Summer food of sympatric red fox and pine marten in the German Alps

Russell, A.J.M.; Storch, Ilse

doi:10.1007/s10344-004-0037-0

Cited by 21 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Such food habits are comparable with those observed in other studies (Patalano and Lovari 1993;Russell and Storch 2004;Dell'Arte et al 2007). However, in addition, wild ungulates were found to be an important food source during the year, as occasionally reported elsewhere (Lanszki 2005;Sidorovich et al 2006;Panzacchi et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…<5%; 6-10%; 11-15%) as described by Russell and Storch (2004). We calculated the frequency of occurrence (FO%) and the average volume (AV%) for each food item.…”

Section: Scat Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The worldwide distribution of red fox ranges from arctic barren areas to temperate deserts, from wilderness to cities (Harris 1981;Jędrzejewski and Jedrzejewska 1992). Some environments are more suitable to support high number of foxes, with heterogeneous habitats usually bearing higher densities than homogeneous ones (Jędrzejewski and Jedrzejewska 1992;Russell and Storch 2004). The wolf original distribution was as wide as fox one but human persecution restricted it to small and fragmented range in the northern hemisphere (Mech 1970;Carbyn 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Trophic niche overlap and wild ungulate consumption by red fox and wolf in a mountain area in Italy

et al. 2012

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a b s t r a c tRed fox (Vulpes vulpes) and wolf (Canis lupus) are two widespread opportunistic predators living in simpatry in many areas. Nonetheless, scarce information are available on their trophic interactions. We investigated food habits of these two carnivores in a mountain area in Italy and assessed the extent of their trophic niche overlap, focusing on the consumption of wild ungulates. Thereby we analyzed the content of 669 red fox scats and 253 wolf scats collected between May 2008 and April 2009. Red foxes resulted to have a more than three times higher niche breadth than wolves. Vegetables, small mammals, wild ungulates, and invertebrates were major items (altogether 92% of volume) of the red fox annual diet. On the contrary wolf annual diet relied on wild ungulates (94% of volume) with wild boar (Sus scrofa) being the main food item. The degree of trophic niche overlap between the two species was found to be low (Pianka's O = 0.356). Diet variation between the warm and the cold seasons was limited in both species, and higher in red fox than in wolf. The two canids appeared to use wild ungulates unevenly being the former more selective for younger preys, smaller in size (newborn piglets and roe deer Capreolus capreolus fawns), whereas the latter exhibited a preference for medium-sized and large ungulates (10-35 kg wild boar and adult roe deer). Even if wild ungulates represent the main shared food category, the different use of age/weight classes by the two predators, together with their possible consumption as carrions by red fox, suggests a very limited trophic competition between wolf and red fox.This study represents a contribution to the knowledge of trophic interaction in predator-prey systems where sympatric carnivores are present.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…<5%; 6-10%; 11-15%) as described by Russell and Storch (2004). We calculated the frequency of occurrence (FO%) and the average volume (AV%) for each food item.…”

Section: Scat Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Trophic niche overlap and wild ungulate consumption by red fox and wolf in a mountain area in Italy

et al. 2012

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“…habitat type, prey composition; [15], [18]). However, a more sophisticated understanding of the specialist/generalist distinction should require evaluation along multiple dimensions of environmental and resource conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconsidering the Specialist-Generalist Paradigm in Niche Breadth Dynamics: Resource Gradient Selection by Canada Lynx and Bobcat

2012

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The long-standing view in ecology is that disparity in overall resource selection is the basis for identifying niche breadth patterns, with species having narrow selection being classified “specialists” and those with broader selection being “generalists”. The standard model of niche breadth characterizes generalists and specialists as having comparable levels of overall total resource exploitation, with specialists exploiting resources at a higher level of performance over a narrower range of conditions. This view has gone largely unchallenged. An alternate model predicts total resource use being lower for the specialized species with both peaking at a comparable level of performance over a particular resource gradient. To reconcile the niche breadth paradigm we contrasted both models by developing range-wide species distribution models for Canada lynx, Lynx canadensis, and bobcat, Lynx rufus. Using a suite of environmental factors to define each species’ niche, we determined that Canada lynx demonstrated higher total performance over a restricted set of variables, specifically those related to snow and altitude, while bobcat had higher total performance across most variables. Unlike predictions generated by the standard model, bobcat level of exploitation was not compromised by the trade-off with peak performance, and Canada lynx were not restricted to exploiting a narrower range of conditions. Instead, the emergent pattern was that specialist species have a higher total resource utilization and peak performance value within a smaller number of resources or environmental axes than generalists. Our results also indicate that relative differences in niche breadth are strongly dependent on the variable under consideration, implying that the appropriate model describing niche breadth dynamics between specialists and generalists may be more complex than either the traditional heuristic or our modified version. Our results demonstrate a need to re-evaluate traditional, but largely untested, assumptions regarding resource utilization in species with broad and narrow niches.

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“…In Central Europe, the red fox is a generalist predator, preying on a variety of species including these three species (Storch & Kleine 1991, Kaiser & Storch 1996. However, in most areas small rodents, especially voles Microtus spp., will account for the major part of the foxes' diet (Russell & Storch 2004).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A statistical analysis of the relationship between red fox Vulpes vulpes and its prey species (grey partridge Perdix perdix, brown hare Lepus europaeus and rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Western Germany from 1958 to 1998

Knauer

Küchenhoff²,

Pilz³

2010

Wildlife Biology

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Predator-prey relationships are of general interest in ecology and have been studied extensively. They are also of interest for effective management and recovery of prey populations. However, quantification of these relationships in the field has remained difficult. We analysed the impact of the predation of red fox Vulpes vulpes on brown hare Lepus europaeus, grey partridge Perdix perdix and rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus using yearly hunting bag records as population indicators in eight German provinces over a period of 41 years. Bag records were tested for deviation from properties of suitable population indicators. We quantified the association between prey and predator populations within the context of other variables such as weather and long-term trends. We used an overall regression model for each prey population and discussed three statistical approaches accounting for the time series structure of the data. Models for all prey species populations display a good fit. The fox population has a significant negative association to the hare population in all models. The results for the rabbit population show only a small effect of the fox population, though it is not significant. The effect of the fox population on the partridge population cannot be clearly distinguished from a general trend. Additionally, there is a strong long-term trend in the hare and partridge populations. This could be due to major changes in the agricultural landscapes over the last decades. It is important to note that this trend is much stronger than the association to the fox population. Our study suggests that habitat improvement could be much more effective in restoring prey populations than fox control due to the minor interactions between the fox and the prey populations.

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Summer food of sympatric red fox and pine marten in the German Alps

Cited by 21 publications

References 28 publications

Trophic niche overlap and wild ungulate consumption by red fox and wolf in a mountain area in Italy

Trophic niche overlap and wild ungulate consumption by red fox and wolf in a mountain area in Italy

Reconsidering the Specialist-Generalist Paradigm in Niche Breadth Dynamics: Resource Gradient Selection by Canada Lynx and Bobcat

A statistical analysis of the relationship between red fox Vulpes vulpes and its prey species (grey partridge Perdix perdix, brown hare Lepus europaeus and rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Western Germany from 1958 to 1998

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