Home-range interactions of three sympatric mesopredators in east Texas

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (7) ◽  
pp. 547-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.I.A.S. Melville ◽  
W.C. Conway ◽  
M.L. Morrison ◽  
C.E. Comer ◽  
J.B. Hardin
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Behavioral Ecology ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Feeding Strategies ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Spatial Interactions ◽  
Utilization Distribution ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Range Overlap

Spatial interactions among predators are central to their behavioral ecology. Although coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823), bobcats (Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777)), and raccoons (Procyon lotor (L., 1758)) occur sympatrically throughout much of the USA, little is known about the nature of inter- and intra-specific spatial interactions. We used kernel analysis to estimate home ranges and core areas for these species. We estimated home-range overlap within and among species using the utilization distribution overlap index (UDOI) and percent overlap. Bobcat and coyote home ranges were similar in extent, whereas raccoons had substantially smaller home ranges. Only bobcats displayed seasonal differences in home-range size. Male bobcats had larger home ranges than female bobcats; there was no sex-based differentiation in home range or core area for coyotes or raccoons. Home-range overlaps calculated using percent overlap were consistently larger than UDOI estimates. Percent overlap seemed to exaggerate the extent to which individuals of the same species share space. Bobcats and coyotes shared space more than raccoons did with either bobcats or coyotes, which indicates that raccoons may have avoided areas used by trophically higher ranking mesopredators or that species with similar feeding strategies had lower levels of overlap to avoid competition.

Isometric scaling in home-range size of male and female bobcats (Lynx rufus)

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (11) ◽  
pp. 1052-1060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam W. Ferguson ◽  
Nathan A. Currit ◽  
Floyd W. Weckerly
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

For solitary carnivores a polygynous mating system should lead to predictable patterns in space-use dynamics. Females should be most influenced by resource distribution and abundance, whereas polygynous males should be strongly influenced by female spatial dynamics. We gathered mean annual home-range-size estimates for male and female bobcats ( Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777)) from previous studies to address variation in home-range size for this solitary, polygynous carnivore that ranges over much of North America. Mean annual home ranges for bobcats (171 males, 214 females) from 29 populations covering the entire north to south and east to west range demonstrated female home-range sizes varied more than an order of magnitude and that, on average, males maintained home ranges 1.65 times the size of females. Male home-range sizes scaled isometrically with female home-range sizes indicating that male bobcats increase their home-range size proportional to female home-range size. Using partial correlation analysis we also detected an inverse relationship between environmental productivity, estimated using the normalized difference vegetation index, and home-range size for females but not males. This study provides one of the few empirical assessments of how polygyny influences home-range dynamics for a wide-ranging carnivore.

Swift fox (Vulpes velox) home-range dispersion patterns in southeastern Wyoming

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (11) ◽  
pp. 2024-2029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis L Olson ◽  
Frederick G Lindzey
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Vulpes Velox ◽  
Swift Fox ◽  
Dispersion Patterns ◽  
Range Overlap ◽  
Grassland Habitats

We monitored dispersion patterns of swift foxes (Vulpes velox) for 3 years in shrub-grassland habitats on the margin of the species' geographic range near Medicine Bow, Wyoming. Annual home-range size was 18.6 ± 1.6 km2 (mean ± SE, n = 13) and was similar to home-range estimates reported in other studies conducted within grassland habitats in other portions of the species' geographic range. Male home ranges were larger than those of their mates during pup-rearing periods (P < 0.04) but were similar in size during the dispersal period. The home ranges of both sexes were smallest during the pup-rearing period. The degree of home-range overlap for mates (biological periods combined) was high (range = 27.4–100%, mean ± SE = 70.8 ± 0.03%, n = 26 pairs) but was minimal between adjacent pairs (range = 0.2–36%, mean ± SE = 11.9 ± 2.4%, n = 10 pairs), suggesting territorial behavior. Occupied home ranges were distributed similarly each year despite one or both pair members often being new. Swift fox home-range size varied seasonally, and home-range dispersion patterns appeared to be influenced by the presence of other fox pairs and the recent use of an area by other swift foxes.

