Night In Areas Research Articles

Does daily activity overlap of seven mesocarnivores vary based on human development?

Many species of wildlife alter their daily activity patterns in response to co-occurring species as well as the surrounding environment. Often smaller or subordinate species alter their activity patterns to avoid being active at the same time as larger, dominant species to avoid agonistic interactions. Human development can complicate interspecies interactions, as not all wildlife respond to human activity in the same manner. While some species may change the timing of their activity to avoid being active when humans are, others may be unaffected or may benefit from being active at the same time as humans to reduce predation risk or competition. To further explore these patterns, we used data from a coordinated national camera-trapping program (Snapshot USA) to explore how the activity patterns and temporal activity overlap of a suite of seven widely co-occurring mammalian mesocarnivores varied along a gradient of human development. Our focal species ranged in size from the large and often dominant coyote (Canis latrans) to the much smaller and subordinate Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). Some species changed their activity based on surrounding human development. Coyotes were most active at night in areas of high and medium human development. Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) were more active at dusk in areas of high development relative to areas of low or medium development. However, because most species were primarily nocturnal regardless of human development, temporal activity overlap was high between all species. Only opossum and raccoon (Procyon lotor) showed changes in activity overlap with high overlap in areas of low development compared to areas of moderate development. Although we found that coyotes and red fox altered their activity patterns in response to human development, our results showed that competitive and predatory pressures between these seven widespread generalist species were insufficient to cause them to substantially alter their activity patterns.

Evaluation of multiple behavioral responses of sika deer to human hunting pressures

AbstractSeveral ungulate populations have become overabundant worldwide, resulting in ecological and social effects. Wildlife managers must establish effective population control programs to mitigate these negative influences. Hunting is a significant mortality factor for ungulates, which exhibit sensitive behavioral responses toward hunting activities. Wildlife managers need a comprehensive understanding of the ungulate responses to different hunting pressures across seasons. We developed a conceptual method to evaluate multiple behavioral responses to human hunting pressures and applied this to sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Hokkaido, Japan, during August and November in 2015. We measured flight behavior, spatial avoidance, and temporal activity shift during non‐hunting and hunting seasons in 4 regions with different hunting pressures. Although we did not observe a clear difference in flight initiation distance among study areas or seasons, sika deer showed significant spatial avoidance during the hunting season in areas with high hunting pressure. Furthermore, sika deer were more active at night in areas with higher hunting pressures, regardless of the season. Collectively, these results suggest that sika deer responded to hunting pressure by changing diel activity to nocturnal throughout the year and avoiding risky areas (i.e., around hunting roads) during hunting season, rather than by increasing flight distance when they encounter humans. Our method can be used for a more efficient population control program for wildlife managers, as it considers the spatiotemporal variations of flexible ungulate behaviors in response to hunting pressures.

How cougars and feral donkeys change desert wetlands: Novel interactions between native predators and non-native megaherbivores shape trophic cascades in the Anthropocene.

