Does the matrix matter? Home range sizes and space use strategies in stone marten at sites with differing degrees of isolation

Wereszczuk, Anna; Zalewski, Andrzej

doi:10.1007/s13364-018-0397-6

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Bias towards males is related to higher dispersal distance, larger home range, and broader habitat use in males than in females (Gower et al., 2019). All the above factors are relevant to martens (Wereszczuk & Zalewski, 2019; Zalewski et al., 2004; Zalewski & Jędrzejewski, 2006). Assuming similar bias in collections over time, the proportion of male specimens should not change significantly (Cooper et al., 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Various responses of pine marten morphology and demography to temporal climate changes and primary productivity

et al. 2022

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Climate and environmental changes affect species' morphology and ecology; however, the response of a species to changes in abiotic and biotic factors is not always consistent. Here, we tested how the structural body size of the pine marten and its population sex ratio changed over time and alongside climate change. We analysed temporal changes in morphological traits using 11 measurements of pine marten skulls collected between 1903 to 2020, linking them with climatic and primary production variations. We assessed demographic changes by calculating temporal sex ratio changes over 61 years. Skull size, as a proxy of body size, increased in response to warmer and less snowy winters, with a three-year time-lag. However, changes in primary productivity rapidly shaped postorbital constriction regardless of body size changes and without time-lags, potentially demonstrating increased diet diversity in pine marten. According to climate change, the population sex ratio has skewed towards males over time. Our results suggest that climate conditions and primary production affect skull structural size, highlighting the potential various responses of pine marten morphology and ecology in relation to climate change. Recently changing population demographics, as a consequence of these processes, may constitute a threat to marten populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Various responses of pine marten morphology and demography to temporal climate changes and primary productivity

et al. 2022

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“…After recovery, martens were released at the site of capture. More information about trapping is provided in Wereszczuk and Zalewski ( 2019 ) and Zalewski and Jędrzejewski ( 2006 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An anthropogenic landscape reduces the influence of climate conditions and moonlight on carnivore activity

Wereszczuk

Zalewski

2023

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Abiotic factors are limitations that can affect animal activity and distribution, whether directly or indirectly. The objective of this study was to evaluate how abiotic factors influence the activity of two mustelid species inhabiting the same region but different habitats in NE Poland—pine marten inhabits forests and stone marten occupy built-up areas. From 1991 to 2016, we obtained 23,639 year-round observations of 15 pine martens and 8524 observations of 47 stone martens. We explore the influence of ambient temperature, snow cover depth and moonlight reaching the ground and interactions between these variables on the probability of martens’ activity. The activity of pine martens living in natural habitats is more affected by climate conditions and moonlight than that of stone martens living in anthropogenic areas. Pine martens inhabiting forests increased activity when the ambient temperature was above 0 °C and snow cover was absent, as well as when the ambient temperature dropped to − 15 °C and snow cover depth was about 10 cm. Stone marten occupying anthropogenic areas did not reduce their activity if the temperature dropped. Variation of activity in relation to ambient conditions is probably related to pine martens’ behavioural thermoregulation. The pine marten was active more frequently on bright nights, while moonlight intensity did not affect the activity of the stone marten. Our study concludes that complex interactions among abiotic factors concerning different habitats play a synergetic role in shaping carnivore activity and suggest that climate warming may affect the behaviour of both martens. Significance statement The survival and reproduction of animals depends on their activity, which is subject to various constraints. We studied the influence of climate conditions and moonlight intensity on the ground on the activity of pine and stone marten. We found that pine martens in natural habitat were greatly impacted by ambient conditions, whereas stone martens in built-up areas were less so. Natural habitats involve limitations related to harsh winters but may mitigate the effects of high temperatures. In contrast, animals living in built-up areas are exposed to higher temperatures in summer, which is of particular importance in the face of climate change. Our results show that the combination of several environmental factors affects animal behaviour and these factors have varying effects in various habitats.

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Activity and Movement Patterns of Urban Stone Martens

Herr¹,

Roper

2022

Small Carnivores

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Does the matrix matter? Home range sizes and space use strategies in stone marten at sites with differing degrees of isolation

Cited by 7 publications

References 59 publications

Various responses of pine marten morphology and demography to temporal climate changes and primary productivity

Various responses of pine marten morphology and demography to temporal climate changes and primary productivity

An anthropogenic landscape reduces the influence of climate conditions and moonlight on carnivore activity

Activity and Movement Patterns of Urban Stone Martens

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