1
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Olejarz A, Podgórski T. No evidence for the consistent effect of supplementary feeding on home range size in terrestrial mammals. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232889. [PMID: 38864336 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2889] [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: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Food availability and distribution are key drivers of animal space use. Supplemental food provided by humans can be more abundant and predictable than natural resources. It is thus believed that supplementary feeding modifies the spatial behaviour of wildlife. Yet, such effects have not been tested quantitatively across species. Here, we analysed changes in home range size owing to supplementary feeding in 23 species of terrestrial mammals using a meta-analysis of 28 studies. Additionally, we investigated the moderating effect of factors related to (i) species biology (sex, body mass and taxonomic group), (ii) feeding regimen (duration, amount and purpose), and (iii) methods of data collection and analysis (source of data, estimator and spatial confinement). We found no consistent effect of supplementary feeding on changes in home range size. While an overall tendency of reduced home range was observed, moderators varied in the direction and strength of the trends. Our results suggest that multiple drivers and complex mechanisms of home range behaviour can make it insensitive to manipulation with supplementary feeding. The small number of available studies stands in contrast with the ubiquity and magnitude of supplementary feeding worldwide, highlighting a knowledge gap in our understanding of the effects of supplementary feeding on ranging behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid Olejarz
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
| | - Tomasz Podgórski
- Department of Game Management and Wildlife Biology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, Prague 6-Suchdol, 165 00, Czech Republic
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Stoczek 1, 17-230 Białowieża, Poland
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2
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Duffy PX, Wellian J, Smith RL. Use of Space by black-and-gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in an urban environment in Paraguay. Urban Ecosyst 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-022-01262-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
AbstractAs urbanisation continues to reduce the available habitat for wildlife, some species, including the black-and-gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) in Pilar, southwest Paraguay, are making their homes in anthropogenic environments. Understanding an animal’s home range is an important step to understanding its ecological needs, and an essential requirement for the creation of robust conservation plans. In this study, we determined the home ranges and core areas of five groups of urban dwelling A. caraya using Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) Analysis. We used a Spearman’s Correlation to explore the relationship between home range size and group size. All five groups had home ranges of less than 10 ha and used core areas of less than 1 ha. Group size had no significant relationship to home range size. We provide the first estimates of home range for A. caraya in an urban environment in Paraguay. Though the home ranges of the urban A. caraya in Pilar, Paraguay fall at the smaller end of the spectrum of range sizes in Alouatta, they are not abnormal for a species in this genus.
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3
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Crone EE, Schultz CB. Host plant limitation of butterflies in highly fragmented landscapes. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-021-00527-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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4
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De Angelis D, Huber D, Reljic S, Ciucci P, Kusak J. Factors affecting the home range of Dinaric-Pindos brown bears. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Studying how animals interact with their environment is fundamental to informing conservation and management efforts, especially when examining large, wide-ranging carnivores in human-dominated landscapes. We hypothesized that the home ranges of bears are configured to exploit supplemental food (corn) and avoid people. In 2004–2016, we tracked 10 brown bears from the Dinaric-Pindos population using GPS telemetry, then used Brownian bridge movement models to estimate their home ranges. We related seasonal home range size to circadian period and density of supplemental feeding sites using generalized linear mixed-effect models. We also used ecological-niche factor analysis to study habitat composition within home range core areas in study areas characterized by different levels of human encroachment. We found that home range size was inversely related to density of supplemental feeding sites, and bears had larger home ranges at night (x̅ = 103.3 ± 72.8 km2) than during the day (x̅ = 62.3 ± 16.6 km2). Our results also revealed that bears living in more human-influenced areas concentrated their use far from human settlements and agricultural lands but stayed close to supplemental feeding sites. Our data suggest that bears alter their space-use patterns at the home range level in response to anthropogenic land use and food availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele De Angelis
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Universita` 32, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Djuro Huber
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mickiewicza Av. 33, 31120 Kraków, Poland
| | - Slaven Reljic
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Paolo Ciucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Universita` 32, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Josip Kusak
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
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5
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Chevallier C, Gauthier G, Lai S, Berteaux D. Pulsed food resources affect reproduction but not adult apparent survival in arctic foxes. Oecologia 2020; 193:557-569. [PMID: 32596799 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04696-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
As top or mesopredators, carnivores play a key role in food webs. Their survival and reproduction are usually thought to be influenced by prey availability. However, simultaneous monitoring of prey and predators is difficult, making it challenging to evaluate the impacts of prey on carnivores' demography. Using 13 years of field data on arctic foxes Vulpes lagopus in the Canadian High Arctic and a capture-recapture multi-event statistical approach, we investigated the hypothesis that increases in lemming abundance (a cyclic and unpredictable food source) and goose colony proximity (a stable but spatially and temporally limited food source) would be associated with increased apparent survival and reproduction probabilities of adults. Adult apparent survival varied greatly across years (0.13-1.00) but was neither affected by lemming nor goose variations in abundance. However, reproduction probabilities were strongly influenced by both lemming abundance and access to the goose colony. A fox breeding in the best conditions of food availability (year of high lemming density inside the goose colony) had a reproduction probability four times higher than one experiencing the worst conditions (year of low lemming density outside the goose colony). Breeding status of individuals also played a role, with breeders having a 10-20% higher probability of survival and 30% higher probability of reproduction the following year than non-breeders. As the Arctic ecosystem changes due to increased temperatures and species ranges, this study will allow better predictions of predator responses to management or environmental changes and a better understanding of ecosystem functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Chevallier
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity and Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, G5L3A1, Canada
| | - Gilles Gauthier
- Département de biologie and Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, 1045 avenue de la Médecine, Pavillon Vachon, Quebec City, QC, G1V0A6, Canada
| | - Sandra Lai
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity and Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, G5L3A1, Canada
| | - Dominique Berteaux
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity and Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 300 Allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, QC, G5L3A1, Canada.
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6
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Reeves J, Smith C, Dierenfeld ES, Whitehouse-Tedd K. Captivity-induced metabolic programming in an endangered felid: implications for species conservation. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3630. [PMID: 32107441 PMCID: PMC7046719 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60577-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Reintroduction of captive-bred individuals into the wild is an important conservation activity. However, environmental conditions can influence developmental programming, potentially causing metabolic disorders in adults. These effects are investigated here for the first time in an endangered species. Using body weight and feed intake data for Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) (n = 22), we compared the growth of captive versus wild born and/or reared individuals. Captive-born individuals gained weight as a function of calorie intake, unlike wild-born individuals. When compared with females reared in the wild, captive-reared females achieved a larger body size, without evidence of obesity. Captivity-associated changes to metabolic programming may compromise survival in the wild if an increased body size incurs a greater energy requirement. Large body size may also confer a competitive advantage over smaller, wild-born individuals, disrupting the social organisation of existing wild populations, and inferring long-term implications for the phenotypic composition of wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Reeves
- Iberian Lynx Captive Breeding Centre "El Acebuche", Parque Nacional de Doñana, Matalascañas, 21760, Huelva, Spain
| | - Carl Smith
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Southwell, NG25 0QF, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
- Department of Ecology & Vertebrate Zoology, University of Łódź, 12/16 Banacha Street, 90-237, Łódź, Poland
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, 603 65, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ellen S Dierenfeld
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Southwell, NG25 0QF, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
- Ellen S. Dierenfeld LLC, St. Louis, MO, United States of America
| | - Katherine Whitehouse-Tedd
- School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Southwell, NG25 0QF, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom.
