Factors influencing Arctic brown bear annual home range sizes and limitations of home range analyses

The relationship between deer density and home range size is important in assessing the effectiveness of deer reduction programs and predicting the effects of deer on habitat. We quantified annual home range and core area size and spatial configuration of adult female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) exposed to a population reduction program and a control group exposed to no population reduction program over a 4-year period (1994–1997). Deer were removed from Bluff Point during a 9-day shotgun hunt in 1996 and a 4-day removal program in 1997. Annual home range size during high deer densities (88–91 deer/km2) were larger than during periods of moderate (20 deer/km2) and low deer densities (11 deer/km2). We found a positive relationship between deer density and home range size. Annual home range size for the control group of deer did not differ among years. There were no significant shifts in the spatial arrangement of deer home ranges as deer densities were reduced. Significant improvements in deer herd health and reductions in deer browsing were documented during the 2-year deer reduction program. Population reduction programs at our study area did not cause the resident deer population to expand home range size or shift into adjacent habitat. We believe that localized deer reduction programs can be effective tools to manage problem deer herds. Deer removal efforts initiated to reduce deer damage to vegetation, particularly in urban areas, may have an added effect of reducing foraging range of the remaining resident deer.

We estimated home range size and habitat use of adult female moose (Alces alces) in Grims6, southcentral Sweden. Fourteen adult moose (3-8 yr old) were radiomarked and located from February 1982 through November 1985. Seasonal and annual home range sizes and habitat preferences were determined. Seasonal home range size varied. Summer home ranges were almost 2x larger than winter ranges (9.1 vs. 4.9 km2). Summer ranges constituted >70% of the annual home range. Home ranges overlapped a mean of >10% between all seasons. Annual home range averaged 12.6 km2 and contained ?2 core areas. Core areas represented a mean of 85% of all locations but only 50% of the total area. All annual home ranges overlapped with >-1 home range of other females. Females preferred clearcuts and young and medium-aged forests. Mature stands and bogs were avoided by female moose. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 52(2):336-343 The increase in the moose population in Fennoscandia during the late 1970's and early 1980's has been related to an increase in the amount and distribution of food resources caused by changes in forest management and controlled, selective hunting (Cederlund and Markgren 1986, Haagenrud et al. 1986, Stilfelt 1986). The moose population varies in density between regions and local areas. Experiences from hunters and aerial surveys have indicated that many local areas contain few moose ( 1.0/km2) (T. Thirnhuvud, Flyginventering i Vaisternorrlands iin.-Analyser och firslag till prognosf6rbaittrande Atgiirder, Grims6 Rep. 48 pp., 1983). Managers consider local moose densities to be related to hunting pressure and food distribution (Cederlund and Markgren 1986). Proper management of moose can be facilitated with a better understanding of moose distribution and home ranges. Females are the basic unit for moose management; their density and age distribution determines overall production of calves (Markgren 1969, Saether and Haagenrud 1983). Females also contribute to habitat use of offspring (Sigman 1977), determine movements to seasonal ranges (Mytton and Keith 1981, Sandegren et al. 1983), and establish home ranges of their calves (Gasaway et al. 1980, Cederlund et al. 1987). Our objectives were to (1) estimate female moose expansion of, and fidelity to, individual home ranges during different seasons and years in a high density moose population; (2) determine female moose selection of forest habitats during different seasons; and (3) provide recommendations for management unit size and forestry practices. We are grateful to P. Y. Sweanor for comments and stylistic correction of the manuscript. We thank the staff at Grims6 for radiotracking. We thank P. G. Ahlqvist for marking moose. This study was supported by the Swedish Environment Protection Board.

Escaping drought: Seasonality effects on home range, movement patterns and habitat selection of the Guatemalan Beaded Lizard

The spatial behaviour of female Alpine ibex Capra ibex ibex L. 1758, was analysed in Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy). Data were collected on 14 radiocollared females from September 2000 to August 2002, using radio-tracking and direct observations. Seasonal spatial behaviour was influenced by environmental conditions, in particular climatic factors. In the presence of thick snow cover, females significantly reduced winter home range sizes. Snow cover limited ibex mobility and reduced localization altitudes. Annual home range and winter home range sizes were inversely related to age. Temperature modified the use of space by females during summer. During the hottest summer females moved over larger ranges at higher altitudes. Annual home range sizes (mean 186.2 ha ± 71.7 in 2000 and 182.2 ha ± 70.0 in 2001) and seasonal home range sizes were significantly smaller than those of reintroduced populations, moreover they were smaller that those of males calculated in a close study area in Gran Paradiso National Park.

