scholarly journals Understanding foraging flexibility in urban vervet monkeys, Chlorocebus pygerythrus, for the benefit of human-wildlife coexistence

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1349-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet R. Thatcher ◽  
Colleen T. Downs ◽  
Nicola F. Koyama
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Vervet Monkeys ◽  
Chlorocebus Pygerythrus ◽  
Anthropogenic Food

Abstract Generalist wildlife species often thrive in urban environments because of increased anthropogenic resources. However, human-wildlife interactions, especially if negative, raise concerns for urban wildlife management. An enhanced understanding of wildlife behavioural flexibility has been suggested to be a key tool to provide educated and effective management strategies. We therefore investigated how availability of semi-naturally occurring food affected behavioural foraging patterns of urban vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), a generalist primate commonly found in urban areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Over one year, we conducted 20 min. focal animal observations recording foraging behaviour and food consumption. We used a combination of a generalised linear model and descriptive statistics to examine the relationship between anthropogenic food consumption and semi-natural food availability. Our analyses showed that anthropogenic food consumption decreased as semi-natural food availability increased. We also showed that increased aggression from humans towards vervet monkeys decreased time spent foraging on anthropogenic food. Our study highlights how vervet monkeys have adapted to their urban landscape, showing foraging flexibility in response to available food resources and the frequency of human interactions. We suggest how our results can be applied for management recommendations, particularly controlling anthropogenic food availability and decreasing negative human-wildlife interactions.

Problem behaviour of black bears (Ursus americanus) in central Ontario: the effects of hunting and natural food availability

2015 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Hamr ◽  
Jesse N. Popp ◽  
Dorthy L. Brown ◽  
Frank F. Mallory
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Behaviour Problem ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Problem Behaviour ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Activity Indices

Problem bear behaviour in residential areas often results in human anxiety and potential injury, bear mortality and demographic instability. Identifying and understanding factors related to problem bear activity and encounters is important for developing successful management strategies. Indices of natural bear forage availability and hunting pressure were related to problem bear activity in central Ontario. Data were collected 5 years before and 5 years after the cancellation of a spring bear hunt, providing a unique opportunity to study the effect of management policy on problem behaviour. Problem bear activity indices increased significantly following the closure of the spring hunt. Natural food availability from the previous year was found to be highly correlated with early season problem bear activity indices; however, natural food availability during the same year was not significantly related to early or late season problem activity rates. This demonstrates that multiple potential causal agents of problem bear behaviour need to be considered when developing management strategies.

scholarly journals The costs of urban living: human–wildlife interactions increase parasite risk and self-directed behaviour in urban vervet monkeys

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet R Thatcher ◽  
Colleen T Downs ◽  
Nicola F Koyama
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Urban Wildlife ◽  
Vervet Monkeys ◽  
Urban Living ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Shannon’S Diversity Index ◽  
Human Primate

Abstract The urban landscape is a complex mosaic of costs and benefits for urban wildlife. Although many species may adapt and thrive in the urban mosaic, the complexity of this landscape can be stressful and have health implications for urban wildlife, raising concerns for zoonosis and biodiversity. In this study, we assessed how human–primate interactions influenced parasite risk and anxiety-related behaviour of urban vervet monkeys in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Over 1 year, we collected and analysed faecal samples, assessing eggs per gram, species richness, and Shannon’s diversity index. In addition, using behavioural sampling, we recorded self-directed scratching behaviour, as an indicator of anxiety, and human–primate interactions, both positive (human-food consumption) and negative (human–monkey aggression). To assess parasite risk in the urban mosaic, we ran three models with our parasite measures as dependent variables. Results showed that negative human interactions significantly increased with eggs per gram, species richness, and Shannon’s diversity index and positive human interactions increased with both eggs per gram and species richness. Furthermore, eggs per gram significantly increased with higher scratching rate. We also tested the relationship between scratching and human interactions, finding that scratching significantly increased under higher rates of negative human incidents. Overall, results suggest that there are costs to urban living that increase anxiety-related behaviour and parasite risk despite increased food availability. Our findings are important for developing effective management strategies that focus on cohabitation rather than conflict, for the benefit of human and wildlife health.

scholarly journals Diet of the wild boar (Sus scrofa): implications for management in forest-agricultural and urban environments in South Korea

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seong-Min Lee ◽  
Eun-Jae Lee
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Wild Boar ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
The Relationship

The wild boar is one of the most widely distributed in the world. In South Korea, the wild boar population has rapidly increased and their habitat use has expanded from forests to urban environments. This expansion has led to increased conflicts with humans, such as the severe damaging of crops and the attacking of people in urban areas. We assessed the stomach contents of wild boar killed by hunters in two different environments in Geochang and Seoul, South Korea, from 2012 to 2017. We compared the feeding habits between sites and between seasons and explored the relationship between the number of earthworms and the main diet. The diet of wild boars inhabiting the two environments were found to differ and vary seasonally. Wild boar in Geochang preferred crops, when available, to natural food resources. Although wild boar in Seoul also preferred crops, they had a higher composition of natural food in their diets because of a low availability of crops. The preference of crops and discarded food waste in urban areas is expected to have accelerated the appearance of wild boar in urban areas. The consumption of earthworms did not differ between the two study sites, but it did differ seasonally due to availability. The number of earthworms was significantly negatively correlated with crop availability in both sites. Effective management plans that involve targeted hunting by baiting with food in Seoul and direct hunting in the fall in Geochang should be implemented to resolve the human–wild boar conflicts in these areas.

scholarly journals Changes in the home range sizes of terrestrial vertebrates in response to urban disturbance: a meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate O’Donnell ◽  
Javier delBarco-Trillo
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Urban Populations ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽  
Spatial Movement

Abstract The unprecedented growth rate in human population and the increasing movement of people to urban areas is causing a rapid increase in urbanisation globally. Urban environments may restrict or affect the behaviour of many animal species. Importantly, urban populations may change their spatial movement, particularly decreasing their home ranges in response to habitat fragmentation, the presence of landscape barriers and the availability and density of resources. Several species-specific studies suggest that urban animals decrease their home ranges compared with their non-urban counterparts; however, it remained unclear whether this pattern is widespread across taxa or is instead restricted to specific taxonomic groups. Consequently, we conducted a meta-analysis, collecting 41 sets of data comparing home ranges in both natural and urban environments in 32 species of reptiles, birds and mammals. We calculated effect sizes as the difference in animal home range sizes between natural and urban environments. We found that the home ranges were smaller in urban environments compared with natural environments (mean effect size = −0.844), and we observed a similar result when considering birds and mammals separately. We also found that home range sizes were not significantly affected when disturbance in urban areas was minimal, which suggests that many species may be able to tolerate low levels of disturbance without changing their movement patterns. Our study thus indicates that increasing levels of urbanisation restrict the spatial movement of species across taxa; this information is relevant for ecological studies of further urban species as well as for the development of management strategies for urban populations.

scholarly journals Pulses of anthropogenic food availability appear to benefit parents, but compromise nestling growth in urban red-winged starlings

Oecologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Catto ◽  
Petra Sumasgutner ◽  
Arjun Amar ◽  
Robert L. Thomson ◽  
Susan J. Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Food Availability ◽  
Mass Gain ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Nestling Growth ◽  
Human Presence ◽  
Adult Body Mass ◽  
Nestling Development ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Anthropogenic Food

AbstractThe provision of anthropogenic food undoubtedly influences urban bird fitness. However, the nature of the impact is unclear, with both benefits and costs of urban diets documented. Moreover, the influence of short-term fluctuations in food availability, linked to urban weekday/weekend cycles of human presence, is largely unknown. We explored whether breeding red-winged starlings Onychognathus morio in Cape Town, South Africa, altered foraging and provisioning behaviour between days with high human presence (HHP) and days with low human presence (LHP)—i.e. weekdays versus weekends and vacation days. We investigated the relationship between starling diet, adult body mass and nestling development. Breeding adults consumed and provisioned the same quantity of food, but a significantly greater proportion of anthropogenic food on HHP compared to LHP days. Adults apparently benefited from the anthropogenic diet, experiencing significantly greater mass gain on HHP days. However, nestlings experienced a cost, with the number of HHP days during the nestling period associated negatively with nestling size. Adults may, therefore, benefit from the high calorie content of anthropogenic food, while nestlings may be negatively affected by nutrient limitation. The quantity of food available in urban environments may, therefore, benefit adult survival, while its quality imposes a cost to nestling growth.

