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Cunningham SA, Pyszczynski T, Watson TM, Bakerian R, Jensen PG, Frair JL. Detecting denning behavior with camera traps: an example with fishers. WILDLIFE SOC B 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A. Cunningham
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1 Forestry Drive Syracuse NY 13210 USA
| | - Timothy Pyszczynski
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 317 Washington Street Watertown NY 13601 USA
| | - Timothy M. Watson
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 232 Golf Course Road Warrensburg NY 12885 USA
| | - Rachel Bakerian
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 232 Golf Course Road Warrensburg NY 12885 USA
| | - Paul G. Jensen
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1 Forestry Drive Syracuse NY 13210 USA
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 1115 State Route 85 Ray Brook NY 12977 USA
| | - Jacqueline L. Frair
- State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1 Forestry Drive Syracuse NY 13210 USA
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Lofroth EC, Weir RD, Davis LR, Hansen IJ. A tale of two populations: vital rates of fishers in British Columbia, Canada. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eric C. Lofroth
- Boreas Ecological 5206 Old West Saanich Road Victoria British Columbia V9E 2B1 Canada
| | - Richard D. Weir
- Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy Government of British Columbia PO Box 9338 Stn Prov Govt Victoria British Columbia V8W 9M1 Canada
| | - Larry R. Davis
- Davis Environmental Ltd PO Box 306, 108 Mile Ranch British Columbia V0K 2Z0 Canada
| | - Ingebjorg Jean Hansen
- Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources and Rural Development Government of British Columbia 9000 17th Street, Dawson Creek British Columbia V1G 4A4 Canada
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Fogarty RD, Weir RD, Lofroth EC, Larsen KW. Trapping mortality accelerates the decline of the fisher, an endangered mesocarnivore, in British Columbia, Canada. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2022. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the environmental, demographic, and anthropogenic factors driving the population dynamics of endangered species is critical to effective conservation. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and trapping all have been linked to declines in the endangered population of fishers Pekania pennanti in central British Columbia (BC), Canada, hereafter referred to as the Columbian population. Although the commercial trapping season for fishers has recently been closed in central BC, the animals are still taken in traps legally set for other furbearer species, and with this continuing source of mortality, the sustainability of this vulnerable population remains unclear. We constructed population viability models in the program Vortex to evaluate the specific impacts that trapping mortality would have on Columbian fisher population persistence under different trapping scenarios. Our modeling predicted that current mortality sources, including deaths in traps set for other species, will cause the population to disappear within 11 yr. When fur harvest mortality was removed from our modeling, the Columbian population appeared unlikely to persist beyond 37 yr. Our analysis provides evidence that along with the continued trapping closure for fishers in central BC, it is likely necessary to modify trapping regulations and methods (including restricting the use of kill traps) for other furbearers within Columbian fisher range to sufficiently reduce mortality from bycatch and help to avoid extirpation of the population in the near future. Additionally, identifying areas where fishers are actively breeding and protecting these habitats from further disturbances will be needed to increase survival and reproductive rates to levels high enough to reverse population declines over the longer term.
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Affiliation(s)
- RD Fogarty
- Environmental Science Program, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC V2C 0C8, Canada
- Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Government of British Columbia, Victoria, BC V8W 9M1, Canada
| | - RD Weir
- Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Government of British Columbia, Victoria, BC V8W 9M1, Canada
| | - EC Lofroth
- Boreas Ecological, Victoria, BC V9E 2B1, Canada
| | - KW Larsen
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, BC V2C 0C8, Canada
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Parlato EH, Ewen JG, McCready M, Gordon F, Parker KA, Armstrong DP. Incorporating data‐based estimates of temporal variation into projections for newly monitored populations. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. H. Parlato
- Wildlife Ecology Group Massey University Palmerston North New Zealand
| | - J. G. Ewen
- Institute of Zoology Zoological Society of London London UK
| | - M. McCready
- Hihi Conservation Charitable Trust Rotorua New Zealand
| | - F. Gordon
- Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust Taranaki New Zealand
| | | | - D. P. Armstrong
- Wildlife Ecology Group Massey University Palmerston North New Zealand
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Kordosky JR, Gese EM, Thompson CM, Terletzky PA, Neuman-Lee LA, Schneiderman JD, Purcell KL, French SS. Landscape of stress: Tree mortality influences physiological stress and survival in a native mesocarnivore. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253604. [PMID: 34197517 PMCID: PMC8248622 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change and anthropogenic modifications to the landscape can have both positive and negative effects on an animal. Linking landscape change to physiological stress and fitness of an animal is a fundamental tenet to be examined in applied ecology. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone that can be used to indicate an animal's physiological stress response. In the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, fishers (Pekania pennanti) are a threatened mesocarnivore that have been subjected to rapid landscape changes due to anthropogenic modifications and tree mortality related to a 4-year drought. We measured cortisol concentrations in the hair of 64 fishers (41 females, 23 males) captured and radio-collared in the Sierra National Forest, California. We addressed two main questions: (1) Is the physiological stress response of fishers influenced by anthropogenic factors, habitat type, canopy cover, and tree mortality due to drought in their home range? (2) Does the physiological stress response influence survival, reproduction, or body condition? We examined these factors within a fisher home range at 3 scales (30, 60, 95% isopleths). Using model selection, we found that tree mortality was the principle driver influencing stress levels among individual fishers with female and male fishers having increasing cortisol levels in home ranges with increasing tree mortality. Most importantly, we also found a link between physiological stress and demography where female fishers with low cortisol levels had the highest annual survival rate (0.94), whereas females with medium and high cortisol had lower annual survival rates, 0.78 and 0.81, respectively. We found no significant relationships between cortisol levels and body condition, male survival, or litter size. We concluded that tree mortality related to a 4-year drought has created a "landscape of stress" for this small, isolated fisher population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer R. Kordosky
