Determinants of home range size and space use patterns in a protected wolf (Canis lupus) population in the central Apennines, Italy

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Mancinelli, S., Boitani, L., Ciucci, Paolo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2018
• Subjects: anthropogenic effect; brownian bridge movement model; canis lupu; core area; GPS telemetry; home range; wolf; ecology; evolution; behavior and systematic; animal science and zoology; Canis lupus
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11573/1136161; https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2017-0210

Large carnivores are amongst the most susceptible species to human activities, and human-modified environments pose a threat to carnivore conservation. Wolves (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) in the central Apennines, Italy, have coexisted with humans since historic times and represent a good case study to assess their spatiotemporal response to anthropogenic factors. From 2008 to 2010, we investigated the spatial behavior of wolves (seven wolves in five packs and six floaters) in the Abruzzo Lazio and Molise National Park. Orographically corrected annual home ranges of resident wolf packs, estimated through the Brownian bridge movement model, averaged 104 ± 24 km2(mean ± SD), whereas floaters used two-to fourfold larger areas (293.8–408.7 km2). We did not detect any seasonal effect on home range size, but home ranges were larger during the night and in areas of greater road density, especially during summer. By estimating core areas through an individual-based approach, we also revealed a habitat-mediated response to human presence and activity, as resident wolves preferentially established core areas at greater elevation and in the more forested and inaccessible portions of the home range.