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Cove MV, Herrmann V, Herrera DJ, Augustine BC, Flockhart DTT, McShea WJ. Counting the Capital's cats: Estimating drivers of abundance of free-roaming cats with a novel hierarchical model. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2790. [PMID: 36482050 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2790] [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: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Free-roaming cats are a conservation concern in many areas but identifying their impacts and developing mitigation strategies requires a robust understanding of their distribution and density patterns. Urban and residential areas may be especially relevant in this process because free-roaming cats are abundant in these anthropogenic landscapes. Here, we estimate the occupancy and density of free-roaming cats in Washington D.C. and relate these metrics to known landscape and social factors. We conducted an extended camera trap survey of public and private spaces across D.C. and analyzed data collected from 1483 camera deployments from 2018 to 2020. We estimated citywide cat distribution by fitting hierarchical occupancy models and further estimated cat abundance using a novel random thinning spatial capture-recapture model that allows for the use of photos that can and cannot be identified to individual. Within this model, we utilized individual covariates that provided identity exclusions between photos of unidentifiable cats with inconsistent coat patterns, thus increasing the precision of abundance estimates. This combined model also allowed for unbiased estimation of density when animals cannot be identified to individual at the same rate as for free-roaming cats whose identifiability depended on their coat characteristics. Cat occupancy and abundance declined with increasing distance from residential areas, an effect that was more pronounced in wealthier neighborhoods. There was noteworthy absence of cats detected in larger public spaces and forests. Realized densities ranged from 0.02 to 1.75 cats/ha in sampled areas, resulting in a district-wide estimate of ~7296 free-roaming cats. Ninety percent of cat detections lacked collars and nearly 35% of known individuals were ear-tipped, indicative of district Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs. These results suggest that we mainly sampled and estimated the unowned cat subpopulation, such that indoor/outdoor housecats were not well represented. The precise estimation of cat population densities is difficult due to the varied behavior of subpopulations within free-roaming cat populations (housecats, stray and feral cats), but our methods provide a first step in establishing citywide baselines to inform data-driven management plans for free-roaming cats in urban environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael V Cove
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, Virginia, USA
| | | | - Daniel J Herrera
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, College of Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
| | - Ben C Augustine
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - D T Tyler Flockhart
- Appalachian Laboratory - University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Frostburg, Maryland, USA
| | - William J McShea
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, Virginia, USA
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Herrera DJ, Cove MV, McShea WJ, Decker S, Flockhart DTT, Moore SM, Gallo T. Spatial and temporal overlap of domestic cats (Felis catus) and native urban wildlife. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1048585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Free-roaming domestic cats (Felis catus) are known to pose threats to ecosystem health via transmission of zoonotic diseases and predation of native wildlife. Likewise, free-roaming cats are also susceptible to predation or disease transmission from native wildlife. Physical interactions are required for many of these risks to be manifested, necessitating spatial and temporal overlap between cats and wildlife species. Therefore, knowledge of the location and extent of shared habitat and activity periods would benefit management programs. We used data from a 3-year camera trap survey to model species-specific occupancy and identify landscape variables that contribute to the distribution of free-roaming domestic cats and eight native mammal species in Washington, DC. (USA). Our analysis includes five species that are common prey items of domestic cats, and three species that are potential disease vectors or are otherwise known to be a risk to cats. We then predicted the probability of occupancy and estimated the probability of spatial overlap between cats and each native wildlife species at multiple scales. We also used kernel density estimations to calculate temporal overlap between cats and each native wildlife species. Across spatial scales, occupancy for potential disease vector species was generally positively correlated with canopy cover and open water. Prey species were also generally positively correlated with canopy cover, but displayed negative associations with human population density and inconsistent associations with average per capita income. Domestic cat occupancy was negatively correlated with natural habitat characteristics and positively correlated with human population density. Predicted spatial overlap between domestic cats and native wildlife was greatest for potential disease vector species. Temporal overlap was high (>0.50) between cats and all but two native wildlife species, indicating that temporal overlap is probable wherever species overlap spatially. Our findings indicate that the risk to and from domestic cats varies across urban landscapes, but primarily arises from human activities. As such, humans are implicated in the negative outcomes that result from cats interacting with wildlife. Data-driven management to reduce such interactions can aid in cat population management, biodiversity conservation, and public health campaigns.
