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Krivopalova A, Mikula P, Cukor J, Ševčík R, Brynychová K, Šálek M. Adaptation of farmland mammalian specialist to urban life: Escape behavior of European hare along the urban-rural gradient. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 951:175779. [PMID: 39191323 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175779] [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: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 08/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
The European hare Lepus europaeus is an iconic but rapidly declining farmland specialist with recently confirmed populations in urban areas. However, their behavioral responses and adaptability to urbanization and life in human-dominated areas are fully unexplored. Here, using infrared cameras, we explored escape behavior (measured as the flight initiation distance) using 965 hare observations in urban and farmland areas in the Czech Republic and Austria (Central Europe) and its association with habitat type, distance to the city center, patch size, season, hare age and initial behavior. We found that European hares adjusted their escape behavior to habitat type and escaped significantly earlier in farmland (rural) habitats than in urban habitats. However, escape distances of hares did not differ between farmland types with different degree of habitat heterogeneity. We also revealed that urban hares escaped earlier when located further from the city center or in a larger study patch. Moreover, adult hares escaped earlier than subadults and foraging individuals escaped earlier than resting hares but both only in rural areas. Our results support high behavioral adaptability of European hares to human-dominated urban areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Krivopalova
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic; Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Strnady 136, 25202 Jíloviště, Czech Republic
| | - Peter Mikula
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic; TUM School of Life Sciences, Ecoclimatology, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany; Institute for Advanced Study, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstraße 2a, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Jan Cukor
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic; Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Strnady 136, 25202 Jíloviště, Czech Republic.
| | - Richard Ševčík
- Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Strnady 136, 25202 Jíloviště, Czech Republic
| | - Kateřina Brynychová
- Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Strnady 136, 25202 Jíloviště, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Šálek
- Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Strnady 136, 25202 Jíloviště, Czech Republic; Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 16500 Prague, Czech Republic; Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Květná 8, 60365 Brno, Czech Republic
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2
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Domínguez-Hernández C, Villanova-Solano C, Álvarez-Méndez SJ, Pestano M, Tejera G, Arias Á, Díaz-Peña FJ, Hernández-Borges J, Hernández-Sánchez C. Anthropogenic debris pollution in yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis atlantis) nests in biosphere reserves of the Canary Islands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 949:175209. [PMID: 39098411 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175209] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 07/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic debris, particularly plastic pollution, has emerged as a significant environmental threat to biodiversity. Given that seabirds interact with artificial debris through ingestion, entanglement, and nest incorporation, it is particularly important to quantify the quantity, origins, and chemical composition of these debris items. In this work, it was evaluated for the first time the occurrence of anthropogenic debris in nests of yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis atlantis) in biosphere reserves of the Canary Islands (Spain). A total of 48 abandoned nests were collected from five remote and hardly accessible sampling areas, revealing that 81.3 % contained anthropogenic waste, with plastic accounting for 34.7 % of the debris, followed by metal (33.6 %) and paper (19.6 %). On average, 32.8 ± 40.9 items were found per nest. Regarding the origin, food packagings (47.8 %), personal hygiene products (21.7 %), and textiles (15.8 %) were identified as the predominant sources. Furthermore, the polymer composition of the plastics was characterised by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, being polyester the most abundant (38.2 %), followed by polyethylene (25.6 %) and rayon (10.3 %). The incorporation of anthropogenic debris into nest construction may result from outdoor human activities carried out far from nesting areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristopher Domínguez-Hernández
- Departamento de Química, Unidad Departamental de Química Analítica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, s/n°, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Cristina Villanova-Solano
- Departamento de Química, Unidad Departamental de Química Analítica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, s/n°, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Sergio J Álvarez-Méndez
- Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, s/n°, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Miguel Pestano
- Departamento de Química, Unidad Departamental de Química Analítica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Gustavo Tejera
- Canary Islands' Ornithology and Natural History Group (GOHNIC), Buenavista del Norte, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Ángeles Arias
- Departamento de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Francisco J Díaz-Peña
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Edafología y Geología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, s/n, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Javier Hernández-Borges
- Departamento de Química, Unidad Departamental de Química Analítica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, s/n°, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Cintia Hernández-Sánchez
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, s/n°, 38206 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain; Departamento de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
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3
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Foysal M, Panter CT. Synergistic effects of climate and urbanisation on the diet of a globally near threatened subtropical falcon. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70290. [PMID: 39257881 PMCID: PMC11387113 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2024] [Revised: 08/14/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding how human activities affect wildlife is fundamental for global biodiversity conservation. Ongoing land use change and human-induced climate change, compel species to adapt their behaviour in response to shifts in their natural environments. Such responses include changes to a species' diet or trophic ecology, with implications for the wider ecosystem. This is particularly the case for predatory species or those that occupy high positions within trophic webs, such as raptors. Between 2002 and 2019, we observed 1578 feeding events of the globally near threatened and understudied, Red-necked Falcon (Falco chicquera) in Bangladesh. We explored the effects of mean monthly temperature, precipitation, temperature differences, and urban land cover on (a) mean prey weights and (b) dietary composition of 15 falcon pairs. Falcons hunted smaller prey items during months with increased temperatures and precipitation, and in more urban areas. However, during months with increased temperature differences, falcons tended to prey on larger prey items. Being specialist aerial hunters, these dietary patterns were largely driven by the probabilities of bats and birds in the diet. Falcons were more likely to prey on bats during warmer and wetter months. Furthermore, urban pairs tended to prey on bats, whereas more rural pairs tended to prey on birds. Mean monthly temperature difference, i.e., a proxy for climate change, was better at explaining the probability of bats in the falcon diet than mean monthly temperature alone. Anthropogenic dietary shifts can have deleterious effects on species with declining populations or those of conservation concern. The effects of urbanisation and human-induced climate change are expected to continue into the foreseeable future. Therefore, our findings represent a cornerstone in our understanding of how falcons respond to an increasingly human-dominated world.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Connor T. Panter
- School of GeographyUniversity of NottinghamNottinghamUK
- School of Applied SciencesUniversity of BrightonBrightonUK
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Stanton LA, Cooley-Ackermann C, Davis EC, Fanelli RE, Benson-Amram S. Wild raccoons demonstrate flexibility and individuality in innovative problem-solving. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240911. [PMID: 39043237 PMCID: PMC11265930 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0911] [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: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Cognitive skills, such as innovative problem-solving, are hypothesized to aid animals in urban environments. However, the significance of innovation in wild populations, and its expression across individuals and socio-ecological conditions, is poorly understood. To identify how and when innovation arises in urban-dwelling species, we used advanced technologies and new testing and analytical methods to evaluate innovative problem-solving abilities of wild raccoons (Procyon lotor). We deployed multi-compartment puzzle boxes with either one or multiple solution types and identified raccoons using radio frequency identification. Raccoons solved these novel extractive foraging tasks, and their success was influenced by age and exploratory diversity. Successful raccoons always discovered multiple different solution types, highlighting flexible problem-solving. Using a unique, comparative sequence analysis approach, we found that variation in raccoon solving techniques was greater between individuals than within individuals, and this self-similarity intensified during times of competition. Finally, the inclusion of an easier solution in the multi-solution trials enabled previously unsuccessful raccoons to bootstrap their learning and successfully open multiple difficult solutions. Our study suggests that innovative problem-solving is probably influenced by many factors and has provided novel field and analytical methods, as well as new insights on the socio-ecological dynamics of urban populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A. Stanton
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, 130 Mulford Hall, Berkeley, CA94720-3114, USA
| | | | - Emily C. Davis
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Rachel E. Fanelli
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Sarah Benson-Amram
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 3041-2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Center, University of British Columbia, 4200-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BCV6T 1Z4, Canada
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5
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Chow PKY, Uchida K, Koizumi I. 'Ripple effects' of urban environmental characteristics on cognitive performances in Eurasian red squirrels. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:1078-1096. [PMID: 38924529 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14126] [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: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Urban areas are expanding exponentially, leading more species of wildlife living in urban environments. Urban environmental characteristics, such as human disturbance, induce stress for many wildlife and have been shown to affect some cognitive traits, such as innovative problem-solving performance. However, because different cognitive traits have common cognitive processes, it is possible that urban environmental characteristics may directly and indirectly affect related cognitive traits (the ripple effect hypothesis). We tested the ripple effect hypothesis in urban Eurasian red squirrels residing in 11 urban areas that had different urban environmental characteristics (direct human disturbance, indirect human disturbance, areas of green coverage and squirrel population size). These squirrels were innovators who had previously repeatedly solved a food extraction task (the original task). Here, we examined whether and how urban environmental characteristics would directly and indirectly influence performance in two related cognitive traits, generalisation and (long-term) memory. The generalisation task required the innovators to apply the learned successful solutions when solving a similar but novel problem. The memory task required them to recall the learned solution of the original task after an extended period of time. Some of the selected urban environmental characteristics directly influenced the task performance, both at the population level (site) and at individual levels. Urban environmental characteristics, such as increased direct and indirect human disturbance, decreased the proportion of success in solving the generalisation task or the memory task at the population (site) level. Increased direct human disturbance and less green coverage increased the solving efficiency at individual levels. We also found an indirect effect in one of the urban environmental characteristics, indirect human disturbance, in the generalisation task, but not the memory task. Such an effect was only seen at the individual level but not at the population level; indirect human disturbance decreased the first original latency, which then decreased the generalisation latency across successes. Our results partially support the ripple effect hypothesis, suggesting that urban environmental characteristics are stressors for squirrels and have a greater impact on shaping cognitive performance than previously shown. Together, these results provide a better understanding of cognitive traits that support wildlife in adapting to urban environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pizza Ka Yee Chow
- Division of Psychology, University of Chester, Chester, UK
- Ecology and Genetic Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Division of Biosphere Science, Faculty of Env.Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Kenta Uchida
- Division of Biosphere Science, Faculty of Env.Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Itsuro Koizumi
- Division of Biosphere Science, Faculty of Env.Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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6
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Gorman NT, Eichholz MW, Skinner DJ, Schlichting PE, Bastille-Rousseau G. Carnivore space use behaviors reveal variation in responses to human land modification. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:51. [PMID: 39026354 PMCID: PMC11256472 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00493-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Spatial behavior, including home-ranging behaviors, habitat selection, and movement, can be extremely informative in estimating how animals respond to landscape heterogeneity. Responses in these spatial behaviors to features such as human land modification and resources can highlight a species' spatial strategy to maximize fitness and minimize mortality. These strategies can vary on spatial, temporal, and individual scales, and the combination of behaviors on these scales can lead to very different strategies among species. METHODS Harnessing the variation present at these scales, we characterized how species may respond to stimuli in their environments ranging from broad- to fine-scale spatial responses to human modification in their environment. Using 15 bobcat-years and 31 coyote-years of GPS data from individuals inhabiting a landscape encompassing a range of human land modification, we evaluated the complexity of both species' responses to human modification on the landscape through their home range size, habitat selection, and functional response behaviors, accounting for annual, seasonal, and diel variation. RESULTS Bobcats and coyotes used different strategies in response to human modification in their home ranges, with bobcats broadly expanding their home range with increases in human modification and displaying temporal consistency in functional response in habitat selection across both season and time of day. Meanwhile, coyotes did not expand their home ranges with increased human modification, but instead demonstrated fine-scale responses to human modification with habitat selection strategies that sometimes varied by time of day and season, paired with functional responses in selection behaviors. CONCLUSIONS These differences in response to habitat, resources, and human modification between the two species highlighted the variation in spatial behaviors animals can use to exist in anthropogenic environments. Categorizing animal spatial behavior based on these spatiotemporal responses and individual variation can help in predicting how a species will respond to future change based on their current spatial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole T Gorman
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA.
