Anthropogenic features are the most important drivers of striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) space use in a human-dominated Midwestern landscape

Abstract

Striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) are widespread generalist mesocarnivores that occur in a variety of habitats and are often associated with anthropogenic environments. They are also highly persecuted by humans, however, due to their noxious smell and propensity to carry disease. Consequently, the species is relatively understudied and there is still much unknown about the factors that affect their occurrences. To determine the probability of use patterns of striped skunks at the local (within 100 m) and landscape (within 1 km) scales, we deployed 46 and 54 motion-activated cameras between Dec 2021 – Jun 2022 and Nov 2022 – May 2023, respectively, across sites throughout the state of Illinois. We used an a priori, hypothesis-based approach to model striped skunk occupancy. The best local-scale probability of use model included road density and urban edge (w = 0.79), suggesting an avoidance of roads and selection for the interfaces of urban environments by skunks. The best model at the landscape scale included the interaction of housing density and coyote (Canis latrans) relative abundance (w = 0.31), describing a spatial niche differentiation among coyotes and skunks in urban settings compared to rural environments. Overall, our results suggest the primary drivers of striped skunk use in Illinois are anthropogenic features, but there exists a nuanced relationship, confirming the species’ designation as synanthropic misanthrope. Meanwhile, humans may mediate shifts in space-use patterns among sympatric mesocarnivores due to an expansion and divergence of ecological niches, resulting in reduced spatial overlap and competitive pressures among species.