scholarly journals Accounting for animal movement improves vaccination strategies against wildlife disease in heterogeneous landscapes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine M McClure ◽  
Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau ◽  
Amy J Davis ◽  
Carolyn A Stengel ◽  
Kathleen Nelson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Landscape Heterogeneity ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Suburban Areas ◽  
Preferred Habitat ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Oral Rabies Vaccine ◽  
Better Than

Oral baiting is used to deliver vaccines to wildlife to prevent, control, and eliminate infectious diseases. A central challenge is how to spatially distribute baits to maximize encounters by target animal populations, particularly in urban and suburban areas where wildlife like raccoons (Procyon lotor) are abundant and baits are delivered along roads. Methods from movement ecology that quantify movement and habitat selection could help to optimize baiting strategies by more effectively targeting wildlife populations across space. We developed a spatially explicit, individual-based model of raccoon movement and oral rabies vaccine seroconversion to examine whether and when baiting strategies that match raccoon movement patterns perform better than currently employed baiting strategies in an oral rabies vaccination zone in greater Burlington, Vermont, USA. Habitat selection patterns estimated from locally radio-collared raccoons were used to parameterize movement simulations. We then used our simulations to estimate raccoon population rabies seroprevalence under currently used baiting strategies (actual baiting) relative to habitat selection-based baiting strategies (habitat baiting). We conducted simulations on the Burlington landscape and artificial landscapes that varied in heterogeneity relative to Burlington in the proportion and patch size of preferred habitats. We found that the benefits of habitat baiting strongly depended on the magnitude and variability of raccoon habitat selection and the degree of landscape heterogeneity within the baiting area. Habitat baiting improved seroprevalence over actual baiting for raccoons characterized as habitat specialists but not for raccoons that displayed weak habitat selection similar to radio-collared individuals - except when baits were delivered off roads where preferred habitat coverage and complexity was more pronounced. In contrast, in artificial landscapes with either more strongly juxtaposed favored habitats and/or higher proportions of favored habitats, habitat baiting performed better than actual baiting, even when raccoons displayed weak habitat preferences and where baiting was constrained to roads. Our results suggest that habitat selection-based baiting could increase raccoon population seroprevalence in urban-suburban areas, where practical, given the heterogeneity and availability of preferred habitat types in those areas. Our novel simulation approach provides a flexible framework to test alternative baiting strategies in multiclass landscapes to optimize bait distribution strategies.

Fine-scale habitat selection by white-beaked and common dolphins in the Minch (Scotland, UK): evidence for interspecific competition or coexistence?

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 951-960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline R. Weir ◽  
Colin D. Macleod ◽  
Susannah V. Calderan
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Interspecific Competition ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Preferred Habitat ◽  
Common Dolphins

A decline in white-beaked dolphins Lagenorhynchus albirostris had been reported in the Minch (Scotland, UK) since the 1990s, coinciding with an increasing occurrence of short-beaked common dolphins Delphinus delphis. This has led to suggestions that rising seawater temperatures are causing D. delphis to out-compete and exclude L. albirostris in this region. A total of 793 km (66.3 hours) of survey data were collected in the Minch during August 2007, to examine fine-scale habitat selection by L. albirostris and D. delphis and investigate whether their ecological overlap is sufficient to result in interspecific competition and/or habitat partitioning. Ten sightings of L. albirostris (70 animals) were recorded in a relatively small spatial area in the northern Minch. In contrast, the eleven sightings of D. delphis (1486 animals) were more widely distributed. The relative abundance per 1/4 ICES rectangle ranged from 0.41 to 0.53 animals/km for L. albirostris and 0.13 to 6.68 animals/km for D. delphis. The mean group size and group body mass were higher for D. delphis than for L. albirostris indicating D. delphis as the dominant delphinid in the Minch during August. Lagenorhynchus albirostris occurred in waters significantly deeper and further from shore than D. delphis, suggesting interspecific differences in preferred habitat. Most dolphin schools were recorded as foraging/feeding. Behaviour and seabird associations indicated that the two species differed in diet and/or foraging strategy, with L. albirostris foraging sub-surface and D. delphis exhibiting surface-feeding with associated gannets Morus bassanus. This is consistent with published information on the stomach contents of Scottish animals. The results suggest that there are subtle differences in habitat selection and diet between these two species, which may enable L. albirostris and D. delphis to coexist in the Minch. Whether these differences result from niche partitioning arising from previous/ongoing interspecific competition or are the result of genuine differences in the habitat preferences of each species, remains unclear.

Habitat Selection and Animal Distribution in the Sea: the Evolution of a Concept

1972 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 145-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. S. Meadows ◽  
J. I. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Host Finding ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Preferred Habitat ◽  
Marine Larvae ◽  
Invertebrate Animals ◽  
Biological Environment ◽  
Micro Organisms

SynopsisThis paper considers the evolution of the concept that the local distribution of animals in the sea is largely determined by the habitat preferences and behaviour of the animals themselves. Examples are mainly taken from studies on invertebrate animals. Nineteenth-century investigations on the behavioural responses of micro-organisms to such variables as light, salinity and oxygen, stimulated analogus investigations on the behaviour of marine invertebrates. From 1920 onwards, various lines of research have developed, notably on the settlement of marine larvae, but also on habitat selection by adult planktonic and benthic invertebrates, and on host finding by parasites and commensals.Attention has been drawn to the relevance of genetic studies on behaviour, and to the significance of investigations on terrestrial animals. A synoptic view of habitat selection has been advanced in which animals respond to a complex of interacting stimuli from their physical, chemical and biological environment.Simple models have been presented which consider the influence of dilution of the preferred habitat by less preferred alternatives, alteration of the rate of change of a habitat, the relation between habitat preferences and lethal limits, and the colonisation of new habitats.

The closed-subpopulation method and estimation of population size from mark-recapture and ancillary data

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank AM Tuyttens
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Ancillary Data ◽  
Mark Recapture ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Accuracy And Precision ◽  
Population Size Estimates ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Flexible Framework ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Better Than

The algebraic relationships, underlying assumptions, and performance of the recently proposed closed-subpopulation method are compared with those of other commonly used methods for estimating the size of animal populations from mark-recapture records. In its basic format the closed-subpopulation method is similar to the Manly-Parr method and less restrictive than the Jolly-Seber method. Computer simulations indicate that the accuracy and precision of the population estimators generated by the basic closed-subpopulation method are almost comparable to those generated by the Jolly-Seber method, and generally better than those of the minimum-number-alive method. The performance of all these methods depends on the capture probability, the number of previous and subsequent trapping occasions, and whether the population is demographically closed or open. Violation of the assumption of equal catchability causes a negative bias that is more pronounced for the closed-subpopulation and Jolly-Seber estimators than for the minimum-number-alive. The closed-subpopulation method provides a simple and flexible framework for illustrating that the precision and accuracy of population-size estimates can be improved by incorporating evidence, other than mark-recapture data, of the presence of recognisable individuals in the population (from radiotelemetry, mortality records, or sightings, for example) and by exploiting specific characteristics of the population concerned.

scholarly journals Investigating Home Range, Movement Pattern, and Habitat Selection of Bar-headed Geese during Breeding Season at Qinghai Lake, China

Animals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruobing Zheng ◽  
Lacy Smith ◽  
Diann Prosser ◽  
John Takekawa ◽  
Scott Newman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Breeding Season ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Movement Pattern ◽  
Qinghai Lake ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Anser Indicus ◽  
Selection Of

The Bar-headed Goose is the only true goose species or Anserinae to migrate solely within the Central Asian Flyway, and thus, it is an ideal species for observing the effects of both land use and climate change throughout the flyway. In this paper, we investigate the home range, movement pattern, and habitat selection of Bar-headed Geese (Anser indicus) during the breeding season at Qinghai Lake, which is one of their largest breeding areas and a major migration staging area in the flyway. We identified several areas used by the geese during the breeding season along the shoreline of Qinghai Lake and found that most geese had more than one core use area and daily movements that provided insight into their breeding activity. We also observed the intensive use of specific wetlands and habitats near Qinghai Lake. These data provide interesting insights into the movement ecology of this important species and also provide critical information for managers seeking to understand and respond to conservation concerns threatening Bar-headed Geese, such as landscape and habitat changes.

Riparian habitat disturbed by reservoir management does not function as an ecological trap for the Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.P. Quinlan ◽  
D.J. Green
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Ecological Trap ◽  
Riparian Habitat ◽  
Yellow Warbler ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Selection Decisions ◽  
Yellow Warblers ◽  
Setophaga Petechia

Ecological traps arise when anthropogenic change creates habitat that appears suitable but when selected reduces the fitness of an individual. We evaluated whether riparian habitat within the drawdown zone of the Arrow Lakes Reservoir, British Columbia, creates an ecological trap for Yellow Warblers ( Setophaga petechia (L., 1766)) by investigating habitat preferences and the fitness consequences of habitat selection decisions. Preferences were inferred by examining how habitat variables influenced settlement order, and comparing habitat at nest sites and random locations. Males preferred to settle in territories with more riparian shrub and tree cover, higher shrub diversity, and less high canopy cover. Females built nests in taller shrubs surrounded by a greater density of shrub stems. Habitat preferences were positively associated with fitness: nest sites in taller shrubs surrounded by higher shrub-stem densities were more likely to avoid predation and fledge young, whereas territories with more riparian cover, higher shrub diversity, and less high canopy cover had higher annual productivity. We therefore found no evidence that riparian habitat affected by reservoir operations functions as an ecological trap. Current habitat selection decisions may be associated with fitness because Yellow Warblers are adapted to breeding in a heterogeneous environment subject to periodic flooding.

scholarly journals Water sources aggregate parasites with increasing effects in more arid conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Titcomb ◽  
John Naisikie Mantas ◽  
Jenna Hulke ◽  
Ivan Rodriguez ◽  
Douglas Branch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Landscape Heterogeneity ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
East African ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
Arid Conditions ◽  
Animal Activity ◽  
Herbivore Species ◽  
And Function

