Raccoon ecology database: A resource for population dynamics modelling and meta-analysis

Rees, Erin E.; Pond, Bruce A.; Phillips, Julia R.; Murray, Dennis L.

doi:10.1016/j.ecoinf.2008.01.002

Cited by 12 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For wildlife diseases such as rabies, understanding and predicting the underlying mechanisms for seasonal disease outbreaks can be critically important for implementing and optimizing disease control strategies (Rees et al . ; Rosatte et al . ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Which mechanisms drive seasonal rabies outbreaks in raccoons? A test using dynamic social network models

Hirsch

Reynolds

Gehrt

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary The timing of raccoon rabies outbreaks in the eastern USA is non‐random and often exhibits a seasonal peak. While fluctuations in disease transmission can be driven by seasonal changes in animal population dynamics, behaviour and physiology, it is still unclear which causal factors lead to seasonal outbreaks of raccoon rabies. We used dynamic network modelling to test which of three seasonally changing factors are most likely responsible for raccoon rabies outbreaks: (i) birth pulses, (ii) changes in social network structure and (iii) changes in social contact duration. In contrast to previous predictions, we found that a change in social contact duration was the single most important driver of rabies seasonality. More specifically, co‐denning for thermoregulation during the winter increases the amount of time individuals spend in close contact, which in turn should lead to peaks in rabies transmission during the winter. Increased time spent in close proximity during cold winter months has implications for seasonal disease patterns in raccoon populations across a latitudinal gradient, as well as potentially being important for pathogens transmitted by close contact in other wildlife hosts. Synthesis and applications. By incorporating detailed empirical data describing variation in raccoon contacts into a network modelling framework, it is possible to determine the likely causal mechanisms driving seasonal disease patterns. This can be crucial information for wildlife and public health officials implementing wildlife disease control programmes.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Which mechanisms drive seasonal rabies outbreaks in raccoons? A test using dynamic social network models

Hirsch

Reynolds

Gehrt

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, the effect was significant only in juveniles. Raccoons are conceived in FebruaryMarch and born in April-May (Stuewer 1943;Rees et al 2008). Therefore, winter severity may be a maternal effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…We calculated landscape variables in a buffer zone around each raccoon capture at three different spatial scales. According to Rees et al (2008), mean home-range sizes for male and female raccoons are approximately 3.52 and 1.28 km 2 , respectively. Because the capture position is not necessarily at the center of the home range, we used a radius of 1 and 2 km for each buffer, which is approximately the home-range diameter.…”

Section: Environmental Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Born to be wild? Response of an urban exploiter to human-modified environment and fluctuating weather conditions

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Human-driven environmental changes affect behavior, morphology, life history, and population dynamics of wild species. Artificial food sources in anthropogenic environments benefit some species and may lead to faster somatic growth and larger body size, which affects survival and reproduction, thus contributing to a species' success in modified environments. Using raccoons (Procyon lotor (L., 1758)) as a model, we documented age-specific body-mass pattern and evaluated the influence of human activities (human density, area with artificial food sources, edges of forested area bordering corn (Zea mays L.) fields) and weather (index of winter severity and mean annual precipitation) on body-mass variation at multiple spatial scales. The effect of human-driven changes on raccoon mass varied with age, sex, and spatial scale, suggesting that anthropogenic changes affect raccoons differentially according to gender and life stages. Human activity had consistently opposing effects between the sexes. Weather covariates represented >50% of the total variance in body mass explained by our models. Previous winter severity and mean annual precipitation affected body mass negatively and positively, respectively. Our results emphasize the importance of multiscale, sex-and age-specific analyses when studying influences of human activity on wildlife.Résumé : Les changements anthropogéniques influence le comportement, la morphologie, l'histoire de vie et la dynamique de population des espèces sauvages. Les sources de nourriture artificielles, provenant des ordures et de l'agriculture, peuvent être bénéfiques pour certaines espèces, menant à une croissance corporelle rapide, à une masse plus grande affectant ultimement la survie et la reproduction. Nous avons documenté les patrons de masse âge-spécifique et évalué l'importance relative de l'activité humaine (densité de population humaine, aires avec source de nourriture artificielle, densité de lisière forêt/champs de maïs (Zea mays L.)) et du climat (sévérité de l'hiver et moyenne des précipitations) sur la masse corporelle du raton laveur (Procyon lotor (L., 1758)) à plusieurs échelles spatiales. L'effet des changements anthropiques sur la masse des ratons laveurs variait avec l'âge, le sexe et l'échelle, suggérant une influence différentielle selon le stade de vie. L'activité humaine avait un effet opposé selon le sexe. Les variables du climat expliquaient plus de la moitié de la variance totale des modèles. La sévérité de l'hiver précédent et les précipitations moyennes annuelles affectaient la masse négativement et positivement, respectivement. Ces résultats soulignent l'importance de faire des analyses âge-spécifiques et à plusieurs échelles pour évaluer l'influence de l'activité humaine sur les espèces sauvages.

