The importance of crossroads in faecal marking behaviour of the wolves (Canis lupus)

Barja, Isabel; Miguel, Francisco Javier de; Bárcena, Felipe

doi:10.1007/s00114-004-0557-1

Cited by 87 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…For example, snow leopards prefer to mark at mountain passes, cliff bases, con�uence of rivers, and other conspicuous places [4,22]. Brown bears tend to mark along travel routes [23], whereas wolves prefer crossroads [24,25]. is site is located at a juncture of two major valleys, with an overhanging rock at the base of a cliff.…”

Section: Sign Postmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Communal Sign Post of Snow Leopards (Panthera uncia) and Other Species on the Tibetan Plateau, China

Schaller

McCarthy

et al. 2013

International Journal of Biodiversity

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e snow leopard is a keystone species in mountain ecosystems of Central Asia and the Tibetan Plateau. However, little is known about the interactions between snow leopards and sympatric carnivores. Using infrared cameras, we found a rocky junction of two valleys in Sanjiangyuan area on the Tibetan Plateau where many mammals in this area passed and frequently marked and sniffed the site at the junction. We suggest that this site serves as a sign post to many species in this area, especially snow leopards and other carnivores. e marked signs may also alert the animals passing by to temporally segregate their activities to avoid potential con�icts. We used the Schoener index to measure the degree of temporal segregation among the species captured by infrared camera traps at this site. Our research reveals the probable ways of both intra-and interspecies communication and demonstrates that the degree of temporal segregation may correlate with the degree of potential interspecies competition. is is an important message to help understand the structure of animal communities. Discovery of the sign post clari�es the importance of identifying key habitats and sites of both snow leopards and other species for more effective conservation.

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Section: Sign Postmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Communal Sign Post of Snow Leopards (Panthera uncia) and Other Species on the Tibetan Plateau, China

Schaller

McCarthy

et al. 2013

International Journal of Biodiversity

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“…This practice increased the efficiency of the scent marks and the probability of detection by other individuals, as indicated in other species of carnivores (EATON 1970;MACDONALD 1985;EMMONS 1988;ROBINSOn & DELIBES 1988;BROOMHALL et al 2003;BARJA et al 2004;BARJA 2009). This result is supported by the second prediction of the economic approach to scent marking (GOSLING 1981), which indicates that scent marks should be placed on substrates that increase their efficiency and in zones of the territory where the probability of detection by competitors is higher, thus reducing the costs of resource defence and avoiding agonistic encounters between competitors (GOSLING & MACKAY 1990;AZEVEDO & MURRAY 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…We considered a scat to be on a conspicuous substrate when the substrate was the most obvious to a human observer within a circle with a 1-m radius, with the scat at the centre. Inconspicuous substrates were all others (e.g., bare ground) (BARJA et al 2004;BARJA 2009;PIÑEIRO & BARJA 2012). A scat that did not exhibit at least two of the above features was considered not to have a marking function.…”

Section: Detection Of Faecal Marksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, GOSLING (1981) predicts in his economic approach to scent marking in ungulates that scent marks should be placed in those zones that maximise the chances of being detected by conspecifics, for instance, in elevated and conspicuous places (GOSLING & ROBERTS 2001a). Thus, many mammals, including wildcats, deposit their faecal marks on conspicuous substrates, above ground level, at crossroads, and in latrines (PETERS & MECH 1975;CORBETT 1979;GORMAN & MILLS 1984;ROBINSON & DELIBES 1988;ZUB et al 2003;BARJA et al 2004BARJA et al , 2005BARJA & LIST 2006;BARJA 2009;PIÑEIRO & BARJA 2012). Felids use urine, faeces and secretions of different glands as visual and scent marks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating the function of wildcat faecal marks in relation to the defence of favourable hunting areas

Piñeiro

Barja

2014

Ethology Ecology & Evolution

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Esta es la versión de autor del artículo publicado en: This is an author produced version of a paper published in: To date, there have been no studies of carnivores that have been specifically designed to examine the function of scent marks in trophic resource defence, although several chemical communication studies have discussed other functions of these marks. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that faecal marks deposited by wildcats (Felis silvestris) serve to defend their primary trophic resource, small mammals. Field data were collected over a 2-year period in a protected area in northwestern Spain. To determine the small mammal abundance in different habitat types, a seasonal live trapping campaign was undertaken in deciduous forests, mature pine forests, and scrublands. In each habitat, we trapped in three widely separated UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) cells. At the same time that the trapping was being performed, transects were conducted on foot along forest roads in each trapping cell and in one adjacent cell to detect fresh wildcat scats that did or did not have a scent-marking function. A scat was considered to have a pressumed marking function when it is located on a conspicuous substrate, above ground level, at a crossroad or in a latrine. The number of faecal marks and the small mammal abundance varied by habitat type but not by seasons. The results of the ANCOVA analysis indicated that small mammal abundance and the habitat type were the factors that explained the largest degrees of variation in the faecal marking index (number of faecal marks in each cell/number of kilometres surveyed in each cell). This result suggests that wildcats defended favourable hunting areas. They mark most often where their main prey lives and so where they spend most time hunting (in areas where their main prey is more abundant). This practice would allow wildcats to protect their main trophic resource and would reduce intraspecific trophic competition.

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“…Each transect had a length of 750 m. Because of the inaccessibility of the malpais and density of the vegetation, cross-country transects were not possible, but the preferential use of roads by carnivores has been well-documented (Robinson & Delibes 1988;Barja et al 2004;Barja et al 2005). Thus, all transects were conducted along roads and trails that crossed the study area.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Faecal marking behaviour in ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) during the non-breeding period: spatial characteristics of latrines and single faeces

Barja

List

2006

Chemoecology

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Scent signals are the main source of information transmission in carnivores, being particularly important for those with nocturnal habits like the ringtail (Bassariscus astutus), a Procyonid widely distributed in Mexico. However, faecal marking behaviour of free-ranging ringtails has not been described previously. The aims of this study were to describe the use of latrines in ringtails and to test if single faeces and latrines have a marking function, based on the spatial characterisation of the defecation places and revisits to these sites. The study was conducted at an urban reserve within Mexico City in 2003, where 80 defecation points were analysed. The results showed that ringtails deposit faeces repeatedly in the same sites (latrines), which contain a variable number of faeces (between 2 and 19). The spatial distribution of latrines was not random, but a selection of substrates and zones that enhanced the effectiveness as faecal marks was observed. Latrines were preferentially placed on objects above ground level and at road margins. Latrines and single faeces that were in inconspicuous zones were generally deposited on conspicuous substrates and latrines and single faeces that were in conspicuous zones were deposited more frequently on inconspicuous substrates.

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The importance of crossroads in faecal marking behaviour of the wolves (Canis lupus)

Cited by 87 publications

References 7 publications

A Communal Sign Post of Snow Leopards (Panthera uncia) and Other Species on the Tibetan Plateau, China

A Communal Sign Post of Snow Leopards (Panthera uncia) and Other Species on the Tibetan Plateau, China

Evaluating the function of wildcat faecal marks in relation to the defence of favourable hunting areas

Faecal marking behaviour in ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) during the non-breeding period: spatial characteristics of latrines and single faeces

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