AbstractShifts in landscape heterogeneity and climate can influence animal movement in ways that profoundly alter disease transmission. Water sources that are foci of animal activity have great potential to promote disease transmission, but it is unknown how this varies across a range of hosts and climatic contexts. For fecal-oral parasites, water resources can aggregate many different hosts in small areas, concentrate infectious material, and function as disease hotspots. This may be exacerbated where water is scarce and for species requiring frequent water access. Working in an East African savanna, we show via experimental and observational methods that water sources increase the density of wild and domestic herbivore feces and thus, the concentration of fecal-oral parasites in the environment, by up to two orders of magnitude. We show that this effect is amplified in drier areas and drier periods, creating dynamic and heterogeneous disease landscapes across space and time. We also show that herbivore grazing behaviors that expose them to fecal-oral parasites often increase at water sources relative to background sites, increasing potential parasite transmission at these hotspots. Critically, this effect varies by herbivore species, with strongest effects for two animals of concern for conservation and development: elephants and cattle.

The importance of superior-quality wildlife habitats

2004 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian D Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Cumulative Change ◽  
Few Data ◽  
Managed Landscapes ◽  
The Relationship

While animals may use many habitat types, relatively few are preferred and fewer yet are superior in quality (referring to individual fitness as the measure of quality). Historical reduction in habitat quality for some wildlife species has occurred such that we may now have limited reference to original superior-quality habitats. As time passes, managers may be unaware that superior habitats are slowly disappearing and that the slow but cumulative change is significant to a species at the population level. The perception of superior-quality habitat also changes with each successive generation of managers based on their experiences. This paper raises the concern that retrospective work may often be required to determine past forest habitats and associated animal populations to avoid the risk of falling into a trap of not recognizing ever-declining habitat quality through time and relegating animals to what is in fact much poorer quality habitat than those to which they are actually best adapted. Further, the relationship between relative abundance and habitat quality may often be uncertain owing to maladaptive habitat selection by animals, inappropriate survey timing or interannual population differences. While we have begun to appreciate aspects of habitat selection for many forest species, few data are yet available that relate selected habitats to fitness of individual animals. Hence, while we may have models to predict habitat use, considerable research remains to be done to be able to predict long-term sustainability of species in managed landscapes. Key words: habitat quality, forest management, sustainability, biodiversity

Habitat Selection by 2 Closely Related Skinks, Egernia-Modesta Storr and Egernia-Whitii Lacepede (Lacertilia, Scincidae)

1986 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 295 ◽  
Author(s):  
DA Milton ◽  
JM Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Human Disturbance ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Niche Separation ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Allopatric Populations ◽  
Narrow Zone ◽  
Current Distributions ◽  
Microhabitat Preferences

'The habitat and microhabitat preferences, and times of activity, of the skinks Egernia modesta and E. whitii were examined in southern Queensland where they coexist in a narrow zone. The above parameters were compared between locally sympatric and allopatric populations, in an attempt to determine whether there was evidence of niche separation in sympatry. E. modesta preferred open habitats with little canopy cover and high grass cover, adjacent to rocky retreats. E. whitii preferred rocky areas with well developed canopy and shrub layers. Both species were active throughout the day, although E. modesta was active later than E. whitii. No evidence was found of competition restricting habitat preferences where the two species coexisted. It is suggested that human disturbance has had some influence on current distributions of these species.

scholarly journals Landscape effects on anuran pond occupancy in an agricultural countryside: barrier-based buffers predict distributions better than circular buffers

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (7) ◽  
pp. 692-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavio Zanini ◽  
Anna Klingemann ◽  
Rodolphe Schlaepfer ◽  
Benedikt R. Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
Animal Movement ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Landscape Permeability ◽  
Patch Occupancy ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Landscape Variables ◽  
Circular Buffer ◽  
Ecological Barriers ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Better Than

Species movement and occupancy of habitat patches are dependent on landscape permeability. Some land-use types (e.g., roads) may be barriers to animal movement. Analyses of the effect of landscape structure on patch occupancy usually use circular buffers around focal patches. The main assumption of this methodological approach is that species are affected by a particular landscape element equally in every direction from a given patch. This assumption is likely not to hold if animal movement is restricted by barriers because barriers reduce movement patterns and reshape the ideal circular buffer into a noncircular buffer. We developed a method to determine the effect of landscape variables on the distribution of two amphibian species that explicitly takes dispersal barriers into account. We extracted landscape variables within (i) circular buffers (CB) and (ii) barrier-based buffers (BBB). BBB were produced by reducing the boundaries of CB according to major impassable barriers. The BBB approach almost doubled the explained deviance of multiple regression models in comparison with the CB approach. Moreover, CB and BBB models included different predictor variables. We suggest that the BBB approach is more useful than the traditional CB analyses of species–habitat relationships because ecological barriers are explicitly taken into account.

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