scholarly journals Habitat Use by Nuttall’s Cottontails (Sylvilagus nuttallii nuttallii) at their Northern Range Edge (British Columbia, Canada)

2017 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-140
Author(s):  
Emily J. Herdman ◽  
Karen E. Hodges
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Fragmented Habitats ◽  
Native Habitat ◽  
Range Edge ◽  
Shrub Steppe ◽  
Northern Edge

in Canada, Nuttall’s Cottontails (Sylvilagus nuttallii nuttallii) occur in southcentral British Columbia (BC), where they are federally listed as a species of special Concern due to their presumed small populations and limited distribution in fragmented habitats. Their habitat use and movement patterns are poorly known at this northern edge of their distribution. We used livetrapping, radio-collaring, and fecal pellet surveys to examine Nuttall’s Cottontails’ use of remaining patches of native habitat as well as use of human-impacted areas. Cottontails were present in low densities and only about half of presumably suitable patches of native sagebrush-steppe were occupied. Cottontails were more likely to occur in shrubby habitat, but at a fine scale cottontails used areas that had a lower density of shrubs and finer substrates. movement patterns differed significantly between areas of varying habitat quality, with longer movements in natural habitat. one radio-collared male cottontail used anthropogenic habitats adjacent to native habitat; this use corresponds with landowner reports. However, it is not clear whether Nuttall’s Cottontails are able to use anthropogenically-impacted areas to maintain populations or in areas where such habitats are not near native habitats. our results suggest that these animals are rare and occur primarily in remnant patches of shrub-steppe within BC.

scholarly journals Short- and long-term movement patterns of six temperate reef fishes (Families Labridae and Monacanthidae)

1995 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 853 ◽  
Author(s):  
NS Barrett
Keyword(s):  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Long Term Results ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Temperate Reef ◽  
Effective Deterrent ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Natural Boundaries

Movement patterns were studied on a 1-ha isolated reef surrounding Arch Rock in southern Tasmania. Short-term movements were identified from diver observations, and interpretation of long-term movements involved multiple recaptures of tagged individuals. Visual observations indicated that the sex-changing labrids Notolabrus tetricus, Pictilabrus laticlavius and Pseudolabrus psittaculus were all site-attached, with females having overlapping home ranges and males being territorial. In the non-sex-changing labrid Notolabrus fucicola and in the monacanthids Penicipelta vittiger and Meuschenia australis, there was no evidence of territorial behaviour and 1-h movements were in excess of the scale of the study. The long-term results indicated that all species were permanent reef residents, with most individuals of all species except M. australis always being recaptured within a home range of 100 m × 25 m or less. Only 15% of individuals of M. australis were always recaptured within this range category. The natural habitat boundary of open sand between the Arch Rock reef and adjacent reefs appeared to be an effective deterrent to emigration. The use of natural boundaries should be an important consideration in the design of marine reserves where the aim is to minimize the loss of protected species to adjacent fished areas.

Low prevalence of the parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha at the range edge of the eastern North American monarch (Danaus plexippus) butterfly population

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Dargent ◽  
Sydney M Gilmour ◽  
Emma A Brown ◽  
Rees Kassen ◽  
Heather M Kharouba
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Danaus Plexippus ◽  
Range Limits ◽  
North American Population ◽  
Ophryocystis Elektroscirrha ◽  
Range Edge ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Northern Edge ◽  
Butterfly Population

Every year monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus Linnaeus, 1758) from the eastern North American population migrate from Mexico to Southern Canada in the spring. This northward migration has been shown to reduce monarch infection with the host-specific parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) (McLaughlin and Myers, 1970); yet, the prevalence of OE at their range limits, and the mechanism(s) responsible, is unknown. We assessed OE infection levels of monarchs at the northern edge of the eastern population distribution around Ottawa, Canada, and found extremely low levels of infection (~1% with upper confidence intervals close to 3%). Low OE infection levels are likely due to low densities of monarchs in this region and/or migratory escape effects, where migrating individuals leave behind areas with high density of conspecifics and high potential for parasite accumulation and transmission. Future work should aim to disentangle the relative contribution of these two mechanisms for governing the decrease in parasitism at the range limits of migratory populations.

Acoustic tracking of fin whales: Habitat use and movement patterns within a Canadian Pacific fjord system

2021 ◽  
Vol 149 (6) ◽  
pp. 4264-4280
Author(s):  
Benjamin Hendricks ◽  
Eric M. Keen ◽  
Chenoah Shine ◽  
Janie L. Wray ◽  
Hussein M. Alidina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Acoustic Tracking ◽  
Fjord System ◽  
Fin Whales

Dispersal, home-range size, and habitat use of an endangered land snail, the Oregon forestsnail (Allogona townsendiana)

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (7) ◽  
pp. 875-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.B. Edworthy ◽  
K.M.M. Steensma ◽  
H.M. Zandberg ◽  
P.L. Lilley
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Land Snail ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Land Snails ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Maximum Displacement

Terrestrial molluscs have declined globally, often as a result of habitat loss and fragmentation. Many land snails are poor dispersers and exist in isolated habitat patches. The Oregon forestsnail ( Allogona townsendiana (I. Lea, 1838)) coincides with the most densely populated region of British Columbia and is listed as endangered in Canada. To investigate the dispersal distances and habitat-use patterns of Oregon forestsnails, we tagged and tracked 21 adult snails at Langley, British Columbia, for up to 3 years (2005–2008). The maximum daily dispersal distance for a snail was 4.5 m and the maximum displacement that we observed for a snail was 32.2 m during 3 years. Snails occupied home-range areas of 18.4–404.4 m2, often overlapping both forest and meadow habitat. Their home-range sizes were smaller in habitats with high availability of stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica L.), which may be an indicator of high-quality habitat. Our results suggest that the Oregon forestsnail is a relatively sedentary species with limited dispersal ability in its adult stage. Although Oregon forestsnails are likely unable to colonize suitable habitat independently, remnant forest–meadow mosaic patches such as our study site provide valuable habitat for Oregon forestsnail, which are supplementary to large tracts of intact forest where most of their populations are found.

