1,720,994 research outputs found
The price of being bold: personality affects endoparasite infection in introduced eastern grey squirrels
No full textIntrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting the macroparasite fauna of the red squirrel: do habitat quality and fragmentation affect parasite abundance or prevalence?
No full textThe impact of invasive species: alien grey squirrels increase stress in native Eurasian red squirrels
No full textIntrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting the macroparasite fauna of the red squirrel: do habitat quality and fragmentation affect parasite abundance or prevalence?
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The impact of urbanisation on chipmunks, arboreal and flying squirrels: a global systematic review
Full text linkThe current, rapid urbanisation process impacts global biodiversity and can be a driver for phenotypic changes in mammals that persist in cities. Animals display different response strategies in urban environments compared to natural areas, but patterns may differ among species. To better comprehend this process, we focused on a limited number of species that are present in many urban green spaces around the globe.The aim of this systematic review is to investigate which response strategies chipmunks, arboreal and flying squirrels use to cope with urban environments, exploring whether there are general response patterns, and to reveal potential adaptations to life in urban areas. We included studies that compared trait differences among conspecifics living in different areas along an urbanisation gradient (rural-urban) and studies comparing individuals or populations between urban areas with different environmental characteristics.The effects of urbanisation on chipmunks, arboreal and flying squirrels, at the individual and at the population levels, were identified in nine topics. Included articles explored at least one of these topics and their key findings were described.Effects of urbanisation are evident in all considered topics. However, we found contrasting patterns between species or even among individuals of the same species studied in different geographical areas. Overall, we reported two knowledge gaps: some phenotypic traits were considered in few studies, and many species, especially those living in the Global South, where urban growth rate is higher, have not been studied.This systematic review suggests that urbanisation can be an important driver for adaptation in small mammals, underlining the complexity and differentiation of response patterns. Since target species have important ecological and social roles, additional comparative studies, increasing our understanding of processes that determine their presence in cities, are essential for urban green planning which aims to conserve biodiversity
Habitat effects on hoarding plasticity in the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).
No full textHoarding patterns can be classified into two general types: scatter-hoarding and larder-hoarding, but there are intermediate types. Various factors affect hoarding patterns. Animals hoarding identical seeds in different habitats may use different hoarding patterns to adapt to habitat variation.
We used a sample-plot investigation method to study cache features and recovery rate of seeds of Arolla pine (Pinus cembra) by Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in 2009 and 2010 in two subalpine forests with different tree-species composition in the Italian Alps. Hoarding patterns
of red squirrels varied among habitats: the typical scatter-hoarding pattern with most caches including 2-6 seeds is found in spruce (Picea abies) dominated forest, while a combination of few large caches (10 seeds) and many small caches (less than 10 seeds) is found in Arolla pine dominated forest. Consequently, average number of seeds/cache was higher in the latter habitat. Among five microhabitats, shrubs, grass, moss, fallen leaves, and stone, Eurasian red squirrels preferred
fallen leaves and moss as hoarding substrate. Cache recovery investigation indicated that recovery rate was 62% in spruce forest and only 21% in Arolla pine forest. A lower availability of suitable
hoarding microhabitat resulted in changes in hoarding patterns of red squirrels in Pinus cembra dominated forest. We suggest that the main factor influencing differences in recovery rate was a higher cone production per tree in Pinus cembra forest
Indirect effects on host resistance to parasite infections: preliminary evidence in the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)
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