Explicitly linking behaviour to fitness and demography will be important to fully understand the implications of management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Dickie
- Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Tal Avgar
- The Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
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44
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Portanier E, Garel M, Devillard S, Duhayer J, Poirel MT, Henri H, Régis C, Maillard D, Redman E, Itty C, Michel P, Bourgoin G. Does host socio-spatial behavior lead to a fine-scale spatial genetic structure in its associated parasites? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 26:64. [PMID: 31697232 PMCID: PMC6836744 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2019062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Gastro-intestinal nematodes, especially Haemonchus contortus, are widespread pathogenic parasites of small ruminants. Studying their spatial genetic structure is as important as studying host genetic structure to fully understand host-parasite interactions and transmission patterns. For parasites having a simple life cycle (e.g., monoxenous parasites), gene flow and spatial genetic structure are expected to strongly rely on the socio-spatial behavior of their hosts. Based on five microsatellite loci, we tested this hypothesis for H. contortus sampled in a wild Mediterranean mouflon population (Ovis gmelini musimon × Ovis sp.) in which species- and environment-related characteristics have been found to generate socio-spatial units. We nevertheless found that their parasites had no spatial genetic structure, suggesting that mouflon behavior was not enough to limit parasite dispersal in this study area and/or that other ecological and biological factors were involved in this process, for example other hosts, the parasite life cycle, or the study area history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Portanier
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Mathieu Garel
- Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Unité Ongulés Sauvages, 5 allée de Bethléem, Z.I. Mayencin, 38610 Gières, France
| | - Sébastien Devillard
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jeanne Duhayer
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France - Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Unité Ongulés Sauvages, 5 allée de Bethléem, Z.I. Mayencin, 38610 Gières, France - Université de Lyon, VetAgro Sup, Campus Vétérinaire de Lyon, 1 Avenue Bourgelat, BP 83, 69280 Marcy l'Etoile, France
| | - Marie-Thérèse Poirel
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France - Université de Lyon, VetAgro Sup, Campus Vétérinaire de Lyon, 1 Avenue Bourgelat, BP 83, 69280 Marcy l'Etoile, France
| | - Hélène Henri
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Corinne Régis
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Daniel Maillard
- Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Unité Ongulés Sauvages, 5 allée de Bethléem, Z.I. Mayencin, 38610 Gières, France
| | - Elizabeth Redman
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, University of Calgary, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, CA-T3B 2C3 Calgary, Canada
| | - Christian Itty
- Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Unité Ongulés Sauvages, 5 allée de Bethléem, Z.I. Mayencin, 38610 Gières, France
| | - Patricia Michel
- GIEC du Caroux-Espinouse, Fagairolles, 34610 Castanet-Le-Haut, France
| | - Gilles Bourgoin
- Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, 69622 Villeurbanne, France - Université de Lyon, VetAgro Sup, Campus Vétérinaire de Lyon, 1 Avenue Bourgelat, BP 83, 69280 Marcy l'Etoile, France
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45
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Bubnicki JW, Churski M, Schmidt K, Diserens TA, Kuijper DPJ. Linking spatial patterns of terrestrial herbivore community structure to trophic interactions. eLife 2019; 8:e44937. [PMID: 31577225 PMCID: PMC6805123 DOI: 10.7554/elife.44937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Large herbivores influence ecosystem functioning via their effects on vegetation at different spatial scales. It is often overlooked that the spatial distribution of large herbivores results from their responses to interacting top-down and bottom-up ecological gradients that create landscape-scale variation in the structure of the entire community. We studied the complexity of these cascading interactions using high-resolution camera trapping and remote sensing data in the best-preserved European lowland forest, Białowieża Forest, Poland. We showed that the variation in spatial distribution of an entire community of large herbivores is explained by species-specific responses to both environmental bottom-up and biotic top-down factors in combination with human-induced (cascading) effects. We decomposed the spatial variation in herbivore community structure and identified functionally distinct landscape-scale herbivory regimes ('herbiscapes'), which are predicted to occur in a variety of ecosystems and could be an important mechanism creating spatial variation in herbivory maintaining vegetation heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marcin Churski
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
| | - Krzysztof Schmidt
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
| | - Tom A Diserens
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
| | - Dries PJ Kuijper
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of SciencesBiałowieżaPoland
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46
