Effects of Nest Boxes on Fox Squirrel Demography, Condition and Shelter Use

Nixon, Charles M.; Havera, Stephen P.; Hansen, Lonnie P.

doi:10.2307/2425469

Cited by 22 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Home-range sizes of all species (Sciurus carolinensis, n = 11; S. niger, n = 9; S. vulgaris, n = 12) were positively related to woodlot size for both males (F 1,33 = 37.90, P < 0.0001, R 2 = 0.542) and females Williams, 1936;Baumgartner, 1939Baumgartner, , 1943Moore, 1957;Flyger, 1960;Brink, 1964;Cordes, 1965;Taylor, 1966;Smith, 1967;Wood, 1967;Mosby, 1969;Barkalow, Hamilton & Soots, 1970;Geeslin, 1970;Kemp & Keith, 1970;Cordes & Barkalow, 1972;Silva, 1972;Erossy, 1973;McCloskey, 1975;Adams, 1976;Whitehead, 1976;Fancy, 1981;Manski, Van Druff & Flyger, 1981;Nixon, Havera & Hansen, 1984;Herkert, 1985;Koprowski, 1985;Wauters & Dhondt, 1985Sullivan & Moses, 1986;Weigl et al, 1989;Kantola & Humphrey, 1990;Andren & Delin, 1994;Wauters et al, 1994aWauters et al, ,b, 2001Shuttleworth, 1996;Halliwell, 1997;Münch, 1998;Delin & Andren, 1999;Smith, 1999;Cagnin et al, 2000;Cartmel, 2000;Magris & Gurnell, 2002. (F 1,33 = 36.43, P < 0.0001, R 2 = 0.532...…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The response of tree squirrels to fragmentation: a review and synthesis

Koprowski

2005

Animal Conservation

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Habitat fragmentation is often considered a major threat to biodiversity; however, our understanding of how fragmentation impacts populations is poor. Identifying appropriate models for such studies is difficult. Tree squirrels are dependent on mature forests for food, cover and nests; these are habitats that are being fragmented rapidly and that are easily defined by humans. Squirrels represent excellent models for study of fragmentation. The literature on tree squirrels was reviewed to glean data on density and home-range size in forest fragments. Sufficient data were available on four species (Sciurus carolinensis, S. niger, S. vulgaris, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Density was negatively related to fragment size for S. carolinensis and S. niger and marginally so for T. hudsonicus. Sciurus vulgaris did not exhibit this relationship. Home-range size was analysed for three species of Sciurus and was positively related to forest fragment size for S. carolinensis and S. niger. Again, only S. vulgaris did not to show this relationship. Sciurus vulgaris is rarely found in small forest fragments and is believed to be especially sensitive to fragmentation; other tree squirrels appear to be sensitive to fragmentation in more subtle ways. Home range compaction provides a mechanism by which densities may increase in small fragments. The demographic consequences resultant from the high densities of squirrels found in small woodlots are not known but may explain the forest damage, avian nest predation and reduced diversity often cited to occur in woodland fragments.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The response of tree squirrels to fragmentation: a review and synthesis

Koprowski

2005

Animal Conservation

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“…Previously we reported that nest boxes (placed on half the VRO study area from March 1972 to September 1974, removed and immediately placed on the other half until the study terminated in 1978) significantly improved the length of residency of adult male fox squirrels at the VRO but had no significant effect on length of residency of either subadult or adult females or of subadult males (Nixon et al 1984). Breeding rates of female fox squirrels were not affected by the addition of nest boxes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 78%

“…The objectives were to document the demographic characteristics of this population and to attempt to ascertain some of the density dependent and environmental factors affecting natality, recruitment, and mortality/dispersal in this species. We have previously reported on the demographic response of this population to the addition of nest boxes (Nixon et al 1984) and will soon report on recovery rates and length of residency for these unexploited squirrels (Hansen et al 1986). h his paper is a contribution (in part) of Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project W-66-R, the lllinois Department of Conservation, Methods the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Illinois Natural History…”

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confidence: 99%

“…For adult females, there was no significant difference in placental scar counts among years ( P > 0.05) so placental scar counts were pooled for the winter and summer breeding periods, respectively. Because the study area was relatively small and also served as the site for an evaluation of shelter selection by fox squirrels (Nixon et al 1984), we were unwilling to collect a large sample of females from the study area. Use of breeding rates for females from off the study area no doubt introduced some error in our natality estimates.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Demographic characteristics of an unexploited population of fox squirrels (Sciurus niger)

Nixon¹,

Hansen²,

Havera³

1986

Can. J. Zool.