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
| | - Eric M. Gese
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Logan, Utah, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Craig M. Thompson
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - Patricia A. Terletzky
- Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
| | - Lorin A. Neuman-Lee
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
| | - Jon D. Schneiderman
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Fresno, California, United States of America
| | - Kathryn L. Purcell
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Fresno, California, United States of America
| | - Susannah S. French
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
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Reproductive parameters of the fisher (Pekania pennanti) in the southern Sierra Nevada, California. J Mammal 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyy040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Characterizing Habitat Elements and Their Distribution over Several Spatial Scales: The Case of the Fisher. FORESTS 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/f8060186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Non-invasively determined multi-site variation in pine marten Martes martes density, a recovering carnivore in Europe. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-017-1108-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Sweitzer RA, Furnas BJ. Data from camera surveys identifying co-occurrence and occupancy linkages between fishers (Pekania pennanti), rodent prey, mesocarnivores, and larger predators in mixed-conifer forests. Data Brief 2016; 6:783-92. [PMID: 26937448 PMCID: PMC4749941 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2016.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2015] [Revised: 01/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 10/29/2022] Open
Abstract
These data provide additional information relevant to the frequency of fisher detections by camera traps, and single-season occupancy and local persistence of fishers in small patches of forest habitats detailed elsewhere, "Landscape Fuel Reduction, Forest Fire, and Biophysical Linkages to Local Habitat Use and Local Persistence of Fishers (Pekania pennanti) in Sierra Nevada Mixed-conifer Forests" [10]. The data provides insight on camera trap detections of 3 fisher predators (bobcat [Lynx rufus]). Coyote [Canis latrans], mountain lion [Puma concolor], 5 mesocarnivores in the same foraging guild as fishers (gray fox [Urocyon cinereoargenteus]) ringtail [Bassariscus astutus], marten [Martes americana], striped skunk [Mephitis mephitis] spotted skunk [Spilogale gracilis], and 5 Sciuridae rodents that fishers consume as prey (Douglas squirrel [Tamiasciurus douglasii]), gray squirrel [Sciurus griseus], northern flying squirrel [Glaucomys sabrinus], long-eared chipmunk [Neotamias quadrimaculatus], California ground squirrel [Spermophilus beecheyi]. We used these data to identify basic patterns of co-occurrence with fishers, and to evaluate the relative importance of presence of competing mesocarnivores, rodent prey, and predators for fisher occupancy of small, 1 km(2) grid cells of forest habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick A Sweitzer
- Great Basin Institute (GBI), 16750 Mount Rose Highway, Reno, NV 89511, USA
| | - Brett J Furnas
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), 601 Locust Street, Redding, CA 96001, USA
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Sweitzer RA, Popescu VD, Thompson CM, Purcell KL, Barrett RH, Wengert GM, Gabriel MW, Woods LW. Mortality risks and limits to population growth of fishers. J Wildl Manage 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.1020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rick A. Sweitzer
- The Great Basin Institute; 16750 Mt. Rose Highway Reno NV 89511 USA
| | - Viorel D. Popescu
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University; 8888 University Drive Burnaby BC V5A 1S6 Canada
- University of Bucharest; Centre for Environmental Research (CCMESI); 1 N. Balcescu Blvd. Bucharest Romania
| | - Craig M. Thompson
- USDA Forest Service; Pacific Southwest Research Station; 2081 E. Sierra Avenue Fresno CA 93710 USA
| | - Kathryn L. Purcell
- USDA Forest Service; Pacific Southwest Research Station; 2081 E. Sierra Avenue Fresno CA 93710 USA
| | - Reginald H. Barrett
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management; University of California; Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | | | | | - Leslie W. Woods
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System; Davis CA 95616 USA
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Sweitzer RA, Thompson CM, Green RE, Barrett RH, Purcell KL. Survival of fishers in the southern Sierra Nevada region of California. J Mammal 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyv177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Fishers in the western United States were recently proposed for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act because of concerns for loss of suitable habitat and evidence of a diversity of mortality risks that reduce survival. One of 2 remnant populations of fishers in California is in the southern Sierra Nevada region, where we studied them at 2 research sites in the Sierra National Forest. Our objectives were to evaluate whether survival was lower for male fishers and dispersal-aged individuals or if survival varied seasonally. We captured and monitored 232 radiocollared fishers from March 2007 to March 2014 and used model analyses to identify important predictors of survival. Fifty-two percent ( n = 120) of the radiocollared fishers died, and survival varied by sex and season, but not by age or between study sites. There was no evidence that dispersal-aged fishers experienced lower survival than older fishers. Annual survival trended lower for male (0.62 [95% CI 0.54–0.70]) compared to female fishers (0.72 [95% CI 0.67–0.78]), was lowest in the spring to mid-summer season (0.83 [95% CI 0.78–0.87]), and highest in late fall and winter (0.92 [95% CI 0.89–0.94]). Lower survival among male fishers appeared linked to males moving over large areas to locate mates, while lower survival for females was potentially related to high energetic cost of reproduction. It was possible but unknown if lower survival among all fishers in spring was linked to secondary exposure to toxicants dispersed around illicit marijuana grow sites. Six-month survival of juvenile fishers was 0.85 for females and 0.79 for males, but lower at 0.62 for females and 0.57 for males when adjusted for deaths before late September. Annual survival among adult female fishers was 20% lower than 0.90, a value that prior modeling suggested was required for population expansion in the overall southern Sierra Nevada. Survival data from our study imply a greater challenge for maintaining self-sustaining fisher populations in the southern Sierra Nevada region, and resource managers are working to mitigate several of the human-associated factors that limit population growth.
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