scholarly journals Genetic relatedness cannot explain social preferences in black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea L Baden ◽  
Timothy H Webster ◽  
Brenda J Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Social Preferences ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Social Attraction ◽  
Spatial Overlap ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Range Overlap ◽  
Social Association

ABSTRACTFission-fusion social dynamics are common among a number of vertebrate taxa, and yet the factors shaping these variable associations among subgroup members have not been widely addressed. Associations may occur simply because of shared habitat preferences; however, social ties may also be influenced by genetic relatedness (kinship) or social attraction. Here, we investigate the association patterns of wild black-and-white ruffed lemurs, Varecia variegata, in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar using behavioural, spatial (home range), and genetic data from twenty-four individually identified animals. We collected 40,840 records of group composition over a 17-month period and from this calculated pairwise association indices. We also used ranging coordinates and genetic samples to estimate patterns of spatial overlap and kinship, and then related these measures to patterns of affiliation. From these analyses, we found that dyadic ruffed lemur social associations were generally sparse and weak; that home range overlap was minimal; and that average relatedness within the community was low. We found no evidence that kinship was related to patterns of either spatial overlap or social association; instead, associations were primarily driven by space use. Moreover, social preferences were unrelated to kinship. While home range overlap explained most of the variation seen in social association, some variation remains unaccounted for, suggesting that other social, ecological, and biological factors such as shared resource defense or communal breeding might also play a role in social attraction. Our results further highlight the need to consider individual space use and nuances of species behavior when investigating social preference and social association more generally.

scholarly journals Sex-Segregated Range Use by Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata) in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Andrea L. Baden ◽  
Jelisa Oliveras ◽  
Brian D. Gerber
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
National Park ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Day Length ◽  
Ranomafana National Park ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Range Use ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Varecia Variegata ◽  
Range Overlap

Ranging behavior is one important strategy by which nonhuman primates obtain access to resources critical to their biological maintenance and reproductive success. As most primates live in permanent social groups, their members must balance the benefits of group living with the costs of intragroup competition for resources. However, some taxa live in more spatiotemporally flexible social groups, whose members modify patterns of association and range use as a method to mitigate these costs. Here, we describe the range use of one such taxon, the black-and-white ruffed lemur (<i>Varecia variegata</i>), at an undisturbed primary rain forest site in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, and characterize sex differences in annual home range area, overlap, and daily distances traveled. Moreover, we characterize seasonal variability in range use and ask whether ranging behaviors can be explained by either climatic or reproductive seasonality. We found that females used significantly larger home ranges than males, though sexes shared equal and moderate levels of home range overlap. Overall, range use did not vary across seasons, although within sexes, male range use varied significantly with climate. Moreover, daily path length was best predicted by day length, female reproductive state, and sex, but was unrelated to climate variables. While the patterns of range use and spatial association presented here share some similarities with “bisexually bonded” community models described for chimpanzees, we argue that ruffed lemurs best conform to a “nuclear neighborhood” community model wherein nuclear (core) groups share the highest levels of home range overlap, and where these groups cluster spatially into adjacent “neighborhoods” within the larger, communally defended territory.

Genetic relatedness and home-range overlap among female black bears (Ursus americanus) in northern Ontario, Canada

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (8) ◽  
pp. 1511-1519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Schenk ◽  
Martyn E Obbard ◽  
Kit M Kovacs
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Ursus Americanus ◽  
Kernel Estimator ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
Spatial Proximity ◽  
Dna Fingerprints ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Range Overlap

The degree of philopatry exhibited by females in an unhunted black bear (Ursus americanus) population occupying the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve in northern Ontario was examined. A truncated kernel estimator was used to identify home-range use. Pairs of adult females were categorized as having home ranges that had moderate overlap or low overlap or were adjacent and non-overlapping or non-adjacent and non-overlapping. Females had low overlap with 6.4 other females, on average, and moderate overlap with 1.5 females. The degree of philopatry was assessed using two methods, each of which was used in an attempt to examine home-range overlap and average genetic relatedness. Relatedness among bears was determined from DNA fingerprints, using an alkaline phosphatase labelled multilocus probe and chemiluminescence detection. The first method involved choosing the 3 oldest females in the region to represent potential matriarchs, and all neighbouring females were identified (n = 8, 8, and 11). DNA fingerprints from each matriarch were compared with those of her neighbours. Average band-sharing coefficients and relatedness estimates within the groups did not reveal patterns of close kinship. The second method involved band-sharing comparisons among pairs of females from each of the 4 home-range categories (n = 12, 57, 80, and 21). Again, no relationship between spatial proximity and average genetic relatedness (range 0.032-0.120) was suggested. The extensive home-range overlap exhibited by this population is not a consequence of natal philopatric tendencies.