Research Highlight: Lundgren, E. J., Ramp, D., Middleton, O. S., Wooster, E. I. F., Kusch, E., Balisi, M., Ripple, W. J., Hasselerharm, C. D., Sanchez, J. N., Mills, M. & Wallach, A. D. (2022) A novel trophic cascade between cougars and feral donkeys shapes desert wetlands. Journal of Animal Ecology, (91, 2010-2022). https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13766. Despite being absent from most regions of the contemporary world, megafauna species dominated the dynamics of ecological communities until the late Pleistocene. Trophic rewilding is a promising approach to restoring megafauna interactions, their functional roles and the consequent trophic cascades. Unintentional rewilding with large non-native herbivores, such as equids, offers outstanding opportunities for ecologists to understand the outcomes of using replacement species to restore the ecological functions of extinct native megafauna. In this context, it is relevant to understand the extent to which extant native predators can impose top-down control on non-native megaherbivores and how trophic cascades arising from novel predator-prey interactions influences biodiversity and ecosystem functions. In Death Valley National Park (United States), Lundgren et al. depict a natural experiment showing compelling evidence of native cougars overcoming ecological naïveté-that is, the mismatches between predator and prey species that do not share a common evolutionary history-and are now successfully preying on younger individuals of feral donkeys. These non-native donkeys, whose growing wild populations threaten the native biota, became cougars' most frequent dietary item in that region. In areas with cougars, donkeys changed their spatiotemporal foraging patterns, becoming diurnal and less active. On the other hand, donkeys remain more active and forage throughout the day and night in areas without cougars. The cougar-donkey interaction triggered a behaviourally mediated trophic cascade emerging from a 'landscape of fear', that is, from the perception of spatial heterogeneity in predation risk by donkeys. Areas with cougars have less trampled ground, fewer donkey trails, and much more canopy cover and vegetation around water. Donkeys concentrate their activity mostly in topologically plain terrains lacking proper sites for the ambush behaviour of cougars and with more intense human presence, likely acting as a shield against the predators. Lundgren et al. present a promising model system for studying the effects of fearful grazers on community structure in the context of novel ecological interactions being established in the Anthropocene. Whether the emerging cascade is transient or persistent, the relative roles of consumptive and non-consumptive effects as underlying mechanisms, and their consequences for food web structure, functioning and stability, are questions of general interest. Addressing them can help us to elucidate the costs and benefits of using non-native megaherbivores in the functional restoration of permanently invaded ecosystems.

Solar Powered Smart Irrigation System

This paper addresses water scarcity and electricity crisis by designing and implementing smart irrigation system. This system presents the details of a solar-powered automated irrigation system that turns ON/OFF the motor to pass water through the pump required to soil depending on the soil moisture, hence this system minimize the wastage of water. Soil moisture sensor sense the humidity of soil which is transmitted to a remote station. This data will be analyzed and used to pass out water by water pump. This system conserves electricity and conserves water. It is the proposed solution for the now a days energy crisis for the Indian farmers. Cost-effective solar power can be the answer to our energy needs. Solar powered smart irrigation systems are the acknowledgement to the Indian farmer.This system does not work at night in areas without a grid.

Anthropogenic impact on wildlife resource use: Spatial and temporal shifts in elephants’ access to water

AbstractExpansion of human settlements and development have undeniable impacts on wildlife and habitats. Yet wildlife continues to persist in human‐modified environments. While shifting patterns of wildlife landscape use in response to development is well established, less is known about how risk avoidance by animals impacts their resource access. Our research addresses this question by assessing spatial and temporal patterns in access to water resources for savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) relative to anthropogenic features in the Okavango Panhandle of Botswana. We combined GPS collar data from 39 elephants (2014–2018) with spatial data on permanent water sources and human development to quantify patterns of water access. We modelled a multi‐scale resource selection function that showed elephants selected water access points in areas with less human development (p < 0.0151). Elephants visited water more evenly across day and night in areas with no buildings nearby, but shifted to a significantly more nocturnal pattern in areas of higher building density (ANOVA, p < 0.001). Analysing spatial and temporal patterns of elephant resource access in the context of anthropogenic features provides compelling insight into the potential consequences of human‐modified landscapes on the behaviour, fitness, and persistence of threatened species and our coexistence with them.

The effects of urbanization on carnivores in the New York metropolitan area

The presence of human activity and development affects the distribution and behavior of carnivore species in various ways. It is necessary to examine the effects of urbanization and associated habitat fragmentation on the spatial ecology of predators, in order to develop a comprehensive understanding and formulate a proactive approach towards biodiversity protection in such areas. In this study, we observed patterns of occurrence and activity of carnivores in four preserves in metropolitan the New York and New Jersey region. Over the course of a ten-month trail camera study, 104 randomly positioned camera stations (5642 trap nights) yielded 793 total captures of 7 species: black bear (Ursus americanus), bobcat (Lynx rufus), coyote (Canis latrans), opossum (Didelphis virginiana), raccoon (Procyon lotor), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). We found correlations between captures and level of human development, preserve size, and time of day of capture. Further, we found that the relative abundance of carnivores was higher in preserves with a higher level of surrounding development, suggesting the use of these habitat fragments as refuges. Coyotes and raccoons were more likely to be observed in areas with higher development. All carnivores combined were more likely to be observed at night in areas wither higher development, indicating a temporal response of carnivores to human activity. Our results emphasize the value of preserving intact habitat fragments in urban and suburban areas, and strongly suggest that carnivore use of parkland and greenspace should be monitored continuously to measure impacts on these species as conversion of surrounding land persists.

