Carnivore persistence in fragmented habitats in urban southern California

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lourraine A. Tigas ◽  
Dirk H. Van Vuren ◽  
Raymond M. Sauvajot
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Didelphis Virginiana ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Urban Habitat ◽  
Secondary Importance ◽  
Carnivore Species ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Remote Camera ◽  
Total Species

We investigated the responses of carnivores to habitat fragmentation in urban southern California. We used scat, track, and remote camera surveys to determine presence and residence of carnivores on habitat fragments of various sizes (4.4-561.0 ha) and degrees of isolation (10-750 m). Fragment area explained a significant portion of the variation in all four measures of species richness (total species present, native species present, total species resident, and native species resident). Isolation was of secondary importance and was significant only for species presence. We suggest that fewer carnivore species at smaller or more isolated fragments resulted from foraging decisions based on lower food reward in smaller fragments and greater movement costs for more distant fragments. Carnivore species responded differentially to fragmentation. Bobcats Lynx rufus were fragmentation-sensitive and apparently required large fragments, thus they may be useful as focal species for conservation planning. In contrast, Coyotes Canis latrans were more fragmentation-tolerant and, along with smaller species such as Northern Raccoons Procyon lotor, Striped Skunks Mephitis mephitis, and Virginia Opossums Didelphis virginiana, can persist in smaller fragments. Our results suggest that most of the common carnivores can persist in fragmented urban habitat, provided that fragments are sufficiently large and in close proximity.

scholarly journals Carnivore distributions across chaparral habitats exposed to wildfire and rural housing in southern California

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 591 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Schuette ◽  
J. E. Diffendorfer ◽  
D. H. Deutschman ◽  
S. Tremor ◽  
W. Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Southern California ◽  
Coastal Sage Scrub ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Gray Fox ◽  
Striped Skunk ◽  
Occupancy Patterns ◽  
Animal Communities

Chaparral and coastal sage scrub habitats in southern California support biologically diverse plant and animal communities. However, native plant and animal species within these shrubland systems are increasingly exposed to human-caused wildfires and an expansion of the human–wildland interface. Few data exist to evaluate the effects of fire and anthropogenic pressures on plant and animal communities found in these environments. This is particularly true for carnivore communities. To address this knowledge gap, we collected detection–non-detection data with motion-sensor cameras and track plots to measure carnivore occupancy patterns following a large, human-caused wildfire (1134km2) in eastern San Diego County, California, USA, in 2003. Our focal species set included coyote (Canis latrans), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), bobcat (Lynx rufus) and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). We evaluated the influence on species occupancies of the burned environment (burn edge, burn interior and unburned areas), proximity of rural homes, distance to riparian area and elevation. Gray fox occupancies were the highest overall, followed by striped skunk, coyote and bobcat. The three species considered as habitat and foraging generalists (gray fox, coyote, striped skunk) were common in all conditions. Occupancy patterns were consistent through time for all species except coyote, whose occupancies increased through time. In addition, environmental and anthropogenic variables had weak effects on all four species, and these responses were species-specific. Our results helped to describe a carnivore community exposed to frequent fire and rural human residences, and provide baseline data to inform fire management policy and wildlife management strategies in similar fire-prone ecosystems.

scholarly journals Carnivores (Mammalia) from areas of Nearctic–Neotropical transition in Puebla, central Mexico: presence, distribution, and conservation

Check List ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osvaldo Eric Ramírez-Bravo ◽  
Lorna Hernandez-Santin
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
The State ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Risk Category ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
Leopardus Pardalis ◽  
Lethal Control ◽  
Hunting Pressure ◽  
Carnivore Species

The Nearctic and Neotropical realms converge in central Mexico, where many areas have not been adequately characterized. Our objective was to revise the distribution and conservation status of carnivores in the state of Puebla, central Mexico. Between September 2008 and January 2011, we conducted interviews and fieldwork on seven previously selected areas. We complemented our data with bibliographical research. We obtained 733 records for 21 species, representing 63% of the carnivores reported for Mexico. We expanded known ranges of three species: Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), Bobcat (Lynx rufus), and Tropical Ringtail (Bassariscus sumichastrii). Fifty percent of the carnivore species we recorded in Puebla are considered under some risk category. We found that carnivores in our study area are vulnerable to hunting pressure, human-carnivore conflicts that result in lethal control practices, and extensive habitat loss.

scholarly journals Observations of Bobcats, Lynx rufus, Hunting Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, Cynomys ludovicianus, in Western South Dakota

2010 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Licht
Keyword(s):  
South Dakota ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
The Other ◽  
Cynomys Ludovicianus ◽  
Prairie Dogs ◽  
Prairie Dog ◽  
Winter Diet ◽  
Hunting Strategies ◽  
Close Proximity