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
| | - Michael W Eichholz
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
| | | | | | - Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
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Fernández-Cabello I, Franch M, Vilella M, Fernandez-Arrieta N, Rota M, Sanglas A, Baqué-Díaz E, Gallardet M, Federico P, Peris A, Serratosa E, Real J, Sayol F, Puig-Gironès R. Assessing the role of habitat, climate, and anthropization gradients on terrestrial mammal diversity in the western Mediterranean basin. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 39003665 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/15/2024]
Abstract
Mammal species globally exhibit distribution patterns conditioned by environmental conditions and human impact. The Mediterranean basin provides an ideal system to study these effects due to its diverse climate, and habitat conditions. In this work, we aim to assess the impact of landscape heterogeneity and anthropization degree on terrestrial mammal diversity in this region. Accordingly, we deployed over 300 camera traps across 28 sites for 3 months. Detected mammal species (weighing more than 1kg) were classified as domestic carnivores, domestic ungulates, wild carnivores, wild ungulates, lagomorphs, and large rodents. Alpha and beta diversity were calculated for each group and all wild mammals. Simple linear regressions and multimodal analysis were conducted between mammal diversities and climate, environmental conditions, landscape heterogeneity, and anthropization degree variables. Redundancy analyses were performed to identify variables and species determining the mammalian community composition. Indexes measuring landscape heterogeneity, anthropization degree, and its 30-year change did not correlate with mammal diversity. However, the difference in elevation within sites and domestic carnivore abundance showed a significant positive correlation with some of the diversity indexes. Nonetheless, rainfall and mean elevation factors generally showed the highest correlation with mammal diversity. Instead, a few influential species, including generalists and open-habitat specialists, highlighted the importance of conserving open areas, as well as the importance of the Pyrenees region as a key habitat for certain species. Therefore, climatic variables emerged as the key determinants of mammal diversity, highlighting climate change as a potential threat to mammal diversity in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marc Franch
- Departament de Ciències Ambientals, University of Girona, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
- CICGE-Centro de Investigação em Ciências Geo-Espaciais, Observatório Astronómico Prof. Manuel de Barros, University of Porto, Portugal
| | - Marc Vilella
- BiBio Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Granollers, Spain
- Grup de Recerca en Carnívors de Catalunya (Felis-ICHN), Institució Catalana d'Història Natural, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nerea Fernandez-Arrieta
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Marc Rota
- Grup de Recerca en Carnívors de Catalunya (Felis-ICHN), Institució Catalana d'Història Natural, Barcelona, Spain
- Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), Solsona, Spain
| | - Ariadna Sanglas
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Eric Baqué-Díaz
- Grup de Recerca en Carnívors de Catalunya (Felis-ICHN), Institució Catalana d'Història Natural, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marc Gallardet
- Grup de Recerca en Carnívors de Catalunya (Felis-ICHN), Institució Catalana d'Història Natural, Barcelona, Spain
- Parc Zoològic de Barcelona, Parc de la Ciutadella, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pau Federico
- Grup de Recerca en Carnívors de Catalunya (Felis-ICHN), Institució Catalana d'Història Natural, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Peris
- Grup de Recerca en Carnívors de Catalunya (Felis-ICHN), Institució Catalana d'Història Natural, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eric Serratosa
- Grup de Recerca en Carnívors de Catalunya (Felis-ICHN), Institució Catalana d'Història Natural, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Real
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals & Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ferran Sayol
- Grup de Recerca en Carnívors de Catalunya (Felis-ICHN), Institució Catalana d'Història Natural, Barcelona, Spain
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Roger Puig-Gironès
- Departament de Ciències Ambientals, University of Girona, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals & Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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8
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Diamant ES, Yeh PJ. Complex patterns of morphological diversity across multiple populations of an urban bird species. Evolution 2024; 78:1325-1337. [PMID: 38700135 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpae067] [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: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Urbanization presents a natural evolutionary experiment because selection pressures in cities can be strongly mismatched with those found in species' historic habitats. However, some species have managed to adapt and even thrive in these novel conditions. When a species persists across multiple cities, a fundamental question arises: do we see similar traits evolve in similar novel environments? By testing if and how similar phenotypes emerge across multiple urban populations, we can begin to assess the predictability of population response to anthropogenic change. Here, we examine variation within and across multiple populations of a songbird, the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis). We measured morphological variations in juncos across urban and nonurban populations in Southern California. We investigated whether the variations we observed were due to differences in environmental conditions across cities. Bill shape differed across urban populations; Los Angeles and Santa Barbara juncos had shorter, deeper bills than nonurban juncos, but San Diego juncos did not. On the other hand, wing length decreased with the built environment, regardless of the population. Southern Californian urban juncos exhibit both similarities and differences in morphological traits. Studying multiple urban populations can help us determine the predictability of phenotypic evolutionary responses to novel environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor S Diamant
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
- Jacob Blaustein Center for Scientific Cooperation, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Pamela J Yeh
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, United States
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Rodriguez GB, Costa TM, Culot L, Sobral G. Fiddler crabs from highly disturbed beaches are more sensitive to human presence. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2024; 96:e20230675. [PMID: 38922255 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202420230675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The presence of humans frequently modifies the behavior of animals, particularly their foraging patterns, compromising energetic demands. The fiddler crab Leptuca leptodactyla inhabits mangroves with high degrees of anthropogenic influence. Thus, we tested if populations living in highly anthropized mangroves respond differently from those living in more protected areas. We predict that individuals from touristy areas will be more tolerant to humans and will resume their activities sooner after disturbance. To do so, we conducted an experiment that consisted in the approach of an observer to the burrows, recording the response of individuals to the stimuli. The experiment took place in July 2022, in Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. We analysed the duration and latency of various behaviors of a total of 80 adult males from two populations (high and low anthropogenic influence). Contrary to our predictions, individuals from the anthropized population were less tolerant, spending more time inside their burrows and taking longer to resume their activities. Therefore, fiddler crabs were not habituated to human presence. These results help us understand the learning process in invertebrates and their ability to select stimuli, contributing to understanding the impacts of human-wildlife interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel B Rodriguez
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Avenida 24 A, 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Tânia Márcia Costa
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Campus do Litoral Paulista, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/n, 11330-900 São Vicente, SP, Brazil
| | - Laurence Culot
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Avenida 24 A, 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Gisela Sobral
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Avenida 24 A, 1515, 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
- Universidade Federal de Rondonópolis, Instituto de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Rodovia Rondonópolis-Guiratinga, 78740-393 Rondonópolis, MT, Brazil
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Erratt KJ, Freeman EC. Cyanobacteria in the Anthropocene: Synanthropism forged in an era of global change. WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH : A RESEARCH PUBLICATION OF THE WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION 2024; 96:e11066. [PMID: 39031717 DOI: 10.1002/wer.11066] [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: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
The Anthropocene has driven a transformative era where human activities exert unprecedented influence on Earth's biosphere. Consequently, synanthropic organisms, adept at thriving in human-modified environments, have emerged. While well studied in terrestrial ecosystems, the presence and ecological importance of synanthropic species in aquatic ecosystems, specifically among cyanobacteria, are less understood. Cyanobacteria blooms, notorious for their detrimental effects on ecosystems and human health, are increasing in frequency and intensity globally. In this perspective, we explore the evidence supporting this rise of cyanobacteria blooms, emphasizing the roles of human-induced eutrophication and climate change on select cyanobacteria genera. Cyanobacteria are not a monolith, with certain genera showing an observable increase within anthropogenically modified environments. We propose the establishment of a new sub-branch of phycology that explicitly investigates the ecology and physiology of synanthropic cyanobacteria. Understanding the intricate interactions between synanthropic species and human populations is imperative for managing human-altered ecosystems and conserving freshwater resources, particularly in the face of increasing global water insecurity. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The rise in cyanobacteria blooms is driven by a small subset of human-adapted genera-synanthropic cyanobacteria. Research is needed to characterize synanthropic cyanobacteria, which will aid in developing tailored management approaches. A paradigm shift from domesticating to "rewilding" landscapes and modifying behaviors to facilitate cohabitation are solutions to reducing risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J Erratt
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Erika C Freeman
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
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11
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Lazzaroni M, Brogi R, Napolitano V, Apollonio M, Range F, Marshall-Pescini S. Urbanization does not affect red foxes' interest in anthropogenic food, but increases their initial cautiousness. Curr Zool 2024; 70:394-405. [PMID: 39035755 PMCID: PMC11255992 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoae023] [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: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Human presence and activities have profoundly altered animals' habitats, exposing them to greater risks but also providing new opportunities and resources. The animals' capacity to effectively navigate and strike a balance between risks and benefits is crucial for their survival in the Anthropocene era. Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), adept urban dwellers, exhibit behavioral plasticity in human-altered environments. We investigated variations in detection frequency on trail cameras and the behavioral responses (explorative, bold, and fearful) of wild red foxes living along an urbanization gradient when exposed to a metal bin initially presented clean and then filled with anthropogenic food. All fox populations displayed an increased interest and similar explorative behavioral responses toward the anthropogenic food source, irrespective of the urbanization gradient. Despite no impact on explorative behaviors, foxes in more urbanized areas initially showed heightened fear toward the empty bin, indicating increased apprehension toward novel objects. However, this fear diminished over time, and in the presence of food, urban foxes displayed slightly reduced fear compared with their less urban counterparts. Our results highlight foxes' potential for adaptability to human landscapes, additionally underscoring the nuanced interplay of fear and explorative behavioral response of populations living along the urbanization gradient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Lazzaroni
- Domestication Laboratory, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna A-1160, Austria
| | - Rudy Brogi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, I-07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Valentina Napolitano
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, I-07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Marco Apollonio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari, via Vienna 2, I-07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Friederike Range
- Domestication Laboratory, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna A-1160, Austria
| | - Sarah Marshall-Pescini
- Domestication Laboratory, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna A-1160, Austria
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12
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Damas-Moreira I, Szabo B, Drosopoulos G, Stober C, Lisičić D, Caspers BA. Smarter in the city? Lizards from urban and semi-natural habitats do not differ in a cognitive task in two syntopic species. Curr Zool 2024; 70:361-370. [PMID: 39035752 PMCID: PMC11255991 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoae010] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Urbanization occurs at a global scale, imposing dramatic and abrupt environmental changes that lead to biodiversity loss. Yet, some animal species can handle these changes, and thrive in such artificial environments. One possible explanation is that urban individuals are equipped with better cognitive abilities, but most studies have focused on birds and mammals and yielded varied results. Reptiles have received much less attention, despite some lizard species being common city dwellers. The Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus, and the common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis, are two successful lizards in anthropogenic habitats that thrive in urban locations. To test for differences in a cognitive skill between urban and semi-natural environments, we investigated inhibitory control through a detour task in syntopic populations of the two species, across 249 lizards that were tested in partially artificial field settings. Sophisticated inhibitory control is considered essential for higher degrees of cognitive flexibility and other higher-level cognitive abilities. In this task, we confronted lizards with a transparent barrier, separating them from a desired shelter area that they could only reach by controlling their impulse to go straight and instead detour the barrier. We found no differences between lizards in urban and semi-natural environments, nor between species, but females overall performed better than males. Moreover, 48% of the lizards in our study did not perform a correct trial in any of the 5 trials, hinting at the difficulty of the task for these species. This study is among the first to address lizard cognition, through their inhibitory control, as a potential explanation for success in cities and highlights one should be careful with assuming that urban animals generally have enhanced cognitive performance, as it might be taxa, task, or condition dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Birgit Szabo
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, University of Bern, 3032, Switzerland
| | | | - Carolin Stober
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, 33615, Germany
| | - Duje Lisičić
- Department of Biology, University of Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
| | - Barbara A Caspers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, 33615, Germany
- Joint Institute of Individualisation in a Changing Environment (JICE), University of Münster and Bielefeld University, 33615, Germany
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13
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Ellington L, Mercier S, Motes-Rodrigo A, van de Waal E, Forss S. Urbanization does not increase "object curiosity" in vervet monkeys, but semi-urban individuals selectively explore food-related anthropogenic items. Curr Zool 2024; 70:383-393. [PMID: 39035753 PMCID: PMC11255996 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoae022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Urban environments expose animals to abundant anthropogenic materials and foods that facilitate foraging innovations in species with opportunistic diets and high behavioral flexibility. Neophilia and exploration tendency are believed to be important behavioral traits for animals thriving in urban environments. Vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) are one of few primate species that have successfully adapted to urban environments, thus making them an ideal species to study these traits. Using a within-species cross-habitat approach, we compared neophilia and exploration of novel objects (jointly referred to as "object curiosity") between semi-urban, wild, and captive monkeys to shed light on the cognitive traits facilitating urban living. To measure "object curiosity," we exposed monkeys to various types of novel stimuli and compared their approaches and explorative behavior. Our results revealed differences in the number of approaches and explorative behavior toward novel stimuli between the habitat types considered. Captive vervet monkeys were significantly more explorative than both semi- urban and wild troops, suggesting that positive experiences with humans and lack of predation, rather than exposure to human materials per se, influence object curiosity. Across habitats, juvenile males were the most explorative age-sex class. This is likely due to males being the dispersing sex and juveniles being more motivated to learn about their environment. Additionally, we found that items potentially associated with human food, elicited stronger explorative responses in semi-urban monkeys than non-food related objects, suggesting that their motivation to explore might be driven by "anthrophilia", that is, their experience of rewarding foraging on similar anthropogenic food sources. We conclude that varying levels of exposure to humans, predation and pre-exposure to human food packaging explain variation in "object curiosity" in our sample of vervet monkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Ellington
- Behavioural & Physiological Ecology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Stephanie Mercier
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore - CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH- 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa
| | - Alba Motes-Rodrigo
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore - CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Erica van de Waal
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore - CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa
| | - Sofia Forss
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH- 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa
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14
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Conteddu K, English HM, Byrne AW, Amin B, Griffin LL, Kaur P, Morera-Pujol V, Murphy KJ, Salter-Townshend M, Smith AF, Ciuti S. A scoping review on bovine tuberculosis highlights the need for novel data streams and analytical approaches to curb zoonotic diseases. Vet Res 2024; 55:64. [PMID: 38773649 PMCID: PMC11110237 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-024-01314-w] [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: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Zoonotic diseases represent a significant societal challenge in terms of their health and economic impacts. One Health approaches to managing zoonotic diseases are becoming more prevalent, but require novel thinking, tools and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is one example of a costly One Health challenge with a complex epidemiology involving humans, domestic animals, wildlife and environmental factors, which require sophisticated collaborative approaches. We undertook a scoping review of multi-host bTB epidemiology to identify trends in species publication focus, methodologies, and One Health approaches. We aimed to identify knowledge gaps where novel research could provide insights to inform control policy, for bTB and other zoonoses. The review included 532 articles. We found different levels of research attention across episystems, with a significant proportion of the literature focusing on the badger-cattle-TB episystem, with far less attention given to tropical multi-host episystems. We found a limited number of studies focusing on management solutions and their efficacy, with very few studies looking at modelling exit strategies. Only a small number of studies looked at the effect of human disturbances on the spread of bTB involving wildlife hosts. Most of the studies we reviewed focused on the effect of badger vaccination and culling on bTB dynamics with few looking at how roads, human perturbations and habitat change may affect wildlife movement and disease spread. Finally, we observed a lack of studies considering the effect of weather variables on bTB spread, which is particularly relevant when studying zoonoses under climate change scenarios. Significant technological and methodological advances have been applied to bTB episystems, providing explicit insights into its spread and maintenance across populations. We identified a prominent bias towards certain species and locations. Generating more high-quality empirical data on wildlife host distribution and abundance, high-resolution individual behaviours and greater use of mathematical models and simulations are key areas for future research. Integrating data sources across disciplines, and a "virtuous cycle" of well-designed empirical data collection linked with mathematical and simulation modelling could provide additional gains for policy-makers and managers, enabling optimised bTB management with broader insights for other zoonoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Conteddu
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Holly M English
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Andrew W Byrne
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, One Health Scientific Support Unit, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Bawan Amin
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Laura L Griffin
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Prabhleen Kaur
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Virginia Morera-Pujol
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Kilian J Murphy
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Adam F Smith
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- The Frankfurt Zoological Society, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of National Park Monitoring and Animal Management, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
| | - Simone Ciuti
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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15
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Starik N, Gygax L, Göttert T. Unexpected bat community changes along an urban-rural gradient in the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10552. [PMID: 38720052 PMCID: PMC11078944 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61317-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Urbanization gradients are increasingly used in ecological studies to discover responses of species communities to different intensities of human-induced habitat transformation. Here, we investigated patterns of bat communities against the background of different urbanization levels using a priori defined urbanization categories based on distance classes (5 km intervals) along a linear transect from the urban core of the city of Berlin westwards into the rural outskirts of the state of Brandenburg. Using linear-mixed effects models, we found that "distance class", as a proxy for urbanization level, is a meaningful and suitable predictor of bat species richness and diversity. We observed an unexpectedly sudden increase in bat species richness and diversity and changes in species-specific activity levels relatively close to the urban center at the transition between urban and peri-urban areas. This change suggests a relevant influence of the peri-urban areas as a "buffer zone" for specific bat species not able to adapt to the heavily modified inner core of the metropolitan area. Although we could demonstrate that anthropogenic noise and artificial light have the potential to predict the variability of bat species activity along the urban-rural gradient, the actual influence on observed shifts in the bat community needs further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Starik
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10009, Berlin, Germany
- Deutsche Fledermauswarte e.V., Am Juliusturm 63, 13599, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lorenz Gygax
- Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10009, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Göttert
- Research Center [Sustainability-Transformation-Transfer], Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, 16225, Eberswalde, Germany.
