Landscape use by fishers (Pekania pennanti): core areas differ in habitat than the entire home range

Home ranges have long been studied in animal ecology. Core areas may be used at a greater proportion than the rest of the home range, implying the core contains dependable resources. The Pacific fisher (Pekania pennanti (Erxleben, 1777)) is a rare mesocarnivore occupying a small area in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California, USA. Once statewide, fishers declined in the 1900s due to trapping, habitat fragmentation, and development. Recently, drought induced by climate change may be affecting this population. We examined space use of fishers in their core versus their home range for levels of anthropogenic modifications (housing density, road density, silvicultural treatments), habitat types, and tree mortality. We found core areas contained more late-successional forest and minimal human activity compared with their territory. Their core had higher levels of dense canopy and higher amounts of conifer cover, while minimizing the amount of buildings, developed habitat, and low canopy cover. Fishers may in effect be seeking refugia by minimizing their exposure to these elements in their core. Conserving landscape components used by fishers in their core areas will be important for the persistence of this isolated population.

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Home range of the allied rock-wallaby, Petrogale assimilis

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9940065 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 65 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

A Horsup

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Major Effect ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Temporal Separation ◽

Dry Tropics ◽

Shelter Site ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Mean Size ◽

Core Areas

The home range and movements of the allied rock wallaby, Petrogale assimilis, a small macropod of the seasonally wet-dry tropics of Queensland, were studied over a 22-month period. There was no significant difference in the size of home ranges (95% isopleth) or core areas (65% isopleth) of males and females. Home ranges were generally elliptical with a mean size of 11.9 ha. Season had a major effect on home ranges. The following measures were all significantly greater in the dry seasons than in the wet seasons: home-range size (larger), home-range shape (more elongate), distance moved by females when feeding (longer), distance between shelter site and home-range centre of activity (longer). Feeding movements of males did not vary seasonally and were as long as dry-season movements of females, suggesting that movements of males are primarily determined by behavioural rather than physiological considerations. The overlap of rock-wallaby home ranges varied little between the sexes or seasons and averaged 38%. Core areas overlapped by an average of 22%; however, feeding adult rock-wallabies rarely met other conspecifics, except their partners. A comparison of the fixes of unpaired wallabies that had overlapping home ranges showed that temporal separation was occurring. In contrast, the home ranges of consort pairs showed extremely high temporal and spatial overlap. Rock-wallabies exhibited strong fidelity to their home ranges. The overlap of the seasonal home ranges and core areas of each individual rock wallaby averaged 68% and 52%, respectively. However, the seasonal home range of a socially immature adult male altered in location and size as he matured socially until it stabilised when he obtained a permanent consort.

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Implementation constraints limit benefits of restoration treatments in mixed-conifer forests

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf18141 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (7) ◽

pp. 495 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jamie M. Lydersen ◽

Brandon M. Collins ◽

Carolyn T. Hunsaker

Keyword(s):

Sierra Nevada ◽

Forest Structure ◽

Forest Restoration ◽

Tree Mortality ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Basal Area ◽

Severe Drought ◽

Conifer Forest ◽

Mixed Conifer ◽

Trade Offs

Forest restoration treatments seek to increase resilience to wildfire and a changing climate while avoiding negative impacts to the ecosystem. The extent and intensity of treatments are often constrained by operational considerations and concerns over uncertainty in the trade-offs of addressing different management goals. The recent (2012–15) extreme drought in California, USA, resulted in widespread tree mortality, particularly in the southern Sierra Nevada, and provided an opportunity to assess the effects of restoration treatments on forest resilience to drought. We assessed changes in mixed-conifer forest structure following thinning and understorey burning at the Kings River Experimental Watersheds in the southern Sierra Nevada, and how treatments, topography and forest structure related to tree mortality in the recent drought. Treatments had negligible effect on basal area, tree density and canopy cover. Following the recent drought, average basal area mortality within the watersheds ranged from 5 to 26% across riparian areas and 12 to 44% across upland areas, with a range of 0 to 95% across all plots. Tree mortality was not significantly influenced by restoration treatments or topography. Our results suggest that the constraints common to many restoration treatments may limit their ability to mitigate the impacts of severe drought.

