We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Behavioral responses of rural and urban greater white-toothed shrews (Crocidura russula) to sound disturbance.
- Authors
Oliveira, Flávio G.; Tapisso, Joaquim T.; von Merten, Sophie; Rychlik, Leszek; Fonseca, Paulo J.; Mathias, Maria da Luz
- Abstract
The development of urban areas imposes challenges that wildlife must adapt to in order to persist in these new habitats. One of the greatest changes brought by urbanization has been an increase in anthropogenic noise, with negative consequences for the natural behavior of animals. Small mammals are particularly vulnerable to urbanization and noise, despite some species having successfully occupied urban environments. To understand some of the traits that have enabled small mammals to deal with the consequences of urbanization, we compared the behavioral responses of urban and rural greater white-toothed shrews, Crocidura russula, to different sound stimuli. A total of 32 shrews, 16 from each habitat, were exposed in captivity to four sound treatments: silence, tawny owl calls, traffic noise, and white noise. Urban and rural shrews showed different behaviors, with urban animals being more active, feeding more frequently, and using less torpor than rural individuals. However, responses to sound treatments were similar in both populations: urban and rural shrews exhibited a slight decrease in activity and feeding behavior, as well as more fleeing responses, when exposed to traffic noise or white noise, but not to owl calls. These results suggest urbanization induces long-term changes in the general activity of C. russula, but the short-term behavioral response to sound disturbance remains similar in rural and urban populations.
- Subjects
SHREWS; ANIMAL behavior; URBAN growth; URBAN animals; TAWNY owl; RURAL population; OWLS; HABITATS
- Publication
Urban Ecosystems, 2021, Vol 24, Issue 5, p851
- ISSN
1083-8155
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11252-020-01079-y