Spatial ecology of yellow-spotted goannas adjacent to a sea turtle nesting beach

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Lei ◽  
David T. Booth ◽  
Ross G. Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Potential Interaction ◽  
Large Male ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
System Data

Nest predation is the main cause of hatch failure for many turtle populations. For loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting at the Wreck Rock rookery, adjacent to Deepwater National Park in south-east Queensland, yellow-spotted goannas (Varanus panoptes) are the main nest predator. However, no studies have documented the space use of goannas in costal habitat adjacent to a sea turtle nesting beach. Here we used Global Positioning System data loggers to evaluate the spatial ecology of adult yellow-spotted goannas in order to discover their potential interaction with sea turtle nests. Male yellow-spotted goannas had larger home ranges, spent a greater proportion of their time in the beach dune area where sea turtles nest, and their home ranges overlapped with more sea turtle nests compared with females. Both males and females had a bimodal activity pattern, with peaks in activity in the early morning and mid to late afternoon. Examination of space-use patterns indicates that it is the larger male yellow-spotted goannas that are the main predators of sea turtle nests at the Wreck Rock beach-nesting aggregation. Hence, by inference, it is probable that large male yellow-spotted goannas are responsible for opening nests at other Australian mainland sea turtle beaches, and if a goanna-specific management strategy is implemented to control predation it is these large males that should be targeted.

Intraspecific variation in space use of a coastal population of lace monitors (Varanus varius)

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Lei ◽  
David T. Booth
Keyword(s):  
Brownian Bridge ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Gps Tracking ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Coastal Habitat ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Gps Devices

The lace monitor (Varanus varius) is a carnivorous scavenger that inhabits lowland forests and coastlines throughout south-eastern Australia. Here we used global positioning system (GPS) devices to remotely monitor adult lace monitor behaviour across two summer seasons in a coastal habitat adjacent to a sea turtle nesting beach at Wreck Rock, Queensland, Australia. GPS tracking showed that lace monitors spent most of their time in woodland habitat away from the seafront dune areas. Both adult males and females occupied relatively large home ranges (0.005 to 1.467 km2 calculated by the Kernel Brownian Bridge method) and individual home ranges overlapped each other to a large extent. The space use patterns of individual lace monitors could be classified as ‘linear’ or ‘clumped’, indicating plasticity in this species’ movement behaviour. Because lace monitors rarely visited the frontal dune area where sea turtles nest, they do not pose a significant threat to sea turtle nests.

scholarly journals The home-range concept: are traditional estimators still relevant with modern telemetry technology?

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1550) ◽  
pp. 2221-2231 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Kie ◽  
Jason Matthiopoulos ◽  
John Fieberg ◽  
Roger A. Powell ◽  
Francesca Cagnacci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Data Intensive ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Utilization Distributions

Recent advances in animal tracking and telemetry technology have allowed the collection of location data at an ever-increasing rate and accuracy, and these advances have been accompanied by the development of new methods of data analysis for portraying space use, home ranges and utilization distributions. New statistical approaches include data-intensive techniques such as kriging and nonlinear generalized regression models for habitat use. In addition, mechanistic home-range models, derived from models of animal movement behaviour, promise to offer new insights into how home ranges emerge as the result of specific patterns of movements by individuals in response to their environment. Traditional methods such as kernel density estimators are likely to remain popular because of their ease of use. Large datasets make it possible to apply these methods over relatively short periods of time such as weeks or months, and these estimates may be analysed using mixed effects models, offering another approach to studying temporal variation in space-use patterns. Although new technologies open new avenues in ecological research, our knowledge of why animals use space in the ways we observe will only advance by researchers using these new technologies and asking new and innovative questions about the empirical patterns they observe.

scholarly journals Spatial dynamics and activity patterns of the fosa Cryptoprocta ferox in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar: carnivores navigating a human-influenced landscape

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 837-846
Author(s):  
Eileen Wyza ◽  
Luke Dollar ◽  
Leon Pierrot Rahajanirina ◽  
Viorel Popescu ◽  
Nancy J. Stevens
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Cryptoprocta Ferox ◽  
Human Habitation

AbstractThe Vulnerable fosa Cryptoprocta ferox is the largest native carnivore in Madagascar, fulfilling a unique ecological niche in the island's remaining forests. Negative interactions with humans threaten the long-term viability of most remaining fosa populations across Madagascar. Threats to the fosa include habitat loss and persecution by humans resulting from perceived predation on domestic animals. We used GPS collars to record space use and activity patterns of five fosas in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar, during the dry seasons of 2016 and 2017. The results, with up to 2,110 recorded locations per individual, indicated fosas’ home ranges and movements were not limited to the forest, and all collared individuals used networks of habitat patches and corridors to navigate deforested areas. The fosas studied in Ankarafantsika National Park had significantly larger home ranges than those reported in previous studies in other protected areas. They were rarely found within village boundaries and appeared to avoid areas of human habitation, suggesting that during the study period livestock was not a significant component of the fosas’ diet in this Park. Our results suggest that fosas have some flexibility that enables them to adapt to living near deforested and human-dominated areas by altering their space-use patterns, but they are compensating by increasing their home range size.