There is a paucity of scientific literature describing Bobcat (Lynx rufus) hunting strategies. I document 13 observations of Bobcats hunting Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in western South Dakota. In all cases the Bobcats stationed themselves next to a prairie dog mound in an attempt to ambush prairie dogs emerging from their burrows. In eight cases the Bobcats successfully captured a prairie dog emerging from the burrow, in one case the Bobcat turned and captured a prairie dog that had walked up behind it, and in the other cases the Bobcats lunged at the burrow openings, but did not capture a prairie dog. There were two variations of the tactic: in some cases Bobcats entered a colony prior to prairie dog emergence and stationed themselves next to a mound, whereas in other cases Bobcats stationed themselves next to a burrow that a prairie dog had just escaped to. One Bobcat appeared to have waited next to the same mound for at least 7.5 hr. Prairie dogs may comprise a large portion of a Bobcat's winter diet in landscapes where prairie dog colonies exist in close proximity to badlands or woody cover.

scholarly journals Distributions of Invasive Arthropods across Heterogeneous Urban Landscapes in Southern California: Aridity as a Key Component of Ecological Resistance

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weston Staubus ◽  
Savanah Bird ◽  
Savannah Meadors ◽  
Wallace Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Propagule Pressure ◽  
Urban Systems ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Resource Subsidies ◽  
Ecological Resistance ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Sage Scrub ◽  
Grassland Habitats

Urban systems often support large numbers of non-native species, but due to the heterogeneity of urban landscapes, species are not evenly distributed. Understanding the drivers of ecological resistance in urban landscapes may help to identify habitats that are most resistant to invasion, and inform efforts to model and conserve native biodiversity. We used pitfall traps to survey non-native ground-dwelling arthropods in three adjacent, low-elevation habitat types in southern California: California sage scrub, non-native grassland, and suburban development. We found that non-native species were fewer and less widely distributed in the sage scrub and grassland habitats. Due to the proximity of our sites, differences in propagule pressure is an unlikely explanation. Instead, we suggest that the absence of water subsidies in the sage scrub and grassland habitats increases those habitats’ resistance to arthropod invasions. Comparisons to studies conducted at fragments closer to the coast provide further support for the relationship between aridity and invasibility in southern California. Our findings highlight that inland fragments are important for conserving native arthropod diversity, that models of non-native species distributions in arid and semi-arid urban systems should include aridity measures, and that reducing resource subsidies across the region is critical to mitigating spread of non-natives.

Fine-scale population structure and sex-biased dispersal in bobcats (Lynx rufus) from southern Illinois

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 536-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily K. Croteau ◽  
Edward J. Heist ◽  
Clayton K. Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Spatial Autocorrelation ◽  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Null Distribution ◽  
Randomization Test ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Southern Illinois ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Scale Population

In mammal populations, the spatial and genetic structure can be affected by dispersal, philopatry, and relatedness. Bobcats ( Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777)) are thought to exhibit typical mammalian dispersal behaviour where males disperse and females are philopatric, potentially leading to higher relatedness among females compared with males. We used 10 microsatellite loci to examine population structure and sex-biased dispersal in 146 bobcats sampled in southern Illinois during 1993–2001 using population genetic descriptive statistics, a Bayesian clustering algorithm, relatedness (rxy), and autocorrelation analyses. A randomization test demonstrated that female dyads had significantly higher rxy values with respect to randomly selected dyads (rxy = 0.093 ± 0.222, P = 0.012) and spatial autocorrelation analyses determined that females in close proximity (<5 km) had a high probability of being related (P = 0.001). Conversely, rxy values for males were not different from the null distribution (rxy = 0.019 ± 0.122, P = 0.3158) and no significant relationships were found with spatial autocorrelation analysis. Additionally, it was demonstrated that bobcats in southern Illinois approximated a panmictic population with no obvious barriers to gene flow. The pattern of relatedness observed in this study confirmed that females were philopatric and males dispersed, corroborating existing observational data for this species.

Prevention of invasive species in the context of lower secondary education

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-47
Author(s):  
Maria Balazova ◽  
Dana Blahutova ◽  
Terezia Valaskova
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Biological Invasions ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Species Management ◽  
Prevention Education ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Invasive Organisms ◽  
Species Management ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The Impact

Biological invasions are recognised as a potentially major threat to biodiversity and may have considerable economic and social effects. Public, including pupils, attitudes may have large implications for invasive species management in terms of prevention, early warning and eradication success, but significant is the relations between the lay public’s visions of nature, their knowledge about non-native species and their perceptions of invasive species management. The more direct experience people have with the impact of invasive species, the more likely they will be able to understand the potential benefits of management programmes. The aim of our work was to prepare educational materials about invasive organisms for elementary schools. Some of them were subsequently applied directly in practice as part of an excursion in a schoolyard in west Slovakia, where up to six species of invasive plants were identified in the close proximity to the school. Keywords: Biological invasions, prevention, education, excursion.

scholarly journals Thinking outside the park: recommendations for camera trapping mammal communities in the urban matrix

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J Herrera ◽  
Sophie M Moore ◽  
D T Tyler Flockhart ◽  
William J McShea ◽  
Michael V Cove
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Sampling Methods ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Urban Wildlife ◽  
Camera Trapping ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Habitat ◽  
Occupancy Models ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Urban Matrix

