scholarly journals Variable habitat selection and movement patterns among Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) populations in Saskatchewan

2019 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
pp. 126-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tera L. Edkins ◽  
Christopher M. Somers ◽  
Mark C. Vanderwel ◽  
Miranda J. Sadar ◽  
Ray G. Poulin
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Northern Range Limit ◽  
Range Overlap ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
River Valleys

Pituophis catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) is a sparsely studied subspecies of conservation concern in Canada. Basic ecological information is lacking for P. c. sayi, which reaches its northern range limit in western Canada. To address this gap, we used radio-telemetry to examine space use and habitat selection in three populations of Bullsnakes in disjunct river valley systems (Frenchman, Big Muddy, and South Saskatchewan River Valleys) across their Saskatchewan range. Bullsnakes in two valleys used up to three times more space, travelled 2.5-times farther from overwintering sites, and had lower home range overlap than the third population. Landscape-level habitat selection was flexible, with snakes in all populations using both natural and human-modified habitats most frequently. Fine-scale habitat selection was also similar among populations, with Bullsnakes selecting sites within 1 m of refuges, regardless of whether they were natural or anthropogenic. Based on these results, Bullsnakes are flexible in their broad scale habitat use, as long as they are provided with fine scale refuge sites. The distribution of key seasonal resources appears to ultimately determine space use and habitat selection by Bullsnakes, regardless of the geographic location of the population.

Rusty Blackbirds select areas of greater habitat complexity during stopover

The Condor ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R Wright ◽  
Luke L Powell ◽  
Stephen N Matthews ◽  
Christopher M Tonra
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Shallow Water ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Habitat Complexity ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
Patch Selection ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Stopover Site ◽  
Patch Scale

Abstract The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is a widespread, uncommon migrant that has experienced heavy population declines over the last century. This species can spend over a quarter of their annual cycle on migration, so it is important to determine their habitat requirements during stopover events to inform effective conservation planning. We assessed their habitat selection at an important stopover site in northern Ohio during both fall and spring migration. Since stopover habitat selection is scale-dependent, we investigated both patch-scale (between patches) and fine-scale (within a patch) selection using radio telemetry to locate foraging and roosting flocks, and compared habitat variables between used and available points across the study site. At the patch scale, we found that birds preferred dogwood–willow swamp, low-lying forest patches, and areas of greater habitat complexity for foraging in both seasons. At the fine scale, spring migrants foraged closer to habitat edges than random, and preferred areas with more wet leaf litter and shallow water, and less grass cover. Fall migrants also preferred shallow water and leaf litter cover, and avoided areas with dense grass, forbs, and herbaceous shrub cover. By contrast, birds consistently roosted in dense stands of emergent Phragmites or Typha marsh, suggesting that the best stopover or staging sites are those with a matrix of different wetland habitats. Although the migratory range of Rusty Blackbirds is currently dominated by agricultural development, our results suggest that fragmented landscapes can still provide adequate habitat for migrants if the available land is managed for a variety of wet habitat types.

scholarly journals Restricted constrictors: Space use and habitat selection of native Burmese pythons in Northeast Thailand

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Nicole Smith ◽  
Max Dolton Jones ◽  
Benjamin Michael Marshall ◽  
Surachit Waengsothorn ◽  
George A. Gale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Brownian Bridge ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Human Settlements ◽  
Small Areas ◽  
Agricultural Conversion ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractAnimal movement and resource use are tightly linked. Investigating these links to understand how animals utilize space and select habitats is especially relevant in areas that have been affected by habitat fragmentation and agricultural conversion. We set out to explore the space use and habitat selection of Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) in a patchy land use matrix dominated by agricultural crops and human settlements. We used radio telemetry to record daily locations of seven Burmese pythons over the course of our study period of approximately 22 months. We created dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Models (dBBMMs) for all individuals, using occurrence distributions to estimate extent of movements and motion variance to reveal temporal patterns. Then we used integrated step selection functions to determine whether individual movements were associated with particular landscape features (aquatic agriculture, forest, roads, settlements, terrestrial agriculture, water), and whether there were consistent associations at the population level. Our dBBMM estimates suggested that Burmese pythons made use of small areas (98.97 ± 35.42 ha), with low mean individual motion variance characterized by infrequent moves and long periods at a single location. At both the individual and population level, Burmese pythons in the agricultural matrix were associated with aquatic environments. Only one individual showed a strong avoidance for human settlements which is troublesome from a human-wildlife conflict angle, especially as Burmese pythons have been observed entering human settlements and consuming livestock in our study site. Our study is one of the first to contribute to the knowledge of Burmese python ecology in their native range as the majority of studies have focused on invasive populations.

Space-use patterns by female striped skunks exposed to aggregations of simulated duck nests

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (9) ◽  
pp. 1604-1608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Larivière ◽  
François Messier
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Food Supplementation ◽  
Mephitis Mephitis ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Year Effect ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Range Overlap ◽  
Striped Skunks

We monitored space-use patterns and behaviour of female striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) during the spring and summer of 1995 simultaneously with the deployment of simulated duck nests (2.5–25/ha) in Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1995, home ranges of five female skunks averaged 2.3 km2 (SE = 0.5 km2), which was smaller (P = 0.01) than home ranges of females (n = 21) present in the same area in 1993–1994. Home-range overlap did not differ (P = 0.34) between 1993–1994 (71 ± 4%) and 1995 (75 ± 11%). Female skunks were nocturnal during all years, but were less active in 1995 than in 1993–1994 (P < 0.01). Patterns of habitat selection differed during the nest experiment: managed waterfowl-nesting areas were used less than wetlands in 1993–1994, but no significant difference in use of these two habitats was detected in 1995. Although we cannot ascertain a direct cause-and-effect relationship, owing to a possible year effect, the changes in space-use patterns of striped skunks exposed to aggregations of simulated nests are consistent with the literature on food-supplementation experiments. These results re-emphasize the importance of food in determining the space-use patterns of striped skunks.