Habitat Effects on Condition of Doe Mule Deer in Arid Mixed Woodland-grassland

Most studies of home ranges occur over short time periods and may not represent the spacial requirements of long-lived organisms such as turtles. Home ranges of 18 individual Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) were measured using minimum convex polygons. Annual space use was compared to multi-year space use by individual turtles. We found a significant difference between annual home range size (25.5 hectares) and multi-year (two to six years) home range size (65.7 hectares; n = 18, P = 0.016). Caution should be employed when making management decisions based on short-term studies of long lived species.

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 四川羚牛的家域与忠诚度 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201403040372 作者: 作者单位: 绵阳师范学院 生态安全与保护四川省重点实验室 绵阳 四川; 北京师范大学 生命科学学院 生物多样性与生态工程教育重点实验室 北京,盐城师范学院 江苏省滩涂生物资源与环境保护重点建设实验室 盐城 江苏;,绵阳师范学院 生态安全与保护四川省重点实验室 绵阳 四川,四川唐家河国家级自然保护区,四川唐家河国家级自然保护区,动物生态学与保护生物学重实验室 中国科学院动物研究所 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: Q958 基金项目: 国家自然科学青年基金项目(31300319);绵阳师范学院启动项目(QD2012A12) Home range and fidelity of Sichuan takin Author: Affiliation: Mian Yang Normal University,,,,,Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:野生动物倾向回到或留在一个特定范围或者与原有区域完全重叠的行为被称为栖息地忠诚。利用GPS无线电颈圈对5只四川羚牛的家域及家域的季节和年度忠诚度进行了研究和分析(2006-2009年)。结果显示:四川羚牛年均家域面积为(MCP/FKE)(15.01±2.92)km2/(9.02±1.85) km2,但个体间及年际波动较大;季节间家域面积差异显著, 个体家域的季节变化体现出较一致的变化模式,最大季节家域主要集中于春季和夏季。年际间季节家域忠诚度最高的是秋季和夏季,冬季家域年际忠诚度最低,春季家域忠诚度也相对较低。单因素方差分析显示季节间质心距离总体差异不显著,与家域重叠算法获得的忠诚度结论基本一致。 Abstract:Migrant and resident are observed to return or stay within a specific range of habitat, close to or completely overlap with its original distribution area, known as habitat fidelity. In this study, we estimated takin seasonal and annual home range size and its fidelity between years by utilizing 9 GPS radio collars on adult takin(2006-2009). Results shown annual home range of takin was (MCP/FKE)(15.01±2.92)km2 /(9.02±1.85) km2, suggesting individual home range varied among individuals and years. For each individual, we found variation of seasonal home range between years. Most of individuals shown similar pattern of seasonal home range variation, thus the largest home range always found in summer or spring. We extracted the centriods of seasonal / annual home range polygon and calculate its distance between years. We tried the distance between two centriods as one surrogate of home range fidelity. Besides, we considered the overlap ratio of home range between two consecutive years as the most important parameter of home range fidelity.Therefore, we found annual home range fidelity of certain season variation exist, especially for summer and autumn. Both ways of home range fidelity assessment produced similar results. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