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16
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Beliniak A, Gryz J, Klich D, Łopucki R, Sadok I, Ożga K, Jasińska KD, Ścibior A, Gołębiowska D, Krauze-Gryz D. Long-term, medium-term and acute stress response of urban populations of Eurasian red squirrels affected by different levels of human disturbance. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302933. [PMID: 38701075 PMCID: PMC11068185 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals in urban areas often encounter novel and potentially stressful conditions. It is important to understand how wildlife cope with anthropogenic disturbance. To investigate this specific adaptation we live-trapped squirrels in two study sites in Warsaw: a forest reserve and an urban park and we estimated stress responses at three levels: long-term and medium-term stress (the level of stress hormones, i.e. cortisol and cortisone concentrations, in hair and feces) and acute reaction to human-induced stress (measured during handling with the aid of the three indices: breath rate, struggle rate, and vocalization). According to GLMM models no difference in the stress hormones level was found between the two populations. The only differences in cortisol concentrations clearly depended on the season, i.e. being higher in autumn and winter comparying to other seasons. There was no influence of sex, or reproductive status on stress hormones. Forest squirrels had significantly higher breath rates, suggesting they were more stressed by handling. There was no difference in the struggle rate between study areas, this index was mostly affected by season (i.e. being highest in winter). First-trapped squirrels vocalized less than during the subsequent trappings. Assumingly, during the first, and more stressful trapping, squirrels used 'freezing' and/or little vocalization, while during next captures they used alarm calls to warn conspecifics. Overall, we showed that the two squirrel populations differed only in terms of their breath rate. This suggests that they did not differ in medium-term and long-term stress in general, but they can differ in acute response to handling. This also suggests that both populations were similarly affected by environmental factors. The lack of clear effects may also be due to population heterogeneity. Thus, in order to assess the effects of anthropogenic stressors a broader range of indicators and diverse analytical methods, including behavioral analyses, should be employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Beliniak
- Department of Forest Zoology and Wildlife Management, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jakub Gryz
- Department of Forest Ecology, Forest Research Institute, Sękocin Stary, Raszyn, Poland
| | - Daniel Klich
- Department of Animal Genetics and Conservation, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Rafał Łopucki
- Department of Biomedicine and Environmental Research, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Ilona Sadok
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Kinga Ożga
- Department of Biomedicine and Environmental Research, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Karolina D. Jasińska
- Department of Forest Zoology and Wildlife Management, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Ścibior
- Department of Biomedicine and Environmental Research, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Dorota Gołębiowska
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Dagny Krauze-Gryz
- Department of Forest Zoology and Wildlife Management, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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17
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Alting BF, Pitcher BJ, Rees MW, Ferrer‐Paris JR, Jordan NR. Population density and ranging behaviour of a generalist carnivore varies with human population. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11404. [PMID: 38779530 PMCID: PMC11109528 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11404] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Canid species are highly adaptable, including to urban and peri-urban areas, where they can come into close contact with people. Understanding the mechanisms of wild canid population persistence in these areas is key to managing any negative impacts. The resource dispersion hypothesis predicts that animal density increases and home range size decreases as resource concentration increases, and may help to explain how canids are distributed in environments with an urban-natural gradient. In Australia, dingoes have adapted to human presence, sometimes living in close proximity to towns. Using a targeted camera trap survey and spatial capture-recapture models, we estimated spatial variation in the population density and detection rates of dingoes on Worimi Country in the Great Lakes region of the NSW coast. We tested whether dingo home range and population densities varied across a gradient of human population density, in a mixed-use landscape including, urban, peri-urban, and National Park environs. We found human population density to be a strong driver of dingo density (ranging from 0.025 to 0.433 dingoes/km2 across the natural-urban gradient), and to have a negative effect on dingo home range size. The spatial scale parameter changed depending on survey period, being smaller in the peak tourism period, when human population increases in the area, than in adjacent survey periods, potentially indicating reduced home range size when additional resources are available. Our study highlights the potential value of managing anthropogenic resource availability to manage carnivore densities and potential risk of human-carnivore interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan F. Alting
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South Wales (UNSW)SydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Benjamin J. Pitcher
- Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Conservation SocietyDubbo and SydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Natural SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Matthew W. Rees
- Health and Biosecurity DepartmentCommonwealth Science and Industrial Research OrganisationBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - José R. Ferrer‐Paris
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South Wales (UNSW)SydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Neil R. Jordan
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South Wales (UNSW)SydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Conservation SocietyDubbo and SydneyNew South WalesAustralia
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18
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Burton AC, Beirne C, Gaynor KM, Sun C, Granados A, Allen ML, Alston JM, Alvarenga GC, Calderón FSÁ, Amir Z, Anhalt-Depies C, Appel C, Arroyo-Arce S, Balme G, Bar-Massada A, Barcelos D, Barr E, Barthelmess EL, Baruzzi C, Basak SM, Beenaerts N, Belmaker J, Belova O, Bezarević B, Bird T, Bogan DA, Bogdanović N, Boyce A, Boyce M, Brandt L, Brodie JF, Brooke J, Bubnicki JW, Cagnacci F, Carr BS, Carvalho J, Casaer J, Černe R, Chen R, Chow E, Churski M, Cincotta C, Ćirović D, Coates TD, Compton J, Coon C, Cove MV, Crupi AP, Farra SD, Darracq AK, Davis M, Dawe K, De Waele V, Descalzo E, Diserens TA, Drimaj J, Duľa M, Ellis-Felege S, Ellison C, Ertürk A, Fantle-Lepczyk J, Favreau J, Fennell M, Ferreras P, Ferretti F, Fiderer C, Finnegan L, Fisher JT, Fisher-Reid MC, Flaherty EA, Fležar U, Flousek J, Foca JM, Ford A, Franzetti B, Frey S, Fritts S, Frýbová Š, Furnas B, Gerber B, Geyle HM, Giménez DG, Giordano AJ, Gomercic T, Gompper ME, Gräbin DM, Gray M, Green A, Hagen R, Hagen RB, Hammerich S, Hanekom C, Hansen C, Hasstedt S, Hebblewhite M, Heurich M, Hofmeester TR, Hubbard T, Jachowski D, Jansen PA, Jaspers KJ, Jensen A, Jordan M, Kaizer MC, Kelly MJ, Kohl MT, Kramer-Schadt S, Krofel M, Krug A, Kuhn KM, Kuijper DPJ, Kuprewicz EK, Kusak J, Kutal M, Lafferty DJR, LaRose S, Lashley M, Lathrop R, Lee TE, Lepczyk C, Lesmeister DB, Licoppe A, Linnell M, Loch J, Long R, Lonsinger RC, Louvrier J, Luskin MS, MacKay P, Maher S, Manet B, Mann GKH, Marshall AJ, Mason D, McDonald Z, McKay T, McShea WJ, Mechler M, Miaud C, Millspaugh JJ, Monteza-Moreno CM, Moreira-Arce D, Mullen K, Nagy C, Naidoo R, Namir I, Nelson C, O'Neill B, O'Mara MT, Oberosler V, Osorio C, Ossi F, Palencia P, Pearson K, Pedrotti L, Pekins CE, Pendergast M, Pinho FF, Plhal R, Pocasangre-Orellana X, Price M, Procko M, Proctor MD, Ramalho EE, Ranc N, Reljic S, Remine K, Rentz M, Revord R, Reyna-Hurtado R, Risch D, Ritchie EG, Romero A, Rota C, Rovero F, Rowe H, Rutz C, Salvatori M, Sandow D, Schalk CM, Scherger J, Schipper J, Scognamillo DG, Şekercioğlu ÇH, Semenzato P, Sevin J, Shamon H, Shier C, Silva-Rodríguez EA, Sindicic M, Smyth LK, Soyumert A, Sprague T, St Clair CC, Stenglein J, Stephens PA, Stępniak KM, Stevens M, Stevenson C, Ternyik B, Thomson I, Torres RT, Tremblay J, Urrutia T, Vacher JP, Visscher D, Webb SL, Weber J, Weiss KCB, Whipple LS, Whittier CA, Whittington J, Wierzbowska I, Wikelski M, Williamson J, Wilmers CC, Windle T, Wittmer HU, Zharikov Y, Zorn A, Kays R. Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:924-935. [PMID: 38499871 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02363-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
Wildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amount and timing of animal activity varied widely. Under higher human activity, mammals were less active in undeveloped areas but unexpectedly more active in developed areas while exhibiting greater nocturnality. Carnivores were most sensitive, showing the strongest decreases in activity and greatest increases in nocturnality. Wildlife managers must consider how habituation and uneven sensitivity across species may cause fundamental differences in human-wildlife interactions along gradients of human influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Cole Burton
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - Christopher Beirne
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kaitlyn M Gaynor
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Departments of Zoology and Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Sun
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alys Granados
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maximilian L Allen
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
| | - Jesse M Alston
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | | | - Zachary Amir
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Cara Appel
- College of Agricultural Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | | | | | - Avi Bar-Massada
- Department of Biology and Environment, University of Haifa at Oranim, Kiryat Tivon, Israel
| | | | - Evan Barr
- Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
| | | | - Carolina Baruzzi
- School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sayantani M Basak
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Natalie Beenaerts
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Jonathan Belmaker
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Olgirda Belova
- Institute of Forestry, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Kėdainių, Lithuania
| | | | | | | | - Neda Bogdanović
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Andy Boyce
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Mark Boyce
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Jedediah F Brodie
- Division of Biological Sciences & Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
- Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
| | | | - Jakub W Bubnicki
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Benjamin Scott Carr
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - João Carvalho
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Jim Casaer
- Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Rok Černe
- Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ron Chen
- Hamaarag, Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Emily Chow
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marcin Churski
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | | | - Duško Ćirović
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - T D Coates
- Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | | | - Michael V Cove
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | | | - Simone Dal Farra
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
| | - Andrea K Darracq
- Watershed Studies Institute, Murray State University, Murray, KY, USA
| | | | - Kimberly Dawe
- Quest University Canada, Squamish, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Esther Descalzo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Tom A Diserens
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
- Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jakub Drimaj
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Duľa
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, Carnivore Conservation Programme, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Alper Ertürk
- Hunting and Wildlife Program, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey
| | - Jean Fantle-Lepczyk
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | | | - Mitch Fennell
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Pablo Ferreras
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Francesco Ferretti
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Christian Fiderer
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
- University of Freiburg, Breisgau, Germany
| | | | - Jason T Fisher
- University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Urša Fležar
- Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Jiří Flousek
- Krkonoše Mountains National Park, Vrchlabí, Czech Republic
| | - Jennifer M Foca
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Adam Ford
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Barbara Franzetti
- Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Rome, Italy
| | - Sandra Frey
- University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Šárka Frýbová
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Brett Furnas
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | | | - Hayley M Geyle
- Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Diego G Giménez
- Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecological Study (S.P.E.C.I.E.S.), Ventura, CA, USA
| | - Anthony J Giordano
- Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecological Study (S.P.E.C.I.E.S.), Ventura, CA, USA
| | - Tomislav Gomercic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | | | | | | | - Robert Hagen
- Agricultural Center for Cattle, Grassland, Dairy, Game and Fisheries of Baden-Württemberg, Aulendorf, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Division of Biological Sciences & Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Marco Heurich
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
- University of Freiburg, Breisgau, Germany
- Inland Norway University, Hamar, Norway
| | - Tim R Hofmeester
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Tru Hubbard
- Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA
| | | | - Patrick A Jansen
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Michel T Kohl
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Stephanie Kramer-Schadt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Miha Krofel
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | | | - Dries P J Kuijper
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | | | - Josip Kusak
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Miroslav Kutal
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, Carnivore Conservation Programme, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Marcus Lashley
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | | | - Christopher Lepczyk
- College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Damon B Lesmeister
- United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | | | - Marco Linnell
- United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Jan Loch
- Scientific Laboratory of Gorce National Park, Niedźwiedź, Poland
| | | | | | - Julie Louvrier
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthew Scott Luskin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Sean Maher
- Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, USA
| | | | | | | | - David Mason
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | | | | | - William J McShea
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Claude Miaud
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL University, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Dario Moreira-Arce
- Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH) and Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), Santiago, Chile
| | | | | | | | - Itai Namir
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Carrie Nelson
- Effigy Mounds National Monument, Harper's Ferry, WV, USA
| | - Brian O'Neill
