High frequency GPS bursts and path-level analysis reveal linear feature tracking by red foxes.

ABSTRACT: There is a need to quantify and better understand how wildlife interact with linear features, as these are integral elements of most landscapes. One potentially important aspect is linear feature tracking (LFT), yet studies rarely succeed in directly revealing or quantifying this behavior. In a proof-of-concept study, we employed short-term intensive GPS monitoring of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in a multiple-use landscape in southern Norway. Using periodic bursts of high frequency GPS position fixes, we performed modified path selection analyses to estimate the propensity of foxes to track natural and man-made linear features (roads, forest edges, and streams) once they are encountered. Foxes in our study tracked primarily forest edges and roads. Forty-three percent of bursts that encounter

SUBMITTER: Bischof R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6586955 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature