scholarly journals Space use and interactions of two introduced mesopredators, European red fox and feral cat, in an arid landscape

Ecosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Roshier ◽  
Andrew Carter
Keyword(s):  
Red Fox ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Feral Cat

The good, the bad, and the ugly: space use and intraguild interactions among three opportunistic predators—cat (Felis catus), dog (Canis lupus familiaris), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes)—under human pressure

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (12) ◽  
pp. 1402-1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Krauze-Gryz ◽  
J.B. Gryz ◽  
J. Goszczyński ◽  
P. Chylarecki ◽  
M. ̇Zmihorski
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Probability Of Detection ◽  
The Other ◽  
Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Intraguild Interactions

Examples of interspecific interactions have been described for mammalian predators, but less is known regarding disturbances of native predator guilds by domestic predators. We investigated intraguild interactions among three opportunistic predators (dog ( Canis lupus familiaris L., 1758), cat ( Felis catus L., 1758), and red fox ( Vulpes vulpes (L., 1758)) co-occurring in the extensive farmlands of central Poland. Their space use was monitored using tracking stations distributed in field and forest plots along a distance gradient from buildings and analyzed using the occupancy-modeling framework. For all three species occupancy decreased with increased distance from buildings, although for the fox the pattern was relatively weak. The occurrence of cats at the stations was higher in the forest than in the field; for fox and dog, there was a strong variation between study plots. For all three predators, the probability of detection was higher during the night than during the day and varied between the seasons; however, the exact patterns were species-specific. The presence of one predator was also linked to the presence of the other two species—generally, a given species was detected more frequently in the absence of the other two species. We recorded spatiotemporal niche segregation among the three species. We conclude that interspecific antagonistic interactions and differences in foraging ecology are the main drivers shaping co-occurrence of the three species in the agriculture landscape.

scholarly journals Estimating Red Fox Density Using Non-Invasive Genetic Sampling and Spatial Capture-Recapture Modeling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Lindsø ◽  
Pierre Dupont ◽  
Lars Rød-Eriksen ◽  
Ida Pernille Øystese Andersskog ◽  
Kristine Roaldsnes Ulvund ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Genetic Sampling ◽  
Capture Recapture

Abstract Spatial capture-recapture modelling (SCR) is a powerful tool for estimating densities, population size and space use of elusive animals. Here, we applied SCR modeling to non-invasive genetic sampling (NGS) data to estimate red fox (Vulpes vulpes) densities in two areas of boreal forest in central (2016 - 2018) and southern Norway (2017 - 2018). Estimated densities were overall lower in the northern study area (mean = 0.04 foxes per km2 [95%CI: 0.02-0.09] in 2016, 0.09 [0.05-0.18] in 2017 and 0.07 [0.04-0.13] in 2018) compared to the southern study area (0.16 [0.09-0.26] in 2017 and 0.10 [0.07-0.16] in 2018). We found a positive effect of forest cover on density in the northern, but not the southern study area. The absence of an effect in the southern area may reflect a paucity of evidence caused by low variation in forest cover, but could also be due to climatic differences (e.g., winter severity) between the two areas. Estimated mean home range size in the northern study area was 45 km2 [34-60] for females and 88 km2 [69-113] for males. Mean home range sizes were smaller in the southern study area (26 km2 [16-42] for females and 56 km2 [35-91] for males). In both study areas, detection probability was session-dependent and affected by sampling effort. This study highlights how SCR modeling in combination with NGS can be used to efficiently monitor red fox populations, and simultaneously incorporate ecological factors and estimate their effects on population density and space-use.

scholarly journals Intraguild Predation by the Eagle Owl Determines the Space Use of a Mesopredator Carnivore

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 359
Author(s):  
Emilio Virgós ◽  
Noemí Baniandrés ◽  
Tamara Burgos ◽  
Mariano R. Recio
Keyword(s):  
Intraguild Predation ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystem ◽  
Stone Marten ◽  
Landscape Of Fear ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
Eagle Owl ◽  
Conservation And Management

Top predators shape the communities of sympatric predators by killing and displacing smaller predators. Predation risk pushes smaller predators to select enemy-free spaces irrespective of food availability, which results in changes in their behaviour, space use, distribution, and abundance. Although the landscape of fear dynamics are known for top predators such as the eagle owl and its impact on smaller raptors, the effect of the presence and abundance of the eagle owl on the space use of mesopredator carnivores remains poorly understood. Here, we studied this effect on the space use of the stone marten in a Mediterranean ecosystem where it shares rabbits as main prey with the eagle owl. We also accounted for the presence of another sympatric carnivore, the red fox. Using a multi-model inference, we found stone martens avoided areas with a higher abundance of eagle owls and rabbits, which suggested a hyperpredation process and a cognitive association by stone martens between rabbit hotspots and owl presence. We found a positive relationship between the space use of the red fox and the stone marten, which suggested foxes behaved as competitors and not predators of martens. Understanding intraguild predation can assist the conservation and management of predators and their prey.

