Pine marten vs. stone marten in agricultural lowlands: a landscape-scale, genetic survey

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Balestrieri ◽  
Aritz Ruiz-González ◽  
Enrica Capelli ◽  
Maria Vergara ◽  
Claudio Prigioni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Stone Marten ◽  
Pine Marten ◽  
Genetic Survey

scholarly journals Food habits of the stone marten (Martes foina) (Mammalia: Carnivora) in plain areas of Northern Italy prior to pine marten (M. martes) spreading

2013 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Balestrieri ◽  
L. Remonti ◽  
R. B. Capra ◽  
L. Canova ◽  
C. Prigioni
Keyword(s):  
Food Habits ◽  
Northern Italy ◽  
Stone Marten ◽  
Pine Marten ◽  
Martes Foina

Patterns of winter locomotion and foraging in two sympatric marten species: Martes martes and Martes foina

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacek Goszczyński ◽  
Maciej Posłuszny ◽  
Małgorzata Pilot ◽  
Barbara Gralak
Keyword(s):  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Martes Martes ◽  
Stone Marten ◽  
Pine Marten ◽  
Martes Foina ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Tree Crowns ◽  
Tree Hollows ◽  
Pine Martens ◽  
Forest Habitats

Modes of area searching and exploratory behaviour of the sympatric pine marten, Martes martes (L., 1758), and stone marten, Martes foina (Erxleben, 1777), were studied by snow-tracking in two regions of Poland. The accuracy of identifications of the two species on the basis of their snow tracks was assessed by DNA analysis of their faeces, as collected on the tracks; identifications were found to be correct in 88% of cases. Although most activities of the two species were concentrated on the forest floor, pine martens climbed trees, moved in tree crowns, and searched the bases of tree trunks and tree hollows more frequently than stone martens. In contrast, stone martens were more inclined to search for food in brushwood and piles of wood, and visited logged areas and garbage dumps more frequently. Pine martens avoided man-made objects and barriers such as roads and passed through open areas with reluctance. Such behavioural traits make this species particularly vulnerable to forest fragmentation and human activity in forests. Stone martens often explored woodless areas and inhabited buildings, which allowed them to use habitats substantially transformed and intensively explored by humans. The future coexistence and relative numbers of the two martens in forest habitats will depend on the mode of forest management and on the existence of effective migratory corridors connecting forest patches.

scholarly journals Nutritional ecology provides insights into competitive interactions between closely-related marten species

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Gazzola ◽  
Alessandro Balestrieri
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Competition ◽  
Food Item ◽  
Resource Competition ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Nutritional Ecology ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
Stone Marten ◽  
Pine Marten ◽  
Nutrient Profiles

AbstractFor generalist, closely-related predators as those belonging to the genusMartes, it is a hard task to differentiate the effects on feeding habits of variation in food availability from those of resource competition. To overcome this obstacle, we reviewed dietary studies that assessed the relative bulk of each food item, as either percent biomass or percent mean volume, in the diet of both the pine-(M. martes) and stone-(M. foina) marten, and calculated the nutrient profiles (intakes of protein, lipids and carbohydrates, expressed as percentages of total metabolizable energy) of each diet. Both martens’ diets tightly clustered (average values: 47% protein-, 39% lipid- and 14% carbohydrate energy), but, most interestingly, in allopatry the nutritional niches of the two species did not differ, while the stone marten ate more carbohydrates and less protein when sympatric with the pine marten. Our data suggest that stone marten frugivory is the result of interspecific competition.

Time partitioning in mesocarnivore communities from different habitats of NW Italy: insights into martens’ competitive abilities

Behaviour ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 154 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Torretta ◽  
A. Mosini ◽  
M. Piana ◽  
P. Tirozzi ◽  
M. Serafini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Coexistence ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Interference Competition ◽  
Meles Meles ◽  
Stone Marten ◽  
Pine Marten ◽  
Mediterranean Habitats ◽  
Forested Areas ◽  
Coexisting Species ◽  
Nw Italy

Most studies focused on species coexistence have been directed at the differential use of habitat and food resources; nonetheless, the differential use of the diel cycle may enhance the coexistence of same-sized species. We investigated the activity patterns of mesocarnivores (red fox (Vulpes vulpes), European badger (Meles meles), pine marten (Martes martes), stone marten (M. foina)) in NW Italy via camera-trapping. We hypothesized that the smallest species would tend to avoid competition by selecting time periods when larger species were less active. Foxes, badgers, and stone martens were mainly nocturnal. In lowland areas overlap between coexisting species was generally low, while in Mediterranean habitats all activity patterns tended to be unimodal and overlap was generally high. The pine marten showed a cathemeral pattern. We suggest that the lower ability of the stone marten to avoid interference competition at community-level may play a major role in determining its widespread exclusion from forested areas by the pine marten.

Monitoring the small-scale distribution of sympatric European pine martens (Martes martes) and stone martens (Martes foina): a multievidence approach using faecal DNA analysis and camera-traps

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Rosellini ◽  
Enrique Osorio ◽  
Aritz Ruiz-González ◽  
Ana Piñeiro ◽  
Isabel Barja
Keyword(s):  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Martes Martes ◽  
Faecal Dna ◽  
Stone Marten ◽  
Pine Marten ◽  
Martes Foina ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
European Pine Marten

The European pine marten (Martes martes) and stone marten (Martes foina) are two closely related mustelids that live sympatrically over a large area of Europe. In the northern Iberian Peninsula, the distribution ranges of both species overlap extensively. The objectives of this study were (1) to verify whether, on a small scale, both species also live sympatrically and (2) to compare camera traps and scat DNA as methods for detecting marten species. The study was conducted in a protected area (province of Ourense, north-west Spain), which covers 6700 ha. To test the sympatry hypothesis, 90 fresh faecal samples, identified as faeces of genus Martes on the basis of their morphology, were collected from June 2004 to August 2006. The specific identification of faecal samples was conducted using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) techniques. In addition, 20 camera-traps (916 camera-trap-nights) were in operation during the study period. Of the faecal samples collected, 88.8% were attributed to the European pine marten, while the remaining 11.2% were not amplified by PCR and thus could not be assigned. The European pine marten was identified in 57.9% of the photos of carnivores and the stone marten was not detected in any. The faecal DNA analysis and camera-trap results supported previous conclusions about habitat preferences and the distribution of the two species obtained using other methods. The two non-invasive methods that were used in this study were shown to be reliable techniques that can be employed simultaneously, because each method has advantages and disadvantages that are influenced by the size of the area inventoried, sampling effort, and cost and efficiency of the method. The data gathered using these methods provided important information on the understanding of trophic and competitive interactions between the species.

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