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.

Legacy effects of invasive grass impact soil microbes and native shrub growth

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke Pickett ◽  
Irina C. Irvine ◽  
Eric Bullock ◽  
Keshav Arogyaswamy ◽  
Emma Aronson
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Survival Rate ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Coastal Sage Scrub ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Legacy Effects ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Invasive Grass ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Invasive Grasses

AbstractIn California, invasive grasses have displaced native plants, transforming much of the endemic coastal sage scrub (CSS) to nonnative grasslands. This has occurred for several reasons, including increased competitive ability of invasive grasses and long-term alterations to the soil environment, called legacy effects. Despite the magnitude of this problem, however, it is not well understood how these legacy effects have altered the soil microbial community and, indirectly, native plant restoration. We assessed the microbial composition of soils collected from an uninvaded CSS community (uninvaded soil) and a nearby 10-ha site from which the invasive grass Harding grass (Phalaris aquaticaL.) was removed after 11 yr of growth (postinvasive soil). We also measured the survival rate, biomass, and length of three CSS species andP. aquaticagrown in both soil types (uninvaded and postinvasive). Our findings indicate thatP. aquaticamay create microbial legacy effects in the soil that likely cause soil conditions inhibitory to the survival rate, biomass, and length of coastal sagebrush, but not the other two native plant species. Specifically, coastal sagebrush growth was lower in the postinvasive soil, which had more Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria,Agrobacterium,Bradyrhizobium,Rhizobium(R. leguminosarum),Candidatus koribacter,Candidatus solibacter, and rhizophilic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and fewer Planctomycetes, Acidobacteria,Nitrospira, andRubrobactercompared with the uninvaded soil. Shifts in soil microbial community composition such as these can have important implications for restoration strategies in postinvasive sites.

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.

The Effects of Irrigation on Revegetation of Semi-Arid Coastal Sage Scrub in Southern California

2000 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela E. Padgett ◽  
Sheila N. Kee ◽  
Edith B. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Southern California ◽  
Coastal Sage Scrub ◽  
Sage Scrub ◽  
Semi Arid

scholarly journals Quantifying Drought Sensitivity of Mediterranean Climate Vegetation to Recent Warming: A Case Study in Southern California

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 2902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunyu Dong ◽  
Glen MacDonald ◽  
Gregory S. Okin ◽  
Thomas W. Gillespie
Keyword(s):  
High Temperatures ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Mediterranean Climate ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
Coastal Sage Scrub ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Drought Sensitivity ◽  
The Future

A combination of drought and high temperatures (“global-change-type drought”) is projected to become increasingly common in Mediterranean climate regions. Recently, Southern California has experienced record-breaking high temperatures coupled with significant precipitation deficits, which provides opportunities to investigate the impacts of high temperatures on the drought sensitivity of Mediterranean climate vegetation. Responses of different vegetation types to drought are quantified using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data for the period 2000–2017. The contrasting responses of the vegetation types to drought are captured by the correlation and regression coefficients between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) anomalies and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). A novel bootstrapping regression approach is used to decompose the relationships between the vegetation sensitivity (NDVI–PDSI regression slopes) and the principle climate factors (temperature and precipitation) associated with the drought. Significantly increased sensitivity to drought in warmer locations indicates the important role of temperature in exacerbating vulnerability; however, spatial precipitation variations do not demonstrate significant effects in modulating drought sensitivity. Based on annual NDVI response, chaparral is the most vulnerable community to warming, which will probably be severely affected by hotter droughts in the future. Drought sensitivity of coastal sage scrub (CSS) is also shown to be very responsive to warming in fall and winter. Grassland and developed land will likely be less affected by this warming. The sensitivity of the overall vegetation to temperature increases is particularly concerning, as it is the variable that has had the strongest secular trend in recent decades, which is expected to continue or strengthen in the future. Increased temperatures will probably alter vegetation distribution, as well as possibly increase annual grassland cover, and decrease the extent and ecological services provided by perennial woody Mediterranean climate ecosystems as well.

scholarly journals Seed Collection and Germination Strategies for Common Wetland and Coastal Sage Scrub Species in Southern California

2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Barton ◽  
Ivan D. Medel ◽  
Karina K. Johnston ◽  
Christine R. Whitcraft
Keyword(s):  
Southern California ◽  
Coastal Sage Scrub ◽  
Seed Collection ◽  
Sage Scrub

scholarly journals Frequent Transmission of Immunodeficiency Viruses among Bobcats and Pumas

2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (20) ◽  
pp. 10961-10969 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. Franklin ◽  
J. L. Troyer ◽  
J. A. Terwee ◽  
L. M. Lyren ◽  
W. M. Boyce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Nonhuman Primates ◽  
Puma Concolor ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Infection ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
The Family ◽  
New Hosts ◽  
Species Specific

ABSTRACT With the exception of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which emerged in humans after cross-species transmissions of simian immunodeficiency viruses from nonhuman primates, immunodeficiency viruses of the family Lentiviridae represent species-specific viruses that rarely cross species barriers to infect new hosts. Among the Felidae, numerous immunodeficiency-like lentiviruses have been documented, but only a few cross-species transmissions have been recorded, and these have not been perpetuated in the recipient species. Lentivirus seroprevalence was determined for 79 bobcats (Lynx rufus) and 31 pumas (Puma concolor) from well-defined populations in Southern California. Partial genomic sequences were subsequently obtained from 18 and 12 seropositive bobcats and pumas, respectively. Genotypes were analyzed for phylogenic relatedness and genotypic composition among the study set and archived feline lentivirus sequences. This investigation of feline immunodeficiency virus infection in bobcats and pumas of Southern California provides evidence that cross-species infection has occurred frequently among these animals. The data suggest that transmission has occurred in multiple locations and are most consistent with the spread of the virus from bobcats to pumas. Although the ultimate causes remain unknown, these transmission events may occur as a result of puma predation on bobcats, a situation similar to that which fostered transmission of HIV to humans, and likely represent the emergence of a lentivirus with relaxed barriers to cross-species transmission. This unusual observation provides a valuable opportunity to evaluate the ecological, behavioral, and molecular conditions that favor repeated transmissions and persistence of lentivirus between species.

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