- University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, USA
| | | | | | | | - Federico Ossi
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Pablo Palencia
- University of Castilla-La Mancha Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Ciudad Real, Spain
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Kimberly Pearson
- Parks Canada-Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Park, Alberta, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | - Radim Plhal
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | | | - Michael Procko
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Nathan Ranc
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento, Italy
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFS, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Slaven Reljic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | | | | | | | - Derek Risch
- University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Euan G Ritchie
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrea Romero
- University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, USA
| | | | - Francesco Rovero
- Museo delle Scienze (MUSE), Trento, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Helen Rowe
- McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Christian Rutz
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Marco Salvatori
- Museo delle Scienze (MUSE), Trento, Italy
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Derek Sandow
- Northern and Yorke Landscape Board, Clare, South Australia, Australia
| | - Christopher M Schalk
- United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Nacogdoches, TX, USA
| | - Jenna Scherger
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jan Schipper
- Arizona State University, West, Glendale, AZ, USA
| | | | | | - Paola Semenzato
- Research, Ecology and Environment Dimension (D.R.E.A.M.), Pistoia, Italy
| | | | - Hila Shamon
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Catherine Shier
- Planning and Environmental Services, City of Edmonton, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Eduardo A Silva-Rodríguez
- Instituto de Conservación, Biodiversidad y Territorio & Programa Austral Patagonia, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Magda Sindicic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lucy K Smyth
- Panthera, New York, NY, USA
- iCWild, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Anil Soyumert
- Hunting and Wildlife Program, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Turkey
| | | | | | | | - Philip A Stephens
- Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Kinga Magdalena Stępniak
- Department of Ecology, Institute of Functional Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Cassondra Stevenson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Bálint Ternyik
- Conservation Ecology Group, Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, UK
| | - Ian Thomson
- Coastal Jaguar Conservation, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Rita T Torres
- Department of Biology and Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | | | | | - Jean-Pierre Vacher
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE-PSL University, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Stephen L Webb
- Natural Resources Institute and Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Julian Weber
- Oeko-Log Freilandforschung, Friedrichswalde, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Izabela Wierzbowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Christopher C Wilmers
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Todd Windle
- Parks Canada, Alberni-Clayoquot, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Adam Zorn
- University of Mount Union, Alliance, OH, USA
| | - Roland Kays
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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19
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Santicchia F, Tranquillo C, Wauters LA, Palme R, Panzeri M, Preatoni D, Bisi F, Martinoli A. Physiological stress response to urbanisation differs between native and invasive squirrel species. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 922:171336. [PMID: 38423339 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171336] [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: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Novel pressures derived from urbanisation can alter native habitats and ultimately impact wildlife. Coping with such human-driven changes might induce shifts in species phenotypic traits, such as physiological responses to anthropogenic stressors. Preadaptation to face those challenges has been suggested to favour settlement and spread of invasive alien species in urbanised areas which, consequently, might respond differently than ecologically similar native species to stressors posed by urbanisation. The activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the subsequent release of glucocorticoids (GCs) has been suggested to mediate responses to anthropogenic disturbance in vertebrates. Furthermore, intraspecific competition, in conjunction with stressors related to urbanisation, might affect invasive and native species physiological stress responses differently. Using a parallel pseudo-experimental study system we measured faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations of the native Eurasian red squirrel and the invasive alien Eastern grey squirrel along a rural-urban gradient and in relation to conspecific density. The two species responded differently to challenges posed by the synergic effect of urbanisation and intraspecific competition. Association of FGMs and conspecific density in native red squirrels varied between rural and suburban sites, potentially depending on differential HPA axis responses. In urban sites, this relationship did not differ significantly from that in rural and suburban ones. Conversely, invasive grey squirrels' FGMs did not vary in relation to conspecific density, nor differed along the rural-urban gradient. Improving knowledge about native and competing invasive species' physiological responses to anthropogenic stressors can support conservation strategies in habitats altered by man. Our findings suggested that the invasive squirrels might be preadapted to cope with these challenges in urbanised areas, potentially increasing their success under the future global change scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Santicchia
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
| | - Claudia Tranquillo
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
| | - Lucas A Wauters
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy; Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
| | - Rupert Palme
- Unit of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Mattia Panzeri
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Damiano Preatoni
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
| | - Francesco Bisi
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
| | - Adriano Martinoli
- Environment Analysis and Management Unit, Guido Tosi Research Group, Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, via J. H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy.
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20
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Friant S. Human behaviors driving disease emergence. Evol Anthropol 2024; 33:e22015. [PMID: 38130075 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22015] [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: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Interactions between humans, animals, and the environment facilitate zoonotic spillover-the transmission of pathogens from animals to humans. Narratives that cast modern humans as exogenous and disruptive forces that encroach upon "natural" disease systems limit our understanding of human drivers of disease. This review leverages theory from evolutionary anthropology that situates humans as functional components of disease ecologies, to argue that human adaptive strategies to resource acquisition shape predictable patterns of high-risk human-animal interactions, (2) humans construct ecological processes that facilitate spillover, and (3) contemporary patterns of epidemiological risk are emergent properties of interactions between human foraging ecology and niche construction. In turn, disease ecology serves as an important vehicle to link what some cast as opposing bodies of theory in human ecology. Disease control measures should consider human drivers of disease as rational, adaptive, and dynamic and capitalize on our capacity to influence ecological processes to mitigate risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagan Friant
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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21
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Denneboom D, Bar-Massada A, Shwartz A. Wildlife mortality risk posed by high and low traffic roads. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024; 38:e14159. [PMID: 37551769 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14159] [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: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife mortality due to collisions with vehicles (roadkill) is one of the predominant negative effects exerted by roads on many wildlife species. Reducing roadkill is therefore a major component of wildlife conservation. Roadkill is affected by various factors, including road attributes and traffic volume. It is theorized that the effect of traffic volume on roadkill probability should be unimodal. However, empirical evidence for this theory is lacking. Using a large-scale roadkill database of 18 wildlife species in Israel, encompassing 2846 km of roads over 10 years, we explored the effects of traffic volume and road attributes (e.g., road lighting, verge vegetation) on roadkill probability with a multivariate generalized linear mixed model. A unimodal effect of traffic volume was identified for the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), whereas 5 species demonstrated a novel quadratic U-shaped effect (e.g., golden jackal [Canis aureus]). Four species showed a negative linear effect (e.g., wild boar [Sus scrofa]). We also identified varying effects of road attributes on roadkill. For instance, road lighting and roadside trees decreased roadkill for several species, whereas bus stops and concrete guardrails led to increased roadkill. The theorized unimodal effect of traffic volume may only apply to large, agile species, and the U-shaped effect could be related to intraspecies variability in traffic avoidance behavior. In general, we found that both high-traffic and low-traffic roads can pose a high mortality risk for wildlife. It is therefore important to monitor roadkill on low-traffic roads and adapt road attributes to mitigate roadkill. Road design for effective roadkill mitigation includes reducing the use of concrete guardrails and median barriers where possible and avoiding dense bushes in verge landscaping. These measures are complemented by employing wildlife detection systems, driver warnings, and seasonal speed reduction measures on low-traffic roads identified as roadkill hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dror Denneboom
- Human and Biodiversity Research Lab, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Avi Bar-Massada
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Kiryat Tivon, Israel
| | - Assaf Shwartz
- Human and Biodiversity Research Lab, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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22
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Patterson CR, Lustig A, Seddon PJ, Wilson DJ, van Heezik Y. Eradicating an invasive mammal requires local elimination and reduced reinvasion from an urban source population. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 34:e2949. [PMID: 38442922 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2949] [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: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Invasive mammal eradications are increasingly attempted across large, complex landscapes. Sequentially controlled management zones can be at risk of reinvasion from adjacent uncontrolled areas, and managers must weigh the relative benefits of ensuring complete elimination from a zone or minimizing reinvasion risk. This is complicated in urban areas, where habitat heterogeneity and a lack of baseline ecological knowledge increase uncertainty. We applied a spatial agent-based model to predict the reinvasion of a well-studied species, the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), across an urban area onto a peninsula that is the site of an elimination campaign in Aotearoa New Zealand. We represented fine-scale urban habitat heterogeneity in a land cover layer and tested management scenarios that varied four factors: the density of possums remaining following an elimination attempt, the maintenance trap density on the peninsula, and effort expended toward preventing reinvasion by means of a high-density trap buffer at the peninsula isthmus or control of the source population adjacent to the peninsula. We found that achieving complete elimination on the peninsula was crucial to avoid rapid repopulation. The urban isthmus was predicted to act as a landscape barrier and restrict immigration onto the peninsula, but reliance on this barrier alone would fail to prevent repopulation. In combination, complete elimination, buffer zone, and source population control could reduce the probability of possum repopulation to near zero. Our findings support urban landscape barriers as one tool for sequential invasive mammal elimination but reaffirm that novel methods to expose residual individuals to control will be necessary to secure elimination in management zones. Work to characterize the urban ecology of many invasive mammals is still needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Audrey Lustig
- Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
- Te Pūnaha Matatini: The Centre for Complex Systems and Networks, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Philip J Seddon
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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23
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Bouilloud M, Galan M, Pradel J, Loiseau A, Ferrero J, Gallet R, Roche B, Charbonnel N. Exploring the potential effects of forest urbanization on the interplay between small mammal communities and their gut microbiota. Anim Microbiome 2024; 6:16. [PMID: 38528597 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-024-00301-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Urbanization significantly impacts wild populations, favoring urban dweller species over those that are unable to adapt to rapid changes. These differential adaptative abilities could be mediated by the microbiome, which may modulate the host phenotype rapidly through a high degree of flexibility. Conversely, under anthropic perturbations, the microbiota of some species could be disrupted, resulting in dysbiosis and negative impacts on host fitness. The links between the impact of urbanization on host communities and their gut microbiota (GM) have only been scarcely explored. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the bacterial composition of the GM could play a role in host adaptation to urban environments. We described the GM of several species of small terrestrial mammals sampled in forested areas along a gradient of urbanization, using a 16S metabarcoding approach. We tested whether urbanization led to changes in small mammal communities and in their GM, considering the presence and abundance of bacterial taxa and their putative functions. This enabled to decipher the processes underlying these changes. We found potential impacts of urbanization on small mammal communities and their GM. The urban dweller species had a lower bacterial taxonomic diversity but a higher functional diversity and a different composition compared to urban adapter species. Their GM assembly was mostly governed by stochastic effects, potentially indicating dysbiosis. Selection processes and an overabundance of functions were detected that could be associated with adaptation to urban environments despite dysbiosis. In urban adapter species, the GM functional diversity and composition remained relatively stable along the urbanization gradient. This observation can be explained by functional redundancy, where certain taxa express the same function. This could favor the adaptation of urban adapter species in various environments, including urban settings. We can therefore assume that there are feedbacks between the gut microbiota and host species within communities, enabling rapid adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Bouilloud
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
- Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations, 750 Avenue Agropolis, 34988, Montferrier sur Lez, France.