A wolverine (Gulo gulo) population was studied in the Susitna Basin southcentral Alaska from 1980 to 1983. Based on logarithmic extrapolations, annual home range sizes were estimated at 535 and 105 km2 for males and postpartus females, respectively. Wolverines utilized significantly different (P < 0.05) elevational strata during different seasons (: = 1,043 and 818 m for Apr-Oct and Nov-Mar, respectively), probably in response to differences in prey distribution and abundance. Habitat analyses showed an avoidance forest types in summer and tundra types in winter. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 50(3):460-463 The wolverine, the largest terrestrial mustelid, has a circumboreal distribution and a valuable pelt. Because wolverine population densities are naturally low and the elusive animals occupy remote habitats, few studies have been conducted. This paper describes home range, movements, and habitat use by wolverines in southcentral Alaska. This study was supported by the Alaska Power Authority and the Alaska Dep. Fish and Game (ADFG). Appreciation is expressed to ADFG employees S. R. Peterson and R. J. Tobey for reviewing early drafts the manuscript. E. A. Goodwin provided critical lab time and support. S. M. Miller provided statistical support. K. Z. Adler handled typing and bookkeeping throughout the project. Pilots V. and C. Lofstedt, H. C. McMahan, and A. and J. Lee participated in the field aspects the project. STUDY AREA AND METHODS The study was conducted in a 7,700-km2 portion the upper Susitna River Basin in southcentral Alaska. Characteristics of the habitat have been described previously by Skoog (1968). Elevations range from 260 to 2,200 m. Low elevations are dominated by spruce (Picea spp.) forests, with a shrub and deciduous transition zone blending to tundra and shrub birch (Betula spp.) habitat types at higher elevations. From 1980 to 1983, 22 wolverines were captured, radiocollared (Ballard et al. 1982), and tracked from fixed-wing aircraft. Wolverines were subjectively aged based on tooth wear patterns and degree maturation reproductive organs. Radio transmitters (Telonics, Inc., Mesa, Ariz.) were enclosed in metal canisters, and the transmitter-to-antenna connection was encased in urethane. Collar webbing was made butyl rubber with an internal stainless steel whip antenna. The entire radio-collar package weighed 430 g. Wolverine locations were gathered whenever weather and daylight permitted and were plotted on 1:63,360-scale U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps. The following data were recorded: date, time, activity, association, elevatio , aspect, slope, and associated habitat type (Viereck and Dyrness 1980). Availability habitat to the animals was determined by recording the habitat type at each section corner the mapped study area (McKendrick et al. 1982). Use habitat was determined by plotting all wolverine locations that were within the mapped area (N = 178) and tallying corresponding types. Statistical comparisons between availability and use were determined by a standard F-test. Logarithmic transformations based on the relationships between the number locations and cumulative home range size were used to project annual home range sizes. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION From April 1980 to November 1983, length contact with instrumented wolverines ranged from 1 to 426 days (f = 147). A total 258 point locations was gathered. Mortality (N = 10) and suspected transmitter failure (N = 7) were the primary reasons for loss contact. In 1983, transmitters were redesigned to reduce failure. Home Range The relationship between number locations and home range size was examined (Fig. 1) and used to estimate total annual home range

Mountain gorillas are highly folivorous. Food is abundant and perennially available in much of their habitat. Still, limited research has shown that single gorilla groups heavily used areas where food biomass and quality were relatively high and where they met daily nutritional needs with relatively low foraging effort. Also, ecological factors influenced solitary males less than groups with females. Long-term data on habitat use by multiple mountain gorilla social units and more extensive data on variation in food distribution, presented here, confirm that food distribution influences areal occupation densities across groups and over time. These data also confirm the group/solitary male distinction and show that food distribution became more important for one male once he acquired females. Groups used ≤25 km2, and inter-annual home range and core area overlap was often low. Annual home range and core area size varied considerably within groups and across years. It bore no simple relationship to group size and estimated group biomass. Core areas were biased samples of total home ranges and were relatively good foraging areas. One group abruptly shifted its home range in response to male mating competition. Home ranges of two others expanded from 1981 to 1987, though at a decreasing rate. Data on one such group, which varied considerably in size, are consistent with arguments that costs of scramble competition are low except in unusually large groups. Low site fidelity, low scramble costs, and high home range overlap should decrease the ecological costs of female transfer.

