Ecology of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in an agricultural landscape. 2. Home range and movements

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Carter ◽  
Gary W. Luck ◽  
Simon P. McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Minimum Convex Polygon ◽  
Eastern Australia

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a major predator of Australian wildlife and livestock, but relatively few data exist on fox home-range size and movements in agricultural landscapes. We used radio-telemetry to measure variability in fox home-range size and overlap, and to quantify nightly movements in farmland in south-eastern Australia. Home-range estimates were calculated using the Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Kernel Contours methods. Fourteen foxes were radio-tracked, with home-range size varying from 287 to 3574 ha (mean = 1177 ha, ±920 ha (s.d.), n = 10 foxes) based on the 100% MCP and 151–3196 ha (mean = 639 ha, ± 930 ha (s.d.), n = 10 foxes) based on 95% Kernel. Home-range overlap was greater between subadults than adult foxes; especially at the core home-range level where adult home ranges were virtually exclusive. The average (minimum) area covered by adult foxes during a 12-h nightly period was 383 ha (±347 ha (s.d.), range = 136–1446 ha, n = 4 foxes). The minimum (straight-line) distance travelled by adult foxes during a night was 4.8–16 km (mean = 9.4 km, ± 3.7 km (s.d.), n = 4 foxes). Through continuous radio-tracking, we found that foxes habitually travel over the same ground when moving between foci of interest. Our results improve understanding of fox ranging behaviour in the agricultural landscapes of southern Australia.

Home range and den characteristics of the brush-tailed rabbit-rat (Conilurus penicillatus) in the monsoonal tropics of the Northern Territory, Australia

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald S. C. Firth ◽  
John C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
Richard A. Noske
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Minimum Convex Polygon ◽  
Dry Seasons

Radio-telemetry was used to investigate the home range and den characteristics of the brush-tailed rabbit-rat (Conilurus penicillatus) from three sites in the monsoonal tropics of the Northern Territory, Australia. Radio-tracking was conducted in a series of discontinuous 4–17-day sessions, over a 2-year period. The home ranges of 61 C. penicillatus were estimated using the minimum convex polygon (MCP) and fixed kernel (K95% and K50%) methods. There were no significant differences in home-range size among the three sites or between wet and dry seasons, which suggests that vegetation structure, floristics and season play relatively little role in movements of C. penicillatus. The mean home-range size was 0.79 ± 0.09 ha (MCP estimate) to 0.97 ± 0.12 ha (K95% estimate). The home ranges of males were larger than those of females (mean MCP estimates of 1.07 ± 0.15 and 0.45 ± 0.06 ha respectively). C. penicillatus denned primarily in fallen logs and in hollows of eucalypts and bloodwoods (Corymbia spp.). Rough-barked trees appeared to be preferred. The diameter at breast height (DBH) of den trees varied significantly between the three sites, being greatest at site C1 (34.5 ± 2.4 cm) and least at site C2 (26.1 ± 1.0 cm). Den trees had larger DBH than randomly selected trees at each site. The diameter at the mid-point (DMP) of both den and randomly selected logs were not significantly different between sites. Many individuals used more than one den site per tracking session. The small home ranges of C. penicillatus and its reliance on hollows in trees and logs suggest that this species is very vulnerable to local extinction following long-term annual and destructive fire regimes and land clearing, even in comparatively small patches.