| | - Maxime Galan
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Julien Pradel
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Anne Loiseau
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Julien Ferrero
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Romain Gallet
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Benjamin Roche
- MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Nathalie Charbonnel
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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24
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Ancillotto L, Amori G, Capizzi D, Cignini B, Zapparoli M, Mori E. No city for wetland species: habitat associations affect mammal persistence in urban areas. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240079. [PMID: 38471547 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The fast rate of replacement of natural areas by expanding cities is a key threat to wildlife worldwide. Many wild species occur in cities, yet little is known on the dynamics of urban wildlife assemblages due to species' extinction and colonization that may occur in response to the rapidly evolving conditions within urban areas. Namely, species' ability to spread within urban areas, besides habitat preferences, is likely to shape the fate of species once they occur in a city. Here we use a long-term dataset on mammals occurring in one of the largest and most ancient cities in Europe to assess whether and how spatial spread and association with specific habitats drive the probability of local extinction within cities. Our analysis included mammalian records dating between years 1832 and 2023, and revealed that local extinctions in urban areas are biased towards species associated with wetlands and that were naturally rare within the city. Besides highlighting the role of wetlands within urban areas for conserving wildlife, our work also highlights the importance of long-term biodiversity monitoring in highly dynamic habitats such as cities, as a key asset to better understand wildlife trends and thus foster more sustainable and biodiversity-friendly cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Ancillotto
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute for the Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), via della Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
| | - Giovanni Amori
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute for the Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), via della Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Dario Capizzi
- Latium Region Directorate for Environment, Via di Campo Romano 65, 00173 Rome, Italy
| | - Bruno Cignini
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Marzio Zapparoli
- Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest systems (DIBAF), Università degli Studi della Tuscia, via San Camillo de Lellis snc, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
| | - Emiliano Mori
- National Research Council (CNR), Institute for the Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET), via della Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
- National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
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25
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Grundei LL, Schöttes FM, Gethöffer F, Tost D, Kluge L, Siebert U, Pees M. Human-Wildlife Interaction-A Social Survey. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:808. [PMID: 38473194 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
With the results of a survey presented in this paper, we provide insight into public attitudes towards dealing with wildlife. Based on 1569 data sets derived from participating stakeholders, we inquired about the individual experience the participants had made with wild animals, and asked about their personal engagement, attitude towards management, and emotions involved and tried to evaluate basic contextual knowledge. As a result, we discovered a positive effect showing that a strong opinion about dealing with wildlife is associated with increasing contextual knowledge. People that are experienced in and engaged in wildlife conservation expressed significantly stronger positive emotions in this context. We conclude that education is essential in dealing with wildlife responsibly and that positive emotions are a main trigger for such engagement. The results of the survey underline that a combination of contextual knowledge and a positive attitude towards wildlife leads to a higher awareness of possible conflicts between humans and wildlife. Furthermore, these criteria are crucial when developing strategies that strive for a sustainable coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara-Luisa Grundei
- Department of Small Mammal, Reptile and Avian Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 9, 30559 Hanover, Germany
| | - Franziska M Schöttes
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Friederike Gethöffer
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Daniel Tost
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Laurin Kluge
- Department of Small Mammal, Reptile and Avian Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 9, 30559 Hanover, Germany
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael Pees
- Department of Small Mammal, Reptile and Avian Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 9, 30559 Hanover, Germany
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26
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Forbes SL, Kjorlien Y, Watson CJ. The taphonomic impact of scavenger guilds in peri-urban and rural regions of central and southern Alberta. Part I - Identification of forensically relevant vertebrate scavengers. J Forensic Sci 2024; 69:415-429. [PMID: 38084754 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.15443] [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: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
As a body decomposes in an outdoor environment, numerous taphonomic agents can act on the process of human decomposition. It is important to understand the impact of these agents as they can vary the rate of soft and hard tissue loss which may alter postmortem interval estimations. One taphonomic factor which has not been extensively investigated in many regions of the world, including Canada, are vertebrate scavengers. The current study aimed to identify scavenger guilds in the peri-urban and rural regions of two major cities in Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton) where human remains are frequently located. Vertebrate scavenger activity was recorded continuously using cellular and noncellular trail cameras. Images were analyzed to determine how the scavenging profiles (i.e., scavenger species, arrival time, and feeding behavior) impacted the loss of soft and hard tissue. We identified a range of mammalian and avian scavengers and found that coyote and black-billed magpie were the predominant scavengers recorded at the Edmonton peri-urban and rural sites, and the Calgary peri-urban sites. In contrast, when a site was within bear territory such as the Calgary rural sites, black and grizzly bears were the predominant scavengers. At all sites, the large mammalian scavengers were responsible for most soft tissue loss and subsequent hard tissue dispersal. None of the scavengers demonstrated a clear preference for open versus closed sites. This taphonomic information is important to consider when searching for human remains at these locations or in other North American regions with comparable scavenger guilds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shari L Forbes
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yvonne Kjorlien
- Office of Research, Scholarship and Community Engagement, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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27
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Leighton GRM, Froneman PW, Serieys LEK, Bishop JM. Sustained use of marine subsidies promotes niche expansion in a wild felid. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 914:169912. [PMID: 38184259 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.169912] [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: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
The use of marine subsidies by terrestrial predators can facilitate substantial transfer of nutrients between marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Marine resource subsidies may have profound effects on predator ecology, influencing population and niche dynamics. Expanding niches of top consumers can impact ecosystem resilience and interspecific interactions, affecting predator-prey dynamics and competition. We investigate the occurrence, importance, and impact of marine resources on trophic ecology and niche dynamics in a highly generalist predator, the caracal (Caracal caracal), on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. Caracals have flexible diets, feeding across a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic prey. We use carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of fur samples (n = 75) to understand trophic position and niche shifts in coastal and inland foragers, as well as the implications of a diet rich in marine resources. We found significant differences in isotope signatures between these groups, with higher δ13C (P < 0.05) and δ15N values (P < 0.01) in coastal foragers. Isotope mixing models reveal that these elevated signatures were due to non-terrestrial food subsidies, where approximately a third of coastal foraging caracal diet comprised marine prey. The addition of marine prey species to diet increased both the trophic level and isotope niche size of coastal foraging caracals, with potential impacts on prey populations and competition. Our results suggest that marine prey are an important dietary resource for coastal foraging caracals, where seabirds, including two endangered species, are a major component of their diet. However, there are likely risks associated with these resource benefits, as routine consumption of seabirds is linked with higher pollutant burdens, particularly metals. Increased encounters between this terrestrial predator and seabirds may be a result of increased mainland colonies due to changes in habitat availability and the highly opportunistic and generalist foraging behaviour of a native predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella R M Leighton
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa; Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa.
| | - P William Froneman
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, PO Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa
| | - Laurel E K Serieys
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa; Panthera, NY, New York, USA; Cape Leopard Trust, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jacqueline M Bishop
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
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28
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Yang S, Liu J, Sadam A, Nahid MI, Khan RU, Liang W. Face masks in action: Birds show reduced fear responses to people wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in three Asian countries. Heliyon 2024; 10:e24970. [PMID: 38317987 PMCID: PMC10840011 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24970] [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: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The 2019 zoonotic pandemic (COVID-19), has led to a massive global lockdown that provides a good opportunity to study how wildlife responds to changes in human activity. Wearing a mask after the COVID-19 outbreak was widely used to prevent the spread of the causative pathogen. It has been shown that tree sparrows (Passer montanus) at two sites in south China exhibit reduced fear responses to people with face masks after a period of heavy exposure to them, whereas European studies showed the opposite, with no changes in the behaviour of the birds towards mask wearers in either rural or urban areas. To further study this, from October 2021 to January 2022, we conducted a flight initiation distance (FID) survey in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Xi'an, China for a variety of field bird species by comparing the FID for researchers wearing masks to that for researchers not wearing masks to assess whether wearing masks in public places caused birds to adjust their flight response. Results from the three Asian countries showed that after a period of sustained contact with people wearing masks, in both rural and urban areas, birds were significantly more adapted to them and had a shorter FID to people wearing masks. We suggest that the rapid habituation of birds to people wearing masks with a reduced fear response could have some fitness advantage, allowing them to adapt rapidly to the new environmental conditions induced by COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Jianping Liu
- College of Biological Sciences and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan, 750021, China
| | - Asif Sadam
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Mominul Islam Nahid
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Rahmat Ullah Khan
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
| | - Wei Liang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou, 571158, China
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29
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Sun C, Hassin Y, Boonman A, Shwartz A, Yovel Y. Species and habitat specific changes in bird activity in an urban environment during Covid 19 lockdown. eLife 2024; 12:RP88064. [PMID: 38335247 PMCID: PMC10942578 DOI: 10.7554/elife.88064] [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] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Covid-19 lockdowns provided ecologists with a rare opportunity to examine how animals behave when humans are absent. Indeed many studies reported various effects of lockdowns on animal activity, especially in urban areas and other human-dominated habitats. We explored how Covid-19 lockdowns in Israel have influenced bird activity in an urban environment by using continuous acoustic recordings to monitor three common bird species that differ in their level of adaptation to the urban ecosystem: (1) the hooded crow, an urban exploiter, which depends heavily on anthropogenic resources; (2) the rose-ringed parakeet, an invasive alien species that has adapted to exploit human resources; and (3) the graceful prinia, an urban adapter, which is relatively shy of humans and can be found in urban habitats with shrubs and prairies. Acoustic recordings provided continuous monitoring of bird activity without an effect of the observer on the animal. We performed dense sampling of a 1.3 square km area in northern Tel-Aviv by placing 17 recorders for more than a month in different micro-habitats within this region including roads, residential areas and urban parks. We monitored both lockdown and no-lockdown periods. We portray a complex dynamic system where the activity of specific bird species depended on many environmental parameters and decreases or increases in a habitat-dependent manner during lockdown. Specifically, urban exploiter species decreased their activity in most urban habitats during lockdown, while human adapter species increased their activity during lockdown especially in parks where humans were absent. Our results also demonstrate the value of different habitats within urban environments for animal activity, specifically highlighting the importance of urban parks. These species- and habitat-specific changes in activity might explain the contradicting results reported by others who have not performed a habitat specific analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congnan Sun
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal UniversityShijiazhuangChina
- Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Environment, Hebei Normal UniversityShijiazhuangChina
| | - Yoel Hassin
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Arjan Boonman
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Assaf Shwartz
- Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion, Israel Institute of TechnologyHaifaIsrael
| | - Yossi Yovel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, National Research Center for Biodiversity Studies, Tel-Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
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30
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Saiyed ST, Fuentes A, Shaw E, Schurr MR, Gettler LT. Barbary macaques show sex-related differences in body weight based on anthropogenic food exposure despite comparable female-male stable isotope ratios. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3320. [PMID: 38336986 PMCID: PMC10858218 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53641-9] [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: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
As the human-primate interface expands, many nonhuman primate (NHP) populations exploit anthropogenic foods to survive, while some populations opportunistically target them. Though anthropogenic food consumption is sometimes associated with greater reproductive output and survival in these populations, there is a dearth of research on possible health effects. We explore how differential exposure to anthropogenic foods is linked to variation in isotopic compositions (δ13C and δ15N) and body weights in Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, Gibraltar. We placed monkeys into three categories based on anthropogenic food exposure. We then analyzed individuals for isotopic signatures (N = 147) and body weight measurements (N = 80). Using the lowest exposure category as the comparison, we found body weights and δ15N values, but not δ13C values, significantly differed across key categories. Within categories, we found no significant associations between sex and δ13C or δ15N values, suggesting that individuals within categories consumed similar foods regardless of sex. We found a significant interaction effect between category and sex for predicting body weights. These results suggest that sex plays a role in how anthropogenic foods are accessed and consumed regardless of exposure, which may result in differential health profiles for female and male macaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana T Saiyed
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA.