Habitat use and movement patterns in the graceful crag lizard,Pseudocordylus capensis

2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas A. Eifler ◽  
Maria A. Eifler ◽  
Erin N. Eifler
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Movement Patterns

scholarly journals Habitat use by mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni determined using stem bite diameters at point of browse, bite rates, and time budgets in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 707-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon A. Tadesse ◽  
Burt P. Kotler
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
National Park ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Time Budgets ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Focal Animal ◽  
Northern Edge ◽  
Browse Species ◽  
Invasive Techniques

Abstract We studied the habitat use of mountain nyala Tragelaphus buxtoni in the northern edge of the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. The aims of this study were to: (1) measure and quantify habitat-specific stem bite diameters of mountain nyala foraging on common natural plant species in two major habitat types (i.e. grasslands versus woodlands), and (2) quantify the bite rates (number of bites per minute) and the activity time budgets of mountain nyala as functions of habitat type and sex-age category. We randomly laid out three transects in each habitat type. Following each transect, through focal animal observations, we assessed and quantified stem diameters at point of browse (dpb), bite rates, and time budgets of mountain nyala in grasslands versus woodlands. Stem dpb provide a measure of natural giving-up densities (GUDs) and can be used to assess foraging costs and efficiencies, with greater stem dpb corresponding to lower costs and greater efficiencies. The results showed that stem dpb, bite rates, induced vigilance, and proportion of time spent in feeding differed between habitats. In particular, mountain nyala had greater stem dpb, higher bite rates, and spent a greater proportion of their time in feeding and less in induced vigilance in the grasslands. In addition, adult females had the highest bite rates, and the browse species Solanum marginatum had the greatest stem dpb. Generally, grasslands provide the mountain nyala with several advantages over the woodlands, including offering lower foraging costs, greater safety, and more time for foraging. The study advocates how behavioural indicators and natural GUDs are used to examine the habitat use of the endangered mountain nyala through applying non-invasive techniques. We conclude that the resulting measures are helpful for guiding conservation and management efforts and could be applicable to a number of endangered wildlife species including the mountain nyala.

scholarly journals Edge-habitat Use by Northwestern Gartersnakes (Thamnophis ordinoides) in Saanich, British Columbia

2017 ◽  
Vol 131 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Graham P. Dixon-MacCallum ◽  
Katie A.H. Bell ◽  
Patrick T. Gregory
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Habitat Requirements ◽  
Habitat Features ◽  
Edge Habitat ◽  
Initial Assumption ◽  
Important Habitat ◽  
Habitat Variables

Understanding habitat requirements of species is fundamental for their conservation and urban parks can provide key habitat for species in otherwise disturbed settings. Northwestern Gartersnakes (Thamnophis ordinoides) are common in parks in Saanich, British Columbia, but their specific habitat requirements are poorly understood. Based on previous studies and thermoregulatory needs of snakes, we predicted that edges, particularly field margins, would be heavily used by active snakes. We therefore used surveys that focused on edges to find snakes and measured edge-habitat use by comparing habitat variables at locations where snakes were found to the same variables at nearby random locations. Habitat variables included composition and structure of vegetation, substrate temperature, aspect, and slope. Overall, litter depth, canopy cover, a lack of bare ground and woody vegetation were the most important habitat variables for determining where snakes were found. our results provide a preliminary assessment to improve our understanding of habitat use for this species. The abundance of snakes found while surveying edges supports our initial assumption that edges are important habitat features but more work is required using multiple survey methods to further test this hypothesis.

scholarly journals Seasonal Habitat Use and Movements of Mountain Goats, Oreamnos americanus, in East-central British Columbia

2003 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim G. Poole ◽  
Douglas C. Heard
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
East Central ◽  
Oreamnos Americanus ◽  
Mountain Goats ◽  
Mineral Licks ◽  
Forest Use

To identify the potential for adverse effects of forest development on Mountain Goats (Oreamnos americanus), we documented the patterns of forest use by goats and the factors influencing goat habitat use. We used a combination of 15 very high frequency (VHF) and six global positioning system (GPS) radiocollars to document the distribution and movements of 21 (15 female, 6 male) goats from 1997 to 1999 in the mountains surrounding the Robson Valley in east-central British Columbia. Because canopy closure reduces the likelihood that a GPS receiver will obtain a location fix, we estimated that GPS collars underrepresented forest use by about 23%. Three goats used separate winter and summer ranges separated by 8–13 km, while most simply exhibited seasonal shifts in elevation. In winter, goats were more often at lower elevations, in commercial forest stands, on southerly aspects, and moved less each hour and over the course of the winter. Goat use declined in areas >500 m from escape terrain and goats were found lower in elevation from evening to dawn compared to daylight hours. Collared goats used high elevation licks, which were either within their home range, or in two cases, 6 and 14 km from their typical home range. We documented use of known mid-elevation mineral licks by three collared goats, but no use of known low elevation (valley bottom and lower slopes) mineral licks. Robson Valley goats appeared to be at relatively low risk from disturbances related to logging, because although forest use was documented during winter, it occurred primarily on high elevation, steep slopes where trees are currently of low commercial value, and goats made little use of low elevation mineral licks. We recommend that in this area a forested buffer of 500 m around cliffs be left to reduce the possibility of adverse effects on goats especially, on southerly aspects above 1300 m.

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