On the move: spatial ecology and habitat use of red fox in the Trans-Himalayan cold desert

Abstract

Red fox ( Vulpes vulpes ) is the most widespread wild carnivore globally, occupying diverse habitats. The species is known for its adaptability to survive in dynamic anthropogenic landscapes. Despite being one of the most extensively studied carnivores, there is a dearth of information on red fox from the Trans-Himalayan region. We studied the home range sizes of red fox using the different estimation methods: minimum convex polygon (MCP), kernel density estimator (KDE), local convex hull (LoCoH) and Brownian-bridge movement model (BBMM). We analysed the daily movement and assessed the habitat selection with respect to topographic factors (ruggedness, elevation and slope), environmental factor (distance to water) and anthropogenic factors (distance to road and human settlements). We captured and GPS-collared six red fox individuals (three males and three females) from Chiktan and one female from Hemis National Park, Ladakh, India. The collars were programmed to record GPS fixes every 15-min. The average BBMM home range estimate (95% contour) was 22.40 ± 12.12 SD km 2 (range 3.81–32.93 km 2 ) and the average core area (50% contour) was 1.87 ± 0.86 SD km 2 (range 0.55–2.69 km 2 ). The estimated average daily movement of red fox was 17.76 ± 8.45 SD km/d (range 10.91–34.22 km/d). Red fox significantly selected lower elevations with less rugged terrain and were positively associated with water. This is the first study in the Trans-Himalayan landscape which aims to understand the daily movement of red fox at a fine temporal scale. Studying the movement and home range sizes helps understand the daily energetics and nutritional requirements of red fox. Movement information of a species is important for the prioritisation of areas for conservation and can aid in understanding ecosystem functioning and landscape management.

Different coexistence patterns between apex carnivores and mesocarnivores based on temporal, spatial, and dietary niche partitioning analysis in Qilian Mountain National Park, China

“…Pallas's cat is a diurnal hunter and inhabits montane grassland, shrub steppe and cold montane deserts (Ross et al, 2019). Red fox is mainly nocturnal and is widely distributed across various habitats (Reshamwala et al, 2022;Pandolfi et al, 1997), with the habitat type dependent on the abundance of prey (Gołdyn et al, 2003). Tibetan fox is a diurnal hunter of the Tibetan plateau and inhabits shrub meadow, meadow steppe and alpine meadow steppe (Gong and Hu, 2003).…”

“…Pallas's cat hunts during crepuscular and diurnal periods and inhabit meadow habitat with greater prey abundance (Anile et al, 2021;Greco et al, 2022;Ross et al, 2019). In contrast, red fox is primarily nocturnal and occupies diverse habitats depending on prey abundance (Gołdyn et al, 2003;Pandolfi et al, 1997;Reshamwala et al, 2022). Tibetan fox is a diurnal hunter of the Tibetan plateau, preferring shrub meadow, meadow steppe and alpine meadow steppe (Gong and Hu, 2003).…”