| | - Agustin Fuentes
- Department of Anthropology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Eric Shaw
- Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society (GONHS), Gibraltar, Gibraltar
| | - Mark R Schurr
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Lee T Gettler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
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31
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McTigue LE, Lassiter EV, Shaw M, Johansson E, Wilson K, DeGregorio BA. Does daily activity overlap of seven mesocarnivores vary based on human development? PLoS One 2024; 19:e0288477. [PMID: 38206932 PMCID: PMC10783707 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Many species of wildlife alter their daily activity patterns in response to co-occurring species as well as the surrounding environment. Often smaller or subordinate species alter their activity patterns to avoid being active at the same time as larger, dominant species to avoid agonistic interactions. Human development can complicate interspecies interactions, as not all wildlife respond to human activity in the same manner. While some species may change the timing of their activity to avoid being active when humans are, others may be unaffected or may benefit from being active at the same time as humans to reduce predation risk or competition. To further explore these patterns, we used data from a coordinated national camera-trapping program (Snapshot USA) to explore how the activity patterns and temporal activity overlap of a suite of seven widely co-occurring mammalian mesocarnivores varied along a gradient of human development. Our focal species ranged in size from the large and often dominant coyote (Canis latrans) to the much smaller and subordinate Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). Some species changed their activity based on surrounding human development. Coyotes were most active at night in areas of high and medium human development. Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) were more active at dusk in areas of high development relative to areas of low or medium development. However, because most species were primarily nocturnal regardless of human development, temporal activity overlap was high between all species. Only opossum and raccoon (Procyon lotor) showed changes in activity overlap with high overlap in areas of low development compared to areas of moderate development. Although we found that coyotes and red fox altered their activity patterns in response to human development, our results showed that competitive and predatory pressures between these seven widespread generalist species were insufficient to cause them to substantially alter their activity patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah E. McTigue
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States of America
| | - Ellery V. Lassiter
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States of America
| | - Mike Shaw
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States of America
| | - Emily Johansson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States of America
| | - Ken Wilson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States of America
| | - Brett A. DeGregorio
- U.S. Geological Survey, Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Fayetteville, AR, United States of America
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32
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Smit JAH, Vooijs R, Lindenburg P, Baugh AT, Halfwerk W. Noise and light pollution elicit endocrine responses in urban but not forest frogs. Horm Behav 2024; 157:105453. [PMID: 37979210 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023]
Abstract
Urban areas are characterised by the presence of sensory pollutants, such as anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night (ALAN). Animals can quickly adapt to novel environmental conditions by adjusting their behaviour, which is proximately regulated by endocrine systems. While endocrine responses to sensory pollution have been widely reported, this has not often been linked to changes in behaviour, hampering the understanding of adaptiveness of endocrine responses. Our aim was, therefore, to investigate the effects of urbanisation, specifically urban noise and light pollution, on hormone levels in male urban and forest túngara frogs (Engystomops pustulosus), a species with reported population divergence in behaviour in response to urbanisation. We quantified testosterone and corticosterone release rates in the field and in the lab before and after exposure to urban noise and/or light. We show that urban and forest frogs differ in their endocrine phenotypes under field as well as lab conditions. Moreover, in urban frogs exposure to urban noise and light led, respectively, to an increase in testosterone and decrease in corticosterone, whereas in forest frogs sensory pollutants did not elicit any endocrine response. Our results show that urbanisation, specifically noise and light pollution, can modulate hormone levels in urban and forest populations differentially. The observed endocrine responses are consistent with the observed behavioural changes in urban frogs, providing a proximate explanation for the presumably adaptive behavioural changes in response to urbanisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith A H Smit
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Republic of Panamá.
| | - Riet Vooijs
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Peter Lindenburg
- Research Group Metabolomics, Leiden Centre for Applied Bioscience, University of Applied Sciences Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Baugh
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081, USA
| | - Wouter Halfwerk
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Ecology and Evolution, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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33
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Loudon JE, Howells ME, Wolfe CA, Buana IN, Buda W, Wandia IN, Putra IGAA, Patterson M, Fuentes A. Healing Hanuman's Army: Veterinary Care as a Core Component of One Health Principles in a Southeast Asian Monkey Forest. Animals (Basel) 2023; 14:117. [PMID: 38200848 PMCID: PMC10777948 DOI: 10.3390/ani14010117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Wildlife that inhabit urban landscapes face the dual challenge of negotiating their positions in their group while navigating obstacles of anthropogenically modified landscapes. The dynamics of urban environments can result in novel injuries and mortalities for these animals. However, these negative impacts can be mitigated through planning, and onsite veterinary care like that provided by the Ubud Monkey Forest in Bali, Indonesia. We examined 275 recorded injuries and mortalities among six social groups of long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) brought to the veterinary clinic from 2015-2018. We fit the probabilities of injury vs. death among macaques brought to the clinic using a multilevel logistic regression model to infer the relationship between injury vs. death and associated demographic parameters. Males were more likely to sustain injuries and females were more likely to die. The frequency of injuries and mortalities changed over the four-year study period, which was reflected in our model. The odds of mortality were highest among young macaques and the odds of injury vs. mortality varied across the six social groups. We categorized injuries and mortalities as "natural" or "anthropogenic". Most injuries and mortalities were naturally occurring, but powerlines, motorized vehicles, and plastic present ongoing anthropogenic threats to macaque health. Most wounds and injuries were successfully treated, with healthy animals released back to their group. We suggest other sites with high levels of human-alloprimate interplays consider the Ubud Monkey Forest veterinary office as a model of care and potentially adopt their approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- James E. Loudon
- Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA;
| | - Michaela E. Howells
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA; (M.E.H.)
| | - Christopher A. Wolfe
- Department of Anthropology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA;
| | | | - Wayan Buda
- Ubud Monkey Forest, Padangtegal 80571, Bali, Indonesia
| | - I. Nengah Wandia
- Primate Division of Natural Resources and Environment Research Center, Universitas Udayana, Denpasar 80361, Bali, Indonesia; (I.N.W.); (I.G.A.A.P.)
| | - I. Gusti Agung Arta Putra
- Primate Division of Natural Resources and Environment Research Center, Universitas Udayana, Denpasar 80361, Bali, Indonesia; (I.N.W.); (I.G.A.A.P.)
| | - Meghan Patterson
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA; (M.E.H.)
| | - Agustín Fuentes
- Department of Anthropology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA;
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34
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Dhivahar J, Parthasarathy A, Krishnan K, Kovi BS, Pandian GN. Bat-associated microbes: Opportunities and perils, an overview. Heliyon 2023; 9:e22351. [PMID: 38125540 PMCID: PMC10730444 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22351] [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: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The potential biotechnological uses of bat-associated bacteria are discussed briefly, indicating avenues for biotechnological applications of bat-associated microbes. The uniqueness of bats in terms of their lifestyle, genomes and molecular immunology may predispose bats to act as disease reservoirs. Molecular phylogenetic analysis has shown several instances of bats harbouring the ancestral lineages of bacterial (Bartonella), protozoal (Plasmodium, Trypanosoma cruzi) and viral (SARS-CoV2) pathogens infecting humans. Along with the transmission of viruses from bats, we also discuss the potential roles of bat-associated bacteria, fungi, and protozoan parasites in emerging diseases. Current evidence suggests that environmental changes and interactions between wildlife, livestock, and humans contribute to the spill-over of infectious agents from bats to other hosts. Domestic animals including livestock may act as intermediate amplifying hosts for bat-origin pathogens to transmit to humans. An increasing number of studies investigating bat pathogen diversity and infection dynamics have been published. However, whether or how these infectious agents are transmitted both within bat populations and to other hosts, including humans, often remains unknown. Metagenomic approaches are uncovering the dynamics and distribution of potential pathogens in bat microbiomes, which might improve the understanding of disease emergence and transmission. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on bat zoonoses of public health concern and flag the gaps in the knowledge to enable further research and allocation of resources for tackling future outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Dhivahar
- Research Department of Zoology, St. Johns College, Palayamkottai, 627002, India
- Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology, Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Loyola College, Chennai, 600034, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Laboratory of Virology, University of Madras, Chennai, 600025, India
| | - Anutthaman Parthasarathy
- Department of Chemistry and Biosciences, Richmond Building, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, United Kingdom
| | - Kathiravan Krishnan
- Department of Biotechnology, Laboratory of Virology, University of Madras, Chennai, 600025, India
| | - Basavaraj S. Kovi
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Yoshida Ushinomiyacho, 69, Sakyo Ward, 606-8501, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ganesh N. Pandian
- Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Yoshida Ushinomiyacho, 69, Sakyo Ward, 606-8501, Kyoto, Japan
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35
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Dürrbaum E, Fornoff F, Scherber C, Vesterinen EJ, Eitzinger B. Metabarcoding of trap nests reveals differential impact of urbanization on cavity-nesting bee and wasp communities. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6449-6460. [PMID: 36479967 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Urbanization is affecting arthropod communities worldwide, for example by changing the availability of food resources. However, the strength and direction of a community's response is species-specific and depends on species' trophic level. Here, we investigated interacting species at different trophic levels in nests of cavity-nesting bees and wasps along two urbanization gradients in four German cities using trap nests. We analysed bee and wasp diversity and their trophic interaction partners by metabarcoding the DNA of bee pollen and preyed arthropods found in wasp nests. We found that the pollen richness increased with increasing distance from city centres and at sites characterized by a high percentage of impervious and developed surface, while the richness of pollinators was unaffected by urbanization. In contrast, species richness of wasps, but not their arthropod prey, was highest at sites with low levels of urbanization. However, the community structure of wasp prey changed with urbanization at both local and regional scales. Throughout the study area, the community of wasps consisted of specialists, while bee species were generalists. Our results suggest that Hymenoptera and their food resources are negatively affected by increasing urbanization. However, to understand distribution patterns of both, wasps and bees in urban settings other factors besides food availability should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Dürrbaum
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Felix Fornoff
- Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Christoph Scherber
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Centre for Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation Science, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Bonn, Germany
| | - Eero J Vesterinen
- Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Bernhard Eitzinger
- Chair of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
- iES Landau, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
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36
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Severson JP, Vosburgh TC, Johnson HE. Effects of vehicle traffic on space use and road crossings of caribou in the Arctic. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2923. [PMID: 37788067 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2923] [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: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Assessing the effects of industrial development on wildlife is a key objective of managers and conservation practitioners. However, wildlife responses are often only investigated with respect to the footprint of infrastructure, even though human activity can strongly mediate development impacts. In Arctic Alaska, there is substantial interest in expanding energy development, raising concerns about the potential effects on barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti). While caribou generally avoid industrial infrastructure, little is known about the role of human activity in moderating their responses, and whether managing activity levels could minimize development effects. To address this uncertainty, we examined the influence of traffic volume on caribou summer space use and road crossings in the Central Arctic Herd within the Kuparuk and Milne Point oil fields on the North Slope of Alaska. We first modeled spatiotemporal variation in hourly traffic volumes across the road system from traffic counter data using gradient-boosted regression trees. We then used generalized additive models to estimate nonlinear step selection functions and road-crossing probabilities from collared female caribou during the post-calving and insect harassment seasons, when they primarily interact with roads. Step selection analyses revealed that caribou selected areas further from roads (~1-3 km) during the post-calving and mosquito seasons and selected areas with lower traffic volumes during all seasons, with selection probabilities peaking when traffic was <5 vehicles/h. Using road-crossing models, we found that caribou were less likely to cross roads during the insect seasons as traffic increased, but that response dissipated as insect harassment became more severe. Past studies suggested that caribou exhibit behavioral responses when traffic exceeds 15 vehicles/h, but our results demonstrate behavioral responses at much lower traffic levels. Our results illustrate that vehicle activity mediates caribou responses to road infrastructure, information that can be used in future land-use planning to minimize the behavioral responses of caribou to industrial development in sensitive Arctic landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Severson
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
| | - Timothy C Vosburgh
- Bureau of Land Management, Arctic District Office, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
| | - Heather E Johnson
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
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37
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Robertson KE, Ellington EH, Tonra CM, Gehrt SD. Stress in the city? Coyote hair cortisol varies with intrinsic and extrinsic factors within a heavily urbanized landscape. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 901:165965. [PMID: 37543341 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife living in proximity to people are exposed to both natural and anthropogenic factors that may influence cortisol production associated with stress response. While some species, including coyotes (Canis latrans), have become commonplace in developed areas throughout North America, urban individuals still must navigate ever-changing, novel environments and cope with frequent disturbance. Given that coyotes are relatively large predators compared to most other urban wildlife, they face unique pressures such as crossing roadways to use suitable habitat fragments and are at a greater risk of being detected and experiencing negative human interactions. To assess whether urbanization influences hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in free-ranging coyotes, we analyzed cortisol concentration in hair samples from 97 coyotes residing across the urbanization gradient within the Greater Chicago Metropolitan area. As the proportion of developed landcover within coyote home ranges increased, coyotes experienced more stress. Body condition and social status also had strong relationships with stress. Animals in poorer body condition experienced more stress and subordinate coyotes experienced less stress than alphas. We also found some evidence that stress varied seasonally and among different age classes. Understanding how intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence endocrine activity in urban carnivores is vital for predicting how hormone production and related behavioral patterns may change in future populations as more areas become developed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie E Robertson
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, United States of America
| | - E Hance Ellington
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, United States of America; Range Cattle Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3401 Experiment Station Road, Ona, FL 33865, United States of America
| | - Christopher M Tonra
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, United States of America.
| | - Stanley D Gehrt
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, United States of America.
