A non-invasive approach to determining pine marten abundance and predation

Sheehy, Emma; O'Meara, Denise; O’Reilly, Catherine; Smart, Anthony E.; Lawton, Colin

doi:10.1007/s10344-013-0771-2

Cited by 36 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 50 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Red squirrels typically occur in the diet of pine martens at low frequencies, whereas grey squirrels occur at significantly higher frequencies [45][46][47][48][49]. Thus, a driver of the reversal of red squirrel replacement by grey squirrels [40,41] could be direct predation [43,44], which is in part explained by the differences in the response to scent cues of a shared native predator in the invasive grey squirrels compared to the native red squirrels.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This gap in our knowledge is likely to be due to the ephemeral nature of co-existence in the squirrel species [42]. Examples do exist, however, and demonstrate the grey squirrel to be a more frequently occurring prey item than the red squirrel when either of the species co-occur with the pine marten [43,44]. However, an explanation as to why two sciurid species that have similar ecologies would occur at different frequencies in the diet of a generalist opportunistic predator is yet to be elucidated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One potential explanation is that the two sciurid species respond differently to the presence of this commonly shared predator [41]. Both red and grey squirrels are preyed upon by the pine marten where they co-occur with the predator [43,[45][46][47][48][49], but as a consequence of its co-evolution with the pine marten, the native red squirrel may have evolved anti-predator behaviours, while the invasive grey squirrels may lack such anti-predator behaviours, thus making them more vulnerable to predation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Native and invasive squirrels show different behavioural responses to scent of a shared native predator

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Invasive species pose a serious threat to native species. In Europe, invasive grey squirrels ( Sciurus carolinensis ) have replaced native red squirrels ( Sciurus vulgaris ) in locations across Britain, Ireland and Italy. The European pine marten ( Martes martes ) can reverse the replacement of red squirrels by grey squirrels, but the underlying mechanism of how pine martens suppress grey squirrels is little understood. Research suggests the reversal process is driven by direct predation, but why the native red squirrel may be less susceptible than the invasive grey squirrel to predation by a commonly shared native predator, is unknown. A behavioural difference may exist with the native sciurid being more effective at avoiding predation by the pine marten with which they have a shared evolutionary history. In mammals, olfactory cues are used by prey species to avoid predators. To test whether anti-predator responses differ between the native red squirrel and the invasive grey squirrel, we exposed both species to scent cues of a shared native predator and quantified the responses of the two squirrel species. Red squirrels responded to pine marten scent by avoiding the feeder, increasing their vigilance and decreasing their feeding activity. By contrast, grey squirrels did not show any anti-predator behaviours in response to the scent of pine marten. Thus, differences in behavioural responses to a shared native predator may assist in explaining differing outcomes of species interactions between native and invasive prey species depending on the presence, abundance and exposure to native predators.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Native and invasive squirrels show different behavioural responses to scent of a shared native predator

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This may potentially be a result of stronger territorial distinction by established individuals in their second year, when sex‐based differences in ranging become more apparent prior to mating and offspring being born in following years (Erlinge & Sandell, 1986; Powell, 1979; Sjoasen, 1997; Slough, 1989; Tolhurst et al, 2015; Yott et al, 2011). However, the density of martens in the recipient region thus far, approximately 0.03 martens/km 2 , is substantially lower than elsewhere across the species range in Ireland (1.25–4.42 martens/km 2 , Sheehy, O’Meara, O’Reilly, Smart, & Lawton, 2014) or Scotland (0.16–0.28, Balharry, 1993; 0.32–0.46, Halliwell, 1997; 0.28–2.0, Caryl, 2012). Since martens in this study were sourced from various Scottish locations, conspecific density, and therefore home range size, was likely variable and may influence initial ranging behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Postrelease movement and habitat selection of translocated pine martensMartes martes

McNicol

Bavin

Bearhop

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Monitoring postrelease establishment and movement of animals is important in evaluating conservation translocations. We translocated 39 wild pine martens Martes martes (19 females, 20 males) from Scotland to Wales. We released them into forested areas with no conspecifics in 2015, followed by a second release in 2016, alongside the previously released animals. We used radio‐tracking to describe postrelease movement and habitat selection. Six martens (15%) were not re‐encountered during the tracking period, of which four undertook long‐distance dispersal. For the remaining individuals, we characterized two phases of movement, “exploration” followed by “settlement,” that differed between releases. In the first release, martens remained in exploration phase for a mean of 14.5 days (SE = 3.9 days) and settled at a mean distance of 8.7 km (SE = 1.8 km) from release sites, whereas martens released in year two, alongside resident conspecifics, traveled away from release sites at a faster rate, settling sooner, at a mean of 6.6 days (SE = 1.8 days), but further, at a mean distance of 14.0 km (SE = 1.7 km) from release sites. Animals released in year one did not exhibit habitat preferences overall but within forests they favored recently felled areas, whereas animals released in year two showed strong selection for forested habitat but did not discriminate between forest types. The presence of conspecifics appeared influential for settlement and site fidelity of translocated martens and was associated with more rapid but more distant dispersal of the later cohort. Releases of animals in close proximity appeared to promote site fidelity and rapid establishment of ranges in the recipient environment.

show abstract

“…An example of DNA trapping that is non-disruptive is remote plucking or hair trapping by means of unbaited barbed wire traps, placed at well-used runs. Remote plucking has been extensively used to collect DNA from mammals and estimate species abundance (Mullins et al 2009, Sheehy et al 2013. It is more reliable than direct observation (Frantz et al 2004) or scat collection (Mullins et al 2009), and often less time consuming.…”

Section: Non-invasive Can Be Disruptive Non-disruptive Can Be Invasivementioning

confidence: 99%

Blood, sweat and tears: non-invasive vs. non-disruptive DNA sampling for experimental biology

Lefort

Boyer

Barun

et al. 2015

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

DNA data are becoming increasingly important in experimental biology. For example, it may be necessary to obtain DNA from an organism before using it in a bioassay or an experiment, to identify and distinguish between cryptic species, or when comparing different morphocryptic genotypes. Another example could be the assessment of relatedness between organisms prior to a behavioural study. In such cases, DNA must be obtained without affecting the fitness or behaviour of the subject being tested, as this could bias the results of the experiment. This points out the existence of a gap in the current molecular and experimental biology terminology, for which we propose the use of the term non-disruptive DNA sampling, specifically addressing behaviour and/or fitness, rather than simply physical integrity (invasiveness). We refer to these methods as “non-disruptive”, and discuss when they are appropriate to use.

show abstract

A non-invasive approach to determining pine marten abundance and predation

Cited by 36 publications

References 50 publications

Native and invasive squirrels show different behavioural responses to scent of a shared native predator

Native and invasive squirrels show different behavioural responses to scent of a shared native predator

Postrelease movement and habitat selection of translocated pine martensMartes martes

Blood, sweat and tears: non-invasive vs. non-disruptive DNA sampling for experimental biology

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About