Spatio-temporal variation in the demographic attributes of a generalist mesopredator |
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| Authors: | James C Beasley Zachary H Olson Guha Dharmarajan II" target="_blank">Timothy S EaganII Jr" target="_blank">Olin E RhodesJr |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 195 Marsteller Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;(2) Present address: Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 12735 Twinbrook Parkway, Room 2W-13, Rockville, MD 20852, USA;(3) Present address: Michigan State University, G-100 Veterinary Medical Center, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;(4) Present address: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 LaPorte Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA |
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| Abstract: | Human land-use practices have dramatically altered the composition and configuration of native habitats throughout many ecosystems.
Within heterogeneous landscapes generalist predators often thrive, causing cascading effects on local biological communities,
yet there are few data to suggest how attributes of fragmentation influence local population dynamics of these species. We
monitored 25 raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations from 2004 to 2009 in a fragmented agricultural landscape to evaluate the influence of local and landscape habitat
attributes on spatial and temporal variation in demography. Our results indicate that agricultural ecosystems support increased
densities of raccoons relative to many other rural landscapes, but that spatial and temporal variation in demography exists
that is driven by non-agricultural habitat attributes rather than the availability of crops. At the landscape scale, both
density and population stability were positively associated with the size and contiguity of forest patches, while at the local
scale density was positively correlated with plant diversity and the density of tree cavities. In addition, populations occupying
forest patches with greater levels of plant diversity and stable water resources exhibited less temporal variability than
populations with limited plant species complexity or water availability. The proportion of populations comprised of females
was most strongly influenced by the availability of tree cavities and soft mast. Despite the abundance of mesopredators in
heterogeneous landscapes, our results indicate that all patches do not contribute equally to the regional abundance and persistence
of these species. Thus, a clear understanding of how landscape attributes contribute to variation in demography is critical
to the optimization of management strategies. |
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