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Herrera D, Dixon, Cove M. Long-term monitoring reveals the value of continuous trapping to curtail the effects of free-roaming cats in protected island habitats. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Stable isotopes point to anthropogenic subsidies in northern raccoons at the urban-wild interface. FOOD WEBS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Herrera DJ, Moore SM, Flockhart DTT, McShea WJ, Cove MV. Thinking outside the park: recommendations for camera trapping mammal communities in the urban matrix. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juaa036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Urbanization is increasing globally, fragmenting habitats and prompting human–wildlife conflict. Urban wildlife research is concurrently expanding, but sampling methods are often biased towards large and intact habitats in public green spaces, neglecting the far more abundant, but degraded, habitats in the urban matrix. Here, we introduce the Five P’s of Urban Ecology—Partnerships, Planning, Placements, Public participation and Processing—as a path to overcoming the logistical barriers often associated with camera-trapping in the urban matrix. Though the Five P’s can be applied to a variety of urban sampling methods, we showcase the camera-trapping efforts of the DC Cat Count project in Washington, DC, as a case study. We compared occupancy models for eight urban mammal species using broad categorizations of land cover and local land use to determine drivers of mammal occurrence within the urban matrix as compared with urban habitat patches. Many native species maintained a strong association with large, semi-natural green spaces, but occupancy was not limited to these locations, and in some cases, the use of private yards and the built environment were not notably different. Furthermore, some species exhibited higher occupancy probabilities in developed areas over green spaces. Though seemingly intuitive, we offer advice on how to greatly reduce habitat-biased sampling methods in urban wildlife research and illustrate the importance of doing so to ensure accurate results that support the formation of effective urban planning and policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Herrera
- Humane Rescue Alliance, 71 Oglethorpe Street NW, Washington, DC 20011, USA
| | - Sophie M Moore
- Humane Rescue Alliance, 71 Oglethorpe Street NW, Washington, DC 20011, USA
| | - D T Tyler Flockhart
- Appalachian Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 301 Braddock Rd, Frostburg, MD 21532, USA
| | - William J McShea
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
| | - Michael V Cove
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, 11 W Jones Street, Raleigh, NC, 27601, USA
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Taillie PJ, Jolly SR, Bobay LR, Sneckenberger S, McCleery RA. Habitat use across multiple scales suggests resilience to rising seas for endangered island endemic compared to sympatric invasive species. Anim Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12637] [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)
- P. J. Taillie
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - S. R. Jolly
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - L. R. Bobay
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - S. Sneckenberger
- South Florida Ecological Services Office United States Fish & Wildlife Service Vero Beach FL USA
| | - R. A. McCleery
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Gainesville FL USA
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Hale R, Blumstein DT, Mac Nally R, Swearer SE. Harnessing knowledge of animal behavior to improve habitat restoration outcomes. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Robin Hale
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles California USA
| | - Ralph Mac Nally
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria 3010 Australia
| | - Stephen E. Swearer
- School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria 3010 Australia
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Kays R, Dunn RR, Parsons AW, Mcdonald B, Perkins T, Powers SA, Shell L, McDonald JL, Cole H, Kikillus H, Woods L, Tindle H, Roetman P. The small home ranges and large local ecological impacts of pet cats. Anim Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Kays
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh NC USA
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh NC USA
| | - R. R. Dunn
- Department of Applied Ecology North Carolina State University Raleigh NC USA
| | - A. W. Parsons
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh NC USA
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh NC USA
| | - B. Mcdonald
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Raleigh NC USA
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh NC USA
| | - T. Perkins
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Hanover NH USA
| | - S. A. Powers
- Brody School of Medicine East Carolina University Greenville NC USA
| | | | - J. L. McDonald
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation College of Life and Environmental, Sciences University of Exeter Cornwall Campus Penryn UK
| | - H. Cole
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation College of Life and Environmental, Sciences University of Exeter Cornwall Campus Penryn UK
| | - H. Kikillus
- Victoria University of Wellington Wellington New Zealand
| | - L. Woods
- Victoria University of Wellington Wellington New Zealand
| | - H. Tindle
- University of South Australia School of Natural and Built Environments Adelaide Australia
| | - P. Roetman
- University of South Australia School of Natural and Built Environments Adelaide Australia
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Lamothe KA, Dextrase AJ, Drake DAR. Aggregation of two imperfectly detected imperilled freshwater fishes: understanding community structure and co-occurrence for multispecies conservation. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2019. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Ramírez-Cruz GA, Solano-Zavaleta I, Mendoza-Hernández PE, Méndez-Janovitz M, Suárez-Rodríguez M, Zúñiga-Vega JJ. This town ain't big enough for both of us…or is it? Spatial co-occurrence between exotic and native species in an urban reserve. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0211050. [PMID: 30657793 PMCID: PMC6338412 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Exotic species pose a threat to most ecosystems because of their potential to establish negative interactions with native biota. However, exotic species can also offer resources to native species, especially within highly modified environments such as urban ecosystems. We studied 17 exotic-native pairs of species with the potential to compete with one another, or in which one of the species could offer resources to the other, in an urban ecological reserve located within Mexico City. We used two-species occupancy models to analyze the potential association between the presence of the exotic species and the spatial distribution of the native species, as well as to assess if these species tend to avoid each other (negative spatial interaction) or to co-occur more often than expected under the hypothesis of independent occurrences (positive spatial interaction). Our results revealed few cases in which the exotic species influenced occupancy of the native species, and these spatial interactions were mainly positive, indicated by the fact that the occupancy of the native species was usually higher when the exotic species was also present. Seven of the eight observed non-independent patterns of co-occurrence were evident during the dry months of the year, when resources become scarce for most species. Our results also demonstrate that the observed patterns of species co-occurrence depend on the distance to the nearest urban structure and the amount of herb, shrub, and tree cover, indicating that these habitat features influence whether native species avoid or co-occur with exotic species. Our study represents an important contribution to the understanding of temporal dynamics in the co-occurrence between exotic and native species within urban ecological reserves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo A. Ramírez-Cruz
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Israel Solano-Zavaleta
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Pedro E. Mendoza-Hernández
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Marcela Méndez-Janovitz
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Monserrat Suárez-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - J. Jaime Zúñiga-Vega
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, Mexico
- * E-mail:
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