Habitat richness affects home range size in the red fox Vulpes vulpes

1996 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lucherini ◽  
S. Lovari
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size

Forest connectivity is important for sustaining Admiralty cuscus (Spilocuscus kraemeri) in traditional terrestrial no-take areas on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
John Lamaris ◽  
Nathan Whitmore
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Minimum Convex Polygon ◽  
Juvenile Dispersal ◽  
Forest Connectivity

Tambu is a well respected concept in Melanesian societies and represents a periodic cultural restriction on harvesting for the purpose of fulfilling customary obligations and restocking resources. As a result it has been suggested as the basis for conservation and sustainability in Melanesia. One species subject to tambu management is the Admiralty cuscus (Spilocuscus kraemeri), an arboreal marsupial endemic to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, where it is a major source of terrestrial protein for forest-dwelling villagers. We investigated the denning home range and movement patterns of 10 cuscus using radio-telemetry in and around a 21-ha forested tambu area over a 28-day period. Home-range sizes were estimated using a 95% minimum convex polygon method and possible contributing factors to home-range size were assessed through model selection. Home-range size was highly variable, log-normally distributed (back-transformed mean = 2.9 ha, mean ±1 s.d.: 0.6–13.8 ha, n = 8), and was not associated with body mass, age or sex. Additional telemetry data collected from three S. kraemeri over 74 days appeared to support the stable nature of the home ranges. Through application of Laplace’s extension of the Buffon’s needle problem we conclude that, despite potentially high growth rates and short juvenile dispersal distances, tambu areas are unlikely to be self-sustaining. We hypothesise that the apparent efficacy of tambu areas is a consequence of forest connectivity that allows the immigration of adult founders to offset losses in reproductive stock coming as a result of periodic harvest and juvenile dispersal.

Dispersal Distance, Home-Range Size and Population Density in the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes): A Quantitative Analysis

1988 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 423 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. J. Trewhella ◽  
S. Harris ◽  
F. E. McAllister
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Range Size

scholarly journals Home Range and Residency Status of Northern Goshawks Breeding in Minnesota

The Condor ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 811-816
Author(s):  
Clint W. Boal ◽  
David E. Andersen ◽  
Patricia L. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Accipiter Gentilis ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Minimum Convex Polygon ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Nonbreeding Season ◽  
Northern Goshawks

Abstract We used radio-telemetry to estimate breeding season home-range size of 17 male and 11 female Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) and combined home ranges of 10 pairs of breeding goshawks in Minnesota. Home-range sizes for male and female goshawks were 2593 and 2494 ha, respectively, using the minimum convex polygon, and 3927 and 5344 ha, respectively, using the 95% fixed kernel. Home ranges of male and female members of 10 goshawk pairs were smaller than combined home-range size of those pairs (mean difference = 3527 ha; 95% CI = 891 to 6164 ha). Throughout the nonbreeding season, the maximum distance from the nest recorded for all but one goshawk was 12.4 km. Goshawks breeding in Minnesota have home ranges similar to or larger than those reported in most other areas. Home-range overlap between members of breeding pairs was typically ≤50%, and both members of breeding pairs were associated with breeding home ranges year round. Goshawk management plans based on estimated home-range size of individual hawks may substantially underestimate the area actually used by a nesting pair. Rango de Hogar y Estatus de Residencia de Individuos de Accipiter gentilis que se Reproducen en Minnesota Resumen. Utilizamos radiotelemetría durante la época reproductiva para estimar el tamaño del rango de hogar de 17 machos y 11 hembras de Accipiter gentilis y los rangos de hogar combinados de 10 parejas reproductivas en Minnesota. Los rangos de hogar de machos y hembras fueron de 2593 y 2494 ha, respectivamente, usando el mínimo polígono convexo, y de 3927 y 5344 ha, respectivamente, usando el “kernel” fijo del 95%. Los rangos de hogar de los miembros machos y hembras de las 10 parejas fueron más pequeños que el tamaño del rango de hogar combinado de dichas parejas (diferencia promedio = 3527 ha; 95% I.C. = 891 a 6164 ha). A través de la época no reproductiva, la distancia máxima desde el nido registrada para todos menos un individuo fue de 12.4 km. Los individuos que se reproducen en Minnesota tienen rangos de hogar similares o mayores que los reportados en la mayoría de otras áreas. La superposición entre los rangos de hogar de miembros de parejas reproductivas fue típicamente ≤50%, y ambos miembros de las parejas estuvieron asociados con rangos de hogar reproductivos a través del año. Los planes de manejo para A. gentilis basados en estimaciones del tamaño del rango de hogar de halcones individuales podrían subestimar sustancialmente el área realmente utilizada por una pareja nidificante.