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7
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Thierry A, De Bouillane De Lacoste N, Ulvund K, Andersen R, MeÅs R, Eide NE, Landa A. Use of Supplementary Feeding Dispensers by Arctic Foxes in Norway. J Wildl Manage 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anne‐Mathilde Thierry
- Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA) P.O. Box 5685, Torgard, NO‐7485 Trondheim Norway
| | | | | | - Roy Andersen
- NINA P.O. Box 5685, Torgard, NO‐7485 Trondheim Norway
| | - Roger MeÅs
- NINA P.O. Box 5685, Torgard, NO‐7485 Trondheim Norway
| | - Nina E. Eide
- NINA P.O. Box 5685, Torgard, NO‐7485 Trondheim Norway
| | - Arild Landa
- NINA Thormøhlens gate 55, NO‐5006 Bergen Norway
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8
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Eurasian lynx fitness shows little variation across Scandinavian human-dominated landscapes. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8903. [PMID: 31222101 PMCID: PMC6586631 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45569-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite extensive research on the ecology and behavioural adaptations of large carnivores in human-dominated landscapes, information about the fitness consequences of sharing landscapes is still limited. We assessed the variation in three consecutive components of female fitness: the probability of reproduction, litter size and juvenile survival in relation to environmental and human factors in a solitary carnivore, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), occurring in human-dominated landscapes in Scandinavia. We used demographic data from 57 radio-collared adult females between 1995-2011 (126 radio-years). Overall, the yearly probability of female reproduction was 0.80, mean litter size was 2.34 (range 1-4) and the probability to find a female that reproduced in the spring being accompanied by at least one offspring during the subsequent winter was 0.70. We did not find evidence that food availability was a key factor influencing female fitness. Female lynx may adapt to food availability when establishing their home ranges by adopting an obstinate strategy, ensuring a minimum amount of prey necessary for survival and reproduction even during periods of prey scarcity. In human-dominated landscapes, where sufficient prey are available for lynx, mortality risk may have a larger influence on lynx population dynamics compared to food availability. Our results suggest that lynx population dynamics in human-dominated landscapes may be mainly driven by human impacts on survival.
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9
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Becker DJ, Snedden CE, Altizer S, Hall RJ. Host Dispersal Responses to Resource Supplementation Determine Pathogen Spread in Wildlife Metapopulations. Am Nat 2018; 192:503-517. [PMID: 30205031 DOI: 10.1086/699477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Many wildlife species occupy landscapes that vary in the distribution, abundance, and quality of food resources. Increasingly, urbanized and agricultural habitats provide supplemental food resources that can have profound consequences for host distributions, movement patterns, and pathogen exposure. Understanding how host and pathogen dispersal across landscapes is affected by the spatial extent of food-supplemented habitats is therefore important for predicting the consequences for pathogen spread and impacts on host occupancy. Here we develop a generalizable metapopulation model to understand how the relative abundance of provisioned habitats across the landscape and how the host dispersal responses to provisioning and infection influence patch occupancy by hosts and their pathogens. We find that pathogen invasion and landscape-level infection prevalence are greatest when provisioning increases patch attractiveness and disperser production and when infection has minimal costs on dispersal success. Alternatively, if provisioning promotes site fidelity or reduces disperser production, increasing the fraction of food-supplemented habitats can reduce landscape-scale infection prevalence and minimize disease-induced declines in host occupancy. This work highlights the importance of considering how resources and infection jointly influence host dispersal for predicting how changing resource distributions influence the spread of infectious diseases.
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10
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Hwang J, Gottdenker NL, Oh DH, Nam HW, Lee H, Chun MS. Disentangling the link between supplemental feeding, population density, and the prevalence of pathogens in urban stray cats. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4988. [PMID: 29967720 PMCID: PMC6022734 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Supplemental feeding of free-roaming animals, including wildlife and feral or stray animals, is well known to have a substantial impact on various aspects of animal ecology including habitat use, activity patterns, and host-pathogen interactions. Among them, an increased population density (PD) of animals receiving supplemental food raises concerns regarding the transmission of pathogens in these host populations. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how supplemental feeding is associated with host PD and prevalence of pathogens with different transmission modes in urban stray cats. We hypothesized that supplemental feeding would be positively associated with host PD and the prevalence of pathogens with density-dependent transmission modes compared with pathogens with transmission modes that are considered relatively density-independent. METHODS This study was conducted in six districts in Seoul, Republic of Korea which were selected based on different degrees of supplemental feeding and cat caretaker activity (CCA). The PD of stray cats was estimated by mark-recapture surveys. Stray cat blood samples (N = 302) were collected from stray cats by local animal hospitals from each district performing the trap-neuter-release which tested for eight pathogens with different transmission modes (feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukemia virus (FeLV), feline panleukopenia virus, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus-1, Bartonella henselae, hemoplasma, and Toxoplasma gondii) with molecular or serological assays. Associations between the prevalence of each pathogen and PD, CCA, and sex of cats were statistically analyzed. RESULTS In contrast to initial predictions, the cat PD was generally higher in low CCA districts. The prevalence of (FeLV), which is transmitted through direct contact, was significantly higher in areas with a high CCA, conforming to our hypothesis. On the other hand, the prevalence of feline parvovirus, which can be spread by environmental transmission, was higher in low CCA districts. The remaining six pathogens did not show any association with the CCA; however, they had a unique association with the PD or the sex of the stray cats. DISCUSSION Our findings suggest that in addition to influencing the PD, supplemental feeding may affect the prevalence of pathogens in urban animals by mechanisms such as increased aggregation and/or altered foraging strategies, with different consequences depending on the transmission mode of each pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jusun Hwang
- The Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | | | - Dae-Hyun Oh
- The Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho-Woo Nam
- Parasitic Disease Research Institute, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hang Lee
- The Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Myung-Sun Chun
- The Research Institute for Veterinary Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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11
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Laver PN, Alexander KA. Association with humans and seasonality interact to reverse predictions for animal space use. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2018; 6:5. [PMID: 29736242 PMCID: PMC5924504 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-018-0123-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Variation in animal space use reflects fitness trade-offs associated with ecological constraints. Associated theories such as the metabolic theory of ecology and the resource dispersion hypothesis generate predictions about what drives variation in animal space use. But, metabolic theory is usually tested in macro-ecological studies and is seldom invoked explicitly in within-species studies. Full evaluation of the resource dispersion hypothesis requires testing in more species. Neither have been evaluated in the context of anthropogenic landscape change. METHODS In this study, we used data for banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) in northeastern Botswana, along a gradient of association with humans, to test for effects of space use drivers predicted by these theories. We used Bayesian parameter estimation and inference from linear models to test for seasonal differences in space use metrics and to model seasonal effects of space use drivers. RESULTS Results suggest that space use is strongly associated with variation in the level of overlap that mongoose groups have with humans. Seasonality influences this association, reversing seasonal space use predictions historically-accepted by ecologists. We found support for predictions of the metabolic theory when moderated by seasonality, by association with humans and by their interaction. Space use of mongooses living in association with humans was more concentrated in the dry season than the wet season, when historically-accepted ecological theory predicted more dispersed space use. Resource richness factors such as building density were associated with space use only during the dry season. We found negligible support for predictions of the resource dispersion hypothesis in general or for metabolic theory where seasonality and association with humans were not included. For mongooses living in association with humans, space use was not associated with patch dispersion or group size over both seasons. CONCLUSIONS In our study, living in association with humans influenced space use patterns that diverged from historically-accepted predictions. There is growing need to explicitly incorporate human-animal interactions into ecological theory and research. Our results and methodology may contribute to understanding effects of anthropogenic landscape change on wildlife populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter N. Laver
