ארכיון mammals - Hamaarag

Variable influence of settlement proximity on temporal activity patterns of mammals in Israel

shira grossbard — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 16:56:43 +0000

A Poster presented in a convention

הפוסט Variable influence of settlement proximity on temporal activity patterns of mammals in Israel הופיע לראשונה ב-Hamaarag.

The influence of settlements on the diurnal activity patterns of mammals in Israel

shira grossbard — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 13:20:39 +0000

An increase in the human population density in Israel has caused both the expansion and the intensification of the impact of human activities on wild animals. In areas where animals exist in close proximity to humans, some species change their spatial and temporal activity patterns to reduce their chances of encountering humans. Changes in the temporal activity of a species may affect diverse aspects of the species behavior and its physiology. Behavioral patterns are expected to respond to changes in environmental conditions before changes in the size of the population occur, and monitoring these will allow early human influences on wildlife to be identified. Understanding the effect of human settlements on the diurnal activities of mammals is important as a knowledge-base for management decision-marking, with the aim of preserving species and the ecosystems they inhabit. The research goal is to quantify the influence of human settlements on the temporal activity patterns of medium and large mammals.

הפוסט The influence of settlements on the diurnal activity patterns of mammals in Israel הופיע לראשונה ב-Hamaarag.

Spatio-temporal activity patterns of mammals in an agro-ecological mosaic with seasonal recreation activities

shira grossbard — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 11:48:49 +0000

Recreation activities in developed landscapes may add additional stressors that affect wildlife spatial and temporal activity patterns. We assessed medium to large mammal species response to a tourist scenic route in an agro-ecological mosaic landscape of the Shikma region, Israel. We placed 60 camera traps in an agro-ecological matrix and recorded mammals during three seasons between 2015 and 2017. We used N-mixture models to estimate mammal activity in relation with proximity to the scenic route and additional anthropogenic related factors such as traffic volume and land use. Anthropogenic development and activities had negative effects on large, endangered species, and none or positive on smaller, commensal species. Our results suggest an expansion of human recreation activity may have adverse outcomes on apex predators, which can cause a chain reaction and lead to meso-predator release, ultimately affecting prey species. The results emphasize the need for land managers to be extra cautious when attempting to add additional stressors (i.e., recreation activity) to developed landscapes such as the study area. Such landscapes can function as healthy ecosystems and provide suitable habitats for wildlife given that land managers are aware and account for wildlife-limiting factors in future development plans.

הפוסט Spatio-temporal activity patterns of mammals in an agro-ecological mosaic with seasonal recreation activities הופיע לראשונה ב-Hamaarag.