Characteristics of current and historical kit fox (<i>Vulpes macrotis</i>) dens in the Great Basin Desert

Arjo, Wendy M.; Bennett, Tim; Kozlowski, Adam

doi:10.1139/z02-232

Cited by 34 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Predator-caused mortality was the highest cause of death for kit foxes during this study and coyotes have been shown to limit kit fox density [20], [22], [41], [45]. Mean home range size for kit foxes on the DPG was large (20.1 km 2 ); similar to earlier study [22] with a mean home range size of 22.6 km 2 for kit foxes on the DPG. Studies of kit foxes in other regions have reported much smaller home ranges between 4.6 km 2 [46] and 13.7 km 2 [47] with an average of 11.4 km 2 [22], [43], [44], [46]–[50].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Finding a Fox: An Evaluation of Survey Methods to Estimate Abundance of a Small Desert Carnivore

2014

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The status of many carnivore species is a growing concern for wildlife agencies, conservation organizations, and the general public. Historically, kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) were classified as abundant and distributed in the desert and semi-arid regions of southwestern North America, but is now considered rare throughout its range. Survey methods have been evaluated for kit foxes, but often in populations where abundance is high and there is little consensus on which technique is best to monitor abundance. We conducted a 2-year study to evaluate four survey methods (scat deposition surveys, scent station surveys, spotlight survey, and trapping) for detecting kit foxes and measuring fox abundance. We determined the probability of detection for each method, and examined the correlation between the relative abundance as estimated by each survey method and the known minimum kit fox abundance as determined by radio-collared animals. All surveys were conducted on 15 5-km transects during the 3 biological seasons of the kit fox. Scat deposition surveys had both the highest detection probabilities (p = 0.88) and were most closely related to minimum known fox abundance (r2 = 0.50, P = 0.001). The next best method for kit fox detection was the scent station survey (p = 0.73), which had the second highest correlation to fox abundance (r2 = 0.46, P<0.001). For detecting kit foxes in a low density population we suggest using scat deposition transects during the breeding season. Scat deposition surveys have low costs, resilience to weather, low labor requirements, and pose no risk to the study animals. The breeding season was ideal for monitoring kit fox population size, as detections consisted of the resident population and had the highest detection probabilities. Using appropriate monitoring techniques will be critical for future conservation actions for this rare desert carnivore.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Finding a Fox: An Evaluation of Survey Methods to Estimate Abundance of a Small Desert Carnivore

2014

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“…Despite considerable effort to understand the ecology of kit foxes in the Great Basin Desert (e.g., Arjo, Bennett, & Kozlowski, 2003;Egoscue, 1956Egoscue, , 1962Egoscue, , 1975 and the impacts of changing landscape and community dynamics (e.g., Arjo et al, 2007;Byerly et al, 2018;Kozlowski, Gese, & Arjo, 2012;Lonsinger et al, 2017), there has been a paucity of research into the genetic health of the kit fox population. Understanding the population genetic health of kit foxes is essential for developing effective conservation strategies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating effective population size and genetic diversity of a declining kit fox population using contemporary and historical specimens

Lonsinger

Adams

Waits

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Loss of genetic diversity has serious conservation consequences (e.g., loss of adaptive potential, reduced population viability), but is difficult to evaluate without developing long‐term, multigenerational datasets. Alternatively, historical samples can provide insights into changes in genetic diversity and effective population size (N e). Kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) are a species of conservation concern across much of their range. In western Utah, kit fox abundance has declined precipitously from historical levels, causing concern about population persistence. We analyzed genetic samples from museum specimens and contemporary scats to evaluate temporal changes in (a) genetic diversity and (b) N e for kit foxes in western Utah, and (c) discuss our findings with respect to population risk and conservation. The N e of kit foxes in western Utah has decreased substantially. When compared to established conservation thresholds for N e (e.g., the 50/500 rule), observed levels suggest the population may be at risk of inbreeding depression and local extinction. In contrast, we found no significant decrease in genetic diversity associated with declining N e. We detected evidence of low levels of immigration into the population and suspect genetic diversity may have been maintained by this previously undescribed gene flow from adjacent populations. Low or intermittent immigration may serve to temper the potential short‐term negative consequences of low N e. We recommend that kit fox conservation efforts focus on evaluating and maintaining landscape connectivity. We demonstrate how historical specimens can provide a baseline of comparison for contemporary populations, highlighting the importance of natural history collections to conservation during a period of declining funding and support.

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“…Dissimilar to the species above, kit foxes utilize dens scattered throughout the landscape rather than single den complexes that comprise small spatial extents (Arjo et al. ). Our investigation corroborates previous findings that the adoption of a semi‐fossorial lifestyle can be subject to indirect effects, in that spending more time in burrows increases ectoparasite burden, and this burden in turn elicits a behavioral response of modifying den use behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Rodrick and Mathews , Arjo et al. ), the role of fleas in den use behavior, and consequently the hypothesis put forth by Egoscue () over fifty years ago, remains untested for this native mesocarnivore.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ectoparasite burden influences the denning behavior of a small desert carnivore

2019

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Quantifying the impacts of parasitism on a host can be arduous and is generally understudied for ectoparasites, with known works being either laboratory‐focused, correlational‐based, or only focusing on a few species and spatial extents. Many mammalian species have evolved the modality of denning behavior, a lifestyle that can lead to higher ectoparasite burden, and it has been posited that animals may alter their denning behavior in an attempt to reduce exposure to ectoparasites. We conducted a test of the ectoparasite release hypothesis for kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) and fleas in the Great Basin Desert of the western United States, a hypothesis that has remained relatively untested for over half a century. We experimentally administered a flea reduction treatment to a subset of kit foxes. We then measured and compared the number of unique den usages and residency time across treatment and control foxes (no flea reduction treatment) while accounting for other factors known to influence denning behavior. Foxes treated with the flea medication reduced the number of unique dens and increased their residency times at dens. All kit foxes continued to use multiple dens on the landscape, suggesting several factors in addition to flea burden influence denning behavior. Our results confirm the long‐dormant ectoparasite release hypothesis and suggest ectoparasites may shape the behavior of burrowing vertebrates to a greater extent than previously recognized.

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Characteristics of current and historical kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) dens in the Great Basin Desert

Cited by 34 publications

References 15 publications

Finding a Fox: An Evaluation of Survey Methods to Estimate Abundance of a Small Desert Carnivore

Finding a Fox: An Evaluation of Survey Methods to Estimate Abundance of a Small Desert Carnivore

Evaluating effective population size and genetic diversity of a declining kit fox population using contemporary and historical specimens

Ectoparasite burden influences the denning behavior of a small desert carnivore

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