Density, abundance, and activity of the chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Chile
Abstract Background The chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) is a native species from continental Chile and neighboring areas of Argentina. It was introduced to Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego in 1951 and began to increase its abundance, to the chagrin of local sheep ranchers. Since 1998, its hunt...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:9a1accc743f047648f3aeebd48ec4eee 2024-09-15T18:01:22+00:00 Density, abundance, and activity of the chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Chile Carlos Zurita Javier Oporto Ignacio Valverde Borja Bernales Nicolás Soto Jaime R. Rau Fabián M. Jaksic 2024-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s40693-024-00126-8 https://doaj.org/article/9a1accc743f047648f3aeebd48ec4eee EN eng BMC https://doi.org/10.1186/s40693-024-00126-8 https://doaj.org/toc/0717-6317 doi:10.1186/s40693-024-00126-8 0717-6317 https://doaj.org/article/9a1accc743f047648f3aeebd48ec4eee Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, Vol 97, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2024) Diseases Dog interference Hunting Parasites Population census Road survey Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s40693-024-00126-8 2024-08-05T17:49:52Z Abstract Background The chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) is a native species from continental Chile and neighboring areas of Argentina. It was introduced to Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego in 1951 and began to increase its abundance, to the chagrin of local sheep ranchers. Since 1998, its hunting has been authorized. Here we update information on the density, abundance, and activity of this fox in the Chilean sector of Tierra del Fuego Island, to evaluate its population trend since the last census conducted by the Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG) in 2007. Methods and results We carried out two fox censuses on a 941-km transect on public roads, divided into eight routes, from October to November (spring) of 2021 and 2022, following the same design used by SAG for the fox assessments carried out from 1999 to 2007. We report a reduction of > 50% in the density and abundance of chilla foxes with respect to the 2007 estimate, which could be attributed to the interference by free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), through restricting the use of space by the fox, while transmitting diseases and parasites, and to human hunting pressure and vehicle collisions. Discussion The chilla fox decline highlights the need for an in-depth study to determine the ecological and socioeconomic impact of this exotic species on the ecosystems of Tierra del Fuego Island and the desirability of its management, if needed. Article in Journal/Newspaper Canis lupus Tierra del Fuego Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 97 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Diseases Dog interference Hunting Parasites Population census Road survey Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
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Diseases Dog interference Hunting Parasites Population census Road survey Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 Carlos Zurita Javier Oporto Ignacio Valverde Borja Bernales Nicolás Soto Jaime R. Rau Fabián M. Jaksic Density, abundance, and activity of the chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Chile |
topic_facet |
Diseases Dog interference Hunting Parasites Population census Road survey Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
description |
Abstract Background The chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) is a native species from continental Chile and neighboring areas of Argentina. It was introduced to Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego in 1951 and began to increase its abundance, to the chagrin of local sheep ranchers. Since 1998, its hunting has been authorized. Here we update information on the density, abundance, and activity of this fox in the Chilean sector of Tierra del Fuego Island, to evaluate its population trend since the last census conducted by the Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG) in 2007. Methods and results We carried out two fox censuses on a 941-km transect on public roads, divided into eight routes, from October to November (spring) of 2021 and 2022, following the same design used by SAG for the fox assessments carried out from 1999 to 2007. We report a reduction of > 50% in the density and abundance of chilla foxes with respect to the 2007 estimate, which could be attributed to the interference by free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris), through restricting the use of space by the fox, while transmitting diseases and parasites, and to human hunting pressure and vehicle collisions. Discussion The chilla fox decline highlights the need for an in-depth study to determine the ecological and socioeconomic impact of this exotic species on the ecosystems of Tierra del Fuego Island and the desirability of its management, if needed. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Carlos Zurita Javier Oporto Ignacio Valverde Borja Bernales Nicolás Soto Jaime R. Rau Fabián M. Jaksic |
author_facet |
Carlos Zurita Javier Oporto Ignacio Valverde Borja Bernales Nicolás Soto Jaime R. Rau Fabián M. Jaksic |
author_sort |
Carlos Zurita |
title |
Density, abundance, and activity of the chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Chile |
title_short |
Density, abundance, and activity of the chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Chile |
title_full |
Density, abundance, and activity of the chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Chile |
title_fullStr |
Density, abundance, and activity of the chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Chile |
title_full_unstemmed |
Density, abundance, and activity of the chilla or grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, Chile |
title_sort |
density, abundance, and activity of the chilla or grey fox (lycalopex griseus) in isla grande de tierra del fuego, chile |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40693-024-00126-8 https://doaj.org/article/9a1accc743f047648f3aeebd48ec4eee |
genre |
Canis lupus Tierra del Fuego |
genre_facet |
Canis lupus Tierra del Fuego |
op_source |
Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, Vol 97, Iss 1, Pp 1-7 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40693-024-00126-8 https://doaj.org/toc/0717-6317 doi:10.1186/s40693-024-00126-8 0717-6317 https://doaj.org/article/9a1accc743f047648f3aeebd48ec4eee |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40693-024-00126-8 |
container_title |
Revista Chilena de Historia Natural |
container_volume |
97 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1810438524037496832 |