show abstract

“…Resident virtual raccoons were subject to a mortality probability each time-step (8.34×10 −5 ) and during the inter-dispersal season (0.194) based on published raccoon survival estimates [62]–[66]. Surviving resident females had a 90% pregnancy probability during the inter-dispersal season [67], [68], Beasley unpublished data) and produced young based on a litter size with mean 3.5 and standard deviation of 1 [56], [69]–[72], Beasley unpublished data). To simulate corn maturation, virtual animals were exposed to maps with low food resources in agricultural areas for 37 days, superabundant food resources in these areas for 76 days and then low resources for another 37 days.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

SEARCH: Spatially Explicit Animal Response to Composition of Habitat

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Complex decisions dramatically affect animal dispersal and space use. Dispersing individuals respond to a combination of fine-scale environmental stimuli and internal attributes. Individual-based modeling offers a valuable approach for the investigation of such interactions because it combines the heterogeneity of animal behaviors with spatial detail. Most individual-based models (IBMs), however, vastly oversimplify animal behavior and such behavioral minimalism diminishes the value of these models. We present program SEARCH (Spatially Explicit Animal Response to Composition of Habitat), a spatially explicit, individual-based, population model of animal dispersal through realistic landscapes. SEARCH uses values in Geographic Information System (GIS) maps to apply rules that animals follow during dispersal, thus allowing virtual animals to respond to fine-scale features of the landscape and maintain a detailed memory of areas sensed during movement. SEARCH also incorporates temporally dynamic landscapes so that the environment to which virtual animals respond can change during the course of a simulation. Animals in SEARCH are behaviorally dynamic and able to respond to stimuli based upon their individual experiences. Therefore, SEARCH is able to model behavioral traits of dispersing animals at fine scales and with many dynamic aspects. Such added complexity allows investigation of unique ecological questions. To illustrate SEARCH's capabilities, we simulated case studies using three mammals. We examined the impact of seasonally variable food resources on the weight distribution of dispersing raccoons (Procyon lotor), the effect of temporally dynamic mortality pressure in combination with various levels of behavioral responsiveness in eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus), and the impact of behavioral plasticity and home range selection on disperser mortality and weight change in virtual American martens (Martes americana). These simulations highlight the relevance of SEARCH for a variety of applications and illustrate benefits it can provide for conservation planning.

show abstract

Raccoon ecology database: A resource for population dynamics modelling and meta-analysis

Cited by 12 publications

References 42 publications

Which mechanisms drive seasonal rabies outbreaks in raccoons? A test using dynamic social network models

Which mechanisms drive seasonal rabies outbreaks in raccoons? A test using dynamic social network models

Born to be wild? Response of an urban exploiter to human-modified environment and fluctuating weather conditions

SEARCH: Spatially Explicit Animal Response to Composition of Habitat

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About