Presence of Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) in relation to land cover, livestock and human influence in Portugal

Abstract

a b s t r a c tFrom June 2005 to March 2007, we investigated wolf presence in an area of 1000 km 2 in central northern Portugal by scat surveys along line transects. We aimed at predicting wolf presence by developing a habitat model using land cover classes, livestock density and human influence (e.g. population and road density). We confirmed the presence of three wolf packs by kernel density distribution analysis of scat location data and detected their rendezvous sites by howling simulations. Wolf habitats were characterized by lower human presence and higher densities of livestock. The model, developed by binary logistic regression, included the variables livestock and road density and correctly predicted 90.7% of areas with wolf presence. Wolves avoided the closer surroundings of villages and roads, as well as the general proximity to major roads. Our results show that the availability of prey (here: livestock) is the most important factor for wolf presence and that wolves can coexist with humans even in areas of poor land cover, unless these areas are excessively fragmented by anthropogenic infrastructures.

Non-invasive genetic sampling to predict wolf distribution and habitat suitability in the Northern Italian Apennines: implications for livestock depredation risk

“…Our results are consistent with other published studies (Massolo and Meriggi 1998;Jedrzejewski et al 2005;Eggermann et al 2011;Ahmadi et al 2013). Although the wolf presence could be largely driven by prey distribution, which we could not directly test, the main habitat factors related to the wolf presence in the study area are represented by geo-morphological conditions (altitude, slope, and roughness), natural habitats (meadows, woods, and forests), and human disturbance (human density and human settlements).…”

“…However, in our study area, and throughout Italy, wolves mostly occupy intermediate elevations (Falcucci et al 2013). The potential wolf distribution was more correlated to higher altitudes during the GP, possibly due to a higher abundance of domestic and wild prey and to the avoidance of intensive human activities in the valleys (Eggermann et al 2011). Conversely, lower-altitude areas were significantly more correlated to the wolf presence during the NGP, possibly as a response to adverse climate conditions and to the distribution of food resources, such as wild ungulates (Massolo and Meriggi 1998;Glenz et al 2001), at lower altitudes during the coldest season.…”

“…During the GP, meadows were positively related to wolf presence as they represent pastures for livestock (Eggermann et al 2011) and foraging sites for deer (Abbas et al 2013), while shrublands, water courses, and rocky areas were not related to wolf distribution, in agreement with other studies (Massolo and Meriggi 1998;Glenz et al 2001;Houle et al 2010). Habitat diversity was positively related to wolf occurrence both in GP and in NGP, probably because the large carnivore tend to use different habitat types for different activities (Houle et al 2010) and habitat heterogeneity is a driver of wild ungulate diversity and distribution (Cromsigt et al 2009).…”

“…Based on wolf-habitat relationships (Massolo and Meriggi 1998;Carroll et al 2003;Jedrzejewski et al 2005;Hebblewhite and Merrill 2008;Laporte et al 2010;Eggermann et al 2011;Ahmadi et al 2013;Falcucci et al 2013), we selected a set of 16 predictor variables for which geographic information system (GIS) data were available for the entire study area, including ecological, topographic and anthropogenic features (Table 1). Habitat diversity (Shannon Diversity Index) and land cover types were obtained from the Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE Land Cover 2006, IV Level; http://www.sinanet.isprambiente.…”

Occurrence of virulence genes in multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli isolates from Iberian wolves (Canis lupus signatus) in Portugal

“…The Portuguese wolf population is estimated in 200 to 400 individuals and is divided in two subpopulations: the largest one (between 45 and 55 packs) occurs in the northern Douro River and is connected to the Spanish population; the other, at the south of the river, is constituted by less than 10 packs, apparently isolated from the remaining Iberian population (Álvares 2004;Pimenta et al 2005). Wolves in Portugal inhabit areas with a strong human influence and depend largely on livestock, which may constitute up to 80% of their diet (Vos 2000;Álvares 2004;Eggermann et al 2010).…”