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38
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Sewall KB, Beck ML, Lane SJ, Davies S. Urban and rural male song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) differ in territorial aggression and activation of vasotocin neurons in response to song challenge. Horm Behav 2023; 156:105438. [PMID: 37801916 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 09/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023]
Abstract
When living in urban habitats, 'urban adapter' species often show greater aggression toward conspecifics, yet we do not understand the mechanisms underlying this behavioral shift. The neuroendocrine system regulates socio-sexual behaviors including aggression and thus could mediate behavioral responses to urbanization. Indeed, urban male song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), which are more territorially aggressive, also have greater abundance of the neuropeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) in nodes of the brain social behavior network. Higher abundance of AVT could reflect long-term synthesis that underlies baseline territoriality or short-term changes that regulate aggression in response to social challenge. To begin to resolve the timeframe over which the AVT system contributes to habitat differences in aggression we used immediate early gene co-expression as a measure of the activation of AVT neurons. We compared Fos induction in AVT-immunoreactive neurons of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BSTm) and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) between urban and rural male song sparrows in response to a short (< 5 min.) or long (> 30 min.) song playback to simulate territorial intrusion by another male. We found that urban males had a higher proportion of Fos-positive AVT neurons in both brain regions compared to rural males, regardless of the duration of song playback. Our results suggest that AVT neurons remain activated in urban males, independently of the duration of social challenge. These findings that Fos induction in AVT neurons differs between rural and urban male song sparrows further implicate this system in regulating behavioral responses to urbanization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kendra B Sewall
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
| | - Michelle L Beck
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA; Industrial Economics Incorporated, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Samuel J Lane
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Scott Davies
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA; Quinnipiac University, Department of Biological Sciences, 275 Mt Carmel Ave, Hamden, CT 06518, USA
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Lokatis S, Jeschke JM, Bernard-Verdier M, Buchholz S, Grossart HP, Havemann F, Hölker F, Itescu Y, Kowarik I, Kramer-Schadt S, Mietchen D, Musseau CL, Planillo A, Schittko C, Straka TM, Heger T. Hypotheses in urban ecology: building a common knowledge base. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1530-1547. [PMID: 37072921 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023]
Abstract
Urban ecology is a rapidly growing research field that has to keep pace with the pressing need to tackle the sustainability crisis. As an inherently multi-disciplinary field with close ties to practitioners and administrators, research synthesis and knowledge transfer between those different stakeholders is crucial. Knowledge maps can enhance knowledge transfer and provide orientation to researchers as well as practitioners. A promising option for developing such knowledge maps is to create hypothesis networks, which structure existing hypotheses and aggregate them according to topics and research aims. Combining expert knowledge with information from the literature, we here identify 62 research hypotheses used in urban ecology and link them in such a network. Our network clusters hypotheses into four distinct themes: (i) Urban species traits & evolution, (ii) Urban biotic communities, (iii) Urban habitats and (iv) Urban ecosystems. We discuss the potentials and limitations of this approach. All information is openly provided as part of an extendable Wikidata project, and we invite researchers, practitioners and others interested in urban ecology to contribute additional hypotheses, as well as comment and add to the existing ones. The hypothesis network and Wikidata project form a first step towards a knowledge base for urban ecology, which can be expanded and curated to benefit both practitioners and researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Lokatis
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr. 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Jonathan M Jeschke
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Maud Bernard-Verdier
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Sascha Buchholz
- Institute of Landscape Ecology, University of Münster, Heisenbergstr. 2, Münster, 48149, Germany
| | - Hans-Peter Grossart
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Maulbeerallee 2, Potsdam, 14469, Germany
| | - Frank Havemann
- Institut für Bibliotheks- und Informationswissenschaft, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Dorotheenstraße 26, Berlin, 10117, Germany
| | - Franz Hölker
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Yuval Itescu
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Ingo Kowarik
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstr. 12, Berlin, 12165, Germany
| | - Stephanie Kramer-Schadt
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstr. 12, Berlin, 12165, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, 10315, Germany
| | - Daniel Mietchen
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education (IGDORE), Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Camille L Musseau
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
| | - Aimara Planillo
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, Berlin, 10315, Germany
| | - Conrad Schittko
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstr. 12, Berlin, 12165, Germany
| | - Tanja M Straka
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstr. 12, Berlin, 12165, Germany
| | - Tina Heger
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research, Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4, Berlin, 14195, Germany
- Technical University of Munich, Restoration Ecology, Emil-Ramann-Str. 6, Freising, 85350, Germany
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40
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Sumasgutner P, Nilles T, Hykollari A, de Chapa MM, Isaksson C, Hochleitner L, Renner S, Fusani L. Integument colouration and circulating carotenoids in relation to urbanisation in Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus). THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2023; 110:48. [PMID: 37736824 PMCID: PMC10516791 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-023-01874-5] [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: 05/18/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Urbanisation is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time, yet we still lack an integrative understanding of how cities affect behaviour, physiology and parasite susceptibility of free-living organisms. In this study, we focus on carotenoids, strictly dietary micronutrients that can either be used as yellow-red pigments, for integument colouration (signalling function), or as antioxidants, to strengthen the immune system (physiological function) in an urban predator, the Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). Kestrels are specialised vole hunters but shift to avian prey in cities where diurnal rodents are not sufficiently available. This different foraging strategy might determine the quantity of carotenoids available. We measured integument colouration, circulating carotenoids in the blood and ectoparasite burden in kestrels along an urban gradient. Our results showed that nestlings that were raised in more urbanised areas displayed, unrelated to their ectoparasite burden, a paler integument colouration. Paler colours were furthermore associated with a lower concentration of circulating carotenoids. These findings support the hypothesis that the entire urban food web is carotenoid deprived and only prey of low quality with low carotenoid content is available (e.g. fewer carotenoids in urban trees, insects, small birds and finally kestrels). The alternative hypothesis that nestlings allocate carotenoids to reduce physiological stress and/or to cope with parasites rather than invest into colouration could not be supported. Our study adds to existing evidence that urban stressors negatively affect carotenoid production in urban areas, a deficiency that dissipate into higher trophic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Sumasgutner
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center, Core Facility for Behavior and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau/Almtal, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Tom Nilles
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center, Core Facility for Behavior and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau/Almtal, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alba Hykollari
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Manuela Merling de Chapa
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
- Hessian Agency for Nature, Environment and Geology, Biodiversity Center, Giessen, Germany
| | | | - Lukas Hochleitner
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Swen Renner
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Leonida Fusani
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
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41
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Harris H, Wat KKY, Banks PB, Greenville A, McArthur C. Grow up, be persistent, and stay focused: keys for solving foraging problems by free-ranging possums. Behav Ecol 2023; 34:790-803. [PMID: 38046238 PMCID: PMC10690113 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals within a species often vary in both their problem-solving approach and ability, affecting their capacity to access novel food resources. Testing problem-solving in free-ranging individuals is crucial for understanding the fundamental ecological implications of problem-solving capacity. To examine the factors affecting problem-solving in free-ranging animals, we presented three food-extraction tasks of increasing difficulty to urban common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). We quantified two measures of problem-solving performance: trial outcome (success/failure) and time to solve and tested the influence of a range of potential drivers, including individual traits (personality, body weight, sex, and age), mechanistic behaviors that quantify problem-solving approach (work time, functional behavior time, behavioral diversity, and flexibility), and prior experience with the puzzles. We found that mechanistic behaviors were key drivers of performance. Individuals displaying greater persistence (higher work and functional behavior time) were more likely to solve a food-extraction task on their first attempt. Individuals also solved problems faster if they were more persistent and had lower behavioral flexibility. Personality indirectly affected time to solve one of the three problems by influencing time allocated to functional behaviors. Finally, adults solved the most difficult problem faster than juveniles. Overall, our study provides rare insight into the drivers underlying the problem-solving performance of wild animals. Such insight could be used to improve management strategies and conservation efforts, such as food or bait deployment, tailored to suit the innovative foraging abilities of target individuals in new and changing environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Harris
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Katie K Y Wat
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Peter B Banks
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Aaron Greenville
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Clare McArthur
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Heydon-Laurence Building (A08), Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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42
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Diamant ES, MacGregor-Fors I, Blumstein DT, Yeh PJ. Urban birds become less fearful following COVID-19 reopenings. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231338. [PMID: 37608719 PMCID: PMC10445014 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1338] [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: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many people around the world stayed home, drastically altering human activity in cities. This exceptional moment provided researchers the opportunity to test how urban animals respond to human disturbance, in some cases testing fundamental questions on the mechanistic impact of urban behaviours on animal behaviour. However, at the end of this 'anthropause', human activity returned to cities. How might each of these strong shifts affect wildlife in the short and long term? We focused on fear response, a trait essential to tolerating urban life. We measured flight initiation distance-at both individual and population levels-for an urban bird before, during and after the anthropause to examine if birds experienced longer-term changes after a year and a half of lowered human presence. Dark-eyed juncos did not change fear levels during the anthropause, but they became drastically less fearful afterwards. These surprising and counterintuitive findings, made possible by following the behaviour of individuals over time, has led to a novel understanding that fear response can be driven by plasticity, yet not habituation-like processes. The pandemic-caused changes in human activity have shown that there is great complexity in how humans modify a behavioural trait fundamental to urban tolerance in animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor S. Diamant
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ian MacGregor-Fors
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Lahti 00014, Finland
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Pamela J. Yeh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA
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43
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Magierecka A, Cooper B, Sloman KA, Metcalfe NB. Unpredictability of maternal environment shapes offspring behaviour without affecting stress-induced cortisol in an annual vertebrate. Horm Behav 2023; 154:105396. [PMID: 37399780 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Exposure of females to stressful conditions during pregnancy or oogenesis has a profound effect on the phenotype of their offspring. For example, offspring behavioural phenotype may show altered patterns in terms of the consistency of behavioural patterns and their average level of performance. Maternal stress can also affect the development of the stress axis in offspring leading to alterations in their physiological stress response. However, the majority of evidence comes from studies utilising acute stressors or exogenous glucocorticoids, and little is known about the effect of chronic maternal stress, particularly in the context of stress lasting throughout entire reproductive lifespan. To bridge this knowledge gap, we exposed female sticklebacks to stressful and unpredictable environmental conditions throughout the breeding season. We quantified the activity, sheltering and anxiety-like behaviour of offspring from three successive clutches of these females, and calculated Intra-class Correlation Coefficients for these behaviours in siblings and half-siblings. We also exposed offspring to an acute stressor and measured their peak cortisol levels. An unpredictable maternal environment had no modifying effect on inter-clutch acute stress responsivity, but resulted in diversification of offspring behaviour, indicated by an increased between-individual variability within families. This may represent a bet-hedging strategy, whereby females produce offspring differing in behavioural phenotype, to increase the chance that some of these offspring will be better at coping with the anticipated conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Magierecka
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK.
