A prickly problem: developing a volunteer-friendly tool for monitoring populations of a terrestrial urban mammal, the West European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)

Ben Williams,Philip J Baker,Richard W Yarnell,Nittanjyot Mann,Jessica L Neumann

doi:10.1007/s11252-018-0795-1

Ben Williams, Philip J Baker + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-018-0795-1

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Abstract

Across Europe, hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) appear to be in decline in both urban and rural landscapes. Current methods used to monitor urban populations are, however, associated with several potential limitations. In this study, we conducted hedgehog footprint-tunnel surveys in 219 residential gardens across Reading, UK between May–September in 2013 and/or 2014; gardens were surveyed for five continuous days. Single-species occupancy models were used to investigate factors influencing hedgehog occupancy and two-species occupancy models were used to estimate a species interaction factor (SIF) between hedgehogs and (a) badgers (Meles meles), (b) foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and (c) dogs (Canis familiaris). The five-day survey protocol was associated with a false-absence error rate of 0.1–0.4%, indicating that it was a reliable method for determining hedgehog presence; conversely, 34.7% of householders were not able to correctly predict hedgehog presence or absence. Hedgehogs were widely distributed across Reading, but detected in only 32–40% of gardens. None of the within-garden or outside-garden factors investigated significantly affected hedgehog occupancy in the single-species models, but the two-species models indicated that badgers (SIF = 0.471 ± 0.188), but not foxes (SIF = 0.954 ± 0.048) or dogs (SIF = 0.780 ± 0.228), negatively affected the presence of hedgehogs in gardens, although not significantly. Overall, footprint-tunnels represent a viable field method for monitoring urban hedgehog populations, however, other approaches are required to identify factors that make gardens “hedgehog friendly”.

Highlights

Urbanisation is one of the most significant forms of habitat modification undertaken by humans, typically resulting in marked changes in e.g. animal behaviour, reproductive output, community composition and nutrient cycling (Marzluff et al 2008; Gaston 2010; Douglas et al 2011; Niemelä 2011; Forman 2014)
The West European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is a medium-sized (
In many parts of its range the species is thought to be in decline (Huijser and Bergers 2000; van de Poel et al 2015); in the UK, Urban Ecosyst (2018) 21:1075–1086 data from several monitoring schemes indicate that populations have declined markedly since the 1950s (Harris et al 1995; Battersby 2005; Wembridge 2011; Roos et al 2012) leading to its designation as a species of conservation concern in 2007 (Joint Nature Conservation Committee 2010). Possible reasons for this decline include: changes associated with agricultural intensification such as the loss of hedgerows, increased field sizes and reductions in the availability of invertebrate prey (Krebs et al 1999; Hof and Bright 2010, 2012; Haigh et al 2012; Hof et al 2012; Moorhouse et al 2014); the increased abundance of Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) (Judge et al 2014, 2017), an intra-guild predator (Doncaster 1994); an increase in the density of road networks and associated traffic (Becher and Griffiths 1998; Rondinini and Doncaster 2002); and climate mediated effects on food availability and over-winter hibernation (Jackson 2007; Morrs 2018)

Summary

Introduction

Urbanisation is one of the most significant forms of habitat modification undertaken by humans, typically resulting in marked changes in e.g. animal behaviour, reproductive output, community composition and nutrient cycling (Marzluff et al 2008; Gaston 2010; Douglas et al 2011; Niemelä 2011; Forman 2014). In many parts of its range the species is thought to be in decline (Huijser and Bergers 2000; van de Poel et al 2015); in the UK, Urban Ecosyst (2018) 21:1075–1086 data from several monitoring schemes indicate that populations have declined markedly since the 1950s (Harris et al 1995; Battersby 2005; Wembridge 2011; Roos et al 2012) leading to its designation as a species of conservation concern in 2007 (Joint Nature Conservation Committee 2010) Possible reasons for this decline include: changes associated with agricultural intensification such as the loss of hedgerows, increased field sizes and reductions in the availability of invertebrate prey (Krebs et al 1999; Hof and Bright 2010, 2012; Haigh et al 2012; Hof et al 2012; Moorhouse et al 2014); the increased abundance of Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) (Judge et al 2014, 2017), an intra-guild predator (Doncaster 1994); an increase in the density of road networks and associated traffic (Becher and Griffiths 1998; Rondinini and Doncaster 2002); and climate mediated effects on food availability and over-winter hibernation (Jackson 2007; Morrs 2018). Other studies (Young et al 2006; Hubert et al 2011; Parrott et al 2014; Trewby et al 2014; van de Poel et al 2015; Williams et al 2018) have indicated an increased tendency for hedgehogs to be found within, or associated with, areas dominated by human habitation, including towns and cities (Hof and Bright 2009)

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