Habitat selection, philopatry and spatial segregation in rural Irish hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)

Haigh, Amy; O’Riordan, Ruth M.; Butler, Fidelma

doi:10.1515/mammalia-2012-0094

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(47 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Estimates included 100% minimum convex polygons (MCP), which includes all tracking fixes and is frequently used as a home range measure in hedgehogs tracking studies (Riber 2006;Dowding et al 2010a;Haigh et al 2013) and, in order to estimate the core range of the hedgehog, 95 and 50% kernel density estimates (Riber 2006). The predictor variables used were site, sex and mean distance to buildings during the two seasons (a measure of how much time a hedgehog spent in the village or close to human dwellings) and body mass.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Factors affecting hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) attraction to rural villages in arable landscapes

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although residential areas are often unfavourable for wildlife, some species can take advantage of the available shelter and anthropogenic sources of food such as supplementary feeding. The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is increasingly associated with gardens and villages and less so with arable farmland. Suggested drivers for this include the following: hedgehogs' attraction to higher food densities, including natural prey and anthropogenic sources, a greater range of day nest sites and warmer microclimates in rural villages, coupled with decreased risk of predation by badgers (Meles meles). We investigated the contribution of these drivers by radio-tracking hedgehogs on four arable sites, two with badgers present. Seventy-eight hedgehogs were tracked, 32 yielding enough data to calculate home range sizes. At the home range and landscape scales, gardens and buildings were the highest ranked habitats compared with their availability. Woodland and arable land were the lowest ranked compared with their availability. Villages were the most selected habitat for nesting. When hedgehogs were found closer to buildings, their ranges were smaller and we speculate this is due to increased food availability in villages. Where badgers were present hedgehogs remained closer to cover and their home ranges were on average 12.2 ha smaller. On badger-occupied sites, 50% fewer radio-tracking fixes were on arable land. We conclude that resource availability coupled with nest site selection and badger presence drives hedgehogs' selection of rural villages. We found no effect of ambient temperature on habitat use. We recommend focusing conservation efforts on maintaining hedgehog populations in rural villages.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Compositional analysis was performed to examine hedgehogs' habitat selection as this method is comparable to previous studies of hedgehog habitat use (Hof and Bright 2010a;Haigh et al 2013). Two analyses were performed following Aebischer et al (1993).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors affecting hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) attraction to rural villages in arable landscapes

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This may be related to the highly social nature of the Cape ground squirrel, which is not evident among the predominantly solitary hedgehog. Although the home range of adult male hedgehogs overlapped completely and encompassed that of all adult females, females showed little overlap and occupied mutually exclusive areas (Haigh et al 2013b ). This may therefore have increased infection rates in male hedgehogs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A preliminary investigation into the endoparasite load of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) in Ireland

Haigh¹,

O’Keeffe

O’Riordan

et al. 2014

Mammalia

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Access to the full text of the published version may require a subscription. Abstract: The European hedgehog is strictly protected in the Republic of Ireland but has been little studied. Carcasses, such as road kill casualties, can provide valuable information on population demographics, parasite load and general body condition. This study aimed to examine the species of endoparasites present in hedgehogs, their prevalence and intensities and whether differences occurred depending on the age and sex of the hedgehog. Carcasses were collected and examined from around Ireland, over a 3-year period. In 21 of the 23 hedgehogs examined, endoparasites were identified. The nematode species, Crenosoma triatum and Capillaria erinacei were both positively identified. C. striatium was confined to the lungs, whereas C. erinacei was the most prevalent (87%) endoparasite and occurred in the stomach and intestines. There was a significantly higher load of Crenosoma striatum observed in male hedgehogs compared to females, but no significant difference was observed in the intensity of C. erinacei between the sexes. In all tissues, a greater mean endoparasite load was observed in male hedgehogs. Sex differences in exposure or immunity to parasitism could be related to the males ' larger home range and the effects of oestrogen levels on immunity. Rights

show abstract

“…Male hedgehogs travelled further than females in this study. Male hedgehogs are known to have larger home ranges than females as they range further in order to mate with as many females as possible, whereas females are more sedentary (Haigh et al, 2013;Rautio et al, 2013;Reeve, 1994), thus male hedgehogs may require a larger home range than that simply required for foraging.…”

Section: Ranging Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Daily energy expenditure in the face of predation: hedgehog energetics in rural landscapes

Pettett

Johnson

Moorhouse

et al. 2017

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Failure to balance daily energy expenditure (DEE) with energy intake can have an impact on survival and reproduction, and therefore on the persistence of populations. Here we study the DEE of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), which is declining in the UK. We hypothesise that there is a gradient of suitable habitat for hedgehogs in rural areas, which is a result of fewer food resources, a higher risk from predation by badgers (Meles meles) and colder ambient temperatures, as distance to the nearest building increases. We used the doubly labelled water method to obtain 44 measurements of DEE from hedgehogs on four predominately arable sites, to determine the energetic costs associated with proximity to buildings, on sites with and without badgers. The mean±s.e.m. DEE was 508.9±34.8 kJ day . DEE increased the further a hedgehog was from buildings during the study, possibly as they ranged larger distances on arable land, supporting the hypothesis that hedgehogs select villages owing to the lower energy demands in comparison to arable farmland. Hedgehogs had an approximately 30% lower DEE on sites with badgers. We speculate that on badger-occupied sites, hedgehogs may restrict movement and foraging in response to a threat from predation and thus have reduced DEE. Therefore, hedgehogs may also seek refuge in villages where the perceived threat of predation is lower and foraging is unrestricted. In a broader context, we demonstrate that individual differences in DEE can aid in understanding habitat selection in a patchily distributed species.

show abstract

Habitat selection, philopatry and spatial segregation in rural Irish hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)

Cited by 14 publications

References 35 publications

Factors affecting hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) attraction to rural villages in arable landscapes

Factors affecting hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) attraction to rural villages in arable landscapes

A preliminary investigation into the endoparasite load of the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) in Ireland

Daily energy expenditure in the face of predation: hedgehog energetics in rural landscapes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About