Red Fox Use of Landscapes with Nesting Shorebirds

Stantial, Michelle L.; Cohen, Jonathan B.; Darrah, Abigail J.; Farrell, Shannon L.; Maslo, Brooke

doi:10.1002/jwmg.21949

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…That earlier hatching broods had a greater probability of survival supports the idea that if human disturbance is reduced during the nesting period (i.e., beach driving restrictions), perhaps plover adults may nest earlier and thus give broods a higher chance of survival by successfully reaching older age earlier (Walker et al 2019). Many other factors could influence greater chick survival earlier in the season such as prey abundance and predator movement, which should be studied in further detail (Stantial et al 2020, Wilde et al 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Piping plover chick ecology following landscape‐level disturbance

et al. 2022

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Population declines of disturbance‐dependent species due to suppression of natural disturbances are realized across ecosystems. The piping plover (Charadrius melodus; plover), a disturbance‐dependent and conservation‐reliant shorebird that nests on sandy beaches and barrier islands on the Atlantic Coast, was listed under the United States Endangered Species Act in 1986. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy landed on Fire and Westhampton islands, barrier island nesting sites for plovers in New York, USA. Hurricane Sandy was a natural disturbance in this system, creating abundant nesting habitat. The number of chicks produced by a pair, or a population, is a direct measure of reproductive output, and gaining a better understanding of productivity and chick behavior following large‐scale habitat creation may improve plover habitat management and potentially species persistence. We evaluated the effects of landscape features on habitat selection, behavior, and survival of plover broods using logistic regression, generalized linear mixed effects models, and survival models. Plover broods selected flatter sites with less dense vegetation than available at random. Chick foraging rates were highest in moist substrates and were lower in areas of higher nesting plover density. Chick survival was greater for broods that hatched earlier in the breeding season and increased as chicks aged. Generally, providing access to sites with flatter, moist substrates will likely result in higher quality brood rearing habitat on the landscape. Ultimately, vegetation removal and habitat management may be needed to reduce plover nesting density and ensure sufficient habitat, which may in turn improve plover chick survival. Moreover, sustaining natural landscape disturbances such as those resulting from storms, and not taking actions to prevent hurricane‐created overwash, will allow these landscape features to persist.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Piping plover chick ecology following landscape‐level disturbance

et al. 2022

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“…),(Akins, 2017. ),(Stantial et al, 2020)(Hua et al, 2020. ),(Vitekere et al, 2020),(Mowry & Pendleton, 2022),(Pozzanghera, 2015.)(Akins, 2017.…”

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confidence: 99%

Understanding intra-guild dynamics: Do presence of red foxes and yellow-throated martens shape ecology of leopard cats in the lesser Himalayas?

