Beaver (Castor fiber) activity and spatial movement in response to light and weather conditions

Laura Bartra Cabré,Frank Rosell,Martin Mayer,Sam Steyaert

doi:10.1007/s42991-020-00029-7

Laura Bartra Cabré, Frank Rosell + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-020-00029-7

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Abstract

Animal behaviour can affect individual fitness and is influenced by exogenous and endogenous factors. Here, we investigated how light (daylight length and moonlight), weather (precipitation and temperature), age, sex and social status affected activity and movement of a semiaquatic mammal, the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber), using GPS relocation data from 47 individuals in south-eastern Norway. Independent of daylight length, beavers had a mean daily activity time of 9:42 h and reduced their activity periods when they were older, most likely due to senescence. In line with this, older individuals also spent less time in water and moved shorter distances. Furthermore, beavers reduced their activity periods in drier weather conditions and spent less time on land during brighter nights and drier conditions, indicating a predation risk avoidance strategy. Individuals spent less time in the water during the colder parts of the year and moved shorter distances with decreasing temperature, suggesting thermal constraints. Our study adds to the increasing amount of evidence that animal behaviour is modulated by various endogenous and exogenous factors, and that weather conditions can affect their behaviour. It remains to be tested, however, how climate variability together with hunting and predation pressure affect space use and demography in species such as the Eurasian beaver.

Highlights

Movement behaviour of animals can affect their fitness and is influenced by a wide range of exogenous and endogenous factors (Nathan et al 2008)
Daylight length is an important ecological constraint for many animals since it delineates the period within which individuals perform their essential activities (Dunbar et al 2009), and seasonal variation in day length can limit available time for foraging or other activities (Hill et al 2003)
Individuals can adjust their behaviour due to energetic constrains (Hut et al 2012) or in response to variation in predation risk, e.g. nocturnal species can alter their behaviour with changing moonlight conditions (Brown and Kotler 2004; Julien-Laferrière 1997)

Summary

Introduction

Movement behaviour of animals can affect their fitness and is influenced by a wide range of exogenous (e.g. daylight length, weather and moon illumination) and endogenous (e.g. sex, age and social status) factors (Nathan et al 2008). Daylight length (hereafter ‘daylength’) is an important ecological constraint for many animals since it delineates the period within which individuals perform their essential activities (Dunbar et al 2009), and seasonal variation in day length can limit available time for foraging or other activities (Hill et al 2003). Individuals can adjust their behaviour due to energetic constrains (Hut et al 2012) or in response to variation in predation risk, e.g. nocturnal species can alter their behaviour with changing moonlight conditions (Brown and Kotler 2004; Julien-Laferrière 1997). Human activity and hunting can alter activity patterns of animals across taxa and habitats, and can lead to increased nocturnality (Gaynor et al 2018; Hertel et al 2016)

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