scholarly journals Climate induced stress and mortality in vervet monkeys

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 191078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Young ◽  
Tyler R. Bonnell ◽  
Leslie R. Brown ◽  
Marcus J. Dostie ◽  
Andre Ganswindt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Vervet Monkey ◽  
Vervet Monkeys ◽  
Drought Period ◽  
Standing Water ◽  
Chlorocebus Pygerythrus ◽  
Faecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites

As the effects of global climate change become more apparent, animal species will become increasingly affected by extreme climate and its effect on the environment. There is a pressing need to understand animal physiological and behavioural responses to climatic stressors. We used the reactive scope model as a framework to investigate the influence of drought conditions on vervet monkey ( Chlorocebus pygerythrus ) behaviour, physiological stress and survival across 2.5 years in South Africa. Data were collected on climatic, environmental and behavioural variables and physiological stress via faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCMs). There was a meaningful interaction between water availability and resource abundance: when food availability was high but standing water was unavailable, fGCM concentrations were higher compared to when food was abundant and water was available. Vervet monkeys adapted their behaviour during a drought period by spending a greater proportion of time resting at the expense of feeding, moving and social behaviour. As food availability decreased, vervet mortality increased. Peak mortality occurred when food availability was at its lowest and there was no standing water. A survival analysis revealed that higher fGCM concentrations were associated with an increased probability of mortality. Our results suggest that with continued climate change, the increasing prevalence of drought will negatively affect vervet abundance and distribution in our population. Our study contributes to knowledge of the limits and scope of behavioural and physiological plasticity among vervet monkeys in the face of rapid environmental change.

Design Intervention Assessment of Urban Public Park for Physical Activity Promotion in Bangkok, Thailand

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-4
Author(s):  
Sigit Arifwidodo ◽  
Orana Chandrasiri
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Public Park ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Design Intervention

Public Park is considered one of the essential settings for physical activity, especially in urban areas. Parks support physical activity through their accessibility, their provision to facilitate active pursuits; their capacity to provide opportunities to a wide range of users; and their semi-permanent nature. The paper explores the design intervention assessment of Benchakitti Park, which serves as the pilot project for active park and showcase during the past ISPAH 2016 conference. The objective of the paper is to understand the health and well-being benefits of an urban park in increasing PA levels of urban population and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. Keywords: Public park; physical activity; urban landscape design; public health; SOPARC

Diversity of organisms

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip James
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
The Common ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Micro Organisms ◽  
Diversity Of Life

The focus of this chapter is an examination of the diversity of living organisms found within urban environments, both inside and outside buildings. The discussion commences with prions and viruses before moving on to consider micro-organisms, plants, and animals. Prions and viruses cause disease in plants and animals, including humans. Micro-organisms are ubiquitous and are found in great numbers throughout urban environments. New technologies are providing new insights into their diversity. Plants may be found inside buildings as well as in gardens and other green spaces. The final sections of the chapter offer a discussion of the diversity of animals that live in urban areas for part or all of their life cycle. Examples of the diversity of life in urban environments are presented throughout, including native and non-native species, those that are benign and deadly, and the common and the rare.

scholarly journals Decomposition of Water Footprint of Food Consumption in Typical East Chinese Cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 409
Author(s):  
Ruogu Huang ◽  
Xiangyang Li ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Yaohao Tang ◽  
Jianyi Lin
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Utilization Efficiency ◽  
Diet Shift ◽  
City Development ◽  
Intensity Effect ◽  
Consumption Level ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Per Capita

Water scarcity has put pressure on city development in China. With a particular focus on urban and rural effects, logarithmic mean Divisia index decomposition (LMDI) was used to analyze the water footprint per capita (WFP) of food consumption in five East China cities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Qingdao, and Xiamen) from 2008 to 2018. Results show that the WFP of food consumption exhibited an upward tendency among all cities during the research period. Food consumption structure contributed the most to the WFP growth, mainly due to urban and rural residents’ diet shift toward a livestock-rich style. Except in Beijing, the food consumption level mainly inhibited the WFP growth due to the decrease in food consumption level per capita in urban areas. Urbanization had less influence on WFP growth for two megacities (Beijing and Shanghai) due to the strictly controlled urban population inflow policy and more positive effects for other cities. The water footprint intensity effect among cities was mainly due to uneven water-saving efficiency. Meanwhile, Beijing and Tianjin have achieved advancement in water utilization efficiency.

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