scholarly journals Selection of foraging habitat and diet of the Hoopoe Upupa epops in the mosaic-like cultural landscape of Goričko (NE Slovenia)

Acrocephalus ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (166-167) ◽  
pp. 109-132
Author(s):  
Mojca Podletnik ◽  
Damijan Denac
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Foraging Habitat ◽  
Convex Polygons ◽  
Upupa Epops ◽  
Mole Crickets ◽  
Selection Of

In 2012 and 2013, the selection of foraging habitats and the diet of the Hoopoe Upupa epops were studied in the Goričko area, where a significant population decline of the species has been recorded in the past 15 years. Goričko is an area with a well-preserved traditional mosaic-like agricultural landscape very rich in biodiversity which, however, is disappearing. The diet was determined using automatic camera recordings of prey brought to chicks by parents. Mole crickets Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa were the most dominant prey (35.4% frequency and 81.3% biomass of prey), followed by Scarab beetles larvae Scarabaeidae, caterpillars Lepidoptera larvae and True flies Diptera. Feeding frequency was highest in the period of most intensive chick growth (between 8 and 21 days of age). Selection of foraging habitat was researched by observation of birds during foraging. Hoopoes foraged mostly in mown meadows and grassy courtyards and, to a lesser extent, on sandy cart tracks and road edges. These habitats were characterized by low vegetation and patches of bare ground that enabled Hoopoes to forage efficiently. Home range size was determined using minimum convex polygons. The maximum home range size was between 42.9 and 57.7 ha, while the percentage of foraging habitats within the home range did not exceed 18%. Based on our results, we propose the following measures for effective Hoopoe conservation in the area: maintaining the present range of existing unimproved meadows, stopping the conversion of meadows into fields, restoring fields to meadows, prohibiting the use of pesticides targeting Mole crickets.

Variation in the home-range size of the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis)

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross L. Goldingay ◽  
David J. Sharpe ◽  
Matt D. J. Dobson
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
New South ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Minimum Convex Polygon ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Squirrel Glider ◽  
Range Estimate

The home-range area of animals may vary geographically and in response to habitat quality. We investigated the size of squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis) home ranges near Brisbane, Queensland, and at Tea Gardens on the central coast of New South Wales. Habitat at both sites had been partially cleared and had been subjected to grazing for several decades. Twelve gliders were tracked over an average of 3.5 months in Brisbane. The fixed kernel (FK95%) home-range estimate averaged 4.6 ± 0.7 (s.e.) ha while the minimum convex polygon (MCP100%) averaged 6.7 ± 1.5 ha. Six gliders were tracked over 1 month at Tea Gardens. The FK95% home-range estimate averaged 14.8 ± 2.4 ha while the MCP100% averaged 13.3 ± 3.1 ha. The Tea Gardens values are derived from relatively short periods and are likely to underestimate the areas used. This study demonstrates that home-range size can vary substantially in the squirrel glider. This has implications for understanding how this species responds to variation in habitat quality and highlights the need for site-specific studies to inform aspects of management.

scholarly journals Fall Movements of Allegheny Woodrats in Harvested and Intact Stands in West Virginia

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin S. Hornsby ◽  
Alina M. Ruiz ◽  
Steven B. Castleberry ◽  
Nikole L. Castleberry ◽  
W. Mark Ford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Virginia ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Habitat Alterations ◽  
Allegheny Woodrat ◽  
Allegheny Mountains ◽  
Foraging Movements

