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Maestresalas B, Piquet JC, López-Darias M. Spatial ecology to strengthen invasive snake management on islands. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6731. [PMID: 37185934 PMCID: PMC10130030 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-32483-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Knowledge on the spatial ecology of invasive predators positively contributes to optimizing their management, especially when involving cryptic and secretive species, such as snakes. However, this information is lacking for most invasive snakes, particularly on islands, where they are known to cause severe ecological and socio-economic impacts. This research is focused on assessing the spatial ecology of the California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) on Gran Canaria to strengthen management actions. We monitored 15 radio-tagged individuals once per day on 9-11 days per month from July 2020 to June 2021 to calculate the species' home range and describe annual activity patterns in the invaded range. To account for the species' diel activity during the emergence period, we additionally monitored snakes from January to May 2021 during three consecutive days per month in four different time intervals each day. We detected movement (consecutive detections at least 6 m apart) in 31.68% of the 1146 detections during the whole monitoring period. Movements most frequently detected were shorter than 100 m (82.24%), and among them the range 0-20 m was the most recurrent (27.03%). The mean distance of movement was 62.57 ± 62.62 m in 1-2 days. Average home range was 4.27 ± 5.35 ha-calculated with the Autocorrelated Kernel Density Estimator (AKDE) at 95%-and did not significantly vary with SVL nor sex. We detected an extremely low value of motion variance (0.76 ± 2.62 σ2m) compared to other studies, with a general inactivity period from November to February, January being the less active month of the year. Diel activity was higher during central and evening hours than during early morning and night. Our results should be useful to improve control programs for this invasive snake (e.g., trap placement and visual survey guidance) on Gran Canaria. Our research highlights the importance of gathering spatial information on invasive snakes to enhance control actions, which can contribute to the management of secretive invasive snakes worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Borja Maestresalas
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC), 38206, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Julien C Piquet
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC), 38206, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Marta López-Darias
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC), 38206, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
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Tipton AF, Vázquez-Diosdado JA, DeSantis DL. Scale-dependent effects of roadways on the movement behavior of a large-bodied pit viper (Crotalus horridus). Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1007743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Roadways are among the most widespread and disruptive anthropogenic land use features that influence the behavior and movement of wildlife. Negative impacts of roadways have been well documented, but the behavioral impact of roadways on smaller, cryptic species has yet to be thoroughly examined. Using a novel integration of radio telemetry and tri-axial accelerometry, we evaluated the effects of roadways on the movement behavior of 26 adult Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) at coarse and fine time scales in central Georgia between June 2020 and November 2021. To interpret the effect of roads at a coarse time scale, we modeled the effect of mean annual distance to roadways (DTR) on annual measures of movement and space use by C. horridus using both radio telemetry and accelerometry derived metrics (RT and ACT metrics). To explore the fine-scale impact of roadways, we quantified RT and ACT metrics during confirmed road interactions (i.e., instances when individual snakes crossed a road or encountered a road but did not cross) and compared these instances to the RT and ACT metrics calculated across the remainder of the active season within this subset of snakes. Relating the annual RT and ACT metrics to DTR revealed no significant associations at a coarse time scale. However, the evaluation of C. horridus movement behavior during punctuated road encounters revealed that snakes increased RT and ACT metrics during the road interactions compared to metrics calculated across the remainder of the active season. This might indicate that the abundance of contiguous habitat adjacent to roadways at our study site is serving as an adequate buffer to any long-term shifts in movement behavior, but the potential hidden cost of increasing movement when snakes encounter roads could have negative implications for populations that encounter roads more frequently, even in the absence of significant direct road mortality. Overall, integrating radio telemetry and accelerometry and adopting a scale-dependent approach to quantifying movement allowed for a more detailed evaluation of the response of C. horridus to roadways. This approach holds promise for detecting and interpreting previously overlooked short-term alterations in snake movement behavior with potentially significant fitness consequences.