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701 South Africa
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, 310 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061 USA
| | - Kathleen A. Alexander
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, 310 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061 USA
- Centre for African Resources: Animals Communities and Land Use (CARACAL), Lot 3102 Airport Road, Kasane, Botswana
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12
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Tucker MA, Böhning-Gaese K, Fagan WF, Fryxell JM, Van Moorter B, Alberts SC, Ali AH, Allen AM, Attias N, Avgar T, Bartlam-Brooks H, Bayarbaatar B, Belant JL, Bertassoni A, Beyer D, Bidner L, van Beest FM, Blake S, Blaum N, Bracis C, Brown D, de Bruyn PJN, Cagnacci F, Calabrese JM, Camilo-Alves C, Chamaillé-Jammes S, Chiaradia A, Davidson SC, Dennis T, DeStefano S, Diefenbach D, Douglas-Hamilton I, Fennessy J, Fichtel C, Fiedler W, Fischer C, Fischhoff I, Fleming CH, Ford AT, Fritz SA, Gehr B, Goheen JR, Gurarie E, Hebblewhite M, Heurich M, Hewison AJM, Hof C, Hurme E, Isbell LA, Janssen R, Jeltsch F, Kaczensky P, Kane A, Kappeler PM, Kauffman M, Kays R, Kimuyu D, Koch F, Kranstauber B, LaPoint S, Leimgruber P, Linnell JDC, López-López P, Markham AC, Mattisson J, Medici EP, Mellone U, Merrill E, de Miranda Mourão G, Morato RG, Morellet N, Morrison TA, Díaz-Muñoz SL, Mysterud A, Nandintsetseg D, Nathan R, Niamir A, Odden J, O'Hara RB, Oliveira-Santos LGR, Olson KA, Patterson BD, Cunha de Paula R, Pedrotti L, Reineking B, Rimmler M, Rogers TL, Rolandsen CM, Rosenberry CS, Rubenstein DI, Safi K, Saïd S, Sapir N, Sawyer H, Schmidt NM, Selva N, Sergiel A, Shiilegdamba E, Silva JP, Singh N, Solberg EJ, Spiegel O, Strand O, Sundaresan S, Ullmann W, Voigt U, Wall J, Wattles D, Wikelski M, Wilmers CC, Wilson JW, Wittemyer G, Zięba F, Zwijacz-Kozica T, Mueller T. Moving in the Anthropocene: Global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements. Science 2018; 359:466-469. [PMID: 29371471 DOI: 10.1126/science.aam9712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 485] [Impact Index Per Article: 80.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Animal movement is fundamental for ecosystem functioning and species survival, yet the effects of the anthropogenic footprint on animal movements have not been estimated across species. Using a unique GPS-tracking database of 803 individuals across 57 species, we found that movements of mammals in areas with a comparatively high human footprint were on average one-half to one-third the extent of their movements in areas with a low human footprint. We attribute this reduction to behavioral changes of individual animals and to the exclusion of species with long-range movements from areas with higher human impact. Global loss of vagility alters a key ecological trait of animals that affects not only population persistence but also ecosystem processes such as predator-prey interactions, nutrient cycling, and disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlee A Tucker
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Katrin Böhning-Gaese
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - William F Fagan
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,SESYNC, University of Maryland, Annapolis, MD 21401, USA
| | - John M Fryxell
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Bram Van Moorter
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Departments of Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | - Andrew M Allen
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 90183, Sweden.,Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, Radboud University, 6500GL Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Nina Attias
- Ecology and Conservation Graduate Program, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Tal Avgar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Hattie Bartlam-Brooks
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London NW1 0TU, UK
| | | | - Jerrold L Belant
- Carnivore Ecology Laboratory, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Mississippi State University, Box 9690, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Alessandra Bertassoni
- Animal Biology Postgraduate Program, São Paulo State University, São José do Rio Preto, SP 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Dean Beyer
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 1990 U.S. 41 South, Marquette, MI 49855, USA
| | - Laura Bidner
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | | | - Stephen Blake
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| | - Niels Blaum
- University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Chloe Bracis
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Danielle Brown
- Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA
| | - P J Nico de Bruyn
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 San Michele all'Adige (TN), Italy.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Justin M Calabrese
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Constança Camilo-Alves
- Departamento de Fitotecnia, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal.,ICAAM-Institute of Mediterranean Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Simon Chamaillé-Jammes
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier-EPHE, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Andre Chiaradia
- Phillip Island Nature Parks, Victoria, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sarah C Davidson
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Todd Dennis
- Department of Biology, Fiji National University, P.O. Box 5529, Natabua, Lautoka, Fiji Islands
| | - Stephen DeStefano
- U.S. Geological Survey, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Duane Diefenbach
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Iain Douglas-Hamilton
- Save the Elephants, P.O. Box 54667, Nairobi 00200, Kenya.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Julian Fennessy
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 86099, Eros, Namibia
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- German Primate Center, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Christina Fischer
- Restoration Ecology, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Ilya Fischhoff
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY 12545, USA
| | - Christen H Fleming
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Adam T Ford
- Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, Unit 2: Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Susanne A Fritz
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Benedikt Gehr
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Eliezer Gurarie
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Marco Heurich
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Department of Conservation and Research, 94481 Grafenau, Germany.,Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Christian Hof
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Edward Hurme
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Lynne A Isbell
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.,Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - René Janssen
- Bionet Natuuronderzoek, 6171EL Stein, Netherlands
| | - Florian Jeltsch
- University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Petra Kaczensky
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway.,Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Adam Kane
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Peter M Kappeler
- German Primate Center, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Matthew Kauffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Roland Kays
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC 27601, USA.,Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Duncan Kimuyu
- Department of Natural Resource Management, Karatina University, P.O. Box 1957-10101, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Flavia Koch
- German Primate Center, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Bart Kranstauber
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Scott LaPoint
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | - Peter Leimgruber
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - John D C Linnell
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Pascual López-López
- Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Terrestrial Vertebrates Group, University of Valencia, E-46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - A Catherine Markham
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Jenny Mattisson
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Emilia Patricia Medici
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Tapir Specialist Group (TSG), Rua Licuala, 622, Damha 1, Campo Grande, CEP: 79046-150, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.,IPÊ (Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas; Institute for Ecological Research), Caixa Postal 47, Nazaré Paulista, CEP: 12960-000, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ugo Mellone
