Abstract
Due to its conspicuous manifestations and its capacity to shape the configuration and dynamics of wild populations, territorial behavior has long intrigued ecologists. Territoriality and other animal interactions insitu have traditionally been studied via direct observations and telemetry. Here, we explore whether noninvasive genetic sampling, which is increasingly supplementing traditional field methods in ecological research, can reveal territorial behavior in an elusive carnivore, the wolverine (Gulo gulo). Using the locations of genotyped wolverine scat samples collected annually over a period of 12years in central Norway, we test three predictions: (1) male home ranges constructed from noninvasive genetic sampling data are larger than those of females, (2) individuals avoid areas used by other conspecifics of the same sex (intrasexual territoriality), and (3) avoidance of same-sex territories diminishes or disappears after the territory owner's death. Each of these predictions is substantiated by our results: sex-specific differences in home range size and intrasexual territoriality in wolverine are patently reflected in the spatial and temporal configuration of noninvasively collected genetic samples. Our study confirms that wildlife monitoring programs can utilize the spatial information in noninvasive genetic sampling data to detect and quantify home ranges and social organization.
Highlights
Territoriality is a ubiquitous behavioral phenomenon that transcends taxonomic phyla and comes in many shapes and forms (Potts and Lewis 2014)
Home range size and sex Linear regression revealed a pronounced effect of sex on 95% kernel home range size (blog(HR size) = 0.826, SE = 0.3221, t = 2.567, df = 56, P = 0.013)
After controlling for a positive nonlinear relationship between the number of years an individual was monitored and its home range size estimate, the model-predicted annual home range sizes of male wolverines (757 km2, 95% CI: 485–1180 km2) were on average 2.3-times larger than those predicted for females (331 km2, 95% CI: 193– 566 km2)
Summary
Territoriality is a ubiquitous behavioral phenomenon that transcends taxonomic phyla and comes in many shapes and forms (Potts and Lewis 2014). Regardless of how it is manifested, territoriality is thought to enhance the fitness of individuals or groups by securing exclusive or privileged access to resources (Brown and Orians 1970). Noninvasive genetic sampling is being applied to the study of many natural phenomena associated with wild populations and communities, including abundance, population dynamics, species diversity, foraging behavior, and population genetics (Taberlet et al 1999; Mills et al 2000). The potential use of noninvasive genetic sampling to explore a 2016 The Authors.
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