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Snake life history traits and their association with urban habitat use in a tropical city. Urban Ecosyst 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-023-01327-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
AbstractUrbanisation changes landscapes, often simplifying and homogenising natural ecosystems while introducing novel environments. Although this transformation often adversely impacts native wildlife, generalist species that exhibit broad dietary and habitat requirements can persist and take advantage of urban environments. To understand which life history traits most influence the occurrence of a diverse snake assemblage in an urban environment, we leveraged a dataset of 5102 detection records for 12 snake species in the tropical city of Darwin, Australia. By building ecological niche models, calculating urban niche hypervolume, and compiling life history data, we analysed the diversity of environments occupied by each species and determined which landscape components were most associated with occurrence data. In keeping with our hypothesis that generalist species would be more successful, we found that species with broader habitat and dietary preferences, as well as a penchant for arboreality, were associated with larger urban niche hypervolumes and more frequent human–snake interactions. Additionally, we found that colubrid snakes had significantly larger urban niche hypervolumes than elapid species. These findings contribute to understanding how life history traits aid wildlife persistence in, and adaptation to, urban ecosystems, and have implications for landscape design and conservation management.
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Hodges CW, Marshall BM, Hill JG, Strine CT. Malayan kraits (Bungarus candidus) show affinity to anthropogenic structures in a human dominated landscape. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7139. [PMID: 35504946 PMCID: PMC9065047 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11255-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal movement can impact human–wildlife conflict by influencing encounter and detection rates. We assess the movement and space use of the highly venomous and medically important Malayan krait (Bungarus candidus) on a suburban university campus. We radio-tracked 14 kraits for an average of 114 days (min: 19, max: 218), during which we located individuals an average of 106 times (min: 21, max: 229) each. Most individuals displayed some level of attraction to buildings (n = 10) and natural areas (n = 12); we identified a similar unambiguous pattern of attraction to buildings and natural areas at the population level (of our sample). Snakes remained in shelter sites for long durations (max: 94 days) and revisited sites on average every 15.45 days. Over 50% of locations were within human settlements and 37.1% were associated with buildings. We found generally seasonal patterns of activity, with higher activity in wet seasons, and lower activity in the hot season. These results show frequent proximity between Malayan kraits and humans at the university; thereby, suggesting a near constant potential for human-wildlife conflict. Despite the fact that no snakebites from this species occurred at the university during our study period, substantial education and awareness training should be considered to ensure continued coexistence on campus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron Wesley Hodges
- School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Muang Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand.
| | - Benjamin Michael Marshall
- School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Muang Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand.,Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Jacques George Hill
- Science and Math Division, Northwest Arkansas Community College, Bentonville, AR, 72703, USA
| | - Colin Thomas Strine
- School of Biology, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Muang Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand. .,Department of Natural Science, Dickinson State University, North Dakota, 58601, USA.
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Piquet JC, López-Darias M. Invasive snake causes massive reduction of all endemic herpetofauna on Gran Canaria. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211939. [PMID: 34875190 PMCID: PMC8651408 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Invasive snakes represent a serious threat to island biodiversity, being responsible for far-reaching impacts that are noticeably understudied, particularly regarding native reptiles. We analysed the impact of the invasive California kingsnake, Lampropeltis californiae-recently introduced in the Canary Islands-on the abundance of all endemic herpetofauna of the island of Gran Canaria. We quantified the density in invaded and uninvaded sites for the Gran Canaria giant lizard, Gallotia stehlini, the Gran Canaria skink, Chalcides sexlineatus, and Boettger's wall gecko, Tarentola boettgeri. We used spatially explicit capture-recapture and distance-sampling methods for G. stehlini and active searches under rocks for the abundance of the other two reptiles. The abundance of all species was lower in invaded sites, with a reduction in the number of individuals greater than 90% for G. stehlini, greater than 80% for C. sexlineatus and greater than 50% for T. boettgeri in invaded sites. Our results illustrate the severe impact of L. californiae on the endemic herpetofauna of Gran Canaria and highlight the need for strengthened measures to manage this invasion. We also provide further evidence of the negative consequences of invasive snakes on island reptiles and emphasize the need for further research on this matter on islands worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien C. Piquet
