Fat and happy in the city: Eastern chipmunks in urban environments

Lyons, Jeremy; Mastromonaco, Gabriela F.; Edwards, Darryl B.; Schulte‐Hostedde, Albrecht I.

doi:10.1093/beheco/arx109

Cited by 56 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…In our study, the dispersal distances of the urban study area (mean: 431 m) correspond to the ones observed in Belgian rural areas (Wauters & Dhondt, ; Wauters et al, ). The cause of the extensive difference in dispersal distances between our urban and rural squirrels remains uncertain, but in support for our results urban chipmunks are observed to reduce locomotion compared to their rural counterparts (Lyons, Mastromonaco, Edwards, & Schulte‐Hostedde, ). If the squirrels in our study would have been restricted to disperse in urban landscape, the analysis of landscape structure effect on dispersal distance or the research conducted by Fey et al () should have shown some evidence of it (see discussion below, see also Selonen, Fey, & Hämäläinen, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

The effect of landscape structure on dispersal distances of the Eurasian red squirrel

Hämäläinen

Fey

Selonen

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Landscape structure can affect dispersal and gene flow in a species. In urban areas, buildings, roads, and small habitat patches make the landscape highly fragmented and can inhibit movement and affect dispersal behavior. Similarly, in rural forested areas, large open areas, such as fields, may act as barriers to movement. We studied how landscape structure affects natal dispersal distances of Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in an urban area and a rural area in Finland, by monitoring juvenile red squirrels with radio telemetry. We observed extremely long dispersal distances—up to 16 km—in the rural study area, but shorter distances—on average only half a kilometer—in the urban study area. The landscape structure affected the eventual dispersal paths; in the rural landscape, dispersers favored spruce dominated areas and avoided fields along their dispersal route, although they occasionally even crossed wide fields. In the urban landscape, squirrels preferred areas with deciduous or coniferous trees. The movement steps made by dispersers were longer in the more hostile landscape compared to forested areas. Despite these effects on movement path, the landscape structure only had a minor effect on straight line dispersal distances moved from the natal nest. In other words, individuals moved longer distances and were likely to circumvent barriers in their path, but this did not affect how far they settled from their natal home. This result indicates that, although landscape structure has obvious effects on movement, it still may have only a small effect on other aspects of the population, for example, gene flow.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

The effect of landscape structure on dispersal distances of the Eurasian red squirrel

Hämäläinen

Fey

Selonen

2019

Ecology and Evolution

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“…, Lyons et al. ) and this may partly explain the lower FGM levels measured in urban southern kangaroo populations compared to non‐urban. Kangaroos are known to prefer heterogeneous habitats and select habitat areas with high quality forage with shelter nearby (Moore et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…, Lyons et al. ), the aforementioned studies all suggest that processes commonly associated with urbanization, such as habitat fragmentation and increasing human population density and human‐wildlife interactions, can lead to elevated stress levels in wildlife populations. While chronic stress may lead to reduced fitness in mammals (Fefferman and Romero ), long‐term research is needed that assesses demography and wildlife health indicators alongside stress, in order to establish if chronic stress is present.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent studies examining cortisol levels in response to anthropogenic influences have shown a range of stress responses. For example, urban areas may be benign or even of benefit to some mammal species due to the increased availability of some resources in the urban environment (Dowle et al 2013, Rakotoniaina et al 2016, Lyons et al 2017) and this may partly explain the lower FGM levels measured in urban southern kangaroo populations compared to non-urban. Kangaroos are known to prefer heterogeneous habitats and select habitat areas with high quality forage with shelter nearby (Moore et al 2002, Brunton et al 2018b.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, fecal samples are thought to represent an average measure of glucocorticoids over a short time period (hours or days) compared to the levels obtained from blood, which represent a specific point in time. While it is acknowledged that patterns revealed in cortisol levels from fecal samples may be different to those of hair samples (Dantzer et al 2014, Lyons et al 2017, the aforementioned studies all suggest that processes commonly associated with urbanization, such as habitat fragmentation and increasing human population density and human-wildlife interactions, can lead to elevated stress levels in wildlife populations. While chronic stress may lead to reduced fitness in mammals (Fefferman and Romero 2013), long-term research is needed that assesses demography and wildlife health indicators alongside stress, in order to establish if chronic stress is present.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Not all urban landscapes are the same: interactions between urban land use and stress in a large herbivorous mammal

Brunton

Clemente

Burnett

2020

Ecological Applications

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Urbanization significantly impacts the health and viability of wildlife populations yet it is not well understood how urban landscapes differ from non‐urban landscapes with regard to their effects on wildlife. This study investigated the physiological response of eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) to land use at a landscape scale. Using fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) we compared stress levels of kangaroo populations in urban and non‐urban environments. We modeled FGM concentrations from 24 kangaroo populations against land use (urban or non‐urban) and other anthropogenic and environmental factors, using a linear modeling approach. We found that land use was a significant predictor of FGM concentrations in eastern grey kangaroos with significant differences in concentrations between urban and non‐urban populations. However, the direction of the relationship differed between northern and southern regions of Australia. In the northern study sites, kangaroos in urban areas had significantly higher FGM levels than their non‐urban counterparts. In contrast, in southern sites, where kangaroos occur in high densities in many urban areas, urban kangaroos had lower FGM concentrations than non‐urban kangaroos. Rainfall and temperature were also significant predictors of FGM and the direction of the relationship was consistent across both regions. These results are consistent with the contrasting abundance and persistence of kangaroo populations within the urban matrix between the two study regions. In the northern region many populations have declined over the last two decades and are fragmented, also occurring at lower densities than in southern sites. Our study indicates that it is the characteristics of urban environments, rather than the urban environment per se, which determines the extent of impacts of urbanization on kangaroos. This research provides insights into how the design of urban landscapes can influence large mammal populations.

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