scholarly journals Space Use and Movement of Urban Bobcats

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Young ◽  
Julie Golla ◽  
John Draper ◽  
Derek Broman ◽  
Terry Blankenship ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Lynx Rufus ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Range Overlap

Global urbanization is rapidly changing the landscape for wildlife species that must learn to persist in declining wild spacing, adapt, or risk extinction. Many mesopredators have successfully exploited urban niches, and research on these species in an urban setting offers insights into the traits that facilitate their success. In this study, we examined space use and activity patterns from GPS-collared bobcats (Lynx rufus) in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Texas, USA. We found that bobcats select for natural/agricultural features, creeks, and water ways and there is greater home-range overlap in these habitats. They avoid roads and are less likely to have home-range overlap in habitats with more roads. Home-range size is relatively small and overlap relatively high, with older animals showing both greater home-range size and overlap. Simultaneous locations suggest bobcats are neither avoiding nor attracted to one another, despite the high overlap across home ranges. Finally, bobcats are active at all times of day and night. These results suggest that access to natural features and behavioral plasticity may enable bobcats to live in highly developed landscapes.

Spatial overlap, proximity, and interaction between lobsters revealed using acoustic telemetry

2020 ◽  
Vol 645 ◽  
pp. 109-124
Author(s):  
KJ Lees ◽  
AC Mill ◽  
DJ Skerritt ◽  
PA Robertson ◽  
C Fitzsimmons
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Population Monitoring ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Spatial Overlap ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Contact Rates ◽  
Range Overlap ◽  
Spatial Exclusion ◽  
Free Ranging

The cryptic nature of Homarus lobsters has restricted past behavioural studies to aquaria, mesocosms, or shallow coves. As such, spatial overlap and interactions between free-ranging Homarus lobsters have received little attention. However, it is clear that dominance behaviours directly affect their probability of capture, negatively affecting catch and complicating population monitoring. This study describes lobster behaviour at a scale that could not be achieved in aquaria or mesocosms. Home-range overlap and contact rates among free-ranging, acoustically tagged H. gammarus (n = 44) were assessed at multiple spatial scales. Data were analysed as unique pairings of lobsters (dyads), which could be single- or mixed-sex pairings. If home-range overlap between tagged lobsters occurred, interactions between lobsters were classified as attraction or avoidance. The number of times a lobster overlapped with the home range of another lobster was related to the mean substrate hardness within the home range of the focal lobster. Fewer interactions occurred between female lobsters, compared to males and mixed-sex pairings. Interactions between lobsters that occurred at 10 m, and interactions between mixed-sex pairs at 5 m, were identified as attractions. Interactions between male lobsters at 5 m were largely identified as avoidance and may indicate small-scale spatial exclusion. Understanding the drivers of movement and behaviour in wild free-ranging lobster populations is relevant to stock assessments, disease management, protected areas designation, and the development of sustainable evidence-based fisheries.

scholarly journals Space-use scaling and home range overlap in primates

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1751) ◽  
pp. 20122122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Pearce ◽  
Chris Carbone ◽  
Guy Cowlishaw ◽  
Nick J. B. Isaac
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Allometric Scaling ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Range Overlap

Space use is an important aspect of animal ecology, yet our understanding is limited by a lack of synthesis between interspecific and intraspecific studies. We present analyses of a dataset of 286 estimates of home range overlap from 100 primate species, with comparable samples for other space-use traits. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first multispecies study using overlap data estimated directly from field observations. We find that space-use traits in primates are only weakly related to body mass, reflecting their largely arboreal habits. Our results confirm a theory that home range overlap explains the differences in allometric scaling between population density and home range size. We then test a suite of hypotheses to explain home range overlap, both among and within species. We find that overlap is highest for larger-bodied species living in large home ranges at high population densities, where annual rainfall is low, and is higher for arboreal than terrestrial species. Most of these results are consistent with the economics of resource defence, although the predictions of one specific theory of home range overlap are not supported. We conclude that home range overlap is somewhat predictable, but the theoretical basis of animal space use remains patchy.