- Vertebrates Zoology Research Group, Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Evelyn Merrill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Ronaldo G Morato
- National Research Center for Carnivores Conservation, Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Atibaia-SP 12952-011, Brazil
| | | | - Thomas A Morrison
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Samuel L Díaz-Muñoz
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Dejid Nandintsetseg
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Aidin Niamir
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - John Odden
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway
| | - Robert B O'Hara
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Mathematical Sciences and Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Kirk A Olson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolia Program, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Bruce D Patterson
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Rogerio Cunha de Paula
- National Research Center for Carnivores Conservation, Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Atibaia-SP 12952-011, Brazil
| | - Luca Pedrotti
- Consorzio Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio, Bormio (Sondrio), Italy
| | - Björn Reineking
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, UR LESSEM, BP 76, 38402 St-Martin-d'Hères, France.,University of Bayreuth, BayCEER, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | | | - Tracey L Rogers
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Christer Moe Rolandsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Kamran Safi
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Sonia Saïd
- Directorate of Studies and Expertise (DRE), Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Montfort, 01330 Birieux, France
| | - Nir Sapir
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western Ecosystems Technology Inc., Laramie, WY 82070, USA
| | - Niels Martin Schmidt
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.,Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Nuria Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Sergiel
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
| | | | - João Paulo Silva
- REN Biodiversity Chair, CIBIO/InBIO Associate Laboratory, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.,Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves"/InBIO Associate Laboratory, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal.,Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Navinder Singh
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 90183, Sweden
| | - Erling J Solberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Orr Spiegel
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Olav Strand
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Wiebke Ullmann
- University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Ulrich Voigt
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover-Foundation, 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Jake Wall
- Save the Elephants, P.O. Box 54667, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
| | - David Wattles
- U.S. Geological Survey, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Christopher C Wilmers
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - John W Wilson
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - George Wittemyer
- Save the Elephants, P.O. Box 54667, Nairobi 00200, Kenya.,Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Filip Zięba
- Tatra National Park, 34-500 Zakopane, Poland
| | | | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA
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13
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Becker DJ, Streicker DG, Altizer S, Derryberry E. Using host species traits to understand the consequences of resource provisioning for host-parasite interactions. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:511-525. [PMID: 29023699 PMCID: PMC5836909 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Supplemental food provided to wildlife by human activities can be more abundant and predictable than natural resources, and subsequent changes in wildlife ecology can have profound impacts on host-parasite interactions. Identifying traits of species associated with increases or decreases in infection outcomes with resource provisioning could improve assessments of wildlife most prone to disease risks in changing environments. We conducted a phylogenetic meta-analysis of 342 host-parasite interactions across 56 wildlife species and three broad taxonomic groups of parasites to identify host-level traits that influence whether provisioning is associated with increases or decreases in infection. We predicted dietary generalists that capitalize on novel food would show greater infection in provisioned habitats owing to population growth and food-borne exposure to contaminants and parasite infectious stages. Similarly, species with fast life histories could experience stronger demographic and immunological benefits from provisioning that affect parasite transmission. We also predicted that wide-ranging and migratory behaviours could increase infection risks with provisioning if concentrated and non-seasonal foods promote dense aggregations that increase exposure to parasites. We found that provisioning increased infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa (i.e. microparasites) most for wide-ranging, dietary generalist host species. Effect sizes for ectoparasites were also highest for host species with large home ranges but were instead lowest for dietary generalists. In contrast, the type of provisioning was a stronger correlate of infection outcomes for helminths than host species traits. Our analysis highlights host traits related to movement and feeding behaviour as important determinants of whether species experience greater infection with supplemental feeding. These results could help prioritize monitoring wildlife with particular trait profiles in anthropogenic habitats to reduce infectious disease risks in provisioned populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Becker
- Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious DiseaseUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
| | - Daniel G. Streicker
- Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
- MRC‐University of Glasgow Centre for Virus ResearchGlasgowUK
| | - Sonia Altizer
- Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious DiseaseUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGAUSA
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14
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Lucena-Perez M, Soriano L, López-Bao JV, Marmesat E, Fernández L, Palomares F, Godoy JA. Reproductive biology and genealogy in the endangered Iberian lynx: Implications for conservation. Mamm Biol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2017.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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15
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Boggie MA, Carleton SA, Collins DP, Vradenburg J, Sroka CJ. Using stable isotopes to estimate reliance on agricultural food subsidies and migration timing for a migratory bird. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A. Boggie
- Department of Biology; New Mexico State University; Las Cruces New Mexico 88003 USA
| | - Scott A. Carleton
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Migratory Bird Office, Region 2; Albuquerque New Mexico 87103 USA
| | - Daniel P. Collins
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Migratory Bird Office, Region 2; Albuquerque New Mexico 87103 USA
| | - John Vradenburg
- Kalamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex; Tulelake California 96134 USA
| | - Christopher J. Sroka
- Department of Economics, Applied Statistics, & International Business; College of Business; New Mexico State University; Las Cruces New Mexico 88003 USA
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16
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Territoriality ensures paternity in a solitary carnivore mammal. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4494. [PMID: 28674454 PMCID: PMC5495821 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04820-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In solitary carnivorous mammals, territoriality is assumed to benefit male fitness by ensuring the exclusivity of matings within territories via mate guarding and female defence. However, this hypothesis remains empirically untested. Here, we examined this hypothesis for solitary territorial carnivores using the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) as a case study. We expected that territorial males sire all litters born within their territories, translating into the absence of multi-paternity cases within the same litter. We analysed parentage in 43 kittens, belonging to 20 different litters. For 42 kittens, a father could be assigned using microsatellites and always coincided with the individual holding the territory. For 16 kittens from 10 litters for which we also had information on SNPs, paternity assignments coincided with microsatellites, except for a litter (two kittens) from the same litter for which a different male was assigned, but the territorial male could not be excluded. Our results indicated that multi-paternity in the Iberian lynx must be a rare event, and that territorial males sire all litters born from the females with which they share territories. We propose that both the low number of mature individuals in the lynx population and the fact that female oestrus is induced by male presence may explain results.
