Ecology and social biology of the southern three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus; Cingulata: Chlamyphoridae)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Attias ◽  
E Gurarie ◽  
W F Fagan ◽  
G Mourão
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Movement Behavior ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Social Biology

Abstract Basic knowledge of species biology and ecology is essential for the assessment of species conservation status and planning for efficient conservation strategies; however, this information is not always readily available. Here we use movement behavior to understand the ecology and social biology of the poorly known southern three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus). We used VHF and GPS telemetry to monitor 26 individuals from two sites in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil. We characterized armadillo activity patterns, evaluated the relationship between sex and body mass with home range size and mean daily distance traveled, and examined home and core range overlap. Three-banded armadillos were active on average for 5.5 ± 2.8 h/day, with most of their activity concentrated in the first half of the night. Adult males were heavier and had larger home ranges than adult females. Home range size scaled positively with body mass for males, but not for females. Core ranges for females overlapped little (< 1%) regardless of age, but home ranges for males overlapped both with other males (12%) and females (18%). Our data suggest that three-banded armadillos are mainly a nocturnal species. Home range and spacing patterns point to a generally asocial behavior and a polygynous or promiscuous mating system. We hope that the data generated as a result of this project will contribute to this species’ conservation in Brazil and elsewhere by guiding future management and research efforts.

scholarly journals Space use of wintering waterbirds in India: Influence of trophic ecology on home-range size

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 616-621
Author(s):  
Tsewang Namgail ◽  
John Y. Takekawa ◽  
Sivananinthaperumal Bala-Chandran ◽  
Ponnusamy Sathiyaselvam ◽  
Taej Mundkur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Biological Traits ◽  
Indian States

Abstract Relationship between species’ home range and their other biological traits remains poorly understood, especially in migratory birds due to the difficulty associated with tracking them. Advances in satellite telemetry and remote sensing techniques have proved instrumental in overcoming such challenges. We studied the space use of migratory ducks through satellite telemetry with an objective of understanding the influence of body mass and feeding habits on their home-range sizes. We marked 26 individuals, representing five species of migratory ducks, with satellite transmitters during two consecutive winters in three Indian states. We used kernel methods to estimate home ranges and core use areas of these waterfowl, and assessed the influence of body mass and feeding habits on home-range size. Feeding habits influenced the home-range size of the migratory ducks. Carnivorous ducks had the largest home ranges, herbivorous ducks the smallest, while omnivorous species had intermediate home-ranges. Body mass did not explain variation in home-range size. To our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind on migratory ducks, and it has important implications for their conservation and management.

The influence of body mass on daily movement patterns and home ranges of the collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus)

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels M Schmidt ◽  
Thomas B Berg ◽  
Thomas S Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Male Body ◽  
Daily Movement ◽  
Dicrostonyx Groenlandicus ◽  
Individual Mating

While the determinants of animals' space use have been addressed in a large number of studies, its intrasexual variability has received only limited attention. By means of radiotelemetry we found body mass to influence home-range size and distance moved by adult collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) in northeast Greenland. Male body mass was positively correlated with home-range size. Distance moved by both males and females was also correlated with body mass, but with opposite trends: male movement distances increased with body mass, while female movement distances decreased. This may reflect the fact that larger females occupy the most favourable habitats, i.e., the habitats that minimize the need for movement, and thus exposure to predators, without limiting the food supply. The variability in male home range size and distance moved resulted in variability in the number of females accessible to each male. Larger males had access to more females, and hence, body mass was indirectly important for individual mating opportunities. However, increasing access to females was associated with higher costs in terms of mass loss, probably as a consequence of increased energy requirements and exposure to predators.

scholarly journals Home ranges, habitat and body mass: simple correlates of home range size in ungulates

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1845) ◽  
pp. 20161234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Endre Grüner Ofstad ◽  
Ivar Herfindal ◽  
Erling Johan Solberg ◽  
Bernt-Erik Sæther
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges

The spatial scale of animal space use, e.g. measured as individual home range size, is a key trait with important implications for ecological and evolutionary processes as well as management and conservation of populations and ecosystems. Explaining variation in home range size has therefore received great attention in ecological research. However, few studies have examined multiple hypotheses simultaneously, which is important provided the complex interactions between life history, social system and behaviour. Here, we review previous studies on home range size in ungulates, supplementing with a meta-analysis, to assess how differences in habitat use and species characteristics affect the relationship between body mass and home range size. Habitat type was the main factor explaining interspecific differences in home range size after accounting for species body mass and group size. Species using open habitats had larger home ranges for a given body mass than species using closed habitats, whereas species in open habitats showed a much weaker allometric relationship compared with species living in closed habitats. We found no support for relationships between home range size and species diet or mating system, or any sexual differences. These patterns suggest that the spatial scale of animal movement mainly is a combined effect of body mass, group size and the landscape structure. Accordingly, landscape management must acknowledge the influence of spatial distribution of habitat types on animal behaviour to ensure natural processes affecting demography and viability of ungulate populations.

Influence of patch- and landscape-level attributes on the movement behavior of raccoons in agriculturally fragmented landscapes

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Beasley ◽  
O. E. Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Movement Behavior ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Fragmented Landscape ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Movement Rates ◽  
Landscape Level

We tested the hypotheses that movement rates and home range sizes of raccoons ( Procyon lotor (L., 1758)) inhabiting a highly fragmented landscape would vary in response to local and landscape-level habitat characteristics. Raccoons occupying small forest patches containing limited water sources maintained larger home ranges than raccoons with home ranges established in large forest patches containing abundant sources of water. Raccoons occupying large (>25 ha) forest patches exhibited minimal interindividual variance in home range size compared with raccoons monitored in patches <25 ha. This differing pattern of variance in home range size suggests that critical resources were more widely dispersed within and among small patches, forcing raccoons occupying smaller patches to utilize larger and more spatially disparate areas to satisfy their metabolic and reproductive needs. Movement rates of raccoons were positively related to home range size, although movement rates of males (246.9 m/h) exceeded those of females (188.3 m/h). Moreover, movements of male raccoons primarily were concentrated along forest–agriculture interfaces, whereas female movements were concentrated in forest interiors. Our results indicate that raccoons have modified their movement behavior in agricultural ecosystems in response to the discontinuous nature of resources and suggest that the extent of raccoon space use in these ecosystems is strongly influenced by the availability of non-agricultural resources.

Movement patterns of feral predators in an arid environment – implications for control through poison baiting

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (5) ◽  
pp. 422 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. E. Moseby ◽  
J. Stott ◽  
H. Crisp
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
Poison Baiting ◽  
Specific Variation

Control of introduced predators is critical to both protection and successful reintroduction of threatened prey species. Efficiency of control is improved if it takes into account habitat use, home range and the activity patterns of the predator. These characteristics were studied in feral cats (Felis catus) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in arid South Australia, and results are used to suggest improvements in control methods. In addition, mortality and movement patterns of cats before and after a poison-baiting event were compared. Thirteen cats and four foxes were successfully fitted with GPS data-logger radio-collars and tracked 4-hourly for several months. High intra-specific variation in cat home-range size was recorded, with 95% minimum convex polygon (MCP) home ranges varying from 0.5 km2 to 132 km2. Cat home-range size was not significantly different from that of foxes, nor was there a significant difference related to sex or age. Cats preferred habitat types that support thicker vegetation cover, including creeklines and sand dunes, whereas foxes preferred sand dunes. Cats used temporary focal points (areas used intensively over short time periods and then vacated) for periods of up to 2 weeks and continually moved throughout their home range. Aerial baiting at a density of 10 baits per km2 was ineffective for cats because similar high mortality rates were recorded for cats in both baited and unbaited areas. Mortality was highest in young male cats. Long-range movements of up to 45 km in 2 days were recorded in male feral cats and movement into the baited zone occurred within 2 days of baiting. Movement patterns of radio-collared animals and inferred bait detection distances were used to suggest optimum baiting densities of ~30 baits per km2 for feral cats and 5 per km2 for foxes. Feral cats exhibited much higher intra-specific variation in activity patterns and home-range size than did foxes, rendering them a potentially difficult species to control by a single method. Control of cats and foxes in arid Australia should target habitats with thick vegetation cover and aerial baiting should ideally occur over areas of several thousand square kilometres because of large home ranges and long-range movements increasing the chance of fast reinvasion. The use of temporary focal points suggested that it may take several days or even weeks for a cat to encounter a fixed trap site within their home range, whereas foxes should encounter them more quickly as they move further each day although they have a similar home-range size. Because of high intra-specific variability in activity patterns and home-range size, control of feral cats in inland Australia may be best achieved through a combination of control techniques.

Ecological Correlates of Fecal Corticosterone Metabolites in Female Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrococercus urophasianus)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Clark Rabon ◽  
Cassandra M. V. Nuñez ◽  
Peter Coates ◽  
Mark Ricca ◽  
Tracey N. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Sage Grouse ◽  
Ecological Conditions ◽  
Annual Grasses

Measurement of physiological responses can reveal effects of ecological conditions on an animal and correlate with demographic parameters. Ecological conditions for many animal species have deteriorated as a function of invasive plants and habitat fragmentation. Expansion of juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees and invasion of annual grasses into sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems have contributed to habitat degradation for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrococercus urophasianus (Bonaparte, 1827); hereafter, “Sage-Grouse”), a species of conservation concern throughout its range. We evaluated relationships between habitat use in a landscape modified by juniper expansion and annual grasses and corticosterone metabolite levels (stress responses) in feces (FCORTm) of female Sage-Grouse. We used remotely sensed data to estimate vegetation cover within hens’ home ranges and accounted for factors that influence FCORTm in other vertebrates, such as age and weather. We collected 36 fecal samples from 22 radio-collared hens during the brood-rearing season (24 May–26 July) in southwestern Idaho 2017–18. Concentrations of corticosterone increased with home range size but decreased with reproductive effort and temperature. The importance of home range size suggests that maintaining or improving habitats that promote smaller home ranges would likely facilitate a lower stress response by hens, which should benefit Sage-Grouse survival and reproduction.

Allometry of home range size in lake and river fishes

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (7) ◽  
pp. 1499-1508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles K. Minns
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Fish Population ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Territory Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals

A data set assembled from published literature supported the hypotheses that (i) home range size increases allometrically with body size in temperate freshwater fishes, and (ii) fish home ranges are larger in lakes than rivers. The allometric model fitted was home range = A∙(body size)B. Home ranges in lakes were 19–23 times larger than those in rivers. Additional analyses showed that membership in different taxonomic groupings of fish, the presence–absence of piscivory, the method of measuring home range, and the latitude position of the water bodies were not significant predictive factors. Home ranges of freshwater fish were smaller than those of terrestrial mammals, birds, and lizards. Home ranges were larger than area per fish values derived by inverting fish population and assemblage density–size relationships from lakes and rivers and territory–size relationships in stream salmonids. The weight exponent (B) of fish home range was lower than values reported for other vertebrates, 0.58 versus a range of 0.96–1.14. Lake–river home range differences were consistent with differences reported in allometric models of freshwater fish density and production.

Influence of habitat on home-range size in the short-beaked echidna

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Sprent ◽  
Stewart C. Nicol
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Significant Negative Relationship ◽  
Solitary Species

The size of an animal’s home range is strongly influenced by the resources available within it. In productive, resource-rich habitats sufficient resources are obtainable within a smaller area, and for many species, home ranges are smaller in resource-rich habitats than in habitats with lower resource abundance. Location data on 14 male and 27 female echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus) fitted with tracking transmitters, in the southern midlands of Tasmania, were used to test the influence of habitat type on home-range size. We hypothesised that as woodland should offer more shelter, food resources and refuges than pasture, echidnas living in woodland would have smaller home ranges than those living in pasture areas. We found significant differences between the sexes. Male echidnas had a significantly larger mean home range than females and a quite different relationship between home-range size and habitat type from females. There was no relationship between the proportion of woodland within male home ranges and home-range size whereas female echidnas had a highly significant negative relationship. This suggests that home-range size of female echidnas is highly influenced by the amount of woodland within it, but the home-range size of male echidnas is controlled by factors other than habitat. This pattern is consistent with the spatial ecology of many other solitary species with a promiscuous mating system. The home ranges of females are scaled to encompass all necessary resources for successfully raising their young within a minimal area, whilst the large home ranges of males are scaled to maximise access to females.

Snowmobile Effects on Movements of White-tailed Deer: A Case-study

1979 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald G. Eckstein ◽  
Thomas F. O'Brien ◽  
Orrin J. Rongstad ◽  
John G. Bollinger
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Odocoileus Virginianus ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges

The effects of snowmobile traffic on the winter home-ranges, movements, and activity patterns, of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), were studied during two winters in northern Wisconsin. There were no significant differences in home-range size and habitat use of the Deer in areas with and without snowmobiling. However, snowmobiling caused some Deer to leave the immediate vicinity of the snowmobile trail. Deer were most affected when they were within 61 m of the snowmobile trail.

scholarly journals Home range expansion in response to temperature by evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis) in an urban environment

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Hall ◽  
Victoria Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Activity Period ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces

Abstract Background: Despite the negative connotation of urban sprawl for bat populations, fragmented green spaces such as parks, cemeteries, and golf courses have the potential to provide necessary resources for bats. For example, water resources in these areas can include natural or semi-natural lakes, ponds, streams, and drainage ditches. Such water resources, however, are frequently ephemeral when subject to prolonged periods of high temperatures. We, therefore, hypothesize that bats will expand or shift their home ranges from these urban green spaces into the surrounding neighborhoods to access alternative resources, such as residential swimming pools. Methods: To explore whether bats expand their ranges from urban green spaces, we conducted a telemetry study in which we radio-tracked resident evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis) in a local park system during their summer activity period from 2017-2019 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. From radio-tracking surveys, we measured home range size using a k-LoCoH method and the percentage of these home ranges that fell within the park system. We compared these variables using linear and non-linear regressions with temperature. Results: We successfully tracked a total of 30 bats over the 3-year period and found a positive correlation between home range size and temperature. Furthermore, we observed that home ranges increased 6 times in size when temperatures exceeded 30ºC. Conclusions: Our study indicates the importance of urban neighborhoods surrounding green spaces in providing alternative resources, such as water, for bats. If managed appropriately, these urban areas have the potential to act as urban oases for bat populations, which in turn can contribute to their conservation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document