scholarly journals A new general index of home range overlap and segregation: the Lesser Kestrel in Southern Italy as a case study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Ferrarini ◽  
Giuseppe Giglio ◽  
Stefania Caterina Pellegrino ◽  
Marco Gustin
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Computationally Efficient ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Range Overlap

Abstract Background There is increasing interest in evaluating home-range overlap (or, otherwise, segregation) between bird species, and between or within bird populations, to inform spatial planning. So far, studies of home-range overlap typically make use of comparisons between pairs of individuals, populations or species, and return a matrix of pairwise overlaps (e.g., percent overlaps). However, when the number of individuals, populations or species to be compared is elevated, an overlarge overlap matrix is difficult to interpret from an ecological viewpoint. Methods We propose here a new, conceptually simple and computationally efficient index (general overlap index; GOI) for the ready computation within GIS of home range overlap of an arbitrarily large number (i.e., n ≥ 2) of individuals, populations or species. Whatever the number of home ranges to be compared, GOI always returns a single score between 0 and 100. As a case study, we applied our index to 24,074 GPS points of 10 Lesser Kestrels (Falco naumanni) in order to estimate within-colony and between-colony overlaps in two neighboring colonies in Southern Italy. Results Within-colony overlap was elevated for both colonies (96.41% at Cassano delle Murge, n = 5 individuals; 81.38% at Santeramo in Colle, n = 5 individuals), while between-colony overlap was low (19.12%; n = 2 colonies) and, after a randomization procedure, more spatially-segregated than expected by chance. Conclusions Modern biotelemetry offers huge amounts of data describing the space use of animal species. The use of intuitive and straightforward indices, like GOI, can be useful to promptly extract ecological information from such an amount of data (e.g. detecting change in space use over successive years, evaluating the reliability of various home-range estimators).

scholarly journals Space-use and movement patterns in an arid-zone agamid lizard

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Bernich ◽  
Kimberly Maute ◽  
Isabella C Contador-Kelsall ◽  
Paul G Story ◽  
Grant C Hose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Space Use ◽  
Gps Tracking ◽  
Positioning Systems ◽  
Movement Rates ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Individual Traits ◽  
Range Overlap

Abstract Background Quantifying the space-use and movement patterns of animals is critical to understanding habitat use and social systems. Little is known of the finer details of lizard movement biology, due to the limitations of observational studies. Advancements in technology has greatly improved our ability to study animal space-use and movement, though new technology has rarely been used to quantify finer-scale lizard movements and space-use. Using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) tags and accelerometers we tracked 36 central bearded dragon ( Pogona vitticeps ) individuals over three seasons, with the aim to describe space-use and movement patterns and to determine how these patterns differ due to individual traits and environmental drivers.Results Home ranges were held by 23 out of 36 individuals and wider tailed males were more likely to be floaters (no evidence of a home range). Evidence of floater behaviour was shown by 45% of females and only 20% of males, though both sexes often roamed over distances greater than 1 km. No significant relationships were observed among home range parameters and the individual traits measured. Home range overlap occurred between both neighbouring males and females, and core areas were not exclusive. Air temperatures strongly influenced movement in both sexes. Movement was significantly higher for males than females during late-spring, but not mid-summer, and was inversely related to head sizes and body mass during mid-summer. Interestingly, no correlation was observed between daily movement rates and home range measures. However, the movement rates of home range holders were significantly different from floaters for each season.Conclusions These results confirm that wild P. vitticeps movement patterns are driven by temperature, though space-use patterns vary from previously studied agamids, with high rates of nomadism, possibly due to drought conditions and high intrasexual home range overlap. Individuals varied widely in their space-use tactics, which seem unrelated to size, a potential proxy for social status or age. Our detailed data highlights the utility of accelerometers and GPS tracking devices in the study of lizard ecology.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal use predicts social partitioning of bottlenose dolphins with strong home range overlap

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (24) ◽  
pp. 12597-12614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo C. Genoves ◽  
Pedro F. Fruet ◽  
Juliana C. Di Tullio ◽  
Luciana M. Möller ◽  
Eduardo R. Secchi
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Home Range Overlap ◽  
Range Overlap
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