Changes in Cache Contents over Winter in Artificial Dens of the Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana)

Horne, Eva A.; McDonald, Mark W.; Reichman, O. J.

doi:10.2307/1383097

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…An alternate possibility is that woodrats took feces from tracking stations and cached them rather than consuming them (Poole 1940, LoGiudice 2000. While we were able to document one occurrence of caching by woodrats in our study, Horne et al (1998) found owl pellets and a dropping from a dog among materials cached by woodrats in dens they examined on Fort Riley.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Scat removal: a source of bias in feces-related studies

Livingston

Gipson

Ballard

et al. 2005

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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Consumption of feces (coprophagy) may alter findings of dietary studies and population estimates based on fecal analyses, but its magnitude is poorly understood. We investigated seasonal incidence of scat removal on Fort Riley, Kansas, from January through December 2000. We placed feces from captive bobcats (Lynx rufus), captive coyotes (Canis latrans), and free‐ranging coyotes randomly on tracking stations in forest and prairie landscapes to determine rates of scat removal by local wildlife. Rates of removal of feces from captive bobcats, captive coyotes, and free‐ranging coyotes varied from 7% during spring to 50% during summer. We identified opossums (Didelphis virginiana) as the most common species present at stations where scat removal occurred. Feces may be an important seasonal source of food for opossums and may provide seasonal dietary supplements for other species. Other factors responsible for disturbance of feces included a woodrat (Neotoma floridana) caching coyote feces, removal of captive coyote feces by free‐ranging coyotes accompanied by deposition of fresh feces, a bobcat burying a captive bobcat sample and depositing fresh feces, and rain storms. Dietary studies based on fecal analyses could be biased by scat removal, assuming that contents in feces are representative of the proportion of foods consumed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Scat removal: a source of bias in feces-related studies

Livingston

Gipson

Ballard

et al. 2005

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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“…Because of their reliance on dens, woodrats are strong candidates for employing information about the location and spatial patterns of dens when attempting to relocate imperilled populations. Artificial dens have been successfully used for other purposes (e.g., Horne, McDonald & Reichman, 1998), suggesting that attention to details of den location may enhance the chances of success for relocation or reintroduction of threatened populations. Previous work on woodrats suggests that particular attributes of dens may significantly influence animal population parameters.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Translocation of an imperilled woodrat population: integrating spatial and habitat patterns

Gerber

Seabloom

Burton

et al. 2003

Animal Conservation

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Many species have strong habitat preferences that directly influence population viability. For successful reintroduction of threatened populations that rely on habitat structures, the correct placement of artificial structures is also important to population persistence. In this paper, we present a hierarchical approach to the problem of translocating animals that rely on permanent habitat structures, in which we first use population dynamics data to identify areas of suitable habitat, and then identify optimal configuration for habitat structures. We use data collected from a non-endangered, conspecific population of the endangered riparian woodrat (Neotoma fuscipes riparia) to examine the degree to which the distribution of dens in translocation sites might influence the likelihood that animals persist in their new environment. We characterize the habitats in which dens occur, analyze their spatial clustering, and compare them to temporal changes in population status for sex and age classes. We compare the potential efficacy of translocation efforts using spatial analysis versus solely habitat-based approaches and identify the optimal spatial configuration of dens that should be considered in this translocation effort. We found that patterns of habitat use were positively correlated with overstorey cover, and animal weight was positively correlated with understorey cover. Woodrats appear to select den locations on the basis of understorey cover, but also benefit from dense overstorey cover and distance to nearest tree. Our results suggest that in translocation efforts, artificial dens should be placed in clusters within a radius of 15 m, as values above and below this value showed negative correlations with body mass. Translocations should occur after reproductive events, which occur in April and August for woodrats in southern California. Our analyses provide practical guidelines in determining appropriate timing and spacing for translocation events in the context of animal condition, minimizing disease transmission, and reproduction.

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“…Artificial dens are a potential solution to a dearth of natural kit fox dens. Artificial burrows have been constructed and successfully used by a number of species including burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia; Smith and Belthoff 2001), Chatham petrels (Pterodroma axillaries; Sullivan et al 2000), desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii; Bulova 1993), and eastern woodrats (Neotoma floridana; Horne et al 1998). Artificial dens also have occasionally been constructed within the range of the SJKF to mitigate the destruction of natural dens or to enhance habitat (Harrison et al 2011b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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2021

California Fish and Wildlife Journal

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Changes in Cache Contents over Winter in Artificial Dens of the Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana)

Cited by 9 publications

References 8 publications

Scat removal: a source of bias in feces-related studies

Scat removal: a source of bias in feces-related studies

Translocation of an imperilled woodrat population: integrating spatial and habitat patterns

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