Carnivore distribution across habitats in a central-European landscape: a camera trap study

Abstract

Quantitative data on local variation in patterns of occurrence of common carnivore species, such as the red fox, European badger, or martens in central Europe are largely missing. We conducted a study focusing on carnivore ecology and distribution in a cultural landscape with the use of modern technology. We placed 73 automated infra-red camera traps into four different habitats differing in water availability and canopy cover (mixed forest, wetland, shrubby grassland and floodplain forest) in the Polabí region near Prague, Czech Republic. Each habitat was represented by three or four spatially isolated sites within which the camera traps were distributed. During the year of the study, we recorded nine carnivore species, including the non-native golden jackal. Habitats with the highest numbers of records pooled across all species were wetland (1279) and shrubby grassland (1014); fewer records were made in mixed (876) and floodplain forest (734). Habitat had a significant effect on the number of records of badger and marten, and a marginally significant effect on fox. In terms of seasonal dynamics, there were significant differences in the distribution of records among seasons in fox, marginally significant in least weasel, and the occurrence among seasons did not differ for badger and marten. In the summer, fox and marten were more active than expected by chance during the day, while the pattern was opposite in winter when they were more active during the night. Our findings on habitat preferences and circadian and seasonal activity provided the first quantitative data on patterns whose existence was assumed on the basis of conventional wisdom. Our study demonstrates the potential of a long-term monitoring approach based on infra-red camera traps. Generally, the rather frequent occurrence of recorded species indicates that most carnivore species are thriving in current central-European landscapes characterized by human-driven disturbances and urbanization.

Spatial Segregation between Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), European Wildcats (Felis silvestris) and Domestic Cats (Felis catus) in Pastures in a Livestock Area of Northern Spain

“…As a rule, red foxes lacked preference for any pasture areas, and this may be explained by their generalist ecological niche [23,[60][61][62]. However, when interpreted in more detail, red fox presence in pasture areas near streams in 2016 and 2018 agrees with the results from Soto and Palomares (2015) where bush density and distance to water were some of the most important predictors in their models [15].…”

Baiting/Luring Improves Detection Probability and Species Identification—A Case Study of Mustelids with Camera Traps

“…Furthermore, by applying attractants, the number of captured images might increase, which could increase the likelihood of correct species recognition. This has frequently not been possible in previous studies (e.g., [ 20 ]).…”

Role of invasive carnivores (Procyon lotor and Nyctereutes procyonoides) in epidemiology of vector-borne pathogens: molecular survey from the Czech Republic

“…Red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) is the most prevalent mesocarnivore in the area, followed by the European badger ( Meles meles ). Small carnivores are mainly represented by species of the genus Martes ( Martes foina , M. martes ) [ 10 ].…”