scholarly journals Estimating red fox density using non-invasive genetic sampling and spatial capture–recapture modelling

Oecologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars K. Lindsø ◽  
Pierre Dupont ◽  
Lars Rød-Eriksen ◽  
Ida Pernille Øystese Andersskog ◽  
Kristine Roaldsnes Ulvund ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Genetic Sampling ◽  
Capture Recapture

AbstractSpatial capture–recapture modelling (SCR) is a powerful tool for estimating density, population size, and space use of elusive animals. Here, we applied SCR modelling to non-invasive genetic sampling (NGS) data to estimate red fox (Vulpes vulpes) densities in two areas of boreal forest in central (2016–2018) and southern Norway (2017–2018). Estimated densities were overall lower in the central study area (mean = 0.04 foxes per km2 in 2016, 0.10 in 2017, and 0.06 in 2018) compared to the southern study area (0.16 in 2017 and 0.09 in 2018). We found a positive effect of forest cover on density in the central, but not the southern study area. The absence of an effect in the southern area may reflect a paucity of evidence caused by low variation in forest cover. Estimated mean home-range size in the central study area was 45 km2 [95%CI 34–60] for females and 88 km2 [69–113] for males. Mean home-range sizes were smaller in the southern study area (26 km2 [16–42] for females and 56 km2 [35–91] for males). In both study areas, detection probability was session-dependent and affected by sampling effort. This study highlights how SCR modelling in combination with NGS can be used to efficiently monitor red fox populations, and simultaneously incorporate ecological factors and estimate their effects on population density and space use.

scholarly journals A triple threat: high population density, high foraging intensity and flexible habitat preferences explain high impact of feral cats on prey

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1942) ◽  
pp. 20201194
Author(s):  
Rowena P. Hamer ◽  
Riana Z. Gardiner ◽  
Kirstin M. Proft ◽  
Christopher N. Johnson ◽  
Menna E. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Red Fox ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
High Impact ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
High Population Density ◽  
Population Densities ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Feral Cats ◽  
The World ◽  
Home Range Use

Alien mammalian carnivores have contributed disproportionately to global loss of biodiversity. In Australia, predation by the feral cat and red fox is one of the most significant causes of the decline of native vertebrates. To discover why cats have greater impacts on prey than native predators, we compared the ecology of the feral cat to a marsupial counterpart, the spotted-tailed quoll. Individual prey are 20–200 times more likely to encounter feral cats, because of the combined effects of cats' higher population densities, greater intensity of home-range use and broader habitat preferences. These characteristics also mean that the costs to the prey of adopting anti-predator behaviours against feral cats are likely to be much higher than adopting such behaviours in response to spotted-tailed quolls, due to the reliability and ubiquity of feral cat cues. These results help explain the devastating impacts of cats on wildlife in Australia and other parts of the world.

Influence of landscape structure on invasive predators: feral cats and red foxes in the brigalow landscapes, Queensland, Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron A. Graham ◽  
Martine Maron ◽  
Clive A. McAlpine
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Structure ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Habitat Types ◽  
Red Foxes ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Invasive Predators ◽  
Invasive Predator ◽  
A Site

Context Invasive mammalian predators are often associated with fragmented landscapes, and can compound the impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on native fauna. Knowledge of how invasive predators are influenced by different landscape structures can assist in the mitigation of their impacts. Aims The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of landscape structure and site-scale habitat attributes on the frequency of feral-cat and red-fox detections in fragmented agricultural landscapes. Methods Field surveys of the frequency of red-fox and feral-cat visitation at a site scale were stratified for six different habitat types in six study subregions. The habitat types were large remnant patch interior, large remnant patch edge, small remnant patch, roadside verge, regrowth patch and open agricultural land adjacent to a remnant patch. Sites were centred in a 1-km buffer area from which landscape composition and configuration were calculated. We applied a generalised linear model and an information-theoretic approach to determine the effect size and importance and rank of the explanatory variables on red-fox, feral-cat and pooled cat and fox detection rates. Key results The most important factors influencing detection rates had a positive effect and included: the dominance of cropping in the landscape (cat, fox, pooled cat and fox); and the density of vegetation at a site scale (fox, pooled cat and fox). The number of native habitat patches was also an important factor in the models of red foxes and pooled invasive predators. Conclusion Spatially heterogeneous cropping landscapes incur higher rates of invasive-predator detections than do intact native-woodland and pasture landscapes at the 1-km scale. At a site scale, elevated invasive-predator detections occurred at sites with dense vegetation, characteristic of narrow woodland and the edges of large woodland patches. Implications The research findings highlight that vertebrate pest management needs to target highly fragmented agricultural landscapes that are more likely to have elevated levels of invasive-predator activity. Landscape restoration efforts need to consider the redesign of landscapes to make them less suitable for predators and more hospitable for native wildlife.

scholarly journals Australian native mammals recognize and respond to alien predators: a meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1885) ◽  
pp. 20180857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter B. Banks ◽  
Alexandra J. R. Carthey ◽  
Jenna P. Bytheway
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Antipredator Behaviour ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Antipredator Responses ◽  
Prey Naiveté ◽  
Prey Naïveté