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Marta López-Darias
- Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA-CSIC), 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
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Delaney KS, Busteed G, Fisher RN, Riley SPD. Reptile and Amphibian Diversity and Abundance in an Urban Landscape: Impacts of Fragmentation and the Conservation Value of Small Patches. ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1643/h2019261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen Semple Delaney
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, 401 W. Hillcrest Dr., Thousand Oaks, California 91360; (KSD) . Send reprint requests to KSD
| | - Gary Busteed
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, 401 W. Hillcrest Dr., Thousand Oaks, California 91360; (KSD) . Send reprint requests to KSD
| | - Robert N. Fisher
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center–San Diego Field Station, 4165 Spruance Road, Suite 200, San Diego, California 92101
| | - Seth P. D. Riley
- Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, 401 W. Hillcrest Dr., Thousand Oaks, California 91360; (KSD) . Send reprint requests to KSD
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Marshall BM, Crane M, Silva I, Strine CT, Jones MD, Hodges CW, Suwanwaree P, Artchawakom T, Waengsothorn S, Goode M. No room to roam: King Cobras reduce movement in agriculture. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:33. [PMID: 32774861 PMCID: PMC7397683 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-00219-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studying animal movement provides insights into how animals react to land-use changes. As agriculture expands, we can use animal movement to examine how animals change their behaviour in response. Recent reviews show a tendency for mammalian species to reduce movements in response to increased human landscape modification, but reptile movements have not been as extensively studied. METHODS We examined movements of a large reptilian predator, the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), in Northeast Thailand. We used a consistent regime of radio telemetry tracking to document movements across protected forest and adjacent agricultural areas. Using dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Model derived motion variance, Integrated Step-Selection Functions, and metrics of site reuse, we examined how King Cobra movements changed in agricultural areas. RESULTS Motion variance values indicated that King Cobra movements increased in forested areas and tended to decrease in agricultural areas. Our Integrated Step-Selection Functions revealed that when moving in agricultural areas King Cobras restricted their movements to remain within vegetated semi-natural areas, often located along the banks of irrigation canals. Site reuse metrics of residency time and number of revisits appeared unaffected by distance to landscape features (forests, semi-natural areas, settlements, water bodies, and roads). Neither motion variance nor reuse metrics were consistently affected by the presence of threatening landscape features (e.g. roads, human settlements), suggesting that King Cobras will remain in close proximity to threats, provided habitat patches are available. CONCLUSIONS Although King Cobras displayed individual heterogeneity in their response to agricultural landscapes, the overall trend suggested reduced movements when faced with fragmented habitat patches embedded in an otherwise inhospitable land-use matrix. Movement reductions are consistent with findings for mammals and forest specialist species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matt Crane
- King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Inês Silva
- King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Matt Goode
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ USA
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Ashman KR, Page NR, Whisson DA. Ranging Behavior of an Arboreal Marsupial in a Plantation Landscape. J Wildl Manage 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kita R. Ashman
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin University, Centre for Integrative Ecology 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood VIC 3125 Australia
| | - Nina R. Page
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin University, Centre for Integrative Ecology 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood VIC 3125 Australia
| | - Desley A. Whisson
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin University, Centre for Integrative Ecology 221 Burwood Hwy, Burwood VIC 3125 Australia
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O’Donnell K, delBarco-Trillo J. Changes in the home range sizes of terrestrial vertebrates in response to urban disturbance: a meta-analysis. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juaa014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The unprecedented growth rate in human population and the increasing movement of people to urban areas is causing a rapid increase in urbanisation globally. Urban environments may restrict or affect the behaviour of many animal species. Importantly, urban populations may change their spatial movement, particularly decreasing their home ranges in response to habitat fragmentation, the presence of landscape barriers and the availability and density of resources. Several species-specific studies suggest that urban animals decrease their home ranges compared with their non-urban counterparts; however, it remained unclear whether this pattern is widespread across taxa or is instead restricted to specific taxonomic groups. Consequently, we conducted a meta-analysis, collecting 41 sets of data comparing home ranges in both natural and urban environments in 32 species of reptiles, birds and mammals. We calculated effect sizes as the difference in animal home range sizes between natural and urban environments. We found that the home ranges were smaller in urban environments compared with natural environments (mean effect size = −0.844), and we observed a similar result when considering birds and mammals separately. We also found that home range sizes were not significantly affected when disturbance in urban areas was minimal, which suggests that many species may be able to tolerate low levels of disturbance without changing their movement patterns. Our study thus indicates that increasing levels of urbanisation restrict the spatial movement of species across taxa; this information is relevant for ecological studies of further urban species as well as for the development of management strategies for urban populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate O’Donnell
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
| | - Javier delBarco-Trillo
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 TK30, Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, Lee Road, Cork T23 XE10, Ireland
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Bauder JM, Breininger DR, Bolt MR, Legare ML, Jenkins CL, Rothermel BB, McGarigal K. Movement barriers, habitat heterogeneity or both? Testing hypothesized effects of landscape features on home range sizes in eastern indigo snakes. J Zool (1987) 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. M. Bauder
- Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA
| | - D. R. Breininger
- NASA Ecological Programs Integrated Mission Support Services Kennedy Space Center FL USA
| | - M. R. Bolt
- NASA Ecological Programs Integrated Mission Support Services Kennedy Space Center FL USA
| | - M. L. Legare
- Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Titusville FL USA
| | | | | | - K. McGarigal
- Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA
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Godley JS, Halstead BJ, McDiarmid RW. Ecology of the Eastern Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula) at Rainey Slough, Florida: A Vanished Eden. HERPETOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS 2017. [DOI: 10.1655/herpmonographs-d-16-00006.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian J. Halstead
- US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA 95620, USA
| | - Roy W. McDiarmid
- US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Smithsonian Institution, MRC 111, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013, USA
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Bauder JM, Breininger DR, Bolt MR, Legare ML, Jenkins CL, Rothermel BB, McGarigal K. The Influence of Sex and Season on Conspecific Spatial Overlap in a Large, Actively-Foraging Colubrid Snake. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0160033. [PMID: 27490346 PMCID: PMC4973959 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the factors influencing the degree of spatial overlap among conspecifics is important for understanding multiple ecological processes. Compared to terrestrial carnivores, relatively little is known about the factors influencing conspecific spatial overlap in snakes, although across snake taxa there appears to be substantial variation in conspecific spatial overlap. In this study, we described conspecific spatial overlap of eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon couperi) in peninsular Florida and examined how conspecific spatial overlap varied by sex and season (breeding season vs. non-breeding season). We calculated multiple indices of spatial overlap using 6- and 3-month utilization distributions (UD) of dyads of simultaneously adjacent telemetered snakes. We also measured conspecific UD density values at each telemetry fix and modeled the distribution of those values as a function of overlap type, sex, and season using generalized Pareto distributions. Home range overlap between males and females was significantly greater than overlap between individuals of the same sex and male home ranges often completely contained female home ranges. Male home ranges overlapped little during both seasons, whereas females had higher levels of overlap during the non-breeding season. The spatial patterns observed in our study are consistent with those seen in many mammalian carnivores, in which low male-male overlap and high inter-sexual overlap provides males with greater access to females. We encourage additional research on the influence of prey availability on conspecific spatial overlap in snakes as well as the behavioral mechanisms responsible for maintaining the low levels of overlap we observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javan M. Bauder
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - David R. Breininger
- NASA Ecological Programs, Integrated Mission Support Services, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, United States of America
| | - M. Rebecca Bolt
- NASA Ecological Programs, Integrated Mission Support Services, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, United States of America
| | - Michael L. Legare
- Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Titusville, Florida, United States of America
| | | | | | - Kevin McGarigal
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States of America
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