Changes in the Size of Groups and Ranges of the European Badger (Meles meles L.) in an Area in Scotland

Kruuk, Hans; Parish, T.

doi:10.2307/4820

Cited by 77 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast, the likelihood that bait will be taken may be enhanced as levels of activity increase in late winter/early spring as young cubs are reared, females enter post-partum oestrus and there is an increase in territorial activity (Kruuk 1978;Roper et al 1993). In summer, warmer and drier weather conditions reduce the availability of preferred food items such as earthworms (Kruuk and Parish 1987), which is also likely to be conducive to higher levels of bait uptake. The results from the current study showed similarly high levels of bait removal and biomarker presence in trapped badgers in both spring and summer, although bait removal rates were significantly higher in summer.…”

Section: Number Of Individualsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating seasonal bait delivery to badgers using rhodamine B

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Number Of Individualsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating seasonal bait delivery to badgers using rhodamine B

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Most of our knowledge of badger dispersal comes from studies of high-density populations in England, which suggest that dispersal is limited (for example, Kruuk and Parish, 1987;Cheeseman et al, 1988;Woodroffe et al, 1995;Rogers et al, 1998) and that social groups form primarily through the retention of offspring (Cheeseman et al, 1987;da Silva et al, 1994), with the majority of permanent moves between social groups being made by adults (Cheeseman et al, 1988;Christian, 1994;Rogers et al, 1998). There is no consistent evidence of sex-biased dispersal in badgers from trapping studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using genetic methods to investigate dispersal in two badger (Meles meles) populations with different ecological characteristics

et al. 2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the dispersal behaviour of a species is important for understanding its ecology and evolution. Dispersal in the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) is believed to be very limited, with social groups forming primarily through the retention of offspring. However, most of our knowledge of dispersal in this species comes from studies of high-density populations in the United Kingdom, where badgers are atypical in their behaviour, physiology, ecology and prey specialization. In this study we use genetic methods to compare dispersal patterns in a British and a Swiss population that differ in their ecology and demography. We present well-supported evidence that badgers disperse much further in the low-density continental population, where dispersal may also be female biased. Limited dispersal thus seems not to be an intrinsic behavioural characteristic of the species. Rather, dispersal patterns seem to vary depending on population demography and, ultimately, habitat quality and characteristics. This could have important management consequences, as dispersal can affect the impact of local extinction, and host dispersal has a particularly important role in disease transmission. Even though concentrated studies of a species in a single location may not provide representative data for the species, there are few mammalian studies that compare demography and dispersal patterns across contrasting habitats. Our results provide an example of phenotypic plasticity and suggest that dispersal is determined by the interaction of individual, social and environmental factors that may differ between populations.

show abstract

“…The European badger (Meles meles), unlike other mustelids, has a facultative social structure that ranges from solitary to social, depending on food availability (Kruuk & Parish 1987). Like the majority of mustelids, in parts of their geographic range where they are solitary, one male territory overlaps one or more female territories, whereas in regions where they are social, a single territory is occupied by males, females and their o¡spring (see .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement of badgers (Meles meles) in a high–density population: individual, population and disease effects

Rogers

Delahay

Cheeseman

et al. 1998

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

122

177

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The movement of 1763 badgers trapped between 36 social groups in Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire, over 18 years was analysed to determine the frequency and duration of moves, the factors associated with a predisposition to move and the spatial pattern of movements. Of those badgers whose capture history could be categorized, nearly half had moved. Of these, 73.1% were classi¢ed as`occasional movers', 22.1% as`permanent movers' and 4.8% as`frequent movers'. Most adult badgers that moved made occasional moves (78.8%, n 67). Cubs made all types of move including permanent moves (29%, n 10). Seventy per cent of females were non-movers compared with 37% of males. Badgers were signi¢cantly more likely to move to smaller groups, whereas male badgers were signi¢cantly more likely to move to groups with a greater proportion of females. The spatial pattern of movement di¡ered from the distribution of groups with bovine tuberculosis in the study area. However, temporal changes in movement were signi¢cantly related to the incidence of Mycobacterium bovis infection in the following year, indicating that as the movement of badgers between groups varies so does the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in the population. This ¢nding is of central importance in the formulation of badger control policy.

show abstract

Changes in the Size of Groups and Ranges of the European Badger (Meles meles L.) in an Area in Scotland

Cited by 77 publications

References 13 publications

Evaluating seasonal bait delivery to badgers using rhodamine B

Evaluating seasonal bait delivery to badgers using rhodamine B

Using genetic methods to investigate dispersal in two badger (Meles meles) populations with different ecological characteristics

Movement of badgers (Meles meles) in a high–density population: individual, population and disease effects

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About