Sharing the same slope: Behavioral responses of a threatened mesocarnivore to motorized and nonmotorized winter recreation.

Winter recreation is a widely popular activity and is expected to increase due to changes in recreation technology and human population growth. Wildlife are frequently negatively impacted by winter recreation, however, through displacement from habitat, alteration of activity patterns, or changes in movement behavior. We studied impacts of dispersed and developed winter recreation on Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) at their southwestern range periphery in Colorado, USA. We used GPS collars to track movements of 18 adult lynx over 4 years, coupled with GPS devices that logged 2,839 unique recreation tracks to provide a detailed spatial estimate of recreation intensity. We assessed changes in lynx spatial and temporal patterns in response to motorized and nonmotorized recreation, as well as differences in movement rate and path tortuosity. We found that lynx decreased their movement rate in areas with high‐intensity back‐country skiing and snowmobiling, and adjusted their temporal patterns so that they were more active at night in areas with high‐intensity recreation. We did not find consistent evidence of spatial avoidance of recreation: lynx exhibited some avoidance of areas with motorized recreation, but selected areas in close proximity to nonmotorized recreation trails. Lynx appeared to avoid high‐intensity developed ski resorts, however, especially when recreation was most intense. We conclude that lynx in our study areas did not exhibit strong negative responses to dispersed recreation, but instead altered their behavior and temporal patterns in a nuanced response to recreation, perhaps to decrease direct interactions with recreationists. However, based on observed avoidance of developed recreation, there may be a threshold of human disturbance above which lynx cannot coexist with winter recreation.

Methane emissions from landfill: influence of vegetation and weather conditions

ABSTRACTVegetation plays an important role in CH4 transport and oxidation in landfill cover soil. This study investigated CH4 emission fluxes in two landfills with different surface coverage conditions and it found that the CH4 emission fluxes presented spatial and temporal disparities. A significant discrepancy in CH4 emission flux between day and night in areas covered with Kochia sieversiana indicated that enhanced diffusion induced by rising temperature was the main mechanism for CH4 transport during daytime. A significant increase of CH4 emission flux after the K. sieversiana and Suaeda glauca plants were cut indicated that these plants provide greater contributions to CH4 oxidation than to CH4 transport. Diel CH4 emission flux was found closely correlated with the climatic conditions. Diffusion was determined as the main mechanism for CH4 transport at daytime in bare area, mediated by solar radiation and air temperature. Diffusion and plant-mediated transport by convection was established as the main transport mechanism in areas covered with K. sieversiana. Our results further the understanding of both the CH4 emission mechanism and the impact of vegetation on CH4 oxidation, transport, and emission, which will benefit the development of a reliable model for landfill CH4 emissions.

Pine seed removal in fragments of three temperate plant communities

Background: Foraging strategies may vary among guilds of granivores and impact the tree recruitment and biodiversity of plant communities.
 Hypothesis : The hypotheses were: during the night in areas with tree cover rodents will be the main seed removers, insects in open areas at night, and birds in all types of plant communities during the daytime. 
 Studied species/Data description/Mathematical model: The seed removal by birds, rodents and insects was studied in a Mexican temperate forest. In order to detect differences in seed removal of Pinus patula , P. pseudostrobus , P. teocote and P. montezumae, a GLMM model with three way interaction (type of plant community, exclusion treatment and period) was carried out for each pine seed species where random variables were the variation among sites and months. 
 Study site and years of study: This study was carried out in a Mexican temperate forest during February 2006 and January 2007.
 Methods : Through exclusion treatments we evaluated the seed removal of four pine species in three plant communities with two replicates (1 ha approximately) and two periods.
 Results : The three-way interaction was significant for all pine species ( P < 0.001) (GLMM processes). The variance was greater among sites than between months. The main seed removers for all pine seed species, were: At night insects for subalpine grassland; during the daytime birds for all plant communities, and at night the rodents in pine forest, oak-alder forest and finally in the subalpine grassland. 
 Conclusions : The rodents were the main seeds removers in areas with tree cover during the night, the insects in open areas at night, and birds in all plant communities during the daytime.