Parab,

Lyngdoh

2024

JWLS

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Small sympatric carnivores may engage in strong competition, demanding the establishment of coexistence strategies that separate competitors along geographical, temporal, and nutritional axes to minimize ecological overlaps. Using camera trap data collected over six months, we computed the degree of temporal and spatial co-occurrence/competition of leopard cats conditional on yellow-throated martens and red foxes. Our best N-mixture model resulted in β = 2.35 individuals of red fox with a detection probability of 0.023 per camera station, which indicated the highest abundance compared to those of leopard cats (β = 0.53; det p = 0.022) and yellow-throated martens (β = 1.06; det p= 0.043). Our top SECR model of a half-normal detection function estimated 18.2 individuals/100 km 2 , for leopard cats whereas for red foxes the density was 23.9 individuals/100 km 2 . The density of yellow-throated marten was estimated to be 44 individuals/100 km 2 using camera trap distance sampling. Intercept only models' positive pairwise estimates indicate that leopard cats were more likely to exist in areas occupied by red fox (1.929 ± 0.361). In contrast, the occupancy estimates of yellow-throated marten (0.846 ± 0.396) were considerably lower. The two nocturnal study species (leopard cat and red fox) produced the highest values of Pianka's index for spatial niche overlap, calculated to be 0.829. In this research, red foxes dominated the small predator guild we were observing, and their presence or absence affected the distribution of leopard cats.Among terrestrial animals, carnivores are the most threatened groups (Karanth et al., 2009). Smaller carnivores may be helpful indicator species in preserving ecosystems since their specialization and resource selectivity are typically stronger than those of large carnivores. Given that these carnivores compete on numerous fronts when there are significant nutritional overlaps across species and intermediate disparities in body size, interspecific killing occurs more often (Donadio & Buskirk, 2006). Due to this threat, they must compromise (Laundre et al., 2010) to survive in a challenging environment and avoid dominant predators (Bischof et al., 2014). Additionally, because ecological niches overlap, interspecific competition is considered one of the most significant mechanisms limiting the number of species that may exist within an assemblage (Di Bitetti et al., 2010). Hence, competitive interactions can shape patterns of community assemblages, determine how niches are divided, and support the development of coexistence strategies among competing species (Chiang et al., 2012;Cristescu et al., 2013). Interspecific competition determines sympatric species' demographic and ecological traits with effects of utilization and interference (Grassel et al., 2015).Knowledge of South Asian wild cats is limited due to their elusive behavior (Nowell & Jackson, 1996.). The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is a small, widely distributed species in Asia that inhabits a broad range of natural ha...

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Red fox home ranges, activity patterns, and resource selection on an Atlantic barrier island

Black,

Karpanty,

Ritter

et al. 2024

J Wildl Manag

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Relatively little is known about red fox (Vulpes vulpes) spatial ecology on barrier islands, where semi‐linear habitat distribution and aquatic barriers may affect terrestrial movements. Because red foxes often are a predator of imperiled shorebirds in these ecosystems, and predation is often managed along with other factors such as habitat limitation, this information is needed to inform effective holistic management. The goals of this study were to describe red fox spatial ecology in a barrier island ecosystem and compare these findings to the existing literature on red fox space use in other coastal settings. We used global positioning system (GPS) collar data collected from 2015–2018 from 31 red foxes to estimate sizes of home ranges and core‐use areas, describe daily activity patterns, and investigate within‐home‐range resource selection among red foxes on Fire Island, New York, USA. Twenty‐two of 31 red foxes maintained distinct home ranges throughout the monitoring period, while 9 were transient, regularly traveling through the home ranges of other red foxes and among management units across the island. Observed GPS‐collared red fox home range sizes (95% time local convex hull [t‐LoCoH] isopleths) ranged from 10 ha to 659 ha, averaging 59 ± 7 ha (SE) among resident foxes and 447 ± 46 ha among transient foxes. Core‐use areas (50% t‐LoCoH isopleths) ranged from <1 ha to 268 ha, averaging 10 ± 1 ha among resident foxes and 67 ± 27 ha among transient foxes. Hourly minimum movement rates varied across the diel cycle and among individuals, averaging 216 m/hour ± 9 m/hour, and were highest 13–22 hours after sunrise. Within‐home‐range resource selection varied among activity periods. For example, red foxes selected areas closer than expected to vegetation based on availability during the daytime and twilight hours but farther than expected from vegetation at night. We recommend vegetation management in and around shorebird nesting areas to reduce daytime resting sites and hunting cover for red foxes while improving suitability for use by nesting shorebirds. We also suggest coordination of predator management activities across agencies in this situation and in others where predators regularly cross management unit boundaries. Overall, we found that many aspects of red fox space use in the study area, such as smaller average home ranges compared to those in other ecosystems, were similar to that of red foxes in other coastal settings; additional research is needed to determine whether this holds true in other barrier island systems.

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Red Fox Use of Landscapes with Nesting Shorebirds

Cited by 5 publications

References 71 publications

Piping plover chick ecology following landscape‐level disturbance

Piping plover chick ecology following landscape‐level disturbance

Understanding intra-guild dynamics: Do presence of red foxes and yellow-throated martens shape ecology of leopard cats in the lesser Himalayas?

Red fox home ranges, activity patterns, and resource selection on an Atlantic barrier island

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