Use of anthropogenic linear features by two medium-sized carnivores in reserved and agricultural landscapes.

ABSTRACT: Many carnivores are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. These changes create linear features and habitat edges that can facilitate foraging and/or travel. To understand the significance of anthropogenic linear features in the ecology of carnivores, fine-scaled studies are needed. We studied two medium-sized carnivores: the endangered Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) and the near threatened spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), in a mixed landscape of conservation and agricultural land. Using GPS tracking, we investigated their use of intact habitat versus linear features such as roads, fences and the pasture/cover interface. Both species showed a positive selection for anthropogenic linear features, using the pasture/cover interface for foraging and roads for movement

SUBMITTER: Andersen GE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5599595 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature