Body mass as a predictive variable of home-range size among Italian mammals and birds

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.

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Growth and home range size of the gracile mouse opossum Gracilinanus microtarsus (Marsupialia: Didelphidae) in Brazilian cerrado

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467409990526 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 185-192 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Fernanda Rodrigues Fernandes ◽

Leonardo Dominici Cruz ◽

Eduardo Guimarães Martins ◽

Sérgio Furtado dos Reis

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Body Mass ◽

Information Criterion ◽

Mass Gain ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Range Size ◽

Minimum Convex Polygon ◽

Mass Model ◽

Proximate Cause

Abstract:Differences in growth patterns between the sexes of the gracile mouse opossum Gracilinanus microtarsus and the consequences for home range size were investigated in a savanna habitat (cerrado) of south-eastern Brazil. A total of 51 juvenile individuals of Gracilinanus microtarsus was monitored using capture–mark–recapture from November 2005 to August 2006. The increase in body mass of gracile mouse opossums was described using the Gompertz growth model. Male gracile mouse opossums grew faster than females (dimorphic ratio of 1.5). Home range size, estimated with the minimum convex polygon method, was positively related to body mass. Model selection using Akaike's Information Criterion (AICc) and incorporating body mass, sex and season as independent variables showed that the best-supported model describing variance in home range sizes included only body mass. Our data suggest that a greater body mass gain in juvenile males is probably the proximate cause of sexual dimorphism in adult gracile mouse opossums and that energetic needs required for growth have a greater influence in home range size.

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

Current Zoology ◽

10.1093/czoolo/60.5.616 ◽

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.

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Predicting home range size from the body mass or population densities of feral pigs,Sus scrofa(Artiodactyla: Suidae)

Austral Ecology ◽

10.1046/j.1442-9993.1999.01001.x ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 24 (5) ◽

pp. 538-543 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Glen Saunders ◽

Steven McLeod

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Body Mass ◽

Sus Scrofa ◽

Home Range Size ◽

The Body ◽

Range Size ◽

Population Densities ◽

Feral Pigs

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Sexual, allometric and forest cover effects on giant anteaters’ movement ecology

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253345 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (8) ◽

pp. e0253345

Author(s):

Aline Giroux ◽

Zaida Ortega ◽

Luiz Gustavo Rodrigues Oliveira-Santos ◽

Nina Attias ◽

Alessandra Bertassoni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Body Mass ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Space Use ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Environmental Drivers

Knowing the influence of intrinsic and environmental traits on animals’ movement is a central interest of ecology and can aid to enhance management decisions. The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is a vulnerable mammal that presents low capacity for physiological thermoregulation and uses forests as thermal shelters. Here, we aim to provide reliable estimates of giant anteaters’ movement patterns and home range size, as well as untangle the role of intrinsic and environmental drivers on their movement. We GPS-tracked 19 giant anteaters in Brazilian savannah. We used a continuous-time movement model to estimate their movement patterns (described by home range crossing time, daily distance moved and directionality), and provide an autocorrelated kernel density estimate of home range size. Then, we used mixed structural equations to integratively model the effects of sex, body mass and proportion of forest cover on movement patterns and home range size, considering the complex net of interactions between these variables. Male giant anteaters presented more intensive space use and larger home range than females with similar body mass, as it is expected in polygynous social mating systems. Males and females increased home range size with increasing body mass, but the allometric scaling of intensity of space use was negative for males and positive for females, indicating different strategies in search for resources. With decreasing proportion of forest cover inside their home ranges, and, consequently, decreasing thermal quality of their habitat, giant anteaters increased home range size, possibly to maximize the chances of accessing thermal shelters. As frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and deforestation are increasing, effective management efforts need to consider the role of forests as an important thermal resource driving spatial requirements of this species. We highlight that both intrinsic and environmental drivers of animal movement should be integrated to better guide management strategies.

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Evolutionary predictors of mammalian home range size: body mass, diet and the environment

Global Ecology and Biogeography ◽

10.1111/geb.12194 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 23 (10) ◽

pp. 1105-1114 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Marlee A. Tucker ◽

Terry J. Ord ◽

Tracey L. Rogers

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Body Mass ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size

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Home Range, Survival, and Activity Patterns of the Southeastern Pocket Gopher: Implications for Translocation

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management ◽

10.3996/032017-jfwm-023 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 544-557 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ashley E. Warren ◽

L. Mike Conner ◽

Steven B. Castleberry ◽

Daniel Markewitz

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Body Mass ◽

Large Scale ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Management Technique ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Pocket Gopher ◽

Pocket Gophers

Abstract The southeastern pocket gopher Geomys pinetis is absent from a large portion of its historical range. Translocation may represent a viable management technique to reestablish populations into suitable habitat. However, several aspects of the species' ecology are poorly understood, making development of an effective translocation approach challenging. Therefore, we used radiotelemetry to examine home range, survival, dispersal, and daily activity patterns of the southeastern pocket gopher in southwestern Georgia. We measured soil and vegetation characteristics within individual home ranges and examined relationships between home range size, habitat variables, and body mass. Mean home range size of 17 radio-tagged pocket gophers was 921.9 m2 (range = 43.4–2246.8 m2). Home range size was positively related to body mass, percent silt at a depth of 25 cm, and soil carbon content at 75 cm and was negatively related to percent sand at 25 cm, percent clay at 50 cm, and ground cover of grasses other than wiregrass Aristida beyrichiana. Survival rate was 0.78 (range = 0.50–1.00) over the 51-wk study, and we documented predation, likely by avian predators, on two individuals. Three individuals dispersed, with a maximum dispersal distance of 319.1 m (range = 143.2–319.1 m), the farthest known southeastern pocket gopher dispersal. Pocket gophers exhibited greater activity from 0000 to 0400 hours and from 1600 to 2000 hours, contrasting previous research that southeastern pocket gophers were equally active throughout the diel period. Our home range size estimates for southeastern pocket gophers are the first determined using radiotelemetry and are considerably smaller than previous estimates. Although we documented dispersal distances more than 300 m, the fragmented nature of current and restored habitats likely will prevent large-scale natural colonization. Our results provide information important for maximizing success in future southeastern pocket gopher translocation efforts.

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

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z01-203 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 80 (1) ◽

pp. 64-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

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.

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Site fidelity and effects of body mass on home-range size of Egyptian mongooses

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z94-065 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 72 (3) ◽

pp. 465-469 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

F. Palomares

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Body Mass ◽

Site Fidelity ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Adult Males ◽

Spatial Strategies ◽

Adult Females ◽

Egyptian Mongoose ◽

Herpestes Ichneumon

Home-range size has been found to be related to body mass of some animals both across species and within species when the spatial strategies of the sexes differ. I studied home-range size in a polygynous carnivore, the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), and compared observed home-range size with predictions based on body mass. First, I tested whether mongooses actually exhibited site fidelity (for daily and multiday periods). Mongooses always showed site fidelity for a multiday home range, but in only 59% of the cases for daily home range. Adult males exhibited less daily site fidelity than did adult females or young. Multiday home-range size was similar among age–sex classes, but males had significantly more core areas than females or young. Multiday home-range size was positively correlated with body mass for adult males (r2 = 0.98, P = 0.0122) and negatively correlated with body mass of adult females (r2 = 0.40, P = 0.0374). Differences in these relationships and daily site fidelity between adult males and females suggest that the spatial strategies of male and female Egyptian mongooses are different, with the larger females defending the areas richer in resources and the larger males having more access to females.

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

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2016.1234 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 283 (1845) ◽

pp. 20161234 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

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.

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