Green Turtles Nesting at Their Northern Range Limit in the United States Represent a Distinct Subpopulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian M. Shamblin ◽  
Matthew H. Godfrey ◽  
S. Michelle Pate ◽  
William P. Thompson ◽  
Hope Sutton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Distinct Subpopulation ◽  
Northern Range Limit

Influence of dust deposition and climate on the radial growth of Tsuga canadensis near its northern range limit

2015 ◽  
Vol 135 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emad A. Farahat ◽  
Hans W. Linderholm ◽  
Martin J. Lechowicz
Keyword(s):  
Radial Growth ◽  
Tsuga Canadensis ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Dust Deposition ◽  
Northern Range Limit

Fine-scale habitat selection of American marten at the southern fringe of the boreal forest

Ecoscience ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Godbout ◽  
Jean-Pierre Ouellet
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Fine Scale ◽  
American Marten ◽  
Southern Fringe ◽  
Selection Of

Breeding behaviour of ectotherms at high latitudes: the case of the natterjack toad Epidalea calamita at its northern range limit

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Linda Saare ◽  
Riinu Rannap
Keyword(s):  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Photo Identification ◽  
Breeding Behaviour ◽  
Risk Of Predation ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Northern Range Limit

Abstract We explored the breeding behaviour of a threatened amphibian, the natterjack toad, at its northern range limit in Estonia, to determine the extent to which reproduction is affected by harsh and unstable climatic conditions. Using photo identification of specimens, we found that in optimal weather conditions males formed three breeding cohorts, while in adverse conditions only a single cohort occurred and under extreme conditions reproduction was skipped entirely. During the extended breeding season, larger males participated in reproduction throughout the breeding period, while smaller males appeared in later cohorts. Breeding success was related to the calling effort of a male, where larger males had greater mating success than smaller ones. We found that the natterjack toad males exhibit significant plasticity in reproductive behaviour at the northern range limit, which, given the energetic cost of reproduction and the increased risk of predation, allows them to increase their fitness at high latitudes.

scholarly journals Frontier mutualism: coevolutionary patterns at the northern range limit of the leaf-cutter ant–fungus symbiosis

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1721) ◽  
pp. 3050-3059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich G. Mueller ◽  
Alexander S. Mikheyev ◽  
Scott E. Solomon ◽  
Michael Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Range Limits ◽  
Peripheral Populations ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Dispersal Barrier ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Genetic Patterns ◽  
Northern Range Limit ◽  
Traditional Assumption ◽  
Ant Fungus

Tropical leaf-cutter ants cultivate the fungus Attamyces bromatificus in a many-to-one, diffuse coevolutionary relationship where ant and fungal partners re-associate frequently over time. To evaluate whether ant– Attamyces coevolution is more specific (tighter) in peripheral populations, we characterized the host-specificities of Attamyces genotypes at their northern, subtropical range limits (southern USA, Mexico and Cuba). Population-genetic patterns of northern Attamyces reveal features that have so far not been observed in the diffusely coevolving, tropical ant– Attamyces associations. These unique features include (i) cases of one-to-one ant– Attamyces specialization that tighten coevolution at the northern frontier; (ii) distributions of genetically identical Attamyces clones over large areas (up to 81 000 km 2 , approx. the area of Ireland, Austria or Panama); (iii) admixture rates between Attamyces lineages that appear lower in northern than in tropical populations; and (iv) long-distance gene flow of Attamyces across a dispersal barrier for leaf-cutter ants (ocean between mainland North America and Cuba). The latter suggests that Attamyces fungi may occasionally disperse independently of the ants, contrary to the traditional assumption that Attamyces fungi depend entirely on leaf-cutter queens for dispersal. Peripheral populations in Argentina or at mid-elevation sites in the Andes may reveal additional regional variants in ant– Attamyces coevolution. Studies of such populations are most likely to inform models of coextinctions of obligate mutualistic partners that are doubly stressed by habitat marginality and by environmental change.

scholarly journals Human-induced changes in habitat preference by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) and their potential effect on zoonotic disease transmission

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago C. Dias ◽  
Jared A. Stabach ◽  
Qiongyu Huang ◽  
Marcelo B. Labruna ◽  
Peter Leimgruber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Resource Selection ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Zoonotic Disease ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Selection Strategies ◽  
Hydrochoerus Hydrochaeris ◽  
Natural Landscapes

AbstractHuman activities are changing landscape structure and function globally, affecting wildlife space use, and ultimately increasing human-wildlife conflicts and zoonotic disease spread. Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a conflict species that has been implicated in the spread and amplification of the most lethal tick-borne disease in the world, the Brazilian spotted fever (BSF). Even though essential to understand the link between capybaras, ticks and the BSF, many knowledge gaps still exist regarding the effects of human disturbance in capybara space use. Here, we analyzed diurnal and nocturnal habitat selection strategies of capybaras across natural and human-modified landscapes using resource selection functions (RSF). Selection for forested habitats was high across human- modified landscapes, mainly during day- periods. Across natural landscapes, capybaras avoided forests during both day- and night periods. Water was consistently selected across both landscapes, during day- and nighttime. This variable was also the most important in predicting capybara habitat selection across natural landscapes. Capybaras showed slightly higher preferences for areas near grasses/shrubs across natural landscapes, and this variable was the most important in predicting capybara habitat selection across human-modified landscapes. Our results demonstrate human-driven variation in habitat selection strategies by capybaras. This behavioral adjustment across human-modified landscapes may be related to BSF epidemiology.

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