Seasonal changes in home ranges of Abert's squirrels: impact of mating season

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 404-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
A J Edelman ◽  
J L Koprowski
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Mating Season ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest ◽  
Range Overlap

We compared home ranges of introduced Abert's squirrels (Sciurus aberti Woodhouse, 1853) in mixed-conifer forests of Arizona during non-mating and mating seasons. Because Abert's squirrels are reported to depend on ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson) forests, the mixed-conifer forest in our study represented a novel habitat. Home-range size, home-range overlap with females, and movement distances increased for males from non-mating to mating seasons. Home-range size and overlap characteristics of females remained consistent between seasons, but movement distances were reduced during the mating season. Males probably increased home-range size, home-range overlap with females, and movement distances during the mating season to maximize contact with scarce females. Home-range size and overlap characteristics of female Abert's squirrels likely remained stable between seasons because females do not search for mates. Restricted movements by females during the mating season may be due to changes in resource use in preparation for reproduction. Non-mating season home ranges in our study were smaller than home ranges observed in ponderosa pine forest. Abert's squirrels in mixed-conifer forest may have small home ranges because resource quality is higher than in ponderosa pine forest or competition for space with co-occurring Mount Graham red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis (J.A. Allen, 1894)).

scholarly journals Space Use and Movement of Urban Bobcats

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Young ◽  
Julie Golla ◽  
John Draper ◽  
Derek Broman ◽  
Terry Blankenship ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Range Overlap

Global urbanization is rapidly changing the landscape for wildlife species that must learn to persist in declining wild spacing, adapt, or risk extinction. Many mesopredators have successfully exploited urban niches, and research on these species in an urban setting offers insights into the traits that facilitate their success. In this study, we examined space use and activity patterns from GPS-collared bobcats (Lynx rufus) in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Texas, USA. We found that bobcats select for natural/agricultural features, creeks, and water ways and there is greater home-range overlap in these habitats. They avoid roads and are less likely to have home-range overlap in habitats with more roads. Home-range size is relatively small and overlap relatively high, with older animals showing both greater home-range size and overlap. Simultaneous locations suggest bobcats are neither avoiding nor attracted to one another, despite the high overlap across home ranges. Finally, bobcats are active at all times of day and night. These results suggest that access to natural features and behavioral plasticity may enable bobcats to live in highly developed landscapes.

Home ranges of free-ranging cats (Felis catus) in Brooklyn, New York

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 178-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Haspel ◽  
Robert E. Calhoon
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Utilization Distribution ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Free Ranging

Home range size is stable among free-ranging cats in Brooklyn, New York. Marked male and female cats had mean home ranges of 2.6 (95% CI, 2.38–2.87) and 1.7 ha (95% CI, 1.57–1.98), respectively, as estimated by the population utilization distribution. Males had significantly larger home ranges, used the perimeter of their ranges more, and had greater variability in home range size than females. Gender differences in body weight accounted for observed differences in home range size; the seeking of estrous females by males could not account for differences in male and female home ranges. The availability of garbage or abandoned buildings, neighborhood, season, or experimental supplementary feeding did not influence home range size.

scholarly journals Seasonal Variation in the Home Ranges of Black Curassow, Crax alector, in French Guiana

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 194008292110261
Author(s):  
Hervé Lormée ◽  
Rachel Berzins ◽  
Vincent Rocheteau ◽  
Fran De Coster ◽  
Thomas Denis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
French Guiana ◽  
Spatial Relationship ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Range Overlap ◽  
The Impact

Cracidae is the most threatened avian family in the Neotropics, mainly because of habitat destruction, heavy hunting pressure and poaching. In French Guiana, Black Curassows are heavily hunted, although basic knowledge of the ecological and demographical traits of the species remains limited. Such a gap prevents any attempt to assess the impact of hunting and to help stakeholders to develop proposals ensuring hunting sustainability. The spatial relationship between animals and their habitat is important for conservation management, being related to population densities through complex patterns. Here, we report on a radio-tracking study of Black Curassows in tropical primary rainforest, in Nouragues National Reserve, French Guiana. The aims of the study were to estimate home range size and its variation across seasons, and to quantify movement patterns of the birds. We captured and fitted VHF tags to four adults, and tracked them for 10 to 21.5 months. Daily movements were recorded, and home ranges estimated using the Kernel Density method, for two consecutive wet seasons and one dry season. Using 95% and 50% Kernel densities, the average annual home range and core area were 96.3± 32.6 ha (SE) and 22.8 ± 2.8 ha respectively. Home ranges appeared spatially stable over the two years, and overlapped between neighbouring groups. During the dry season, Black Curassows did not migrate but tended to enlarge their home range, with greater daily movements and higher home range overlap. Although additional data are still needed, our results can help to improve the knowledge and management of this poorly studied species.

scholarly journals Home Ranges and Spatial Organization of Fishers, Martes pennanti, in Central British Columbia

2009 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D. Weir ◽  
Alton S. Harestad ◽  
Fraser B. Corbould
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Martes Pennanti ◽  
Utilization Distribution ◽  
Minimum Convex Polygon