Prey naiveté is a failure to recognize novel predators and thought to cause exaggerated impacts of alien predators on native wildlife. Yet there is equivocal evidence in the literature for native prey naiveté towards aliens. To address this, we conducted a meta-analysis of Australian mammal responses to native and alien predators. Australia has the world's worst record of extinction and declines of native mammals, largely owing to two alien predators introduced more than 150 years ago: the feral cat, Felis catus , and European red fox, Vulpes vulpes . Analysis of 94 responses to predator cues shows that Australian mammals consistently recognize alien foxes as a predation threat, possibly because of thousands of years of experience with another canid predator, the dingo, Canis lupus dingo . We also found recognition responses towards cats; however, in four of the seven studies available, these responses were of risk-taking behaviour rather than antipredator behaviour. Our results suggest that a simple failure to recognize alien predators is not behind the ongoing exaggerated impacts of alien predators in Australia. Instead, our results highlight an urgent need to better understand the appropriateness of antipredator responses in prey towards alien predators in order to understand native prey vulnerability.

Degrees of population-level susceptibility of Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species to predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus)

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 645 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Q. Radford ◽  
John C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
Sarah Legge ◽  
Marcus Baseler ◽  
Joss Bentley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Felis Catus ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
Mammal Fauna ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Introduced Predators

Context Over the last 230 years, the Australian terrestrial mammal fauna has suffered a very high rate of decline and extinction relative to other continents. Predation by the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus) is implicated in many of these extinctions, and in the ongoing decline of many extant species. Aims To assess the degree to which Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species are susceptible at the population level to predation by the red fox and feral cat, and to allocate each species to a category of predator susceptibility. Methods We collated the available evidence and complemented this with expert opinion to categorise each Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species (extinct and extant) into one of four classes of population-level susceptibility to introduced predators (i.e. ‘extreme’, ‘high’, ‘low’ or ‘not susceptible’). We then compared predator susceptibility with conservation status, body size and extent of arboreality; and assessed changes in the occurrence of species in different predator-susceptibility categories between 1788 and 2017. Key results Of 246 Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal species (including extinct species), we conclude that 37 species are (or were) extremely predator-susceptible; 52 species are highly predator-susceptible; 112 species are of low susceptibility; and 42 species are not susceptible to predators. Confidence in assigning species to predator-susceptibility categories was strongest for extant threatened mammal species and for extremely predator-susceptible species. Extinct and threatened mammal species are more likely to be predator-susceptible than Least Concern species; arboreal species are less predator-susceptible than ground-dwelling species; and medium-sized species (35 g–3.5kg) are more predator-susceptible than smaller or larger species. Conclusions The effective control of foxes and cats over large areas is likely to assist the population-level recovery of ~63 species – the number of extant species with extreme or high predator susceptibility – which represents ~29% of the extant Australian terrestrial non-volant mammal fauna. Implications Categorisation of predator susceptibility is an important tool for conservation management, because the persistence of species with extreme susceptibility will require intensive management (e.g. predator-proof exclosures or predator-free islands), whereas species of lower predator susceptibility can be managed through effective landscape-level suppression of introduced predators.

scholarly journals Rarity of a top predator triggers continent-wide collapse of mammal prey: dingoes and marsupials in Australia

2006 ◽  
Vol 274 (1608) ◽  
pp. 341-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher N Johnson ◽  
Joanne L Isaac ◽  
Diana O Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Red Fox ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Top Predator ◽  
Feral Cat ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
Strong Positive Relationship

Top predators in terrestrial ecosystems may limit populations of smaller predators that could otherwise become over abundant and cause declines and extinctions of some prey. It is therefore possible that top predators indirectly protect many species of prey from excessive predation. This effect has been demonstrated in some small-scale studies, but it is not known how general or important it is in maintaining prey biodiversity. During the last 150 years, Australia has suffered the world's highest rate of mammal decline and extinction, and most evidence points to introduced mid-sized predators (the red fox and the feral cat) as the cause. Here, we test the idea that the decline of Australia's largest native predator, the dingo, played a role in these extinctions. Dingoes were persecuted from the beginning of European settlement in Australia and have been eliminated or made rare over large parts of the continent. We show a strong positive relationship between the survival of marsupials and the geographical overlap with high-density dingo populations. Our results suggest that the rarity of dingoes was a critical factor which allowed smaller predators to overwhelm marsupial prey, triggering extinction over much of the continent. This is evidence of a crucial role of top predators in maintaining prey biodiversity at large scales in terrestrial ecosystems and suggests that many remaining Australian mammals would benefit from the positive management of dingoes.

Primary osteoblast culture from red fox (Vulpes Vulpes)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Pedro Perpetuo ◽  
Alessandro Felder ◽  
Andrew Pitsillides ◽  
Michael Doube ◽  
Isabel Orriss
Keyword(s):  
Vulpes Vulpes ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Primary Osteoblast ◽  
Osteoblast Culture
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