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1986. Demographic characteristics of an unexploited population of fox squirrels (Sciurus niger). Can. J. Zool. 64: 5 12-52 1. Demographic changes in an unexploited population of fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) were studied between 1971 and 1978 on 45.2 ha of upland forest in east-central Illinois. Known numbers of squirrels varied between 69 and 142. Adult squirrels (> 15 months old) comprised >50% of the known population during the study, with annual survival exceeding 60%. Young-ofthe-year made up <20% of the livetrapped population. Increasing populations were characterized by increases ( P < 0.05) in numbers of yearling-adult males and young-of-the-year of both sexes. Recruitment depended on both immigration and on production of young by resident females. Recruitment success (proportion of new squirrels resident at least 6 months after initial capture) of immigrants was best for adults and yearlings and poorest for subadults. Adult female breeding success was highest in the winter and correlated negatively with the number of females conceiving the previous breeding period. The size and composition of the seed crop of trees in autumn had no effect ( P > 0.05) on recruitment, conception, survival rates, or changes in overall density when at least some winter-storable tree seed was available. In most years, adult females were dispersed evenly, but adult males and young of both sexes showed an aggregated or random dispersion. Breeding rates for yearling females, recruitment success of immigrants and of juveniles born on the study area, and overall changes in squirrel densities between trapping periods correlated negatively ( P < 0.05) with the number of adult females but not with the number of males or younger females. Interpretation of dispersion of adult females and the relationship of numbers of adult females to population change suggest that fox squirrels stabilize their numbers in the absence of obvious environmental stresses through aggressive interactions between adult females and resident young and immigrants of all ages.

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“…Leaf nests might not function to regulate temperature as well as dens made in tree hollows (see STAINS 1961, WEIGL & OSGOOD 1974, MCCOMB & NOBLE 1981, NIXON et al 1984. Given that there are no reports of coatis denning in tree cavities and that some individuals may not build nests but rather simply sleep or rest on tree branches, nests might not be specifically built to enhance thermoregulatory value.…”

Section: Variable (M)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Construction of arboreal nests by brown-nosed coatis, Nasua nasua (Carnivora: Procyonidae) in the Brazilian Pantanal

Olifiers

Bianchi²,

Mourão³

et al. 2009

Zoologia (Curitiba, Impr.)

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ABSTRACT. The construction of arboreal nests is rare among mammals in the order Carnivora. However, coatis (Procyonidae: Nasua Storr, 1780) build arboreal nests that are used for resting or birthing. Here we describe Nasua nasua (Linnaeus, 1766) nests located during a telemetry study of coatis in the Brazilian Pantanal. Coati nests were all "bird-like", that is, open nests having a semispherical shape. Nests were constructed of twigs, branches, and lianas sometimes interlaced with leaves. Nest volume was 30-50 cm 3 and average nest height was approximately 9.5 m. Nestswere found in open "cerrado" vegetation, along forest edges, or in interior "cordilheiras" forest. The reasons why coatis build such nests are unclear, but may relate to inter or intraspecific competition for nesting sites, litter size, thermoregulation, and predation avoidance.

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Effects of Nest Boxes on Fox Squirrel Demography, Condition and Shelter Use

Cited by 22 publications

References 34 publications

The response of tree squirrels to fragmentation: a review and synthesis

The response of tree squirrels to fragmentation: a review and synthesis

Demographic characteristics of an unexploited population of fox squirrels (Sciurus niger)

Construction of arboreal nests by brown-nosed coatis, Nasua nasua (Carnivora: Procyonidae) in the Brazilian Pantanal

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