As facial color pattern around the eyes has been suggested to serve various adaptive functions related to the gaze signal, we compared the patterns among 25 canid species, focusing on the gaze signal, to estimate the function of facial color pattern in these species. The facial color patterns of the studied species could be categorized into the following three types based on contrast indices relating to the gaze signal: A-type (both pupil position in the eye outline and eye position in the face are clear), B-type (only the eye position is clear), and C-type (both the pupil and eye position are unclear). A-type faces with light-colored irises were observed in most studied species of the wolf-like clade and some of the red fox-like clade. A-type faces tended to be observed in species living in family groups all year-round, whereas B-type faces tended to be seen in solo/pair-living species. The duration of gazing behavior during which the facial gaze-signal is displayed to the other individual was longest in gray wolves with typical A-type faces, of intermediate length in fennec foxes with typical B-type faces, and shortest in bush dogs with typical C-type faces. These results suggest that the facial color pattern of canid species is related to their gaze communication and that canids with A-type faces, especially gray wolves, use the gaze signal in conspecific communication.
With an objective of evaluating forest habitability for wildlife in terms of forest structure, wildlife abundance was observed using automated infrared sensor cameras while forest structure of the habitat was quanhied with airborne laser profiling in three study areas of 400ha each set up around Mt. Ishizuchi-san, Mt. Myoujin-ga-mori, and Mt. Takanawa-san in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. Two pararneters derived from airborne laser profiling, Le. mean and standard deviation of standing timber stock in each study area, were used as structural indexes of forests, while the richness of fauna was quantified as the number ef inhabitant species and their frequency ef being captured by the automated camera.Of the four possible combinations of the forest and faunal parameters, enly the one between the photographic capture frequency and $tandard deviation oi standing timber stock revealed streng negative cerrelatlon. Thus it was reasoned that the variability in timber stock has resulted from altitucle variability within a given stucly area which tends to be more proneunced in higher and more remete areas, leading to a conclusion that what is really correlated with wildlife abundance is the proximity to the human domain.Keywoftts: forest habitability for wildlife,airborne laser profiling, standing timber volume, infrared sensor camera
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