Evaluation of methods to monitor wild mammals on Mediterranean farmland
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Ana M. Valente, Héctor Binantel, Diego Villanua, Pelayo AcevedoAbstractManagers have, over the years, searched methods with which to monitor wildlife populations that will have the best cost-performance balance for each case scenario. Monitoring techniques are of particular importance when attempting to attain either population density estimates or species richness values, since they enable management decisions to be made. It is, therefore, imperative to assess the capability of the methods employed to detect a wide range of species as a means to ev...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Density-related pattern of variation in body growth, body size and annual productivity in the common hamster
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Ivana Petrová, Martina Petriláková, Jan Losík, Ana Gouveia, Ira E.D. Damugi, Emil TkadlecAbstractBody size is one of the most influential life history traits, often covarying with population density. While decreasing in some organisms, such as large herbivores, body size may increase with population density in small ones, such as voles. Unlike small voles, the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus L.), the endangered Eurasian rodent, does not exhibit cyclic population dynamics but it does have large variation in population numbers and high reproducti...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Unveiling the identity of Kerr's Atlantic tree rat, Phyllomys kerri (Rodentia, Echimyidae)
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Edson Fiedler de Abreu-Júnior, Alexandre Reis Percequillo, Lena Geise, Yuri L.R. Leite, Ana Carolina LossAbstractArboreal spiny rats of the genus Phyllomys are the most diverse group of echimyid rodents in the Atlantic Forest. Many species of Phyllomys have small geographic ranges and are rare in scientific collections. One of them is Phyllomys kerri known from only three specimens collected in a single locality almost 80 year s ago. The identity and the taxonomic validity of this enigmatic species has been questioned in recent decades. Field su...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Mapping risk: Quantifying and predicting the risk of deer-vehicle collisions on major roads in England
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Luca Nelli, Jochen Langbein, Peter Watson, Rory PutmanAbstractWildlife-vehicle collisions are increasing across both Europe and North America, with considerable implications for animal populations themselves, for human safety and in terms of economic cost. Deer are generally the primary species involved in large mammals-vehicle collisions. Classical mitigation measures have however proven to have a limited efficacy. The development of tools aimed at predicting the real-time risk of hitting deer on a particular stretch of road can improve both human a...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Spiny mice of the Zambezian bioregion – phylogeny, biogeography and ecological differentiation within the Acomys spinosissimus complex
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Jan Petružela, Radim Šumbera, Tatiana Aghová, Anna Bryjová, Abdul S. Katakweba, Christopher A. Sabuni, Wilbert N. Chitaukali, Josef BryjaAbstractDespite the high degree of biological diversity in the Zambezian region, little information is available regarding the evolutionary history of its biota, and this is especially true for the fauna and flora of non-forested habitats. Here we use the most comprehensive multi-locus genetic dataset available to (1) reconstruct the phylogeny of spiny mice of the Acomys spinosissimus complex and to describe the...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Unraveling the cryptic life of the southern naked-tailed armadillo, Cabassous unicinctus squamicaudis (Lund, 1845), in a Neotropical wetland: Home range, activity pattern, burrow use and reproductive behaviour
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Arnaud Leonard Jean Desbiez, Gabriel Favero Massocato, Danilo Kluyber, Renata Carolina Fernandes SantosAbstractThe natural history of the southern naked-tailed armadillo Cabassous unicinctus squamicaudis is not well known. Here, we provide basic information about burrow systems, home ranges, activity, morphometric measures, and reproductive behaviour. We monitored 10 individuals through VHF telemetry and direct observations in the central Pantanal of Brazil for 24 months. Males (2.06 km2) had significantly larger home ranges than females (0.59 km...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Recapture of a banded Bechstein’s bat (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) after 16 years: An example of high swarming site fidelity
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Stefania Bologna, Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto, Ambrogio Molinari, Stefania Mazzaracca, Martina Spada, Lucas A. Wauters, Damiano Preatoni, Adriano MartinoliAbstractIn late summer and autumn, many species of hibernating temperate bats that form mixed-sex groups visit swarming sites (typically caves or mines). Swarming behaviour is mostly prevalent among bats of the genus Myotis and has a crucial role in maintaining gene flow among colonies that are socially isolated and thus demographically independent. This note reports on a recapture record of a Bechste...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Do wolves hunt freshwater fish in spring as a food source?
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Thomas D. Gable, Steve K. Windels, Austin T. HomkesAbstractIn April–May 2017 we documented GPS-collared wolves (V034 and V046) from the same pack in northern Minnesota responding to a spring fish (northern pike and presumably white suckers) run, which to our knowledge is the first description of wolves outside of a coastal marine enviroment using fish as a seasonal food source. During this period, we opportunistically observed V046 hunting and consuming fish along a single creek, and documented a substantial number of wolf-killed fish in this area....