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17
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Gonzalez‐Borrajo N, López‐Bao JV, Palomares F. Spatial ecology of jaguars, pumas, and ocelots: a review of the state of knowledge. Mamm Rev 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Noa Gonzalez‐Borrajo
- Department of Conservation Biology Doñana Biological Station CSIC E‐41092 Seville Spain
| | - José Vicente López‐Bao
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO/CSIC/PA) Oviedo University Mieres 33600 Spain
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences 73091 Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Francisco Palomares
- Department of Conservation Biology Doñana Biological Station CSIC E‐41092 Seville Spain
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18
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Aronsson M, Low M, López-Bao JV, Persson J, Odden J, Linnell JDC, Andrén H. Intensity of space use reveals conditional sex-specific effects of prey and conspecific density on home range size. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:2957-67. [PMID: 27217946 PMCID: PMC4863019 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 02/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Home range (HR) size variation is often linked to resource abundance, with sex differences expected to relate to sex‐specific fitness consequences. However, studies generally fail to disentangle the effects of the two main drivers of HR size variation, food and conspecific density, and rarely consider how their relative influence change over spatiotemporal scales. We used location data from 77 Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from a 16‐year Scandinavian study to examine HR sizes variation relative to prey and conspecific density at different spatiotemporal scales. By varying the isopleth parameter (intensity of use) defining the HR, we show that sex‐specific effects were conditional on the spatial scale considered. Males had larger HRs than females in all seasons. Females' total HR size declined as prey and conspecific density increased, whereas males' total HR was only affected by conspecific density. However, as the intensity of use within the HR increased (from 90% to 50% isopleth), the relationship between prey density and area showed opposing patterns for females and males; for females, the prey density effect was reduced, while for males, prey became increasingly important. Thus, prey influenced the size of key regions within male HRs, despite total HR size being independent of prey density. Males reduced their HR size during the mating season, likely to remain close to individual females in estrous. Females reduced their HR size postreproduction probably because of movement constrains imposed by dependent young. Our findings highlight the importance of simultaneously considering resources and intraspecific interactions as HR size determinants. We show that sex‐specific demands influence the importance of prey and conspecific density on space use at different spatiotemporal scales. Thus, unless a gradient of space use intensity is examined, factors not related to total HR size might be disregarded despite their importance in determining size of key regions within the HR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malin Aronsson
- Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Grimsö Wildlife Research Station SE-73091 Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - Matthew Low
- Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SE-75007 Uppsala Sweden
| | - José V López-Bao
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO/CSIC/PA) Oviedo University Mieres 33600 Spain
| | - Jens Persson
- Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Grimsö Wildlife Research Station SE-73091 Riddarhyttan Sweden
| | - John Odden
- Norwegian Institute for Natural Research Sluppen NO-7585 Trondheim Norway
| | - John D C Linnell
- Norwegian Institute for Natural Research Sluppen NO-7585 Trondheim Norway
| | - Henrik Andrén
- Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Grimsö Wildlife Research Station SE-73091 Riddarhyttan Sweden
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19
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Ewen JG, Walker L, Canessa S, Groombridge JJ. Improving supplementary feeding in species conservation. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2015; 29:341-349. [PMID: 25354808 PMCID: PMC4405093 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2013] [Accepted: 07/10/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Supplementary feeding is often a knee-jerk reaction to population declines, and its application is not critically evaluated, leading to polarized views among managers on its usefulness. Here, we advocate a more strategic approach to supplementary feeding so that the choice to use it is clearly justified over, or in combination with, other management actions and the predicted consequences are then critically assessed following implementation. We propose combining methods from a set of specialist disciplines that will allow critical evaluation of the need, benefit, and risks of food supplementation. Through the use of nutritional ecology, population ecology, and structured decision making, conservation managers can make better choices about what and how to feed by estimating consequences on population recovery across a range of possible actions. This structured approach also informs targeted monitoring and more clearly allows supplementary feeding to be integrated in recovery plans and reduces the risk of inefficient decisions. In New Zealand, managers of the endangered Hihi (Notiomystis cincta) often rely on supplementary feeding to support reintroduced populations. On Kapiti island the reintroduced Hihi population has responded well to food supplementation, but the logistics of providing an increasing demand recently outstretched management capacity. To decide whether and how the feeding regime should be revised, managers used a structured decision making approach informed by population responses to alternative feeding regimes. The decision was made to reduce the spatial distribution of feeders and invest saved time in increasing volume of food delivered into a smaller core area. The approach used allowed a transparent and defendable management decision in regard to supplementary feeding, reflecting the multiple objectives of managers and their priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- John G Ewen
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, NW1 4RY, London, United Kingdom.
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20
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Hilgartner R, Stahl D, Zinner D. Impact of supplementary feeding on reproductive success of white storks. PLoS One 2014; 9:e104276. [PMID: 25119566 PMCID: PMC4132114 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
European white stork (Ciconia ciconia) populations have been object to several conservation measures such as reintroduction programs, habitat improvement or supplementary feeding in the last decades. Although recent white stork censuses revealed an upward trend of most of the western populations, evaluations of the relative importance of certain conservation measures are still scarce or even lacking. In our study we analyzed the effect of supplementary feeding on the reproductive success of white storks in conjunction with other factors such as weather or nest site characteristics. We present data of 569 breeding events at 80 different nest sites located in variable distances to an artificial feeding site at Affenberg Salem (south-western Germany) collected from 1990-2012. A multilevel Poisson regression revealed that in our study population (1) reproductive success was negatively affected by monthly precipitation in April, May and June, (2) pairs breeding on power poles had a lower reproductive success than pairs breeding on platforms or trees and (3) reproductive success was significantly higher in pairs breeding in close distance to the feeding site. The number of fledglings per nest decreased by 8% per kilometer distance to the feeding site. Our data suggest that supplementary feeding increases fledgling populations which may be a tool to attenuate population losses caused by factors such as habitat deterioration or unfavorable conditions in wintering habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Stahl
- Department of Biostatistics, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dietmar Zinner
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
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21
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Wood KA, Stillman RA, Daunt F, O’Hare MT. Can sacrificial feeding areas protect aquatic plants from herbivore grazing? Using behavioural ecology to inform wildlife management. PLoS One 2014; 9:e104034. [PMID: 25077615 PMCID: PMC4117538 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/09/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Effective wildlife management is needed for conservation, economic and human well-being objectives. However, traditional population control methods are frequently ineffective, unpopular with stakeholders, may affect non-target species, and can be both expensive and impractical to implement. New methods which address these issues and offer effective wildlife management are required. We used an individual-based model to predict the efficacy of a sacrificial feeding area in preventing grazing damage by mute swans (Cygnus olor) to adjacent river vegetation of high conservation and economic value. The accuracy of model predictions was assessed by a comparison with observed field data, whilst prediction robustness was evaluated using a sensitivity analysis. We used repeated simulations to evaluate how the efficacy of the sacrificial feeding area was regulated by (i) food quantity, (ii) food quality, and (iii) the functional response of the forager. Our model gave accurate predictions of aquatic plant biomass, carrying capacity, swan mortality, swan foraging effort, and river use. Our model predicted that increased sacrificial feeding area food quantity and quality would prevent the depletion of aquatic plant biomass by swans. When the functional response for vegetation in the sacrificial feeding area was increased, the food quantity and quality in the sacrificial feeding area required to protect adjacent aquatic plants were reduced. Our study demonstrates how the insights of behavioural ecology can be used to inform wildlife management. The principles that underpin our model predictions are likely to be valid across a range of different resource-consumer interactions, emphasising the generality of our approach to the evaluation of strategies for resolving wildlife management problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin A. Wood
