Predation Risk Drives Habitat‐Specific Sex Ratio in a Monomorphic Species, the Brown Hare (<i><scp>L</scp>epus europaeus</i>)

Hušek, Jan; Panek, Marek; Tryjanowski, Piotr

doi:10.1111/eth.12373

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Data collected at high temporal frequency in smaller geographic areas may provide more robust estimates of temporal trends in OSR, but these data would not be appropriate in cases where OSR varies spatially. For example, the presence of habitat refugia influences site‐specific sex ratio in water striders ( Aquarius remiges ; Krupa and Sih ) and habitat‐specific predation risk drives sex ratio variation in brown hares ( Lepus europaeus ; Hušek et al ), so studying only subsets of these populations would lead to biased estimates of OSR. Because we did not find that plots throughout PT and CDB differed in their intercepts and slopes when considering temporal trends in OSR, we found no evidence for strong spatial patterns in this parameter at the two colonies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex ratio is variable and increasingly male biased at two colonies of Magellanic Penguins

Gownaris

Borboroglu

Boersma

2020

Ecology

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Sex ratios are commonly skewed and variable in wild populations, but few studies track temporal trends in this demographic parameter. We examined variation in the operational sex ratio at two protected and declining breeding colonies of Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) in Chubut, Argentina. Penguins from the two colonies, separated by 105 km, migrate north in the non‐breeding season and have overlapping distributions at sea. Conditions during the non‐breeding season can impact long‐term trends in operational sex ratio (i.e., through sex‐specific survival) and interannual variation in operational sex ratio (i.e., through sex‐specific breeding decisions). We found an increasingly male‐biased operational sex ratio at the two disparate colonies of Magellanic Penguins, which may contribute to continued population decline. We also found that the two colonies showed synchronous interannual variation in operational sex ratio, driven by variation in the number of females present each year. This pattern may be linked to sex‐specific overwintering effects that cause females to skip breeding, i.e., to remain at sea rather than returning to the colony to breed, more often than males. Contrary to our predictions, colony‐wide reproductive success was not lower in years with a more male‐biased operational sex ratio. We did find that males showed more evidence of fighting and were less likely to pair when the operational sex ratio was more male biased. Our results highlight an indirect mechanism through which variation in the operational sex ratio can influence populations, through a higher incidence of fighting among the less abundant sex. Because biased sex ratios can reduce the size of the breeding population and influence rates of conflict, tracking operational sex ratio is critical for conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex ratio is variable and increasingly male biased at two colonies of Magellanic Penguins

Gownaris

Borboroglu

Boersma

2020

Ecology

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“…Average red fox predation rates were found to fall between 28.6 to 43.7% [ 37 , 38 , 46 ], and therefore, our results are fully in line with the findings from previous studies. Red foxes have been shown to be the predominant predator of both juvenile and adult wild hares [ 4 , 56 – 62 ]. Fox predation intensity is often expressed as the percent of whole-year hare production predated upon by red foxes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First findings of brown hare (Lepus europaeus) reintroduction in relation to seasonal impact

et al. 2018

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In Europe, brown hare (Lepus europaeus) populations have been declining steadily since the 1970s. Gamekeepers can help to support brown hare wild populations by releasing cage-reared hares into the wild. Survival rates of cage-reared hares has been investigated in previous studies, however, survival times in relation to seasonality, which likely plays a crucial role for the efficacy of this management strategy, has not been evaluated. Here we examine the survival duration and daytime home ranges of 22 hares released and radio-tracked during different periods of the year in East Bohemia, Czech Republic. The majority of hares (82%) died within the first six months after release, and 41% individuals died within the first 10 days. Significant differences were found in the duration of survival with respect to the release date. Hares released in the summer months (July and August) survived the longest (on average 103.2 days, SD ± 23.8) and hares released throughout all other months of the year survived for significantly shorter periods of time (on average 20.4 days, SD ± 11.5). The most likely cause of death was red fox predation (38.9%) followed by disease (coccidiosis and other health problems) (27.8%). Three hares (16.6%) were killed by automobile traffic. After six months of radiotracking, we found the average survival time of all hares released was 58 (SD ± 70.9) days. Hares in this study preferred to remain in the vicinity of the release area and the average distance from release point to the center of the home range was 471 m.

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“…In total 26 790 hares were captured with nets during the trapping seasons 1965/1966 -1994/1995 from which 25 308 hares were used for restocking in other populations and the rest were released back in the study area as a part of studies on hare ecology (Jezierski 1968, Pielowski 1971, Hu š ek et al 2015. In this study we analyse the available daily trapping records on 26 047 hares captured during 460 daily trapping sessions.…”

Section: Live Net Trapping Of Haresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Test of Precipitation, Compensation and Monday Effect Hypotheses on Group Hare Trapping Effort

Hušek¹,

Panek²,

Tryjanowski

2015

Wildlife Biology

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Live trapping in combination with translocation of wild animals is an important tool in wildlife management, but drivers of human trapping activity are poorly understood. Here we test three hypotheses that have been proposed to describe and explain temporal variation in group hunting‐trapping effort. Namely, we test the precipitation effect, effort compensation and Monday effect hypotheses on live trapping effort of brown hares for restocking. Analysis of 26 047 hares trapped in 460 trapping days during the period 1966–1995 in western Poland showed that seasonal onset of trapping was later during rainy autumns supporting avoidance of rainy weather by the trapping group. The hunting group increased the number of animals caught the day following a day with low off‐take providing evidence for the ability to respond quickly and compensate for short term variation in the trapping effort. Group trapping effort as reflected by number of hares caught was lower on Monday than on any other working day. This is in line with observations on weekly variation in working effort of employees across various contexts. We conclude that even seemingly standardized and rigid trapping schemes may be responsive to factors such as weather, experienced effort and subtle seasonal effects.

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Predation Risk Drives Habitat‐Specific Sex Ratio in a Monomorphic Species, the Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus)

Cited by 12 publications

References 46 publications

Sex ratio is variable and increasingly male biased at two colonies of Magellanic Penguins

Sex ratio is variable and increasingly male biased at two colonies of Magellanic Penguins

First findings of brown hare (Lepus europaeus) reintroduction in relation to seasonal impact

Test of Precipitation, Compensation and Monday Effect Hypotheses on Group Hare Trapping Effort

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