416 research outputs found
Habitat suitability modelling for mink passage activity: a cautionary tale - Data
No full textThe mink wildlife passage data for the 17 wildlife passages used in Quebec, Canada. Data obtained with the funding of the Quebec Ministry of Transportation, awarded to Concordia University.Published. Martinig, A. R. 2017. Habitat suitability modelling for mink passage activity: a cautionary tale. Journal of Wildlife Management 81:1439–1448. (cover article)</div
Vegetated highway medians as foraging habitat for small mammals - Data
No full textData used to extract foraging events in the median for 6 wildlife passages in Quebec, Canada. Data obtained with the funding of the Quebec Ministry of Transportation, awarded to Concordia University.Published. Martinig, A. R., and A. A. D. McLaren. 2019. Vegetated highway medians as foraging habitat for small mammals. Wildlife Society Bulletin.</div
Factors influencing the discovery and use of wildlife passages for small fauna - Data
No full textData used to extract passageway use and discovery information for 17 wildlife passages in Quebec, Canada. Data obtained with the funding of the Quebec Ministry of Transportation, awarded to Concordia University.Published. Martinig, A. R., and K. Bélanger-Smith. 2016. Factors influencing the discovery and success of wildlife passages for smaller fauna. Journal of Applied Ecology 53:825–836.</p
Evaluating the effectiveness of wildlife passages for small and medium sized mammals
No full textWhile many studies have looked at how large mammals respond to road mitigation measures, few have examined the effects on smaller mammals nor taken a multispecies approach. I investigated the effectiveness of three different types of wildlife passages along Highway 175 in Quebec for small and medium sized mammals (<30 kg) using infrared cameras. Wildlife passages (n=17) were monitored year round from 2012 to 2015. Two research questions were addressed: (1) Does discovery and use differ between passages and if so, why? and (2) Are there differences between species? Global and species-specific models were produced for both discovery and use. A linear mixed-effects model was used for discoveries (log-transformed counts) and a generalized linear mixed model was used for usage (binary response). Species’ responded to the passages differently, with discoveries increasing overall and in particular for marmots (Marmota monax) as latitude increased. Pipe culverts were more likely to be discovered by micromammals and wooden ledge culverts by red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) than other passage types. Older passages were discovered less in general, with the exception of marmots. Marmots were the only species to show a difference in use by passage type, favouring pipe culverts. Passage use was less likely with a median present for all models, except squirrels. More open passages had higher use overall and particularly for marmots and weasels (Mustela sp). In contrast to previous studies, distance to cover and the presence of light were not important predictors. Agencies can engineer increasingly effective wildlife passages by minimizing the barrier effect of the structures themselves and constructing passages better suited to the needs of the species being targeted. To benefit the most species, it is recommended that future projects contain a diversity of open, single segment passages requiring long-term monitoring
Behavioural and ecological predictors of dispersal outcomes in red squirrels
No full textDispersal is one of the most important life-history events facing an individual, but how and why individuals arrive at the decision to leave home is largely unknown. This decision has immediate and lifelong fitness consequences. Therefore, understanding how individuals make dispersal decisions is key to dispersal theory and fundamental to species management and recovery. Using North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), I examine the drivers and consequences of dispersal at the individual and population level. During prospection (the time between leaving the natal site and settlement), movement was greater when there were more local competitors (juveniles of the same age within 130 meters of the focal individual), while the location of territory acquisition was closer when local adult density was higher (adult territory holders within 130 meters of the focal individual). These effects were phenotype-dependent, with aggressive juveniles, whose behaviour develops over ontogeny, settling closer to their natal site. I further found that red squirrels exhibited sex-biased dispersal and that the benefits and costs to dispersal after settlement were sex-dependent and extended across generations. Collectively, this thesis demonstrates that the drivers of juvenile dispersal are phenotype- and environment-dependent, and suggest that lifetime fitness and intergenerational effects must be considered to better understand what factors drive dispersal
Habitat Suitability Modelling for Passage Activity: A Cautionary Tale Using Mink
No full textWhile
many
studies
have
evaluated
wildlife
passage
effectiveness,
few
have
explored
how
accurately
passage
activity
can
be
modelled.
I
created
a
habitat
suitability
index
(HSI)
model
for
American
mink
(Neovison
vison)
using
Geographic
Information
Systems
with
17
wildlife
passages
located
in
Quebec
as
validation
for
the
model.
Two
questions
were
addressed:
(1)
How
well
can
HSI
modelling
for
mink
determine
passage
activity?
and
(2)
how
sensitive
are
the
models
to
different
parameterizations?
To
test
this,
I
assessed
how
well
the
HSI
scores
generated
aligned
with
passage
activity.
A
generalized
linear
model
was
used
to
test
how
well
the
model
explained
the
variability
in
passage
activity
(counts).
Uncertainty
analysis
revealed
that
the
HSI
model
was
sensitive
to
extreme
changes
in
factor
weights
and
scale.
The
predictive
power
of
all
models
greatly
improved
after
including
aspects
related
to
passage
construction,
with
the
pseudo-‐R2
increasing
between
64
–
73
%.
These
findings
suggest
that
these
HSI
models
are
a
poor
predicator
of
passage
use
for
mink,
while
wildlife
passage
characteristics
are
highly
predictive.
Transportation
agencies
would
benefit
from
the
ability
to
make
informed
planning
decisions,
however
greater
care
is
required
to
determine
passage
suitability.
The
proper
implementation
of
these
tools
requires
knowledge
of
not
only
habitat
preferences,
but
also
how
movement
is
influenced
by
the
wildlife
passages
themselves
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