We described the size and spatial arrangement of aggregate and seasonal home ranges for 17 radio-tagged resident Fishers (Martes pennanti) that were >1.5 years old in two areas of central British Columbia during 1990-1993 and 1996-2000. We estimated home range size for each Fisher from the 95% isopleth of the utilization distribution generated using a fixed kernel model with smoothing selected by least-squares cross-validation (95% FK). For comparison to previous studies, we also calculated the minimum convex polygon estimate of home range size (MCP) for each animal. The aggregate home ranges (95% FK) of female Fishers (mean = 37.9 km², SD = 18.5, range = 10.5 – 81.2, n = 11) were significantly smaller than those of males (mean = 161.3 km², SD = 100.0, range = 46.0 – 225.2, n = 3; P = 0.019). We observed minor overlap among 95% FK home ranges of Fishers of the same sex, but considerable overlap among home ranges of males and females. Home ranges (95% FK or MCP) that we observed in central British Columbia were larger than those reported elsewhere in North America, particularly for males. We suggest that the distribution of resources for Fishers may occur at lower gross densitiesin central British Columbia than in other portions of the Fisher’s range and that suitable habitat in which Fishers can establish home ranges is not found uniformly across the landscape.

Patch use by the greater glider (Petauroides volans) in a fragmented forest ecosystem. I. Home range size and movements

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 559 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Pope ◽  
D. B. Lindenmayer ◽  
R. B. Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Patch Size ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Core Areas ◽  
Range Overlap

This paper examines home-range attributes of 40 greater gliders (Petauroides volans) in five patches of remnant eucalypt forest surrounded by stands of radiata pine (Pinus radiata) near Tumut in south-eastern Australia. Fixed-kernel smoothing methods were used to estimate home-range size for P. volans. For males, home-range size varied from 1.38–4.10 ha (mean = 2.6 ± 0.8 ha, n = 12) and was significantly larger (P < 0.05) than for females (1.26–2.97 ha, mean = 2.0 ± 0.6 ha, n = 11). Home-range size increased significantly with increasing patch size and reduced patch population density. Thus, small patches had more animals per unit area with smaller home ranges and greater home-range overlap. Our findings illustrate flexibility in the use of space by P. volans. Such results have not previously been reported for P. volans or any other species of arboreal marsupial. Considerable home-range overlap (at 95th percentile isopleth level) was observed between male and female P. volans. Pairs of females also exhibited home-range overlap. Males tended to maintain home ranges exclusive of other males, although some shared common areas. Contrary to the large variations observed in home-range area, core areas (50th isopleth) remained relatively constant, regardless of patch size, population density or sex. This may indicate that core areas are an essential requirement for individuals and resources they contain cannot be shared with congeners.

Daily, seasonal, and annual variations in individual home-range overlap of two sympatric species of deer

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (10) ◽  
pp. 853-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuelle Richard ◽  
Sonia Saïd ◽  
Jean-Luc Hamann ◽  
Jean-Michel Gaillard
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Red Deer ◽  
Species Differences ◽  
Roe Deer ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Range Overlap

Behavioural tactics of animals are determined by both environmental and social factors. Among nonmigratory ungulates, most home-range studies focused either on the effect of environmental variables on home-range size or on the overlap between home ranges of different individuals. Here, as rarely in previous studies, we aim to identify the dynamics of the home range of a given individual, involving variation in home-range size and home-range overlap between periods, for two resident populations of contrasting species: red deer (Cervus elaphus L., 1758) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus (L., 1758)). In both species, yearly and seasonal home-range fidelity was high and constant (mean of 64% in red deer and mean of 66% in roe deer), possibly because of benefits accruing from knowledge of spatial distribution of food resources and refugia. Home range in winter, when food availability was low, was larger than other seasonal home ranges for both species. Differences in body size between red deer and roe deer accounted for observed between-species differences in space use, especially when the species were active at night. Our study clearly demonstrates that patterns of variation in home-range size are similar; however, between-species differences in body size lead to differential patterns of home-range size and fidelity.

scholarly journals Space-use scaling and home range overlap in primates

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1751) ◽  
pp. 20122122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Pearce ◽  
Chris Carbone ◽  
Guy Cowlishaw ◽  
Nick J. B. Isaac
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Allometric Scaling ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Range Overlap

Space use is an important aspect of animal ecology, yet our understanding is limited by a lack of synthesis between interspecific and intraspecific studies. We present analyses of a dataset of 286 estimates of home range overlap from 100 primate species, with comparable samples for other space-use traits. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first multispecies study using overlap data estimated directly from field observations. We find that space-use traits in primates are only weakly related to body mass, reflecting their largely arboreal habits. Our results confirm a theory that home range overlap explains the differences in allometric scaling between population density and home range size. We then test a suite of hypotheses to explain home range overlap, both among and within species. We find that overlap is highest for larger-bodied species living in large home ranges at high population densities, where annual rainfall is low, and is higher for arboreal than terrestrial species. Most of these results are consistent with the economics of resource defence, although the predictions of one specific theory of home range overlap are not supported. We conclude that home range overlap is somewhat predictable, but the theoretical basis of animal space use remains patchy.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document