Radio-tagging and tracking of translocated trout cod (Maccullochella macquariensis: Percichthyidae) in an upland river

2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 346 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. C. Ebner ◽  
L. Johnston ◽  
M. Lintermans
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Release Site ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Radio Tracking ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Radio Transmitters ◽  
Radio Tagging ◽  
Species Rarity

Radio-tracking provides an effective means of studying the spatial ecology of threatened fishes where almost inaccessible habitats and species rarity render conventional mark–recapture methods impractical. Initially, validation of an effective radio-tagging method is required; in the present study, an aquaria trial based on nine hatchery-reared, adult male Maccullochella maquariensis (Percichthyidae) was conducted. Fish resumed feeding within days of being internally implanted with a radio-tag, and tag rejection was not observed (0%, n = 9) based on a 2-month observational period. Following release into an upland stream, individual-specific movements resulted in upstream (n = 1) and downstream (n = 6) dispersal as well as fidelity to the release site (n = 2) at the completion of the study. Individuals established small home-ranges (mean length of river used by an individual per diel period ranged from 47 to 292 m) and were most active in the early morning and evening (n = 6). Complete survivorship of individuals bearing active radio-transmitters (n = 8) was recorded up until 4 months after release. However, an estimated zero or one individual was alive when the last active radio-tag expired 11 months after release (n = 8). The present study highlights the use of radio-tracking in monitoring the dispersal and survivorship of small numbers of hatchery-reared threatened fish released into natural habitats as part of species re-introduction programs.

Space use and the social system of muskrats

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 869-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lui Marinelli ◽  
François Messier
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Home Range ◽  
Social System ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Social Unit ◽  
Canadian Prairies ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Adult Sex Ratio ◽  
Range Overlap

We investigated the space-use patterns of adult muskrats in a small (77 ha) marsh on the Canadian Prairies during two breeding seasons. During the study, population size was relatively low and the adult sex ratio was biased towards females. Adult muskrats were territorial with little intrasexual home-range overlap. The exclusivity of home ranges was maintained throughout the breeding season, and appeared to decrease at the end of the season. Male movements often extended over the territory of more than one female, but the overlap was more extensive with primary than with secondary females. Lactation appeared to reduce the space use and mobility of female muskrats. Male muskrats tended to range over smaller areas when weaned young were present within their home range. The results suggest that the sexual pair is the basic social unit of muskrats but that polygyny was common. A female-biased sex ratio appeared to be responsible for the tendency of males to mate polygynously during this study, thus illustrating the plasticity of this social system.

Space use and territoriality in swift foxes (Vulpes velox) in northeastern Colorado

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amariah A. Lebsock ◽  
Christopher L. Burdett ◽  
Safi K. Darden ◽  
Torben Dabelsteen ◽  
Michael F. Antolin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Spatial Overlap ◽  
Vulpes Velox ◽  
Shortgrass Prairie ◽  
Core Areas

Space use is a fundamental characteristic that informs our knowledge of social relationships and the degree to which individuals are territorial. Until recently, relatively little was known about the spatial ecology and social organization of swift foxes ( Vulpes velox (Say, 1823)). We investigated space use of swift foxes on shortgrass prairie in northeastern Colorado. Our first objective was to evaluate sizes of seasonal and annual home ranges and core areas of 13 radio-collared swift foxes monitored continuously for 2 years. Our second objective was to compare home-range and core-area overlap of breeding pairs to that of neighboring foxes, including male–male, female–female, and nonbreeding female–male dyads. Home-range size in our study population was among the smallest previously reported for swift foxes. Males tended to have slightly larger home ranges and core areas than females, and home-range size was significantly larger in the breeding season than in both the pup-rearing and the dispersal seasons; sizes of core areas did not differ seasonally. Spatial overlap between breeding pairs was substantial, whereas spatial overlap between neighbors, particularly males, was low, suggesting territoriality.

scholarly journals Space-use patterns of Malay civets (Viverra tangalunga) persisting within a landscape fragmented by oil palm plantations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meaghan N. Evans ◽  
Carsten T. Müller ◽  
Peter Kille ◽  
Gregory P. Asner ◽  
Sergio Guerrero-Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Resource Utilization ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Resource Utilization Functions ◽  
Viverra Tangalunga