Red deer (Cervus elaphus) have been in Australia for over 150 years. The first documented release in Queensland was on Cressbrook Station in 1873. Following further releases they have spread through the Brisbane, Mary, and Burnett River Valleys to have an estimated population of 15,000 animals. Red deer were a protected species for many years in Queensland, but in 2009 were declared a Class 3 pest animal. The Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre National Feral Deer Management Workshop in 2005 reported there was a lack of credible, scientific knowledge about deer in Australia. This project addressed the following research questions relating to wild red deer in south-eastern Queensland: • What is the optimal method for estimating abundance? • What is their annual and seasonal home range? • Do red deer exhibit habitat preferences and what factors affect those preferences? Estimating Abundance: Walked line transect distance sampling, aerial line transect distance sampling, vehicle based spotlight counts and faecal pellet counts were used to estimate or obtain indices of abundance of wild red deer at Cressbrook Dam. For each method the labour input, costs and precision were estimated. Spotlighting performed best overall when comparing labour and costs with precision, but had a number of limitations. Walked line transects gave estimates of adequate and repeatable precision but the method was expensive for both labour and equipment. Aerial survey estimates were quick, relatively cost-effective and comparable to walked line transect estimates, but not as precise as other methods. Faecal pellet counts were expensive in terms of labour, but were very precise. Choosing a method for counting deer will be site and circumstance specific, and some recommendations are provided to assist land managers choose a method. The density of wild red deer at the study site was very high - estimated to be between 26 and 30 deer/km2. Home Range: Wild red deer were fitted with GPS collars to provide location information every 90 minutes. Data were obtained from 22 collared deer – 11 male (4 young adult, 7 mature adult) and 11 female (1 young adult, 10 mature adult). Annual home range was estimated using the 95% Local Convex Hull method to be approximately 359 ha for hinds and 1,323 ha for stags. The data indicate that the size of seasonal home range may be linked to seasonal conditions. Stags at our study site showed no elevated activity in summer compared to European reports. The home ranges at our study site were very large considering the high deer densities encountered. Habitat Use: Habitat preferences of GPS collared deer were explored by computing the resource selection ratios. The available and used resources for individual animals were compared at the home range level for various habitat components. The large data set (over 117,000 deer locations) allowed in-depth examination of possible factors that might affect habitat use. I examined foliage projective cover, aspect and slope to explore deer habitat preferences during the winter, summer and rut for day vs. night. Hinds showed a preference for using heavier cover in the day compared to night regardless of season, whereas stags only showed this preference in winter. Hinds showed a preference for southerly facing aspects in all seasons. Stags showed southerly and easterly preferences in winter and easterly preferences in summer. Hinds generally selected gentle to medium slopes, while stags chose moderate to steep slopes. Given the spread of deer generally in Australia most land managers will likely work towards population maintenance or reduction. Estimating deer abundance will be critical in monitoring progress towards set targets. If population reduction of wild red deer is desirable the best strategy may be to reduce the number of hinds. The home range data suggest that hinds have smaller home ranges than stags. Habitat preferences observed indicate that night time is the best time to target deer in less heavily vegetated environments where they are more visible.

The body-size hypothesis of home range predicts that, given constant home range productivity, larger animals with higher absolute metabolic requirements use larger home ranges to meet their metabolic needs. This relationship is well supported across a wide range of mammals and often has been invoked to explain differences in home range size between sexes that differ in body size However, the body-size hypothesis has rarely been tested within a species A corollary to this hypothesis states that for a given mass, animals in areas of low habitat productivity should have home ranges larger than those in productive habitat. To test these 2 hypotheses, we radiomonitored desert male deer (Odocoileus hemionus crooki) for 2 vears insouthwest Texas to determine the effects of sex, mass, and habitat productivity on annual home range size, Although male mule deer had more massive bodies than females (P < 0.001) and used consistently larger annual home ranges than females (P < 0.01), we found little support for the body-size hypothesis. In contrast, we found sex-specific support for the habitat-productivity hypothesis. Male and female mule deer had home ranges of similar size in areas of high habitat productivity but males used larger home ranges than females when habitat productivity was low, Our results suggest that differential sex responses to productivity may be the mechanism underlying the frequent observation that male cervids have larger home ranges than female cervids.