| | - Ben Cooper
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - Katherine A Sloman
- Institute for Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, University of the West of Scotland, Lanarkshire, UK
| | - Neil B Metcalfe
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK
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44
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Serieys LE, Bishop JM, Rogan MS, Smith JA, Suraci JP, O’Riain MJ, Wilmers CC. Anthropogenic activities and age class mediate carnivore habitat selection in a human-dominated landscape. iScience 2023; 26:107050. [PMID: 37534145 PMCID: PMC10391726 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human activities increasingly challenge wild animal populations by disrupting ecological connectivity and population persistence. Yet, human-modified habitats can provide resources, resulting in selection of disturbed areas by generalist species. To investigate spatial and temporal responses of a generalist carnivore to human disturbance, we investigated habitat selection and diel activity patterns in caracals (Caracal caracal). We GPS-collared 25 adults and subadults in urban and wildland-dominated subregions in Cape Town, South Africa. Selection responses for landscape variables were dependent on subregion, animal age class, and diel period. Contrary to expectations, caracals did not become more nocturnal in urban areas. Caracals increased their selection for proximity to urban areas as the proportion of urban area increased. Differences in habitat selection between urban and wildland caracals suggest that individuals of this generalist species exhibit high behavioral flexibility in response to anthropogenic disturbances that emerge as a function of habitat context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel E.K. Serieys
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Panthera, New York, NY 10018, USA
- Cape Leopard Trust, Cape Town 7966, South Africa
| | - Jacqueline M. Bishop
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Matthew S. Rogan
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
- Natural State, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Justine A. Smith
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Justin P. Suraci
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Conservation Science Partners, Inc. Truckee, CA 96161, USA
| | - M. Justin O’Riain
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7701, South Africa
| | - Christopher C. Wilmers
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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45
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Headland T, Colombelli-Négrel D, Callaghan CT, Sumasgutner SC, Kleindorfer S, Sumasgutner P. Smaller Australian raptors have greater urban tolerance. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11559. [PMID: 37463922 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38493-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanisation is occurring around the world at a rapid rate and is generally associated with negative impacts on biodiversity at local, regional, and global scales. Examining the behavioural response profiles of wildlife to urbanisation helps differentiate between species that do or do not show adaptive responses to changing landscapes and hence are more or less likely to persist in such environments. Species-specific responses to urbanisation are poorly understood in the Southern Hemisphere compared to the Northern Hemisphere, where most of the published literature is focussed. This is also true for raptors, despite their high diversity and comparably high conservation concern in the Southern Hemisphere, and their critical role within ecosystems as bioindicators of environmental health. Here, we explore this knowledge gap using community science data sourced from eBird to investigate the urban tolerance of 24 Australian raptor species at a continental scale. We integrated eBird data with a global continuous measure of urbanisation, artificial light at night (ALAN), to derive an urban tolerance index, ranking species from positive to negative responses according to their tolerance of urban environments. We then gathered trait data from the published literature to assess whether certain traits (body mass, nest substrate, habitat type, feeding guild, and migratory status) were associated with urban tolerance. Body size was negatively associated with urban tolerance, as smaller raptors had greater urban tolerance than larger raptors. Out of the 24 species analysed, 13 species showed tolerance profiles for urban environments (positive response), and 11 species showed avoidance profiles for urban environments (negative response). The results of this study provide impetus to conserve native habitat and improve urban conditions for larger-bodied raptor species to conserve Australian raptor diversity in an increasingly urbanised world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Headland
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia
| | | | - Corey T Callaghan
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Davie, FL, 33314-7719, USA
| | - Shane C Sumasgutner
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center (KLF), Core Facility for Behavior and Cognition, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau/Almtal, Austria
| | - Sonia Kleindorfer
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center (KLF), Core Facility for Behavior and Cognition, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau/Almtal, Austria
| | - Petra Sumasgutner
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center (KLF), Core Facility for Behavior and Cognition, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau/Almtal, Austria.
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46
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Fradin G, Chamaillé‐Jammes S. Hogs sleep like logs: Wild boars reduce the risk of anthropic disturbance by adjusting where they rest. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10336. [PMID: 37492460 PMCID: PMC10363780 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Many animals living in anthropized landscapes try to avoid encountering people by being active at night. By doing so, however, they risk being disturbed while at rest during the day. To mitigate this risk, diurnally resting species may be highly selective about where they rest. Here, we used GPS and activity sensors to study how wild boars (Sus scrofa) might adjust their resting site selection and revisitation patterns to the risk of disturbance by people. We evaluated the probability of daytime relocation to assess the efficacy of wild boars' resting strategy in reducing the risk of human encounter while at rest. We attempted to identify the cause of some relocations using audio recordings. Generally, we found that wild boars did not specifically avoid resting near villages or roads, that is, where the risk of encountering people is higher, if they could find sites with suitable vegetation cover. The risk of disturbance by people was low, even near villages. Resting sites located close to villages were visited more repeatedly than those located further away, suggesting that focusing on a few familiar and quiet resting sites was a successful strategy for resting undisturbed in an anthropized landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustave Fradin
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRDMontpellierFrance
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47
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Chen S, Liu Y, Patrick SC, Goodale E, Safran RJ, Pagani‐Núñez E. A multidimensional framework to quantify the effects of urbanization on avian breeding fitness. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10259. [PMID: 37404704 PMCID: PMC10316489 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10259] [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: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanization has dramatically altered Earth's landscapes and changed a multitude of environmental factors. This has resulted in intense land-use change, and adverse consequences such as the urban heat island effect (UHI), noise pollution, and artificial light at night (ALAN). However, there is a lack of research on the combined effects of these environmental factors on life-history traits and fitness, and on how these interactions shape food resources and drive patterns of species persistence. Here, we systematically reviewed the literature and created a comprehensive framework of the mechanistic pathways by which urbanization affects fitness and thus favors certain species. We found that urbanization-induced changes in urban vegetation, habitat quality, spring temperature, resource availability, acoustic environment, nighttime light, and species behaviors (e.g., laying, foraging, and communicating) influence breeding choices, optimal time windows that reduce phenological mismatch, and breeding success. Insectivorous and omnivorous species that are especially sensitive to temperature often experience advanced laying behaviors and smaller clutch sizes in urban areas. By contrast, some granivorous and omnivorous species experience little difference in clutch size and number of fledglings because urban areas make it easier to access anthropogenic food resources and to avoid predation. Furthermore, the interactive effect of land-use change and UHI on species could be synergistic in locations where habitat loss and fragmentation are greatest and when extreme-hot weather events take place in urban areas. However, in some instances, UHI may mitigate the impact of land-use changes at local scales and provide suitable breeding conditions by shifting the environment to be more favorable for species' thermal limits and by extending the time window in which food resources are available in urban areas. As a result, we determined five broad directions for further research to highlight that urbanization provides a great opportunity to study environmental filtering processes and population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sihao Chen
- Department of Health and Environmental SciencesXi'an Jiaotong‐Liverpool UniversitySuzhouChina
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, School of Environmental SciencesUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Yu Liu
- Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Ministry of Education, College of Life SciencesBeijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Samantha C. Patrick
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, School of Environmental SciencesUniversity of LiverpoolLiverpoolUK
| | - Eben Goodale
- Department of Health and Environmental SciencesXi'an Jiaotong‐Liverpool UniversitySuzhouChina
| | - Rebecca J. Safran
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ColoradoBoulderColoradoUSA
| | - Emilio Pagani‐Núñez
- Department of Health and Environmental SciencesXi'an Jiaotong‐Liverpool UniversitySuzhouChina
- School of Applied SciencesEdinburgh Napier UniversityEdinburghUK
- Centre for Conservation and Restoration ScienceEdinburgh Napier UniversityEdinburghUK
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48
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Feist F, Graham P. An ethogram identifies behavioural markers of attention to humans in European herring gulls (Larus argentatus). Biol Open 2023; 12:bio060016. [PMID: 37309817 PMCID: PMC10281265 DOI: 10.1242/bio.060016] [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: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Herring gulls (Larus argentatus) are one of few species thriving in anthropogenic landscapes. Their history of urbanisation and familiarity with people makes them a good target for studies of human-wildlife interactions. Previous research highlights a connection between food-stealing behaviour, success in anthropogenic areas, and increased attention towards humans, raising questions about the exact extent of a gull's knowledge of human food cues. To explore these, behavioural responses to human cues in a food-related context were investigated and presented in a systematic ethogram, which identified three distinct markers of attention. Head turns, approaches, and angular body position all differed significantly between control and food conditions, showing that attention towards humans in a food-related context was upregulated and reflected in behaviour. In food condition trials, head turns occurred more often and gulls faced more towards the experimenter with occasional approaches that were never seen in control conditions. Acoustic and behavioural human food-like cues alone seemed insufficient to elicit these responses, indicating that gulls specifically paid attention to the details of human behaviour or had specific knowledge of anthropogenic food items. These results show situation-dependent attentional modulation in gulls and provide a description of attentive behaviours that can be used in further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Feist
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 9QG, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Graham
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 9QG, United Kingdom
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49
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Praill LC, Eppley TM, Shanee S, Cunneyworth PMK, Abra FD, Allgas N, Al-Razi H, Campera M, Cheyne SM, Collinson W, Donati G, Linden B, Manson S, Maria M, Morcatty TQ, Nekaris KAI, Oklander LI, Nijman V, Svensson MS. Road Infrastructure and Primate Conservation: Introducing the Global Primate Roadkill Database. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13101692. [PMID: 37238122 DOI: 10.3390/ani13101692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
As road infrastructure networks rapidly expand globally, especially in the tropics, previously continuous habitats are being fragmented, resulting in more frequent wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC). Primates are widespread throughout many sub-/tropical countries, and as their habitats are fragmented, they are increasingly at risk of WVC. We created the Global Primate Roadkill Database (GPRD), the largest available standardized database of primate roadkill incidents. We obtained data from published papers, un-published and citizen science databases, anecdotal reports, news reports, and social media posts. Here, we describe the collection methods for the GPRD and present the most up-to-date version of the database in full. For each primate roadkill incident, we recorded the species killed, the exact location, and the year and month the roadkill was observed. At the time of publication, the GPRD includes 2862 individual primate roadkill records from 41 countries. As primates range in more than twice as many countries, the absence of data from these countries is not necessarily indicative of a lack of primate vehicular collisions. Given the value of these data for addressing both local and global research questions, we encourage conservationists and citizen scientists to contribute to the GPRD so that, together, we can better understand the impact road infrastructure has on primates and evaluate measures which may help mitigate risk-prone areas or species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura C Praill
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
- Pandrillus Cameroon, Limbe Wildlife Centre, Limbe P.O. Box 878, Cameroon
| | - Timothy M Eppley
- Wildlife Madagascar, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
- Department of Anthropology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201, USA
- Conservation Science and Wildlife Health, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
| | - Sam Shanee
- Asociación Neotropical Primate Conservation Perú, Moyobamba 22001, Peru
- Neotropical Primate Conservation, Cornwall PL11 3JQ, UK
| | | | - Fernanda D Abra
- Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute-Center for Conservation and Sustainability, Washington, DC 20560, USA
- ViaFAUNA Estudos Ambientais, São Paulo 04125-120, SP, Brazil
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia 12945-010, SP, Brazil
| | - Néstor Allgas
- Asociación Neotropical Primate Conservation Perú, Moyobamba 22001, Peru
| | - Hassan Al-Razi
- Bangladesh Slow Loris Research and Conservation Project, 531/2, Shahidbagh, Dhaka 1217, Bangladesh
| | - Marco Campera
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Susan M Cheyne
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Wendy Collinson
- Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
- The Endangered Wildlife Trust, Wierda Park 0149, South Africa
| | - Giuseppe Donati
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Birthe Linden
- Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
- Lajuma Research Centre, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Sophie Manson
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
- Little Fireface Project, Chipaganti, Cisurupan, Garut 44163, Indonesia
| | - Marjan Maria
- Bangladesh Slow Loris Research and Conservation Project, 531/2, Shahidbagh, Dhaka 1217, Bangladesh
| | - Thais Q Morcatty
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - K A I Nekaris
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
- Little Fireface Project, Chipaganti, Cisurupan, Garut 44163, Indonesia
| | - Luciana I Oklander
- Grupo de Investigación en Genética Aplicada, UNAM-CONICET, Posadas N3304, Argentina
- Neotropical Primate Conservation Argentina, Puerto Iguazú N3370, Argentina
| | - Vincent Nijman
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
| | - Magdalena S Svensson
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
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50
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Templeton CN, O’Connor A, Strack S, Meraz F, Herranen K. Traffic noise inhibits inhibitory control in wild-caught songbirds. iScience 2023; 26:106650. [PMID: 37168571 PMCID: PMC10165181 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106650] [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: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is ubiquitous across environments and can have negative effects on animals, ranging from physiology to community structure. Recent work with captive-bred zebra finches demonstrated that traffic noise also affects cognitive performance. We examined whether these results extend to animals that have experienced noise in the wild. We collected black-capped chickadees from areas frequently exposed to road traffic noise and tested them on a detour reaching task, a commonly used measure of inhibitory control. Those chickadees exposed to traffic noise playback had much lower performance on the task than control birds, indicating that noise negatively impacts inhibitory control. These data corroborate previous findings in lab-reared zebra finches. Furthermore, these results suggest that prior experience with traffic noise is not sufficient for animals to habituate to noise and overcome its negative effects on cognitive performance. Instead, noise-induced cognitive effects might have broad impacts on animal species living in noise-polluted habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amber O’Connor
- Department of Biology, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR 97116, USA
| | - Sarah Strack
- Department of Biology, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR 97116, USA
| | - Franco Meraz
- Department of Biology, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR 97116, USA
| | - Katri Herranen
- Department of Biology, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR 97116, USA
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