Abstract Urbanization is increasing globally, fragmenting habitats and prompting human–wildlife conflict. Urban wildlife research is concurrently expanding, but sampling methods are often biased towards large and intact habitats in public green spaces, neglecting the far more abundant, but degraded, habitats in the urban matrix. Here, we introduce the Five P’s of Urban Ecology—Partnerships, Planning, Placements, Public participation and Processing—as a path to overcoming the logistical barriers often associated with camera-trapping in the urban matrix. Though the Five P’s can be applied to a variety of urban sampling methods, we showcase the camera-trapping efforts of the DC Cat Count project in Washington, DC, as a case study. We compared occupancy models for eight urban mammal species using broad categorizations of land cover and local land use to determine drivers of mammal occurrence within the urban matrix as compared with urban habitat patches. Many native species maintained a strong association with large, semi-natural green spaces, but occupancy was not limited to these locations, and in some cases, the use of private yards and the built environment were not notably different. Furthermore, some species exhibited higher occupancy probabilities in developed areas over green spaces. Though seemingly intuitive, we offer advice on how to greatly reduce habitat-biased sampling methods in urban wildlife research and illustrate the importance of doing so to ensure accurate results that support the formation of effective urban planning and policy.

scholarly journals Biodiversity conservation in cities: Defining habitat analogs for plant species of conservation interest

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Itani ◽  
M. Al Zein ◽  
N. Nasralla ◽  
S. N. Talhouk
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Life Form ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Habitat Diversity ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Habitat ◽  
Stepwise Method

AbstractUrban plant habitats have become primary drivers of species interactions. They consist of managed vegetation and spontaneous assemblages of native, naturalized, ornamental garden escapes, and invasive species. Our objective was to define urban habitat analogs for a plant species of conservation interest, Matthiola crassifolia, which has persisted in varying abundance in the Mediterranean city of Beirut.We adopted a stepwise method that integrates two vegetation assessments, floristics, and physiognomy. We placed seventy-eight quadrats (1m x 1m) in 12 study sites following a deliberate biased method to capture habitat diversity. In every quadrat, we performed taxonomic identification and recorded life form of each species. We pooled species that shared the same life form into categories and estimated area cover for each of these life forms. We performed TWINSPAN analysis on floristic data to identify species positively associated with M. crassifolia, and on life forms, to determine plant assemblages that promote optimal M. crassifolia representation. We then combined findings from both analyses to generate a description of urban habitat analogs suitable for M. crassifolia.The results revealed that urban habitat analogs favorable to M. crassifolia include green spaces dominated by palms, low-lying succulents, or by shrubs with scale-like leaves. On the other hand, spaces dominated by turf grass, canopy trees, or vegetation that produces significant litter were not favorable to M. crassifolia’s persistence. Based on these findings, we generated a plant palette of native and non-native species to design urban habitat analogs favorable to the persistence of M. crassifolia.Synthesis and applicationsThe application of this method can inform planting designs that yield suitable habitats for plants of conservation interest. It can also guide landscape management plans that seek to create or modify green spaces to optimize growing conditions for species of conservation interest. Depending on sites, and based on the information generated by the stepwise method, designers and managers may decide to exclude life forms of native or non-native species that do not support the growth of a species of conservation interest, or they may create an artificial habitat that is conducive to its persistence.

scholarly journals Phragmites australis Associates with Belowground Fungal Communities Characterized by High Diversity and Pathogen Abundance

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 363
Author(s):  
Carolyn S. Schroeder ◽  
Susannah Halbrook ◽  
Christina Birnbaum ◽  
Paweł Waryszak ◽  
William Wilber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Phragmites Australis ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
Fungal Community Structure ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Microbe Interactions ◽  
Microbial Symbionts ◽  
Coastal Louisiana

Microbial symbionts are gaining attention as crucial drivers of invasive species spread and dominance. To date, much research has quantified the net effects of plant–microbe interactions on the relative success of native and invasive species. However, little is known about how the structure (composition and diversity) of microbial symbionts can differ among native and invasive species, or vary across the invasive landscape. Here, we explore the structure of endosphere and soil fungal communities associated with a monoculture-forming widespread invader, Phragmites australis, and co-occurring native species. Using field survey data from marshes in coastal Louisiana, we tested three hypotheses: (1) Phragmites australis root and soil fungal communities differ from that of co-occurring natives, (2) Phragmites australis monocultures harbor distinct fungal communities at the expanding edge compared to the monodominant center, and (3) proximity to the P. australis invading front alters native root endosphere and soil fungal community structure. We found that P. australis cultivates root and soil fungal communities with higher richness, diversity, and pathogen abundances compared to native species. While P. australis was found to have higher endosphere pathogen abundances at its expanding edge compared to the monodominant center, we found no evidence of compositional changes or pathogen spillover in native species in close proximity to the invasion front. This work suggests that field measurements of fungal endosphere communities in native and invasive plants are useful to help understand (or rule out) mechanisms of invasion.

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