Multi-population comparison of resource exploitation by island foxes: Implications for conservation
Imperiled island foxes are inherently resource-limited by their insular ecology. We examined food use on all 6 islands where they occur to assess resource exploitation patterns. Over 40 different food items were identified with item use varying among islands. Sixteen items occurred with ≥10% frequen...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2014-12-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989414000493 |
| _version_ | 1828281804013961216 |
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| author | B.L. Cypher A.Y. Madrid C.L. Van Horn Job E.C. Kelly S.W.R. Harrison T.L. Westall |
| author_facet | B.L. Cypher A.Y. Madrid C.L. Van Horn Job E.C. Kelly S.W.R. Harrison T.L. Westall |
| author_sort | B.L. Cypher |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Imperiled island foxes are inherently resource-limited by their insular ecology. We examined food use on all 6 islands where they occur to assess resource exploitation patterns. Over 40 different food items were identified with item use varying among islands. Sixteen items occurred with ≥10% frequency in annual fox diets: deer mice, birds, lizards, beetles, beetle larvae, Jerusalem crickets, silk-spinning sand crickets, grasshoppers, earwigs, snails, and fruits of toyon, manzanita, prickly pear cactus, ice plant, Australian saltbush, and summer holly. Foxes used a diversity of food items with variations among islands attributable to island-specific availabilities. Deer mice in particular appeared to be preferred. Foxes also exhibited extensive use of non-native items, such as ice plant fruits, European snails, and earwigs, and foxes may even be dependent on these items on some islands. To increase food security and promote population stability, we recommend (1) continuing and enhancing habitat restoration efforts on all islands, (2) increasing the abundance of native items in association with any removals of non-native species used by foxes, and (3) monitoring annual trends in abundance of key food items as well as periodic monitoring of item use by foxes to determine functional responses to changes in item availability. Keywords: Channel islands, Endangered species, Food-item selection, Foraging ecology, Island fox, Urocyon littoralis |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T08:21:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-575c5bbbd6b04c348b8d4f5d31a810bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T08:21:08Z |
| publishDate | 2014-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-575c5bbbd6b04c348b8d4f5d31a810bb2022-12-22T02:54:38ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942014-12-012255266Multi-population comparison of resource exploitation by island foxes: Implications for conservationB.L. Cypher0A.Y. Madrid1C.L. Van Horn Job2E.C. Kelly3S.W.R. Harrison4T.L. Westall5Correspondence to: California State University-Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program, P.O. Box 9622, Bakersfield, CA 93389, United States. Tel.: +1 661 835 7810.; California State University-Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program, One University Circle, Turlock, CA 93582, United StatesCalifornia State University-Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program, One University Circle, Turlock, CA 93582, United StatesCalifornia State University-Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program, One University Circle, Turlock, CA 93582, United StatesCalifornia State University-Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program, One University Circle, Turlock, CA 93582, United StatesCalifornia State University-Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program, One University Circle, Turlock, CA 93582, United StatesCalifornia State University-Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program, One University Circle, Turlock, CA 93582, United StatesImperiled island foxes are inherently resource-limited by their insular ecology. We examined food use on all 6 islands where they occur to assess resource exploitation patterns. Over 40 different food items were identified with item use varying among islands. Sixteen items occurred with ≥10% frequency in annual fox diets: deer mice, birds, lizards, beetles, beetle larvae, Jerusalem crickets, silk-spinning sand crickets, grasshoppers, earwigs, snails, and fruits of toyon, manzanita, prickly pear cactus, ice plant, Australian saltbush, and summer holly. Foxes used a diversity of food items with variations among islands attributable to island-specific availabilities. Deer mice in particular appeared to be preferred. Foxes also exhibited extensive use of non-native items, such as ice plant fruits, European snails, and earwigs, and foxes may even be dependent on these items on some islands. To increase food security and promote population stability, we recommend (1) continuing and enhancing habitat restoration efforts on all islands, (2) increasing the abundance of native items in association with any removals of non-native species used by foxes, and (3) monitoring annual trends in abundance of key food items as well as periodic monitoring of item use by foxes to determine functional responses to changes in item availability. Keywords: Channel islands, Endangered species, Food-item selection, Foraging ecology, Island fox, Urocyon littoralishttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989414000493 |
| spellingShingle | B.L. Cypher A.Y. Madrid C.L. Van Horn Job E.C. Kelly S.W.R. Harrison T.L. Westall Multi-population comparison of resource exploitation by island foxes: Implications for conservation Global Ecology and Conservation |
| title | Multi-population comparison of resource exploitation by island foxes: Implications for conservation |
| title_full | Multi-population comparison of resource exploitation by island foxes: Implications for conservation |
| title_fullStr | Multi-population comparison of resource exploitation by island foxes: Implications for conservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multi-population comparison of resource exploitation by island foxes: Implications for conservation |
| title_short | Multi-population comparison of resource exploitation by island foxes: Implications for conservation |
| title_sort | multi population comparison of resource exploitation by island foxes implications for conservation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989414000493 |
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