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Carricondo‐Sanchez D, Odden M, Kulkarni A, Vanak AT. Scale-dependent strategies for coexistence of mesocarnivores in human-dominated landscapes. Biotropica 2019; 51:781-791. [PMID: 34937952 PMCID: PMC8653886 DOI: 10.1111/btp.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Identifying factors influencing the distribution of and interactions within carnivore communities is important for understanding how they are affected by human activities. Species differ in their ability to adapt to humans depending on their degree of specialization in habitat use and feeding habits. This results in asymmetric changes in the ecology of co-occurring species that can influence their interactions. We investigated whether human infrastructures and free-ranging domestic dogs (a species typically associated with humans) influenced the co-occurrence and habitat use of mesocarnivores in a landscape of high human population density in Maharashtra, India. We used 40 camera trap locations during 233 trapping nights and used Bayesian co-occurrence occupancy models to investigate the habitat use and coexistence of species at different spatial scales. Additionally, we investigated their temporal overlap in space use. Indian foxes altered their habitat use both spatially and temporally in order to avoid free-ranging domestic dogs and other larger competitors. The use of human infrastructure by jackals and jungle cats was limited by the presence of dogs. Our results illustrate how habitat use of smaller carnivore species changes both spatially and temporally in order to avoid larger competitors. We also show that the presence of species associated with humans mediates the influence of human infrastructures on the habitat use of mesocarnivores. We highlight the importance of acknowledging the potential impact of urbanization not only on single species, but also on the interactions within the community.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Morten Odden
- Faculty of Applied Ecology and Agricultural SciencesInland Norway UniversityKoppangNorway
| | - Abhijeet Kulkarni
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the EnvironmentBangaloreIndia
| | - Abi Tamim Vanak
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the EnvironmentBangaloreIndia
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of KwaZulu‐NatalDurbanSouth Africa
- DBT/Wellcome TrustIndia Alliance ProgramHyderabadIndia
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47
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Mancinelli S, Falco M, Boitani L, Ciucci P. Social, behavioural and temporal components of wolf (
Canis lupus
) responses to anthropogenic landscape features in the central Apennines, Italy. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Mancinelli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin” University of Rome “La Sapienza” Rome Italy
| | - M. Falco
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin” University of Rome “La Sapienza” Rome Italy
| | - L. Boitani
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin” University of Rome “La Sapienza” Rome Italy
| | - P. Ciucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin” University of Rome “La Sapienza” Rome Italy
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48
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High frequency GPS bursts and path-level analysis reveal linear feature tracking by red foxes. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8849. [PMID: 31221989 PMCID: PMC6586955 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45150-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a need to quantify and better understand how wildlife interact with linear features, as these are integral elements of most landscapes. One potentially important aspect is linear feature tracking (LFT), yet studies rarely succeed in directly revealing or quantifying this behavior. In a proof-of-concept study, we employed short-term intensive GPS monitoring of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in a multiple-use landscape in southern Norway. Using periodic bursts of high frequency GPS position fixes, we performed modified path selection analyses to estimate the propensity of foxes to track natural and man-made linear features (roads, forest edges, and streams) once they are encountered. Foxes in our study tracked primarily forest edges and roads. Forty-three percent of bursts that encountered any linear feature resulted in LFT. LFT, although prominent, was manifested as a short-lived behavior, with overall median times to linear feature abandonment around two minutes. Movement speeds were highest along roads, perhaps due to greater ease of travel or higher perceived risk. In the highly heterogeneous habitats that characterize human-dominated landscapes, LFT may be manifested at such a fine spatio-temporal scale that it would remain hidden during telemetry studies employing conventional position fix frequencies. The approach described here may aid others studying spatial behaviors that are manifested over very short durations, yet are biologically significant.
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49
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Testing the influence of habitat experienced during the natal phase on habitat selection later in life in Scandinavian wolves. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6526. [PMID: 31024020 PMCID: PMC6484024 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42835-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Natal habitat preference induction (NHPI) occurs when characteristics of the natal habitat influence the future habitat selection of an animal. However, the influence of NHPI after the dispersal phase has received remarkably little attention. We tested whether exposure to humans in the natal habitat helps understand why some adult wolves Canis lupus may approach human settlements more than other conspecifics, a question of both ecological and management interest. We quantified habitat selection patterns within home ranges using resource selection functions and GPS data from 21 wolf pairs in Scandinavia. We identified the natal territory of each wolf with genetic parental assignment, and we used human-related characteristics within the natal territory to estimate the degree of anthropogenic influence in the early life of each wolf. When the female of the adult wolf pair was born in an area with a high degree of anthropogenic influence, the wolf pair tended to select areas further away from humans, compared to wolf pairs from natal territories with a low degree of anthropogenic influence. Yet the pattern was statistically weak, we suggest that our methodological approach can be useful in other systems to better understand NHPI and to inform management about human-wildlife interactions.
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50
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