Knowledge about deer spatial use is essential for damage mitigation, conservation, and harvest management. We assess annual and seasonal home range sizes in relation to habitat composition for red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Sweden, using GPS-data from two regions with different management systems. We compare our findings with reviewed data on red deer home range sizes in Europe. Annual and seasonal home ranges during calving, hunt, and winter-spring, decreased with increasing proportion forest. Female annual home ranges in a mixed agricultural-forest landscape were three times larger than in a forest-dominated landscape. Core areas (50% Kernels) were approximately 1/5 of the full annual and seasonal home ranges (95% Kernels) regardless of habitat composition. Home range size in the forest-dominated landscape showed little inter-seasonal variation. In the agricultural-forest landscape, home ranges were larger during calving, hunt, and winter-spring compared to summer and rut. In the forest-dominated landscape, management areas are large enough to cover female spatial use. In the agricultural-forest landscape, female spatial use covers several license units. Here, the coordinated license system is needed to reach trade-offs between goals of conservation, game management, and damage mitigation. Males had in general larger home ranges than females, and the majority of the males also made a seasonal migration to and from the rutting areas. The license system area in the agricultural-forest landscape is large enough to manage migrating males. In the forest landscape, a coordination of several management areas is needed to encompass male migrations. We conclude that management needs to adapt to deer spatial use in different types of landscapes to reach set goals.

Home range estimators are a critical component for understanding animal spatial ecology. The choice of home range estimator in spatial ecology studies can significantly influence management and conservation actions, as different methods lead to vastly different interpretations of movement patterns, habitat selection, as well as home range requirements. Reptile studies in particular have struggled to reach a consensus on the appropriate home range estimators to use, and species with cryptic behavior make home range assessment difficult. We applied dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Models (dBBMMs) to radio-telemetry data from Ophiophagus hannah, a wide-ranging snake species. We used two focal individuals at different life stages (one juvenile male and one adult male) and sought to identify whether the method would accurately represent both their home range and movement patterns. To assess the suitability of dBBMMs, we compared this novel method with traditional home range estimation methods: minimum convex polygons (MCP) and Kernel density estimators (KDE). Both KDE and MCP incorporated higher levels of Type I and Type II errors, which would lead to biases in our understanding of this species space-use and habitat selection. Although these methods identified some general spatial-temporal patterns, dBBMMs were more efficient at detecting movement corridors and accurately representing long-term shelters sites, showing an improvement over methods traditionally favored in reptile studies. The additional flexibility of the dBBMM approach in providing insight into movement patterns can help further improve conservation and management actions. Additionally, our results suggest that dBBMMs may be more widely applicable in studies that rely on VHF telemetry and not limited to studies employing GPS tags.

Regulation of space use in a solitary felid: population density or prey availability?

Simple SummaryWhite lions are a natural colour variant of the African lion found within certain lion prides in the Greater Kruger Park Region of South Africa. Human factors led to their absence until white lions were reintroduced in 2006. This study provides the first assessment of home range and movement behaviour of white lions as an index of reintroduction success. Home range is the area where an animal spends its time and encompasses all the resources the animal requires to survive and reproduce. The home range size and average distance walked in a day were compared seasonally (wet compared to dry season) and between sexes (male compared to female) for a pride of white lions and a pride consisting of white and tawny (nonwhite) lions. Both prides had similar sized home ranges, walked a comparable average distance, and preferred similar types of vegetation among which to spend their time (dense woodland compared to open grassland). The white lions from both prides showed natural behaviour, similar to wild lions in terms of how they established and made use of their home ranges, suggesting that white lions can be successfully reintroduced into the wild.White lions are a colour variant of the African lion Panthera leo melanochaita and disappeared from the wild due to anthropogenic factors until their reintroduction to the Greater Kruger Park Region of South Africa in 2006. Natural home range behaviour is an index of reintroduction success. Therefore, the home range and movement of a pride of reintroduced white lions and a constructed pride consisting of reintroduced white lions and translocated wild tawny lionesses in small, fenced reserves was assessed. GPS data from collared adults were collected for the white lion pride between 2010–2011 and 2018–2020 for the constructed pride. Home ranges were estimated using kernel density estimation and minimum convex polygon, with minimum daily distance tested for differences between sex, season, and pride. Home ranges were small and average daily movements restricted for both prides (white lion pride: 5.41 km2 and 10.44 ± 4.82 km; constructed pride: 5.50 km2, 11.37 ± 4.72 km) due to the small reserve size of 7 km2. There was no difference between prides for annual and seasonal home range size, male and female home ranges, minimum daily distance travelled, or habitat selection. White lions from both prides established territories and displayed natural home ranging behaviour, suggesting that their reintroduction was successful, in the absence of anthropogenic threats.