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Science & Technology, Bournemouth University, Dorset, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Richard A. Stillman
- Faculty of Science & Technology, Bournemouth University, Dorset, United Kingdom
| | - Francis Daunt
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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22
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Plummer KE, Bearhop S, Leech DI, Chamberlain DE, Blount JD. Winter food provisioning reduces future breeding performance in a wild bird. Sci Rep 2014; 3:2002. [PMID: 23788126 PMCID: PMC6504817 DOI: 10.1038/srep02002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2013] [Accepted: 05/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Supplementation of food to wild birds occurs on an enormous scale worldwide, and is often cited as an exemplar of beneficial human-wildlife interaction. Recently it has been speculated that winter feeding could have negative consequences for future reproduction, for example by enabling low quality individuals to recruit into breeding populations. However, evidence that winter feeding has deleterious impacts on reproductive success is lacking. Here, in a landscape-scale study of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) across multiple years, we show that winter food supplementation reduced breeding performance the following spring. Compared to unfed populations, winter-fed birds produced offspring that weighed less, were smaller, and had lower survival. This impairment was observed in parents that had received fat only, or in combination with vitamin E, suggesting some generality in the mechanism by which supplementary feeding affected reproduction. Our results highlight the potential for deleterious population-level consequences of winter food supplementation on wild birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Plummer
- 1] Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ, UK [2]
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López-Bao JV, Rodríguez A, Delibes M, Fedriani JM, Calzada J, Ferreras P, Palomares F. Revisiting food-based models of territoriality in solitary predators. J Anim Ecol 2014; 83:934-42. [PMID: 24720673 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2013] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Food availability is considered a major factor determining spacing behaviour in territorial species, especially for females. Theoretically, spatial overlap (considered the opposite of territoriality) and food availability are related in a nonlinear manner (hypothesized inverted-U function), with high overlap levels at the extremes of a food availability gradient and low overlap at intermediate levels of this gradient. Similar patterns are expected for encounter frequencies owing to its expected correlation with spatial overlap. However, these predictions have rarely been tested in highly structured social systems on a broad gradient of food availability, which implicitly requires experimental manipulation. We test these predictions in a solitary, territorial and trophic specialist, the Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus, taking advantage of a three-decade data set of spatial behaviour in different scenarios of food availability (i.e. rabbit density). In contrast with expectations, home range overlap among resident females was low (median overlap index = 0.08, range 0-0.57) and core area overlap was nearly nil (median overlap index = 0, range 0-0.22) throughout the entire gradient of prey availability. Furthermore, spatial associations between pairs of females were negligible regardless marked variation in prey availability. Therefore, we did not find support for a model of flexible lynx territoriality driven by food availability. Our results suggest that the exclusive use of space in the Iberian lynx was not related to food. Lack of influence of prey availability on lynx territoriality may be adaptive to cope with the consequences of frequent drought-induced periods of prey scarcity or other disturbance typically affecting wild rabbit populations in Mediterranean environments. Thus, lynx would adopt an obstinate strategy of territoriality that consists in defending exclusive areas across a broad range of resource availability ensuring an exclusive access to the minimum amount of prey necessary for survival and eventually reproduction even during periods of prey scarcity. However, we found signs that territoriality was influenced by lynx density in a nonlinear fashion. Our results suggest the occurrence of population regulation through territoriality in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- José V López-Bao
- Research Unit of Biodiversity (UO/CSIC/PA), Oviedo University, Mieres, 33600, Spain.,Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Riddarhyttan, SE-730 91, Sweden
| | - Alejandro Rodríguez
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, 41092, Spain
| | - Miguel Delibes
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, 41092, Spain
| | - José M Fedriani
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, 41092, Spain
| | - Javier Calzada
- Departamento de Biología Ambiental y Salud Pública, Universidad de Huelva, Huelva, 21071, Spain
| | - Pablo Ferreras
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, 13005, Spain
| | - Francisco Palomares
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, 41092, Spain
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García-Heras MS, Cortés-Avizanda A, Donázar JA. Who are we feeding? Asymmetric individual use of surplus food resources in an insular population of the endangered Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80523. [PMID: 24244695 PMCID: PMC3823625 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2013] [Accepted: 10/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Supplementary feeding stations, or “vulture restaurants”, are common conservation management tools. While a number of studies have investigated the consequences of surplus food on the population dynamics of scavengers, relatively little is known about the effects of such practices at the individual level. Within the long-term monitored breeding population of Canarian Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus majorensis) we investigated individual bird’s patterns of use of a supplementary feeding station at Fuerteventura (Canary Islands), over the course of breeding (2001, 2002; 2004-2011) and non-breeding seasons (2000-2010). Our results show that during the breeding season the individual use of the supplementary feeding station was inversely related to the distance to the breeding territory, which suggests the existence of central-place foraging constraints. In addition, larger birds of poor body-condition and individuals that ultimately failed to fledge young were detected more frequently at the feeding station. During the non-breeding season, and because most breeding birds abandoned the breeding territories, the overall abundance of Egyptian vultures at the feeding station grew. Moreover, the only variable increasing the probability of presence of individuals was poor body condition so that birds with lower wing residual visited the feeding station more frequently. Supplementary feeding may benefit individuals who would otherwise have been subject to selective pressures. From our results it follows that this conservation strategy must be used with caution because it can have consequences on an individual level and thus potentially affect the viability of endangered populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Sophie García-Heras
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana C.S.I.C., Sevilla, Spain
- Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa
- * E-mail:
| | - Ainara Cortés-Avizanda
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana C.S.I.C., Sevilla, Spain
- Theoretical Ecology and Biodiversity Change Group, Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - José-Antonio Donázar
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana C.S.I.C., Sevilla, Spain
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Dubois S, Fraser D. A Framework to Evaluate Wildlife Feeding in Research, Wildlife Management, Tourism and Recreation. Animals (Basel) 2013; 3:978-94. [PMID: 26479747 PMCID: PMC4494361 DOI: 10.3390/ani3040978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Revised: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Human feeding of wildlife is a world-wide phenomenon with very diverse effects on conservation, animal welfare and public safety. From a review of the motivations, types and consequences of wildlife feeding, an evaluative framework is presented to assist policy-makers, educators and managers to make ethical- and biologically-based decisions about the appropriateness of feeding wildlife in the context of research, wildlife management, tourism and recreation. Abstract Feeding of wildlife occurs in the context of research, wildlife management, tourism and in opportunistic ways. A review of examples shows that although feeding is often motivated by good intentions, it can lead to problems of public safety and conservation and be detrimental to the welfare of the animals. Examples from British Columbia illustrate the problems (nuisance animal activity, public safety risk) and consequences (culling, translocation) that often arise from uncontrolled feeding. Three features of wildlife feeding can be distinguished: the feasibility of control, the effects on conservation and the effects on animal welfare. An evaluative framework incorporating these three features was applied to examples of feeding from the literature. The cases of feeding for research and management purposes were generally found to be acceptable, while cases of feeding for tourism or opportunistic feeding were generally unacceptable. The framework should allow managers and policy-makers to distinguish acceptable from unacceptable forms of wildlife feeding as a basis for policy, public education and enforcement. Many harmful forms of wildlife feeding seem unlikely to change until they come to be seen as socially unacceptable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Dubois
- Animal Welfare Program, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - David Fraser
- Animal Welfare Program, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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Responses of a top and a meso predator and their prey to moon phases. Oecologia 2013; 173:753-66. [PMID: 23579570 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-013-2651-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2012] [Accepted: 03/27/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We compared movement patterns and rhythms of activity of a top predator, the Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus, a mesopredator, the red fox Vulpes vulpes, and their shared principal prey, the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus, in relation to moon phases. Because the three species are mostly nocturnal and crepuscular, we hypothesized that the shared prey would reduce its activity at most risky moon phases (i.e. during the brightest nights), but that fox, an intraguild prey of lynx, would avoid lynx activity peaks at the same time. Rabbits generally moved further from their core areas on darkest nights (i.e. new moon), using direct movements which minimize predation risk. Though rabbits responded to the increased predation risk by reducing their activity during the full moon, this response may require several days, and the moon effect we observed on the rabbits had, therefore, a temporal gap. Lynx activity patterns may be at least partially mirroring rabbit activity: around new moons, when rabbits moved furthest and were more active, lynxes reduced their travelling distances and their movements were concentrated in the core areas of their home ranges, which generally correspond to areas of high density of rabbits. Red foxes were more active during the darkest nights, when both the conditions for rabbit hunting were the best and lynxes moved less. On the one hand, foxes increased their activity when rabbits were further from their core areas and moved with more discrete displacements; on the other hand, fox activity in relation to the moon seemed to reduce dangerous encounters with its intraguild predator.
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Monsarrat S, Benhamou S, Sarrazin F, Bessa-Gomes C, Bouten W, Duriez O. How predictability of feeding patches affects home range and foraging habitat selection in avian social scavengers? PLoS One 2013; 8:e53077. [PMID: 23301024 PMCID: PMC3536817 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2012] [Accepted: 11/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Feeding stations are commonly used to sustain conservation programs of scavengers but their impact on behaviour is still debated. They increase the temporal and spatial predictability of food resources while scavengers have supposedly evolved to search for unpredictable resources. In the Grands Causses (France), a reintroduced population of Griffon vultures Gyps fulvus can find carcasses at three types of sites: 1. “light feeding stations”, where farmers can drop carcasses at their farm (spatially predictable), 2. “heavy feeding stations”, where carcasses from nearby farms are concentrated (spatially and temporally predictable) and 3. open grasslands, where resources are randomly distributed (unpredictable). The impact of feeding stations on vulture’s foraging behaviour was investigated using 28 GPS-tracked vultures. The average home range size was maximal in spring (1272±752 km2) and minimal in winter (473±237 km2) and was highly variable among individuals. Analyses of home range characteristics and feeding habitat selection via compositional analysis showed that feeding stations were always preferred compared to the rest of the habitat where vultures can find unpredictable resources. Feeding stations were particularly used when resources were scarce (summer) or when flight conditions were poor (winter), limiting long-ranging movements. However, when flight conditions were optimal, home ranges also encompassed large areas of grassland where vultures could find unpredictable resources, suggesting that vultures did not lose their natural ability to forage on unpredictable resources, even when feeding stations were available. However during seasons when food abundance and flight conditions were not limited, vultures seemed to favour light over heavy feeding stations, probably because of the reduced intraspecific competition and a pattern closer to the natural dispersion of resources in the landscape. Light feeding stations are interesting tools for managing food resources, but don’t prevent vultures to feed at other places with possibly high risk of intoxication (poison).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Monsarrat
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 CNRS, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Simon Benhamou
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 CNRS, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - François Sarrazin
- Conservation des Espèces, Restauration et Suivi des Populations, UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, Paris, France
| | - Carmen Bessa-Gomes
- Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR 8079 CNRS, Université Paris Sud, Orsay, France
| | - Willem Bouten
- Computational Geo-Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Olivier Duriez
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175 CNRS, Université Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
- * E-mail:
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Palomares F, Godoy JA, López-Bao JV, Rodríguez A, Roques S, Casas-Marce M, Revilla E, Delibes M. Possible extinction vortex for a population of Iberian lynx on the verge of extirpation. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2012; 26:689-697. [PMID: 22731698 DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01870.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Theory suggests that demographic and genetic traits deteriorate (i.e., fitness and genetic diversity decrease) when populations become small, and that such deterioration could precipitate positive feedback loops called extinction vortices. We examined whether demographic attributes and genetic traits have changed over time in one of the 2 remaining small populations of the highly endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) in Doñana, Spain. From 1983 to 2008, we recorded nontraumatic mortality rates, litter size, offspring survival, age at territory acquisition, and sex ratio. We combined these demographic attributes with measures of inbreeding and genetic diversity at neutral loci (microsatellites) and genes subjected to selection (major histocompatibility complex). Data on demographic traits were obtained through capture and radio tracking, checking dens during breeding, track surveys, and camera trapping. For genetic analyses, we obtained blood or tissue samples from captured or necropsied individuals or from museum specimens. Over time a female-biased sex ratio developed, age of territory acquisition decreased, mean litter size decreased, and rates of nontraumatic mortality increased, but there were no significant changes in overall mortality rates, standardized individual heterozygosity declined steadily, and allelic diversity of exon 2 of class II major histocompatibility complex DRB genes remained constant (2 allelic variants present in all individuals analyzed). Changes in sex ratio and age of territory acquisition may have resulted from demographic stochasticity, whereas changes in litter size and nontraumatic mortality may be related to observed increases in inbreeding. Concomitant deterioration of both demographic attributes and genetic traits is consistent with an extinction vortex. The co-occurrence, with or without interaction, of demographic and genetic deterioration may explain the lack of success of conservation efforts with the Doñana population of Iberian lynx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Palomares
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de la Cartuja 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
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Rodríguez A, Calzada J, Revilla E, López-Bao JV, Palomares F. Bringing science back to the conservation of the Iberian lynx. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2012; 26:737-739. [PMID: 22734841 DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01872.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Rodríguez
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana-CSIC, Américo Vespucio s/n, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
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30
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Change in demographic patterns of the Doñana Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus: management implications and conservation perspectives. ORYX 2012. [DOI: 10.1017/s0030605311000676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractOver the last 20 years surveys of the population of the Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus in Doñana National Park and its surroundings in Spain have produced estimates of a total population of 50–60 in fragmented patches. The population was estimated to be 26 adults in 2002–2003. Use of camera trapping and other field methods during 2004–2008 allowed us to determine the abundance of the lynx and to estimate demographic statistics. Estimated annual abundance of adult and subadult lynxes averaged 38 individuals (range 35–43). Although the population exhibited a continuous distribution it was concentrated in three major areas, including Doñana National Park, with an average area occupied of 620 km2. Our results suggest that the Doñana Iberian lynx population now has a different structure from that in the 1990s and in particular a more continuous spatial distribution. These results indicate an improved, but not secure, scenario for the population. The continuous geographical distribution suggests the population is currently less vulnerable to extinction than 10 years ago. Conservation actions now need to focus outside Doñana National Park on the reconversion of pine plantations into original Mediterranean scrubland habitat, and the continuity and intensification of ongoing restocking with rabbits in fenced areas.
