Human impact overrides bioclimatic drivers of red fox home range size globally
Diversity and Distributions published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: Identifying the variables that influence animal home range size is important for understanding the biological requirements of individuals and their social interactions. Given their often broad distributions, carnivores are model...
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ftdeakinunifig:oai:figshare.com:article/20699212 2023-05-15T18:40:44+02:00 Human impact overrides bioclimatic drivers of red fox home range size globally M T Main R A Davis D Blake H Mills Tim Doherty 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30139772 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Human_impact_overrides_bioclimatic_drivers_of_red_fox_home_range_size_globally/20699212 unknown http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30139772 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Human_impact_overrides_bioclimatic_drivers_of_red_fox_home_range_size_globally/20699212 All Rights Reserved Ecology human footprint mesocarnivore mesopredator movement ecology resource availability resource subsidies space use Vulpes vulpes Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biodiversity Conservation Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Sciences & Ecology VULPES-VULPES POPULATION-DENSITY BODY-SIZE HABITAT BEHAVIOR DIET PATTERNS TRACKING CLIMATE TUNDRA Text Journal contribution 2020 ftdeakinunifig 2022-11-17T19:04:51Z Diversity and Distributions published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: Identifying the variables that influence animal home range size is important for understanding the biological requirements of individuals and their social interactions. Given their often broad distributions, carnivores are model organisms for studying range-wide determinants of home range size. Here, we test predictions about environmental determinants of home range size for one of the world's most widely distributed carnivores, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Location: Global. Methods: We compiled a database of 70 mean home range estimates from 62 studies and four continents, which we analysed according to site-based temperature, precipitation, environmental productivity and human influence variables. Results: We found a very strong negative effect of the Human Footprint Index (HFI), with fox home range size decreasing as the level of human impact increased. When analysing the constituent components of the HFI separately, we found that human population density was the only well-supported variable (cf. built environments, croplands, pasture lands, nightlights, railways, roads and navigable waterways). Predicted home range size at the highest human population densities (0.75 km2) was 93% lower than at the lowest population densities (10.83 km2). We also found that home range size increased as mean annual temperature and temperature seasonality increased. The analyses did not support our prediction that home ranges would be smaller in areas of higher environmental productivity or precipitation. Main conclusions: Smaller home range sizes observed in highly disturbed areas can be attributed to increased food availability from anthropogenic sources. The lack of an effect of environmental productivity contrasts with previous studies that have shown a negative relationship with carnivore home range size. It may be that anthropogenic food sources have negated the impacts that low-productivity environments have on fox home ranges. Our results emphasize ... Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper Tundra DRO - Deakin Research Online |
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Open Polar |
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DRO - Deakin Research Online |
op_collection_id |
ftdeakinunifig |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Ecology human footprint mesocarnivore mesopredator movement ecology resource availability resource subsidies space use Vulpes vulpes Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biodiversity Conservation Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Sciences & Ecology VULPES-VULPES POPULATION-DENSITY BODY-SIZE HABITAT BEHAVIOR DIET PATTERNS TRACKING CLIMATE TUNDRA |
spellingShingle |
Ecology human footprint mesocarnivore mesopredator movement ecology resource availability resource subsidies space use Vulpes vulpes Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biodiversity Conservation Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Sciences & Ecology VULPES-VULPES POPULATION-DENSITY BODY-SIZE HABITAT BEHAVIOR DIET PATTERNS TRACKING CLIMATE TUNDRA M T Main R A Davis D Blake H Mills Tim Doherty Human impact overrides bioclimatic drivers of red fox home range size globally |
topic_facet |
Ecology human footprint mesocarnivore mesopredator movement ecology resource availability resource subsidies space use Vulpes vulpes Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biodiversity Conservation Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Sciences & Ecology VULPES-VULPES POPULATION-DENSITY BODY-SIZE HABITAT BEHAVIOR DIET PATTERNS TRACKING CLIMATE TUNDRA |
description |
Diversity and Distributions published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: Identifying the variables that influence animal home range size is important for understanding the biological requirements of individuals and their social interactions. Given their often broad distributions, carnivores are model organisms for studying range-wide determinants of home range size. Here, we test predictions about environmental determinants of home range size for one of the world's most widely distributed carnivores, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Location: Global. Methods: We compiled a database of 70 mean home range estimates from 62 studies and four continents, which we analysed according to site-based temperature, precipitation, environmental productivity and human influence variables. Results: We found a very strong negative effect of the Human Footprint Index (HFI), with fox home range size decreasing as the level of human impact increased. When analysing the constituent components of the HFI separately, we found that human population density was the only well-supported variable (cf. built environments, croplands, pasture lands, nightlights, railways, roads and navigable waterways). Predicted home range size at the highest human population densities (0.75 km2) was 93% lower than at the lowest population densities (10.83 km2). We also found that home range size increased as mean annual temperature and temperature seasonality increased. The analyses did not support our prediction that home ranges would be smaller in areas of higher environmental productivity or precipitation. Main conclusions: Smaller home range sizes observed in highly disturbed areas can be attributed to increased food availability from anthropogenic sources. The lack of an effect of environmental productivity contrasts with previous studies that have shown a negative relationship with carnivore home range size. It may be that anthropogenic food sources have negated the impacts that low-productivity environments have on fox home ranges. Our results emphasize ... |
format |
Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper |
author |
M T Main R A Davis D Blake H Mills Tim Doherty |
author_facet |
M T Main R A Davis D Blake H Mills Tim Doherty |
author_sort |
M T Main |
title |
Human impact overrides bioclimatic drivers of red fox home range size globally |
title_short |
Human impact overrides bioclimatic drivers of red fox home range size globally |
title_full |
Human impact overrides bioclimatic drivers of red fox home range size globally |
title_fullStr |
Human impact overrides bioclimatic drivers of red fox home range size globally |
title_full_unstemmed |
Human impact overrides bioclimatic drivers of red fox home range size globally |
title_sort |
human impact overrides bioclimatic drivers of red fox home range size globally |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30139772 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Human_impact_overrides_bioclimatic_drivers_of_red_fox_home_range_size_globally/20699212 |
genre |
Tundra |
genre_facet |
Tundra |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30139772 https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Human_impact_overrides_bioclimatic_drivers_of_red_fox_home_range_size_globally/20699212 |
op_rights |
All Rights Reserved |
_version_ |
1766230156241797120 |