Response of mesocarnivores to anthropogenic landscape intensification: activity patterns and guild temporal interactions

Abstract

Carnivores face important anthropogenic threats in agricultural areas from habitat loss and fragmentation, disturbance by domestic free-roaming dogs and cats, and direct hunting by humans. Anthropogenic disturbances are shifting the activity patterns of wild animals, likely modifying species interactions. We estimated changes in the activity patterns of the mesocarnivore guild of agricultural landscapes of the La Araucanía region in southern Chile in response to land-use intensification, comparing intra- and interspecific activity patterns at low and high levels of forest cover, fragmentation, and land ownership subdivision. Our focal species comprise the güiña or kod-kod (Leopardus guigna), two fox species (Lycalopex culpaeus and L. griseus), a skunk (Conepatus chinga), and one native mustelid (Galictis cuja), in addition to free-roaming dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and cats (Felis catus) and their main mammalian prey species (i.e., Rodentia and Lagomorpha). In 23,373 trap nights, we totaled 21,729 independent records of our focal species. Our results show tendencies toward nocturnality at high land-use intensification, with potential impacts on species fitness. Nocturnal mesocarnivores decreased their diurnal/crepuscular activity, while cathemeral activity shifted to nocturnal activity at high land-use intensification, but only when in sympatry with a competitor. High land-use intensification decreased the activity overlap between native and domestic mesocarnivores but increased the overlap between native mesocarnivores. High intensification also reduced overlap with prey species. Notably, foxes displayed peaks of activity opposing those of dogs, and plasticity in activity pattern when in sympatry with dogs, such as strategies to avoid encounters. We stress the need to suppress the free-roaming and unsupervised activity of dogs to mitigate impacts of high land-use intensification on mesocarnivores.

Long-Tailed Pygmy Rice Rats Modify Their Behavioural Response and Faecal Corticosterone Metabolites in Response to Culpeo Fox but Not to Lesser Grison

“…As for the lesser grison treatment, it seems that the threat it posed was not enough to activate the HPA axis. As we mentioned before, lesser grison is scarce in the study area [ 19 ], and they have different active periods ( O. longicaudatus is nocturnal while lesser grisons are mostly diurnal) [ 19 ]. Moreover, studies conducted in other regions showed that O. longicaudatus is not an important part of the lesser grison diet, [ 26 , 28 , 29 ].…”

“…In this study, we analysed the behavioural and physiological responses of Oligoryzomys longicaudatus to two predators which show different activity patterns, densities and dietary preferences. On the one hand, the culpeo fox seems to be more abundant in the study area [ 19 ] and their daily activity patterns are cathemeral, exhibiting intermittent activity throughout the 24 h cycle [ 19 ]. In other regions, the culpeo fox has been described as a facultative trophic specialist mainly feeding on rodents and lagomorphs, depending on local abundances [ 20 , 21 ].…”

“…O. longicaudatus can be an importance source of food for this species in Chilean ecosystems [ 22 , 23 ] as high densities of this prey can be found in central and southern temperate forests [ 24 , 25 ]. On the other hand, the lesser grison appears to be scarce in the study area compared to fox abundance [ 19 ]. This species primarily feeds on rodents and lagomorphs [ 26 , 27 ], but O. longicaudatus do not represent an important fraction of their diet in central and southern Chile [ 26 , 28 , 29 ].…”

“…This species primarily feeds on rodents and lagomorphs [ 26 , 27 ], but O. longicaudatus do not represent an important fraction of their diet in central and southern Chile [ 26 , 28 , 29 ]. Moreover, lesser grisons have been reported to be mainly diurnal and crepuscular [ 30 , 31 ] and camera trapping records confirmed that lesser grisons in the area are mostly diurnal [ 19 ], while O. longicaudatus is chiefly considered nocturnal [ 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Nine‐banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) activity patterns are influenced by human activity

“…behavior and activity patterns (Gálvez et al, 2021;Zapata-Ríos & Branch, 2016). For example, bobcats (Felis concolor) became more nocturnal in response to human activity and the presence of dogs (George & Crooks, 2006).…”