دورية أكاديمية

Timing of Resource Availability Drives Divergent Social Systems and Home Range Dynamics in Ecologically Similar Tree Squirrels

التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان: Timing of Resource Availability Drives Divergent Social Systems and Home Range Dynamics in Ecologically Similar Tree Squirrels
المؤلفون: Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto, Melissa J. Merrick, Francesco Bisi, John L. Koprowski, Lucas Wauters, Adriano Martinoli
المصدر: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, Vol 8 (2020)
بيانات النشر: Frontiers Media S.A., 2020.
سنة النشر: 2020
المجموعة: LCC:Evolution
LCC:Ecology
مصطلحات موضوعية: conifer-squirrel coevolution, home range size variation, Eurasian red squirrel, Mt. Graham red squirrel, foraging strategy, producer–consumer dynamics, Evolution, QH359-425, Ecology, QH540-549.5
الوصف: Intraspecific variation in home range size has important implications for the distribution of animals across landscapes and the spatial structuring of population, community, and ecosystem processes. Among species of similar trophic guild and body mass, differences in home range size can reflect extrinsic variables that exert divergent selective forces upon spacing behavior and social organization. We tested predictions about how resource availability and timing influence social system, home range size, and territoriality in two tree squirrel species of similar size and ecological niches but that differ in foraging strategy and social organization. We estimated home range size and intraspecific home range core overlap in the Mt. Graham red squirrel (Tamiasciurus fremonti grahamensis; Arizona USA; MGRS) and the Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris; Alps, Italy; ERS) as functions of species, sex, season, and individual’s body mass. However, body mass did not explain differences found between the two species. We found MGRS home ranges being three times smaller with higher core area exclusivity compared to ERS in all seasons. In fact, territorial MGRS evolved in a system of brief resource pulses and are larder hoarders, whereas ERS experience prolonged resource availability and are non-territorial. Only male MGRSs increased their home range during the breeding season, reflecting interspecific differences in social organization and mating behavior. Male ERS home ranges always overlap with several females to enhance mating success although male and female MGRS maintain nearly exclusive territories throughout the year. Only during spring and summer do males temporarily leave their food-based territory to increase mating opportunities with neighboring estrus females. Home range comparisons between ecologically similar species emphasize the importance of divergent extrinsic factors in shaping variability in body size–home range size scaling relationships. Timing in resource availability influenced the social structure and space use in tree squirrels of similar body size, highlighting how the coevolution of arboreal squirrels with conifer tree species has shaped their natural history.
نوع الوثيقة: article
وصف الملف: electronic resource
اللغة: English
تدمد: 2296-701X
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2020.00174/full; https://doaj.org/toc/2296-701X
DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00174
URL الوصول: https://doaj.org/article/b34ed98a4984494e91155f9a65a772d2
رقم الأكسشن: edsdoj.b34ed98a4984494e91155f9a65a772d2
قاعدة البيانات: Directory of Open Access Journals
الوصف
تدمد:2296701X
DOI:10.3389/fevo.2020.00174