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31
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Santangeli A, Hakkarainen H, Laaksonen T, Korpimäki E. Home range size is determined by habitat composition but feeding rate by food availability in male Tengmalm’s owls. Anim Behav 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Moreno-Opo R, Fernández-Olalla M, Margalida A, Arredondo Á, Guil F. Effect of methodological and ecological approaches on heterogeneity of nest-site selection of a long-lived vulture. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33469. [PMID: 22413023 PMCID: PMC3297632 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2011] [Accepted: 02/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of scientific-based conservation measures requires that sampling methodologies in studies modelling similar ecological aspects produce comparable results making easier their interpretation. We aimed to show how the choice of different methodological and ecological approaches can affect conclusions in nest-site selection studies along different Palearctic meta-populations of an indicator species. First, a multivariate analysis of the variables affecting nest-site selection in a breeding colony of cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) in central Spain was performed. Then, a meta-analysis was applied to establish how methodological and habitat-type factors determine differences and similarities in the results obtained by previous studies that have modelled the forest breeding habitat of the species. Our results revealed patterns in nesting-habitat modelling by the cinereous vulture throughout its whole range: steep and south-facing slopes, great cover of large trees and distance to human activities were generally selected. The ratio and situation of the studied plots (nests/random), the use of plots vs. polygons as sampling units and the number of years of data set determined the variability explained by the model. Moreover, a greater size of the breeding colony implied that ecological and geomorphological variables at landscape level were more influential. Additionally, human activities affected in greater proportion to colonies situated in Mediterranean forests. For the first time, a meta-analysis regarding the factors determining nest-site selection heterogeneity for a single species at broad scale was achieved. It is essential to homogenize and coordinate experimental design in modelling the selection of species' ecological requirements in order to avoid that differences in results among studies would be due to methodological heterogeneity. This would optimize best conservation and management practices for habitats and species in a global context.
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Viota M, Rodríguez A, López-Bao JV, Palomares F. Shift in microhabitat use as a mechanism allowing the coexistence of victim and killer carnivore predators. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.4236/oje.2012.23014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Evolutionarily stable consumer home range size in relation to resource demography and consumer spatial organization. THEOR ECOL-NETH 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s12080-011-0148-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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35
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Gould N, Andelt W. Reproduction and denning by urban and rural San Clemente Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis clementae). CAN J ZOOL 2011. [DOI: 10.1139/z11-070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Island foxes ( Urocyon littoralis (Baird, 1858)) have experienced severe reductions in populations on 4 out of 6 California Channel Islands. Although numbers of foxes on San Clemente Island (SCLI; Urocyon littoralis clementae Merriam, 1903) have remained relatively stable, data on reproductive success in urban and rural areas are necessary to better understand population dynamics of foxes and manage the population if it sustains declines. Determining locations and characteristics of den sites will also assist in minimizing possible impacts of humans on foxes. We found that 10 female foxes produced at least 19 kits during 2008. Female foxes that spent a greater proportion of time within an urban area had greater probability of reproducing compared with foxes that infrequently utilized urban areas. However, these “urban” foxes often selected den sites nearer to roads, which may expose them to increased mortalities. We located 23 den sites on a mean of 17°–18° slopes with 40% having westerly facing aspects. We recommend avoiding human disturbance to these areas from February through June, which may minimize potential impacts on foxes. Our study should provide insight into managing island foxes, especially in respect to urban areas on other Channel Islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- N.P. Gould
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - W.F. Andelt
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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López-Bao JV, Palomares F, Rodríguez A, Ferreras P. Intraspecific interference influences the use of prey hotspots. OIKOS 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2011.19194.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Acosta L, León-Quinto T, Bornay-Llinares FJ, Simón MA, Esteban JG. Helminth parasites in faecal samples from the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). Vet Parasitol 2011; 179:175-9. [PMID: 21349643 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.01.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2010] [Revised: 01/15/2011] [Accepted: 01/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The Iberian lynx is the most endangered felid in the world. Enteropathogens may threaten its survival, and therefore we analysed faecal samples from 66 different individuals (37 males and 29 females), the largest population representation studied to date. The samples were obtained from November 2005 to October 2008 in the two areas where the Iberian lynx survives: Sierra Morena and Doñana (Andalusia, southern Spain). A total of 56.1% samples were parasitized with at least 6 species of helminths, including two cestodes (Hymenolepis spp. and Taenia spp.) and four Nematodes (Ancylostoma spp., Toxocara spp., Toxascaris leonina, and Capillaria sp.). In this work, the presence of Hymenolepis is reported for the first time in Lynx pardinus. The relevance of our findings is discussed focussed on the conservation of this endangered felid.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Acosta
- Área de Parasitología, Departamento de Agroquímica y Medio Ambiente, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Ctra. Valencia Km 8.7, 03550 San Juan, Alicante, Spain
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Palomares F, López-Bao JV, Rodríguez A. Feline leukaemia virus outbreak in the endangered Iberian lynx and the role of feeding stations: a cautionary tale. Anim Conserv 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2010.00403.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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López G, López-Parra M, Fernández L, Simón MÁ. Feline leukaemia virus outbreak in the Iberian lynx in 2007: analysing partial data may lead to misconceptions. Anim Conserv 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-1795.2010.00417.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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