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Aversive behaviour by koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) during the course of a music festival in northern New South Wales, Australia

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am15006 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

pp. 158 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Stephen Phillips

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

New South ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Short Term ◽

Specific Stimulus ◽

Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽

Music Festival ◽

South Wales ◽

Core Areas

The effects of short-term disturbances that result in changes to movement patterns and/or behaviour of wildlife are poorly understood. In this study the movements of seven koalas were monitored before, during and after a five-day music festival. During the monitoring program koalas occupied home-range areas of 0.6–13 ha with one or more core areas of activity. Aversive behaviour in the form of evacuation of known ranging areas was demonstrated by three koalas that had core areas within 525 m of the approximate centre of the festival area, the associated responses comprising movements that were perpendicular to and away from staging areas where music was played. Responses contained within known ranging areas were observed in three other koalas whose core areas were located up to 600 m away. The type of response appeared related to the proximity of koala home ranges to music-staging areas, while the maximum distance associated with an aversive response was 725 m. Six of the radio-tracked koalas returned to their home-range areas following the conclusion of festival activities. While the specific stimulus eliciting aversive behaviour was not identified, responses in all instances were initiated during the musical phase of the festival event. The potential for short-term disturbances such as music festivals to significantly influence the ranging patterns of koalas warrants recognition of possible longer-term ecological consequences for planning and management purposes.

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Control of plague vectors on diurnal rodents in the Sierra Nevada of California by use of insecticide bait-boxes

Journal of Hygiene ◽

10.1017/s0022172400038468 ◽

1960 ◽

Vol 58 (3) ◽

pp. 347-355 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Allan M. Barnes ◽

Leo Kartman

Keyword(s):

Sierra Nevada ◽

Host Species ◽

Ground Squirrel ◽

Ground Squirrels ◽

Flea Species ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Sierra Nevada Mountains ◽

Citellus Lateralis ◽

Residual Control

Trials were conducted in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California to test the effectiveness of 10% DDT dust in insecticide bait-box stations against the fleas of native diurnal rodents. The principle host species involved were the chipmunks Eutamias amoenus and E. speciosus, and the golden-mantled ground squirrel, Citellus lateralis. The important flea species were Monopsyllus eumolpi and M. ciliatus on chipmunks, and Diamanus montanus and Oropsylla idahoensis on ground squirrels. When baited daily for 12 days and furnished with 50 g. of 10% DDT dust, the bait-box stations reduced fleas strikingly within 24 hr., but very little residual control was obtained. A second application in which boxes were baited only twice weekly but for 28 days, also resulted in rapid knockdown and a residual control still effective 42 days after removal of the bait-boxes. The effect of the DDT was apparent at a distance of 400 ft. from the nearest bait-box due to the relatively extensive home ranges of the hosts. Although, in these trials, bait-box stations were spaced 100 ft. apart, 200 ft. spacing probably would be as effective with these hosts.

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Effects of food and predators on the home-range sizes of Arctic ground squirrel (Spermophilus parryii)

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z97-215 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 76 (3) ◽

pp. 592-596 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Anne H Hubbs ◽

Rudy Boonstra

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Ground Squirrel ◽

Large Scale ◽

Yukon Territory ◽

Ground Squirrels ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Spermophilus Parryii ◽

Mammalian Predators ◽

Core Areas ◽

Arctic Ground Squirrels

We used radiotelemetry to study the effects of food addition and predator reduction on the home-range sizes of adult Arctic ground squirrels (Spermophilus parryii) on large-scale experimental grids in the boreal forest of the southwestern Yukon Territory. Home ranges were 2-7 times smaller on food-supplemented grids than on nonsupplemented grids, regardless of whether large mammalian predators were present. Similarly, core areas (where 50% of activities occur) were 8-11 times smaller on food-supplemented grids. Food availability rather than predator presence primarily determined the sizes of home ranges and core areas of Arctic ground squirrels.

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A comparison of coyote ecology after 25 years: 1978 versus 2003 This is Welder Wildlife Foundation contribution No. 651.

