Hardwood management and restoration of longleaf pine ecosystems may affect raccoon daytime resting sites

Abstract

Fire‐maintained Pinus palustris (longleaf pine) ecosystems are species rich and considered a top conservation priority in the southeastern United States. Ground‐nesting species such as Gopherus polyphemus (gopher tortoise) and Colinus virginianus (northern bobwhite) thrive in longleaf ecosystems. However, the generalist carnivore Procyon lotor (raccoon) is a significant predator of these endemic ground nesters. In forested ecosystems, raccoons prefer hardwood‐dominated habitats. Removal of hardwood trees, which is a common longleaf pine ecosystem restoration tool, affects habitat use of this predator. We examined 269 daytime resting sites (DRS) associated with 31 radio‐collared adult raccoons (18 M, 13 F) during 2014–2015 on a longleaf pine‐dominated site in southwestern Georgia. We developed 26 a priori models using an information theoretic approach to evaluate factors affecting use of DRS by raccoons. The top two models (ΔAIC < 2) had combined model weights of 0.75 and contained tree diameter, tree type, presence of nearby hardwood, and distances to pine, hardwood, mixed forest, and agriculture as predictors. However, the only informative variables were tree type and tree diameter. Raccoons used DRS in all available forest types, but were less likely to use pine trees (n = 7) relative to hardwoods (n = 247), and there was a positive relationship with tree diameter. Females used smaller trees farther from agriculture and primary roads, and were closer to wetlands than those used by males. Hardwood removal from within longleaf pine ecosystem affects habitat use of this predator, specifically DRS.

Winter roost selection of Lasiurine tree bats in a pyric landscape

“…Nonetheless, the majority of Seminole bat, and all of the hoary bat day-roosts we found were located in mesic areas with longer fire return intervals rather than in the larger xeric landscape with plantations or natural pine. The importance of these mesic areas and pine-hardwood mixed forests, as well as fire regimes, have been previously noted across a suite of different taxa [73,74], including at CB [75]. Our result finding that bats select more for mesic habitat in areas of less frequent fires supports the hypothesis that roost selection may be a function of seeking to minimize mortality risk from fire caused evacuations.…”

Habitat selection and diurnal refugia of gray foxes in southwestern Georgia, USA

“…Chamberlain and Leopold [ 9 ] found suggested that removal of hardwoods in these forests may be detrimental to gray fox populations. Removal of mature hardwoods from within the longleaf pine matrix [ 55 ], [ 56 ] occurred since the Temple et al [ 10 ] study and this removal may be the reason for reduced gray fox use of the property. Similarly, hardwood removal resulted in reduced use by raccoons [ 55 ] suggesting hardwood removal from within pine dominated forests may be an alternative to traditional lethal control in limiting nest predation within this forest type.…”

“…As with raccoons [ 55 ], [ 65 ], some [ 66 ] have suggested that gray foxes rest in trees, but limited evidence exists for such behavior [ 67 ]. We found no evidence of gray foxes diurnally resting in trees, yet they were often found in areas with low, sprawling branches that may facilitate climbing, and gray foxes may have climbed these trees to flee predators.…”

Bachman's Sparrow survival and nest predation response to a hardwood canopy reduction experiment

“…3). We predicted depredations by raccoons would decrease (Kirby et al 2016 a , b ), but we did not detect raccoons at Bachman's Sparrow nests, despite their prevalence as a nest predator across studies, species, and locals (DeGregorio et al 2014) and their presence and activity at our study sites (Malone 2019; Tall Timbers, unpublished data ). The relationship between Bachman's Sparrow nests and recent fires may explain this result, as they prefer nest sites burned within the last 12 months (Jones et al 2013) and raccoons are less likely to forage in these areas (Jones et al 2004).…”

“…In turn, hardwood reduction in pine savanna is considered a means to alter the community of adult and nest predators via changes in habitat use by predators or prey (Whittingham and Evans 2004, Kirby et al 2016 a , Jacques et al 2017, Stevenson et al 2018). Indeed, habitat management can be used to reduce predation by either increasing cover for prey (Schranck 1972), reducing breeding or perching sites for predators (Gibbons 2007, Kirby et al 2016 b ), reducing edge habitat used by predators (Chalfoun and Martin 2009, Ellison et al 2013), or increasing food resources for prey (Martin 1993). Predator responses to manipulations of habitat structure can include both functional (e.g., altered foraging patterns) or numerical shifts (e.g., emigration to higher quality habitat; Klug et al 2010, Kirby et al 2016 a ).…”