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Landscape-level field data reveal broad-scale effects of a fatal, transmissible cancer on population ecology of the Tasmanian devil
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): C.E. Grueber, S. Fox, K. Belov, D. Pemberton, C.J. HoggAbstractIn order to project and plan for the future of threatened species, conservationists require good quality estimates of basic population parameters, such as population sex ratios and breeding rates. These data can be difficult to obtain in many threatened species where pervasive threats perturb population dynamics. For Tasmanian devils, previous studies at several sites across Tasmania revealed demographic consequences of the fatal and transmissible devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). In th...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Light-independent magnetosensitive behaviour in the Djungarian hamster (Phodopus sungorus)
Publication date: July 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 91Author(s): Sandra Malewski, Sabine Begall, Hynek BurdaAbstractAlthough magnetoreception is known to be widespread in the animal kingdom, the underlying perception mechanism is still poorly understood, thus representing one of the most relevant research gaps. Currently, a light-independent magnetic-particle mediated mechanism and a light-dependent radical pair mechanism are the two mainly discussed hypotheses for terrestrial animals. Hamsters are highly interesting mammalian models for studies on this topic, because, based on their ecology, both mechanisms seem ...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Effect of humans and pumas on the temporal activity of ocelots in protected areas of Atlantic Forest
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Rodrigo Lima Massara, Ana Maria de Oliveira Paschoal, Larissa Lynn Bailey, Paul Francis Doherty, Marcela de Frias Barreto, Adriano Garcia ChiarelloAbstractTemporal segregation may be one of the most effective mechanism adopted by a subordinate species to reduce competition with a dominant species. We hypothesized temporal segregation by ocelots as the main strategy of reducing direct contact with pumas and humans in Atlantic Forest protected areas. Through a standardized camera trap protocol, we measured the degree of activity overlap between oc...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Use of space and homesite attendance by Iberian wolves during the breeding season
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Helena Rio-Maior, Pedro Beja, Mónia Nakamura, Francisco ÁlvaresAbstractThe persistence of large carnivores in human-dominated landscapes is conditional on the preservation of adequate ecological conditions during the reproduction period, when they may be particularly susceptible to human disturbance. However, little is known about the breeding behaviour of large carnivores in these landscapes, though this is important for conservation management. Here we describe the space use and homesite attendance patterns of wolves inhabiting humanised lan...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Understanding patterns of distribution and space-use by Ursus thibetanus in Khangchendzonga, India: Initiative towards conservation
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Tawqir Bashir, Tapajit Bhattacharya, Kamal Poudyal, Qamar Qureshi, Sambandam SathyakumarAbstractIncreasing rate of bear-human conflict and declining black bear population remains a conservation paradox throughout its distributional range. Sound information on the patterns and dynamics of bear occurrence seems prerequisite towards addressing this issue, particularly in sub-tropical and temperate ecosystems. We aimed to understand the patterns of space-use and distribution of Asiatic black bears Ursus thibetanus in the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Re...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Genetic relationships of wild boars highlight the importance of Southern Iran in forming a comprehensive picture of the species’ phylogeography
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Mohammad Reza Ashrafzadeh, Hamid Reza Rezaei, Olyagholi Khalilipour, Szilvia KuszaAbstractGenetic relationships between wild boar populations in the southern regions of Iran still remain unclear. Therefore in the present study our aim was filling this gap and providing preliminary knowledge about the phylogenetic status of Iranian wild boar based on two datasets of the mtDNA control region (the 402-bp and 605-bp segments as the first and second datasets, respectively). Altogether 1063 and 490 sequences were used in the shorter and longer sequenc...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
Behavioural ecology in a predator-prey system
Publication date: September 2018Source: Mammalian Biology, Volume 92Author(s): Douglas de Matos Dias, Claudia Bueno de Campos, Flávio Henrique Guimarães RodriguesAbstractPredator-prey systems are regulated by a behavioral response race, in which the predator develops adaptations that enhance its hunting success and its prey adopt anti-predator strategies. In the present study, we analyzed the activity patterns, the influence of moonlight, and the habitat use of Leopardus pardalis and Puma concolor in comparison with their potential prey, Dasypus novemcinctus, Mazama gouazoubira, Pecari tajacu, Sapajus libidinosus, Kerodo...
Source: Mammalian Biology - July 5, 2018 Category: Biology Source Type: research