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z06-030 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 84 (4) ◽

pp. 573-582 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

J.K. Young ◽

W.F. Andelt ◽

P.A. Terletzky ◽

J.A. Shivik

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Prey Species ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Local Environment ◽

South Texas ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Individual Level ◽

Core Areas ◽

Time Periods ◽

Index Value

Most ecological studies of coyotes are of short duration and studies are generally never repeated, thus the opportunity to compare changes in coyote ( Canis latrans Say, 1823) ecology over time is rare. We compared coyote home ranges, activity patterns, age, and diet at the Welder Wildlife Refuge in south Texas between 1978–1979 and 2003–2004 (25 years later). The Minta index of overlap between 1978 and 2003 home ranges was 51.7 ± 7.0 (n = 7), much greater than the Minta index value based on randomized tests (28.7 ± 8.6), indicating similar spatial patterns between time periods. The Minta index was 12.3 ± 6.2 (n = 7) for core areas, whereas the Minta index value based on randomized tests was 4.0 ± 3.0. Although overall diets were similar between 1978 and 2003, we detected some differences in prey species consumed. Activity patterns were similar between the two study periods, with peaks in movement occurring around sunrise and sunset. There was no difference in the mean age between the two populations (P = 0.44, n = 68, t[66] = 2.00). Our findings suggest that population features, such as home-range position and age structure, are similar between extended time periods, while individual-level patterns, such as the prey species consumed and distribution of locations within a home range, are dynamic and may reflect changes in the local environment.

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Home range, movement and habitat utilisation of the Carpentarian rock-rat (Zyzomys palatalis) in an isolated habitat patch

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr03025 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 327 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Helen Puckey ◽

Milton Lewis ◽

David Hooper ◽

Carrie Michell

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Radio Telemetry ◽

Central Area ◽

Limited Resource ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Habitat Patch ◽

Minimum Convex Polygon ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Core Areas ◽

The Mean

Radio-telemetry was used to examine the home range, movement and habitat utilisation of the critically endangered Carpentarian rock-rat (Zyzomys palatalis) in an isolated habitat patch in the Gulf of Carpentaria hinterland over a 13-month period. Two home-range estimators were used in the study, (i) minimum convex polygon (MCP) and (ii) fixed Kernel (KL), the latter also being used to estimate core areas of activity. Based on a total sample size of 21 individuals, the mean MCP home range was 11 165 m2, similar to the mean KL home range of 10 687 m2. Core areas were, on average, 11.9% of the KL home-range estimate. There was no significant difference in the size of home range or core area of males and females. Juveniles had a significantly smaller home range than adults. Home ranges and, to a lesser degree, core areas were non-exclusive, with multiple areas of overlap (averaging 41% and 38% respectively) within and between all age and gender categories, but especially between males and between juveniles. Movement frequencies showed that animals made many short forays in a central area close to the arithmetic home-range mean and far fewer long forays of distances greater than 100 m from the central area. The spatial and temporal activity of Z. palatalis was concentrated in, but not confined to, the 'valley' and 'slope' habitats, with fewer movements of rats onto the surrounding 'plateau'. Resource selection analyses showed that Z. palatalis tended to prefer valley and slope habitats over the plateau and that the proportion of point locations was significantly higher for adults in the slope habitat and for juveniles in the valley habitat. Most home ranges were centred on the ecotone between these two habitat types. Although isolated and spatially limited, these habitat patches provide high-quality resources for dense populations of Z. palatalis. This study exemplifies a species' attempt to make efficient use of a limited resource in an otherwise hostile environment. Even small declines in habitat area or quality due to their vulnerability to fire would impact upon many animals.