Wintering forest birds roost in areas of higher sun radiation

We analyze environmental determinants of roost site selection by tree gleaning passerines wintering in a Mediterranean montane oakwood at a craggy area of high variation in altitude and hill-shading pattern. We hypothesize that in temperate latitudes of cold winter climate, birds should spend the night in areas of low altitudes, higher temperatures, and higher solar radiation in order to minimize thermoregulation costs during resting time and to improve foraging conditions just before and after roosting. We study night occupation of woodland locations by the presence of feces in 159 wooden nest boxes (i.e., under identical controlled roosting situations). We employ GIS methods to quantify solar radiation at each location surrounding the nest boxes and data loggers to measure air temperature in the field. Birds prefer to roost in forest patches with higher solar radiation, where the period of light available for foraging is extended and thermoregulation costs during daytime are minimized. They also selected woodland patches with taller trees, a pattern consistent with their foraging preferences for trunks and branches. Other environmental variables played a negligible role in determining the selection of roost sites. Here, we show, for the first time, the importance of sun radiation determining where to spend the night in wintering birds and call attention on considering the thermal space in forest management. Forest management should preserve woodland patches with taller trees more exposed to solar radiation to enhance winter habitat suitability for birds in these Mediterranean oakwoods.

Habitat Preference of the Endemic Tawny Deermouse (Peromyscus perfulvus), A Species of Conservation Concern

Abstract The tawny deermouse (Peromyscus perfulvus), a semiarboreal endemic in western Mexico, exhibits attributes associated with extinction vulnerability. In January 2003 and 2004, we conducted mark-and-recapture studies at Playa de Oro, Colima, Mexico. Each year, five 100-station live-trap grids (each station with one ground and one arboreal trap; 10 by 10 configuration) were set up for 8 nights in areas with dense vegetation. Only one tawny deermouse was caught in 2003. In 2004, we trapped 16 individuals (12 males, 4 females) 47 times, with 91.4% of captures being in arboreal traps. Captures in 2004 were at 25 stations, all on the same grid, in habitat representing a mixture of thorn forest, mangrove, and palm trees (density 13.6 mice/ha). Considering all 500 trap stations in 2004, we used stepwise logistic regression to evaluate differences based on 13 structural-vegetation measures of the 25 stations where tawny deermice were found versus the 475 where it was not caught. Tawny deermice tended to inh...

Nocturnal Migrants Foraging at Night by Artificial Light

Artificial lights can have detrimental effects on nocturnal migrant birds and other wildlife, yet some species of typically diurnal insectivorous birds are capable of foraging at night under artificial illumination. Here, we report observations of at least 15 wood-warbler species (Parulidae), one tyrant-flycatcher (Tyrannidae), and one mimid (Mimidae) foraging at night in areas illuminated by powerful artificial lights. To our knowledge, our observations represent the first report of a mixed-species flock of birds foraging on insects attracted to artificial lights or within foliage illuminated by artificial lights at night.

Daytime noise predicts nocturnal singing in urban robins

Ambient noise interferes with the propagation of acoustic signals through the environment from sender to receiver. Over the past few centuries, urbanization and the development of busy transport networks have led to dramatic increases in the levels of ambient noise with which animal acoustic communications must compete. Here we show that urban European robins Erithacus rubecula, highly territorial birds reliant on vocal communication, reduce acoustic interference by singing during the night in areas that are noisy during the day. The effect of ambient light pollution, to which nocturnal singing in urban birds is frequently attributed, is much weaker than that of daytime noise.