Carnivore distribution across habitats in a central-European landscape: a camera trap study
Quantitative data on local variation in patterns of occurrence of common carnivore species, such as the red fox, European badger, or martens in central Europe are largely missing. We conducted a study focusing on carnivore ecology and distribution in a cultural landscape with the use of modern techn...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pensoft Publishers
2018-07-01
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| Series: | ZooKeys |
| Online Access: | https://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=22554 |
| _version_ | 1811331379568312320 |
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| author | Klára Pyšková Ondřej Kauzál David Storch Ivan Horáček Jan Pergl Petr Pyšek |
| author_facet | Klára Pyšková Ondřej Kauzál David Storch Ivan Horáček Jan Pergl Petr Pyšek |
| author_sort | Klára Pyšková |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Quantitative data on local variation in patterns of occurrence of common carnivore species, such as the red fox, European badger, or martens in central Europe are largely missing. We conducted a study focusing on carnivore ecology and distribution in a cultural landscape with the use of modern technology. We placed 73 automated infra-red camera traps into four different habitats differing in water availability and canopy cover (mixed forest, wetland, shrubby grassland and floodplain forest) in the Polabí region near Prague, Czech Republic. Each habitat was represented by three or four spatially isolated sites within which the camera traps were distributed. During the year of the study, we recorded nine carnivore species, including the non-native golden jackal. Habitats with the highest numbers of records pooled across all species were wetland (1279) and shrubby grassland (1014); fewer records were made in mixed (876) and floodplain forest (734). Habitat had a significant effect on the number of records of badger and marten, and a marginally significant effect on fox. In terms of seasonal dynamics, there were significant differences in the distribution of records among seasons in fox, marginally significant in least weasel, and the occurrence among seasons did not differ for badger and marten. In the summer, fox and marten were more active than expected by chance during the day, while the pattern was opposite in winter when they were more active during the night. Our findings on habitat preferences and circadian and seasonal activity provided the first quantitative data on patterns whose existence was assumed on the basis of conventional wisdom. Our study demonstrates the potential of a long-term monitoring approach based on infra-red camera traps. Generally, the rather frequent occurrence of recorded species indicates that most carnivore species are thriving in current central-European landscapes characterized by human-driven disturbances and urbanization. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:19:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1336a16a070d46518e517f1057cd7f1a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1313-2989 1313-2970 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T16:19:43Z |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
| publisher | Pensoft Publishers |
| record_format | Article |
| series | ZooKeys |
| spelling | doaj.art-1336a16a070d46518e517f1057cd7f1a2022-12-22T02:39:58ZengPensoft PublishersZooKeys1313-29891313-29702018-07-0177022724610.3897/zookeys.770.2255422554Carnivore distribution across habitats in a central-European landscape: a camera trap studyKlára Pyšková0Ondřej Kauzál1David Storch2Ivan Horáček3Jan Pergl4Petr Pyšek5Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles UniversityInstitute of Botany, Department of Invasion Ecology, The Czech Academy of SciencesDepartment of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles UniversityDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles UniversityInstitute of Botany, Department of Invasion Ecology, The Czech Academy of SciencesInstitute of Botany, Department of Invasion Ecology, The Czech Academy of SciencesQuantitative data on local variation in patterns of occurrence of common carnivore species, such as the red fox, European badger, or martens in central Europe are largely missing. We conducted a study focusing on carnivore ecology and distribution in a cultural landscape with the use of modern technology. We placed 73 automated infra-red camera traps into four different habitats differing in water availability and canopy cover (mixed forest, wetland, shrubby grassland and floodplain forest) in the Polabí region near Prague, Czech Republic. Each habitat was represented by three or four spatially isolated sites within which the camera traps were distributed. During the year of the study, we recorded nine carnivore species, including the non-native golden jackal. Habitats with the highest numbers of records pooled across all species were wetland (1279) and shrubby grassland (1014); fewer records were made in mixed (876) and floodplain forest (734). Habitat had a significant effect on the number of records of badger and marten, and a marginally significant effect on fox. In terms of seasonal dynamics, there were significant differences in the distribution of records among seasons in fox, marginally significant in least weasel, and the occurrence among seasons did not differ for badger and marten. In the summer, fox and marten were more active than expected by chance during the day, while the pattern was opposite in winter when they were more active during the night. Our findings on habitat preferences and circadian and seasonal activity provided the first quantitative data on patterns whose existence was assumed on the basis of conventional wisdom. Our study demonstrates the potential of a long-term monitoring approach based on infra-red camera traps. Generally, the rather frequent occurrence of recorded species indicates that most carnivore species are thriving in current central-European landscapes characterized by human-driven disturbances and urbanization.https://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=22554 |
| spellingShingle | Klára Pyšková Ondřej Kauzál David Storch Ivan Horáček Jan Pergl Petr Pyšek Carnivore distribution across habitats in a central-European landscape: a camera trap study ZooKeys |
| title | Carnivore distribution across habitats in a central-European landscape: a camera trap study |
| title_full | Carnivore distribution across habitats in a central-European landscape: a camera trap study |
| title_fullStr | Carnivore distribution across habitats in a central-European landscape: a camera trap study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Carnivore distribution across habitats in a central-European landscape: a camera trap study |
| title_short | Carnivore distribution across habitats in a central-European landscape: a camera trap study |
| title_sort | carnivore distribution across habitats in a central european landscape a camera trap study |
| url | https://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=22554 |
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