Abstract Populations of the Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) have experienced declines over the last 30 years, particularly in the northern and western parts of their range. Although relatively untested, silvicultural practices that alter forest structure and composition have been hypothesized as having negative impacts on Allegheny woodrat habitat and populations. To investigate the effects of timber harvesting on Allegheny woodrats in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, we compared home range size and foraging movements between woodrats adjacent to a harvested stand to those in an intact forest stand during fall 1997 using radio telemetry. Mean home range size of all woodrats combined was 0.65 (±0.20) ha. Mean home range, movement rate, and maximum distance traveled from the den did not differ between the harvested and intact stands or between sex or age classes. Home range and foraging movements in fall were considerably smaller than those documented from summer in previous studies. It is likely that home range and foraging movements are affected less by surrounding habitat alterations in fall and winter than in summer because of limited movements away from the outcrop and reliance on cached foods.North. J. Appl. For. 22(4):281–284.

The role of the bandwidth matrix in influencing kernel home range estimates for snakes using VHF telemetry data

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javan M. Bauder ◽  
David R. Breininger ◽  
M. Rebecca Bolt ◽  
Michael L. Legare ◽  
Christopher L. Jenkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Cross Validation ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Telemetry Data ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sampling Duration

Context Despite the diversity of available home range estimators, no single method performs equally well in all circumstances. It is therefore important to understand how different estimators perform for data collected under diverse conditions. Kernel density estimation is a popular approach for home range estimation. While many studies have evaluated different kernel bandwidth selectors, few studies have compared different formulations of the bandwidth matrix using wildlife telemetry data. Additionally, few studies have compared the performance of kernel bandwidth selectors using VHF radio-telemetry data from small-bodied taxa. Aims In this study, we used eight different combinations of bandwidth selectors and matrices to evaluate their ability to meet several criteria that could be potentially used to select a home range estimator. Methods We used handheld VHF telemetry data from two species of snake displaying non-migratory and migratory movement patterns. We used subsampling to estimate each estimator’s sensitivity to sampling duration and fix rate and compared home range size, the number of disjunct volume contours and the proportion of telemetry fixes not included in those contours among estimators. Key Results We found marked differences among bandwidth selectors with regards to our criteria but comparatively little difference among bandwidth matrices for a given bandwidth selector. Least-squares cross-validation bandwidths exhibited near-universal convergence failure whereas likelihood cross-validation bandwidths showed high sensitivity to sampling duration and fix rate. The reference, plug-in and smoothed cross-validation bandwidths were more robust to variation in sampling intensity, with the former consistently producing the largest estimates of home range size. Conclusions Our study illustrates the performance of multiple kernel bandwidth estimators for estimating home ranges with datasets typical of many small-bodied taxa. The reference and plug-in bandwidths with an unconstrained bandwidth matrix generally had the best performance. However, our study concurs with earlier studies indicating that no single home range estimator performs equally well in all circumstances. Implications Although we did not find strong differences between bandwidth matrices, we encourage the use of unconstrained matrices because of their greater flexibility in smoothing data not parallel to the coordinate axes. We also encourage researchers to select an estimator suited to their study objectives and the life history of their study organism.

Movements and Home Ranges of Feral Pigs (Sus Scrofa) in Kosciusko National Park, New South Wales.

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 711 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Saunders ◽  
B Kay
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
National Park ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Minimum Convex Polygon ◽  
Feral Pigs ◽  
South Wales

The movements of a subalpine population of feral pigs were examined at Kosciusko National Park in southeastern New South Wales. Sufficient data were collected to estimate the home-range area of 20 pigs on the basis of 782 telemetry and trap locations. Mean (+/- s.d.) home-range size (minimum convex polygon method) for males (35.0 t 22.2 km*2) was significantly greater than that for females (1 1.1 +/- 5.2 km*2). Use of capture-recapture distances to estimate home-range size was considered inappropriate. A test for nomadism suggests that, although home ranges of pigs in this environment were larger than those reported for other pigs in Australia, the pigs were essentially sedentary. Management implications for this population are discussed.

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