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Space use and movement of jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay

Mammalia ◽

10.1515/mammalia-2017-0040 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 82 (6) ◽

pp. 540-549 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Roy T. McBride ◽

Jeffrey J. Thompson

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Home Range ◽

Hydrological Cycle ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Density Estimator ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Panthera Onca ◽

Core Areas ◽

Brazilian Pantanal

AbstractHome range and core area size were estimated for jaguar (Panthera onca) in western Paraguay in the Dry Chaco, Humid Chaco and Pantanal using an autocorrelated kernel density estimator. Mean home range size was 818 km2(95% confidence interval: 425–1981) in the Dry Chaco and 237 km2(95% confidence interval: 90–427) in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal. Core areas, defined as the home range area where use was equal to expected use, was consistent across sexes and systems represented on average by the 59% home range isopleth (range: 56–64%). Males had a higher probability of larger home ranges and more directional and greater daily movements than females collectively and within systems. The large home ranges in the Dry Chaco are attributable to the relatively low productivity of that semi-arid ecosystem and high heterogeneity in resource distribution while larger than expected home ranges in the Humid Chaco/Pantanal compared to home range estimates from the Brazilian Pantanal may be due to differences in geomorphology and hydrological cycle. The large home ranges of jaguars in western Paraguay and a low proportional area of protected areas in the region demonstrate the importance of private ranchland for the long-term conservation of the species.

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Space use and territoriality in swift foxes (Vulpes velox) in northeastern Colorado

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z2012-003 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 90 (3) ◽

pp. 337-344 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Amariah A. Lebsock ◽

Christopher L. Burdett ◽

Safi K. Darden ◽

Torben Dabelsteen ◽

Michael F. Antolin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Spatial Ecology ◽

Space Use ◽

Home Range Size ◽

Range Size ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Spatial Overlap ◽

Vulpes Velox ◽

Shortgrass Prairie ◽

Core Areas

Space use is a fundamental characteristic that informs our knowledge of social relationships and the degree to which individuals are territorial. Until recently, relatively little was known about the spatial ecology and social organization of swift foxes ( Vulpes velox (Say, 1823)). We investigated space use of swift foxes on shortgrass prairie in northeastern Colorado. Our first objective was to evaluate sizes of seasonal and annual home ranges and core areas of 13 radio-collared swift foxes monitored continuously for 2 years. Our second objective was to compare home-range and core-area overlap of breeding pairs to that of neighboring foxes, including male–male, female–female, and nonbreeding female–male dyads. Home-range size in our study population was among the smallest previously reported for swift foxes. Males tended to have slightly larger home ranges and core areas than females, and home-range size was significantly larger in the breeding season than in both the pup-rearing and the dispersal seasons; sizes of core areas did not differ seasonally. Spatial overlap between breeding pairs was substantial, whereas spatial overlap between neighbors, particularly males, was low, suggesting territoriality.

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Seasonal variations in spatial usage by the estuarine dolphin, Sotalia guianensis (van Bénéden, 1864) (Cetacea; Delphinidae) at its southern limit of distribution

Brazilian Journal of Biology ◽

10.1590/s1519-69842007000100002 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 67 (1) ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

LL. Wedekin ◽

FG. Daura-Jorge ◽

VQ. Piacentini ◽

PC. Simões-Lopes

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Group Home ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Southern Limit ◽

Daily Group ◽

Sotalia Guianensis ◽

Protection Area ◽

Core Areas ◽

Estuarine Dolphin ◽

And Control

The use of space by the resident population of estuarine dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) in Norte Bay, southern Brazil was studied by boat surveys between 2000 and 2003. Data such as the geographical position and group size was collected at 5-minute intervals using focal-group sampling. The distribution and seasonal and daily group home-ranges were estimated using a GIS (Geographic Information System) environment. The dolphins did not use the area homogeneously, restricting their activities to a well-defined area located in the western part of the bay, while the use of the eastern part was not observed. A discrepancy between the Environment Protection Area of Anhatomirim, created especially to protect this population and the distribution of the dolphins was observed. Seasonal group home-range varied both qualitatively and quantitatively among the four consecutive seasons analyzed. The dolphins tended to use a larger area in cold seasons, when apparently the abundance of major prey items is lower. Core areas of intense use were identified, and also varied seasonally. These core areas may be regarded as critical habitats and require special legislation and control. The mean daily group home-range did not differ statistically among seasons. The present study corroborates a spatially strict residency pattern of the estuarine dolphin in highly productive coastal ecosystems.

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