We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Influence of the urban environment on fox squirrel range overlap.
- Authors
McCleery, R. A.; Parker, I. D.
- Abstract
We predicted that features of the urban environment (uneven habitat from buildings, density of conspecifics and scarcity of dead or dying trees) would lead to different patterns of range overlap for urban and rural fox squirrels Sciurus niger. During 2003-2005 we captured, tracked and calculated seasonal ranges for 60 individuals at an urban site and 45 individuals on a rural site. Differences in range overlaps were best explained by sex, site and season. We observed a greater amount of seasonal range overlap by squirrels on our rural site. Buildings appeared to form the boundary of squirrels' seasonal ranges. By providing clear demarcations of squirrels' ranges, building might have reduced the costs of delineating territories. During the winter, urban squirrels used fewer [urban , 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.0-1.7; rural , 95% CI=2.8-4.2] cavities and anthropogenic shelters, suggesting that cavities might be limited on the urban site and worth the cost of defense. Similar population densities on the sites (urban=1.58 squirrel ha−1, rural=1.45 squirrel ha−1) did not allow us to examine the influence of densities of conspecifics on seasonal range overlaps. The alternative hypothesis, that reduced seasonal range overlaps were a function of range size had little support (female F=1.001, d.f.=82, P=0.130); r males F=2.33, d.f.=118, P=0.320). In summary, squirrels were able to alter their use of space and reduce their range overlap depending on the surrounding environment.
- Subjects
FOX squirrel; URBAN ecology; HABITATS; ANIMAL shelters; CONFIDENCE intervals; POPULATION density
- Publication
Journal of Zoology, 2011, Vol 285, Issue 3, p239
- ISSN
0952-8369
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00835.x