Abstract Context Agricultural land use is expanding and is a major driver of the biodiversity crisis. Land use planning initiatives seeking to optimize wildlife conservation are hindered by a lack of baseline data quantifying species’ tolerance to human-modified landscapes. Objectives We explored the influence of landscape characteristics on the fine-scale space-use patterns of a model generalist carnivore, the Malay civet (Viverra tangalunga), within degraded tropical forests and oil palm plantations. Methods We collected over 20,000 GPS locations from 21 male civets in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo to evaluate the species’ space-use patterns and habitat utilization processes. We used movement-based modeling to determine home ranges, and combined the results with high-resolution remotely sensed habitat characteristics. We developed resource utilization functions to determine individual and population-level functional responses to proximity to plantation edge, distance to water, terrain ruggedness, forest structure, and functional diversity. Results Civets foraged within oil palm plantations, yet all animals utilized forests. Home ranges scaled with proportion of plantation within both total and core ranges. Resource utilization functions reported individualism in the species’ responses to habitat characteristics. At the population-scale, civets consistently and more intensely used habitats closer to plantation edges and taller tree canopies. Conclusions Although plantations did not pose an inhospitable matrix, oil palm agriculture is a less suitable habitat than remnant forests for civets. Proximity measures and forest structure influenced the spatial behaviors of this adaptable generalist, highlighting the importance of protected areas. We recommend land-sparing and -sharing approaches to facilitate carnivore persistence across oil palm degraded landscapes.

scholarly journals Spatial ecology and multi-scale habitat selection by Western Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) in an urban area

2019 ◽  
Vol 132 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-119
Author(s):  
Kelsey A. Marchand ◽  
Christopher M. Somers ◽  
Ray G. Poulin
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Chrysemys Picta ◽  
Urban Park ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Active Season ◽  
Painted Turtles ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Chrysemys Picta Bellii

As urban centres expand, knowledge on the habitat and space use of native wildlife, particularly long-lived species, is required for proper management. Our objective was to understand space requirements and key habitat features necessary for long-term persistence of Western Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) living in a Canadian urban park. Using radio telemetry, we examined seasonal habitat selection and space use over two years, 2015–2016 (n = 23), and 2016–2017 (n = 29) in Regina, Saskatchewan. Daily movements and home ranges of males and females were smaller during emergence than during nesting or post-nesting phases of the active season. Turtles inhabiting marsh sites had 2- and 4-times larger daily movements and home ranges compared to turtles inhabiting the creek. Turtles selected the shoreline habitat over urban/parkland and open water. Turtles used marsh-shoreline habitats non-randomly, selecting accessible shoreline with large trees in the active season. In contrast, turtles used creek-shoreline habitat according to availability. Overwintering sites selected by turtles were warmer and deeper than random available sites, with no difference in dissolved oxygen level. However, water was hypoxic for most overwintering sites. Our results show that turtles range widely, requiring 20–60 ha throughout the year. Urban park areas should be managed to provide accessible shorelines with a combination of cover and open basking areas. Critically, careful attention needs to be paid to managing water depth so that over-wintering sites remain viable.

Space use and parental care behaviour in Andinobates claudiae (Dendrobatidae)

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Ricardo Cossio ◽  
Jennifer Wright ◽  
Rebeca Acosta ◽  
Ariel Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Bocas Del Toro ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Care Patterns ◽  
Spatial Use ◽  
Core Areas ◽  
Water Volumes

Abstract The selection of habitats with potential reproductive resources may maximize individual reproductive success and overall fitness. Dendrobatid frogs display remarkable parental care which is associated with water bodies (phytotelmata) contained in plants with characteristics that are important to offspring survival. It has been shown that the size of phytotelmata is a key factor that drove the divergence in parental care patterns in poison frogs and that the distribution of reproductive resources can influence space use in these species. Here, we investigated parental care strategies and the influence of reproductive resource distribution on space use patterns in a wild population of Andinobates claudiae in Bocas del Toro, Panama. We identified the phytotelmata characteristics that predict tadpole deposition and analysed the association between the spatial distribution of phytotelmata and spatial use of males and females. Our observations showed that this species mates polygamously and exhibits male parental care. We found that male frogs have smaller kernel density home ranges and core areas compared to females, and that space use is related to the density of Heliconia plants whose axil cavities are used for tadpole rearing. Furthermore, we found that tadpoles were more frequently found in phytotelmata that were at lower heights and contained larger water volumes. Fathers invested time inspecting multiple cavities and travelled further than predicted from their territories to find suitable deposition sites. Our observations suggest a selective choice of phytotelmata regarding tadpole deposition, where distribution and quality of cavities might influence parental care decisions.

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.

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